Anyone buy w/o AP?

[wesley888]

Thank you, this one speaks to me the most. I appreciate everyone's answer, but rather than a theoretical would you do it again, you actually got a 2nd one, and didn't do it.

It really depends on how your daily commute is like. If you are like me that have to consistently stuck in stop and go traffic, you'll really appreciate the AP. There are absolutely no fun to drive in or near NYC no matter what car you are in during rush hour.

 

[VRM3]

It really depends on how your daily commute is like. If you are like me that have to consistently stuck in stop and go traffic, you'll really appreciate the AP. There are absolutely no fun to drive in or near NYC no matter what car you are in during rush hour.

This for sure. My LA commute is soul destroying on more days than I choose to admit so if EAP can alieviate that pain point in my life on a 'daily' basis, the value proposition is exceptionally attractive. Spec for the mission. Good luck!

 

[steveho]

Steveho,
Can you run your 60D math for me please? Trying to figure out how you got $70k including EAP and pano roof.

Did you opt out of subzero package?
Are you doing textile seats?

When I run your stated configuration on Teslamotors.com I get $79k
(Blue, dual motor, sunroof, EAP, no interior or wheel upgrade, no subzero)
Minus $1k referral would be 78k
Minus $7500 tax is $70.5k

You got it. $70,500. I was rounding with the new fuzzy math. I did change to the sunroof though so my final is $79000 minus 7500 minus 1000 referral. $71,000.

And if you want to spread the love, here's my referral code: steven3607
http://ts.la/steven3607
Thanks!

 

[JRMW]

To Steve: Thank you. I would have used your code except I already used my brother in law's.
I may see you around as we're both Vikings.

To the OP:
I ordered today. Went without AP. In the end I thought it was way cooler than I expected but I don't trust it enough yet. Don't want to get lulled into an accident.
Maybe in a year or two when we have more data on its efficacy. Decided to spend that money on glass roof and next gen seats instead. (I was originally planning on body color roof and cloth).

My order: 60D. Midnight color. Next Gen seats. Obeche glossy. Subzero package. And all glass roof.

 

[LVGhost]

Thank you, this one speaks to me the most. I appreciate everyone's answer, but rather than a theoretical would you do it again, you actually got a 2nd one, and didn't do it.

No problem. You can always PM me if you have any other questions.

 

[steveho]

@JRMW - We should have a Mpls meetup someday. I know a few others with teslas as well.

 

[JRMW]

I should update for the OP.

My original plan was bare bones 60D, no autopilot

Well, after hemming and hawing I got Autopilot ($5k version)

Mainly for Adaptive Cruise Control and because
I realized I'm in bumper to bumper rush hour traffic at the end of the day. So we will see...

 

[skip8jj]

You will be pleased to have TACC. It is wonderful whether creeping along in heavy freeway traffic or in town. At speed, it reacts to unplanned events before you can get your response through to you foot to take it off the accelerator. It saved us from a probable re-end collision on I15 in Salt Lake City rush hour traffic. We were in the fast lane when the second car in front of us missed a left hand exit and buried the brakes before crossing over a median. Our car was already decelerating as it registered with me that the car in front of me was sliding to the shoulder. We ended up with plenty of room between us and the car in front of us. The minivan behind us almost hit us though. Think about the time it takes for a person to realize he must brake, left his foot from the accelerator, move it over to the brake peddle and stomp it. You just cannot match that series of actions against the speed of electrical and radar signals.

As for AP, we were driving from Portland, OR, to Oklahoma City last September in an MS 70D, and used AP for nearly all of the 4,600 miles. Its attention is always on the road. Wonderful car.

 

[hingisfan]

How about get a 60 rwd and use that savings to pay for AP? AP you will use a lot more than Awd. I drive a rwd 60 in the winter and with winter tires it handles the snow with ease.

 

[DMC-Orangeville]

How about get a 60 rwd and use that savings to pay for AP? AP you will use a lot more than Awd. I drive a rwd 60 in the winter and with winter tires it handles the snow with ease.

hmmm....not always true. I rarely use autopilot. I like to drive. I love having AWD. I live in the snow belt. I'd take AWD over AP every time

 

[bonaire]

Talk to a financial advisor who has your family's fiduciary view in mind to help make a proper decision. Another option is to wait for December and buy inventory discounts to get more value. If in NJ, work with Parsippany location. They stock a lot of good CPO and should have inventory with discounts for Dec.

 

[Wshowell]

I went the other way, I am financing the car, even though I could probably pay it in cash. The 1.99 or 1.75% financing is basically very low cost money. Yes, I'm financing it over 6 years, but I'm likely to pay it off in 3 years anyway. But the point of financing is that I don't need to save the next $5000 to purchase. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a big spender, but in fact frugal to a point. This would be the only debt that I would have besides my mortgage, which I am paying off in 6 years (I'm 2 years into a 30 year mortgage).

SO I opted for EAP for $5000, on a 60D, with blue, and a sunroof.

Steveho made a fiscally wise decision here I feel. Do the basic math...If you opt out of the $5K option now to add it later (let's just say 1 year later), it'll cost you $6000 or +$1000 which is 20% more (a penny not saved is a penny "lost" so it's a loss of 20% in a year). If you financed the $5K at the time of purchase at $1.99% over 72 months then the total cost of AP is $5,597 ($5K for AP and $597 in interest). I HATE borrowing money on a depreciating asset like this but if you're going to do it, do it the fiscally wise way. Check the box now, borrow as much as possible at the lowest rate possible and invest as much as you can in something "solid" that'll hopefully yield >1.99%.

 

[steveho]

Steveho made a fiscally wise decision here I feel. Do the basic math...If you opt out of the $5K option now to add it later (let's just say 1 year later), it'll cost you $6000 or +$1000 which is 20% more (a penny not saved is a penny "lost" so it's a loss of 20% in a year). If you financed the $5K at the time of purchase at $1.99% over 72 months then the total cost of AP is $5,597 ($5K for AP and $597 in interest). I HATE borrowing money on a depreciating asset like this but if you're going to do it, do it the fiscally wise way. Check the box now, borrow as much as possible at the lowest rate possible and invest as much as you can in something "solid" that'll hopefully yield >1.99%.

Thanks Wshowell! I had a difficult time making the decision to spend $79k on a car though, but at 1.99% it's basically free money, or a free loan. So an extra 5k isn't much vs 6k later.

 

[doubleohwhat]

Here's my situation, we are getting rid of a minivan and really the 60D just barely made it for us.

Eh, how many people do you typically carry in the minivan? If you're looking at this as downsizing from a minivan to a model S then I think you'll be fine but if you're looking to replace a minivan you typically load up with 6-7 people then I'm really not sure a model S is the right choice.

Did anyone avoid it [ap] in their build, only to activate and pay more for it later?

I didn't get AP1 in my 09/16 S60 and I don't regret it. I rarely drive on roads where it would be useful and I have no daily commute. I tried it once on a short trip during the 30-day trial and I could definitely see the appeal if you did a lot of highway or rush hour traffic driving. However, for me, it's just not needed and would rarely get used.

The OA seemed to suggest that it was silly to purchase a Tesla without it's featured option.

That OA is an idiot. There are plenty of people like me that really don't have a great need for the current AP features. If your OA is being pushy, call Tesla and get switched to another OA. If you can't justify the extra $ for AP then don't get it. It's still an awesome car without AP.

 

[DJ 240V]

- Do you really need dual motors/Awd - drop it ?
- rear facing seats - drop it.
- Don't splurge on the paint !

This is a TECH car - get the EAP!

 

[Yinn]

Thanks everyone.

- RFS is mandatory, we don't have 5 kids; but we do a kids pickup that requires the extra seats once a week for a short trip.
- While I'm ok driving a RWD car w/ winter tires, my wife is not. D was a requirement, otherwise a CPO RWD w/o AP or with AP1 would have been much more cost effective.

- Financing AP: For me, saving & investing while saving; to make a purchase is less risky. Worst case, I either don't buy or delay the purchase. It gives me more peace of mind than taking a loan then using money allocated for the loan to attempt to make more money. A debt free life is a stress free life. (at least significantly reduced) It's just a personal preference not to leverage for a vehicle.

In the end we decided EAP was just too costly and ordered without it.