Arguments for the 160 mile S (if you’re not a millionaire of course)

[Doug_G]

On the flipside, the rental process is always annoying to me. Even if you find a place that picks you up (so you don't have to actually find one and drive to it), you've got paperwork, you've got mileage concerns etc. It's not your own vehicle, so you're not 100% familiar with it. You have to worry about a return schedule etc -- I don't know about you, but if I go on a trip where I drive a long distance, I typically get home, and go pass out. I don't even unpack the car right away, let alone run to the rental place and return it.

I guess I'm spoiled, then. There's a rental place about 3 minutes from my house. They pick up. They're not super-busy so the paperwork takes a couple of minutes. They have unlimited miles. I schedule the return for the day after I get back, so there's no rush.

The only annoying thing is when you get an Impala...

 

[AnOutsider]

The only annoying thing is when you get an Impala...

haha, on the plus side, if it's white you get to enjoy people slowing down thinking you're the police when you cruise by.

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

Yes, I like the approach of making the Model S my primary car for the daily commute and reasonably-local weekend trips, with a second fuel-efficient ICE car if possible (my wife's going to) and rent from the likes of Hertz (who offer several "green" choices - Prius, Camry/Altima hybrids etc. at their local editions in addition to airports with unlimited miles and pickup service too) for those long road trips.

The rental costs are not too bad when compared to the depreciation and wear & tear that you'd be putting your own lux car through for long road trips (the one time that I took my ex-TL on a road trip to SoCal, I ended up with a cracked windshield and chipped hood thanks to the debris-filled LA freeways!)

 

[EVNow]

I'm curious why there is so much discussion of rental cars. Unless you are single, you would have more than one car in the family, right ?

We plan to have one EV & one PHEV. That way all our daily commute & weekend driving is electric - only our long trips use gas.

 

[dsm363]

I'm curious why there is so much discussion of rental cars. Unless you are single, you would have more than one car in the family, right ?

I plan to have one EV & one PHEV. That way all our daily commute & weekend driving is electric - only our long trips use gas.

This is exactly the argument I make to people who are concerned about range. I ask if one person in the family has a regular commute that fits well within the range (add more for errands). If they do, and the family is able to travel all together in the other ICE on longer trips, then an EV is a definite option for the person with the short commute.

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

I'm curious why there is so much discussion of rental cars. Unless you are single, you would have more than one car in the family, right ?

Not necessarily a given. A family may not have a second car for financial reasons or if they really carpool a lot and don't really need a second car or if they live in a city such as SF or NY with limited parking options and such. Even if there is a second (ICE) car in the family, like I was saying, they may not really want to drive their own car for long, brutal road trips.

 

[EVNow]

Not necessarily a given. A family may not have a second car for financial reasons or if they really carpool a lot and don't really need a second car or if they live in a city such as SF or NY with limited parking options and such. Even if there is a second (ICE) car in the family, like I was saying, they may not really want to drive their own car for long, brutal road trips.

We should run a poll - but I think a vast majority of S buyers would have atleast one more car in the family. Federal stats show very high % of people in the upper income brackets have 2 or more cars. Considering every American household, more than 60% have multiple cars.

 

[Zextraterrestrial]

These area all terribly good points and I don't like this thread because I know it makes much more sense to buy a 160 mile S than a 300. My commute is 2.5 miles and I don't make the 300 mile trip to the SF bay area that often to need the 85kwh pack. I also know that I will get a ~15% raise in April which will cover the monthly payment if I finance 45-55k (which is stupid in my opinion but I don't listen to myself enough) So to make the 300 make more sense, I want to get the sport version(clear thinking huh?). Buying a 2or 3 year old car is the way to go, but new is nice and then I know exactly what has been done with the car.
I'm planning on owning the S for at least 10 years so if it's paid off in 6 I'd be happy
It's really not the way to save money but life's short so have fun!

I do think the 160 is plenty fast. I think it has the same acceleration as the '02 lexus ls430 that we were given as a hand me down. I rarely floor it to 60, but it is fun. I'd guess the factory event runs were about the speed of the 160? with 5 people in the car for most runs it was plenty quick.

+ the handling of all 3 versions should be the same

 

[dsm363]

Not necessarily a given. A family may not have a second car for financial reasons or if they really carpool a lot and don't really need a second car or if they live in a city such as SF or NY with limited parking options and such. Even if there is a second (ICE) car in the family, like I was saying, they may not really want to drive their own car for long, brutal road trips.

I agree it's not a given but I'd guess that most people in the market for a Model S have two cars. Even if they didn't and their ICE wasn't about to break down, they could keep it around as their secondary car for longer trips or just as a second car for the family.

 

[Mycroft]

Zex, I like you're thinking. Maybe because that's the way I'm thinking as well. :biggrin: The 160 couldn't meet my needs, but the 230 definitely could. That said, I WANT the 4.4sec Sport!!!!

 

[EVNow]

Here are my arguments for the 160 mile S

+1

Personally to me - as an upgrade to my Leaf - only the 160 mile S makes sense. If & when we get a CHAdeMO adapter for it, I can buy it.

 

[dmckinstry]

I like the Dave Ramsey reference. Very smart financial/christian guy. However, Dave Ramsey would tell you to buy a Model S after it was 2 years old and the first owner had taken the initial depreciation cost for you. I think everyone should be buying the Model S brand new if they can afford it. The sooner we end our addiction to oil (foreign or domestic) the better.

And are you willing to sell your Model S after only two years?

 

[smoothoperator]

160 mile Model S will depreciate slower, I would venture a guess that you could probably sell a 160 Mile Model S for what you paid for it (after rebates) a year after it was purchased.

 

[EVNow]

160 mile Model S will depreciate slower, I would venture a guess that you could probably sell a 160 Mile Model S for what you paid for it (after rebates) a year after it was purchased.

Because of the tax credit (and CA rebate) - someone recently sold his Leaf for about what he paid for it.

 

[johnnyS]

Another advantage of having an older reliable ICE around is that there are parking lots and neighborhoods where I do not want to leave a nice expensive car. On the forums a lot of people are trying to justify spending more by keeping the car longer. Any car if it is a daily use car will have a lot of wear and tear after 8+ years. We may keep the model S a long time, but I don't think I can justify our decision by saying we will keep it longer than the battery warranty.

 

[de704]

Another advantage of having an older reliable ICE around is that there are parking lots and neighborhoods where I do not want to leave a nice expensive car.

Good Point

 

[smoothoperator]

Another advantage of having an older reliable ICE around is that there are parking lots and neighborhoods where I do not want to leave a nice expensive car. On the forums a lot of people are trying to justify spending more by keeping the car longer. Any car if it is a daily use car will have a lot of wear and tear after 8+ years. We may keep the model S a long time, but I don't think I can justify our decision by saying we will keep it longer than the battery warranty.

depends on the quality of the car....I still daily drive a car I have had for 13 years and it has aged very nicely, I still enjoy driving it every day.

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

Any car if it is a daily use car will have a lot of wear and tear after 8+ years. We may keep the model S a long time, but I don't think I can justify our decision by saying we will keep it longer than the battery warranty.

Well, once the battery's out of warranty, I don't think you'd get much of a resale value anyway out of the car so, might as well drive it till either the battery or the car itself gives up the ghost. Or, get a new battery pack with a new warranty from Tesla at that time if the rest of the car is okay (likely, given the far fewer moving parts than in an ICE car).

Either way, there's a strong argument - and justification to spend a lot now to buy - to be made for keeping the Model S for a really long time (far more than 8 years)...

 

[ddenboer]

My original intention with the Model S was to get the cheapest version I could. That was going to be the 160 mile version with the only addition of the rear facing kids seats. My daily commute is 31 miles each way when I drive (my company has an excellent coach service from my town to work).
Then I had a talk with a co-worker who has one on reserve and also owns a roadster. He brought up actual range vs quoted range, and a few other things which got me thinking that the 60kWh pack was better for me. Then I sat in the demo car at Santana Row. That did it, I wanted EVERYTHING!
So, now I am going for the 85kWh pack, not fully loaded, but almost. I was going to upgrade to a signature on Thursday afternoon, but got stung by an emergency at work when I was on the upgrade page to type in my password and forgot about it. Later on at home when I tried to do it, I could not. Sad day :-(

 

[AnOutsider]

You can join the waitlist. huge jump from base 40kwh!