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basic 70d anyone?

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There hasn't been such a thing as a "tech package" in a long time. Most of what was in it (minus power lift gate) is now standard.
I edited my post to the new name, but it's still an option and still the one thing you'd regret not opting for IMO. It's been said a zillion times before, but I really think that buying a new Tesla without Autopilot is a recipe for regret.
 
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It's more than just cruise control...over time with software updates the car will essentially drive and park itself with the autopilot feature enabled...by most accounts full features of autopilot are still a ways from being implemented so you probably could just add it later I guess. If you don't care about any of that, then by all means don't spend the money...most people value that option though
 
Your free to order the configuration you want but keep in mind if your going to solicit opinions from other people to assist you with your decisions then be prepared for people to question yours.

For instance, I think it's short sighted to order without the next generation seats and autopilot but at least with autopilot it can be enabled after the fact so you have options there. Additionally for me, not ordering the air suspension isn't necessarily a wise choice as most seem to indicate that the ride quality isn't as good and if you have a steep driveway like I do, it's almost a must.

Again YMMV and in the end it's your choice to make.

Jeff
 
You'll regret not getting the AutoPilot Package. Beyond that, nothing is "mandatory" IMHO.

Actuallly I think differently on that. The autopilot hardware is now standard, thus you can activate anytime. I would wait one or two software update to ensure it is stable before paying for the activation. No regret will be there for not having it purchased as part of the car

The regret comes in from item you can not add later. Like next gen seating or specific paint color or pano roof.

for me it was all three.
 
Basic 70D is a well equipped vehicle from the get-go. Great handling, 4 wheel drive, strong acceleration, braking, interior etc.

Options are pretty personalized. Many of the items, such as alcantera headliner, turn by turn navigation, keyless entry, autopresent handles, folding mirrors and others are now standard.

You can get sports seats, but the stock seats are pretty comfy, air suspension, but the coils also work well and need no maintenance. Lift your own tailgate and wait a while to see if the auto drive features are something you want to add later.

Driving down the street, there is little difference between the $70,000 base and $140,000 fully optioned cars.
 
Anyone here ordered bare 70D with only add on is the paint color? any justification to order add on?
I consider my 70D quite "basic" but with well-calculated additions. Paint was one of them, as was cold weather package (Canada eh). I splurged on the UHF stereo and pano roof but stopped there. No leather, no lights, no interior stuff, no wheels, and no Next Gen seats, I'll explain below.

autopilot hardware is now standard, thus you can activate anytime.
I agree with smilepak, this might cost more later, but it will be effortless to add, if in fact it becomes something you couldn't live without... surely it has at least "standard" cruise control without Autopilot ??? I needed it for the nerd factor. But we all might all be expecting too much from this sensor package, it's not exactly Google Car level, and Tesla seems to be writing their code from scratch (and testing on Elon's Model S :scared:). As a solutions guy I'm kinda puzzled that they deployed what seems like an unproven sensor package that arrived without a base software system, but I don't know any details just speculating. I guess self driving cars are still kinda new, and all :p

The regret comes in from item you can not add later. Like next gen seating or specific paint color or pano roof.
Ok so why have jeffro01 and you both suggested next gen seating is so important to get from the factory ??? Of paint, pano roof, UHF stereo, and seats, the seats seem to be the easiest item to replace / upgrade (well the stereo could be upgraded but integrated SiriusXM is valuable for those who want it). In fact there is a YouTube "ownership experience" video that shows a guy getting his Model S without the Next Gen seats as they were rushing MS's out the door at the time so the DS said they'd put them in when they get in.

I can't imagine Model S seats are any much different than any other car, people often replace their bucket seats with Recaro, etc. in other cars and heck we used to take the back bench seat out in all our old cars, when cleaning the interior (AKA looking for change :biggrin:)

So for me the base seats looked like a perfect gesture of austerity for my 70D, and if a future buyer wants 4th gen seats, have at it IMHO. But it seems EVERYONE screams LEATHER FOR RESALE VALUE... I just don't get it, I don't like sliding around or worrying about buttons on my pants. And to be honest I was really unhappy with the way all of the leather seats, including the Next Gen, wore. After a small amount of time all of the seats seem to show signs that the leather has stretched, with "lumps" appearing. No thanks not in my MS :D

But hey each to his own, and after all it is possible to justify pretty much anything, given enough effort ;) it's all in what you can stomach, hopefully I got the right level for me and not reflux ;)
 
My 70D is pretty basic, but not as basic as you ask. I got the Autopilot package and a Pano roof along with paint, but nothing else. I didn't need the next gen seats or the stereo or the air suspension or the cold weather package. I also didn't think I needed the Autopilot, but I sometimes commute 95 miles to the office, all on wide-open highway, and it is so nice to do almost the entire drive without ever touching the pedals. If you're willing to pay the little bit extra for it later once more features are introduced, then I wouldn't consider it mandatory right now.

(I got the Pano Roof because I came from having a convertible, and couldn't stand the idea of not having at least some part of the roof go away.)

Everything else, however, is stock as the website gives it. Piano black, textile seats, standard headliner (this was before they changed what the standard was), etc. etc...I love it.
 
We got a 70D with metallic paint, autopilot and the winter package (Minnesota).
I actually prefer not having leather seats.
Over two weeks, I have found the ride as smooth, if not smoother than air suspension. Of course, our car with air suspension has 53,000 miles on it.
The next gen seats are nice, but not worth that much IMO.

We are quite happy with it, it has become my favorite of our two Teslas even though it has less options.
 
I have leather now on my Lexus GS. When I test drove the tesla with stock seat, I was a bit disappointed, but next gen felt just right. While I do agree it canbe added later, the labor cost might not make it worth it. Unless they allow seat trade in.
 
Basic 70D is a well equipped vehicle from the get-go. Great handling, 4 wheel drive, strong acceleration, braking, interior etc.

Options are pretty personalized. Many of the items, such as alcantera headliner, turn by turn navigation, keyless entry, autopresent handles, folding mirrors and others are now standard.

You can get sports seats, but the stock seats are pretty comfy, air suspension, but the coils also work well and need no maintenance. Lift your own tailgate and wait a while to see if the auto drive features are something you want to add later.

Driving down the street, there is little difference between the $70,000 base and $140,000 fully optioned cars.

Very well said.

But one correction, you can still use the keyfob to open the tailgate, but you need to close it on your own without the premium package.

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Is Autopilot activation tax-free if you do it after delivery?

Was this the case for Supercgarger activation on the 60's?

GSP

Someone here asked their DS, and their DS said it's tax free. I don't know if anyone has actually activated it post-sale to confirm.
 
Is Autopilot activation tax-free if you do it after delivery?

Was this the case for Supercgarger activation on the 60's?

GSP

I was told in-store before purchasing that it would just be a $3000 credit card swipe, so that played into my decision to not get autopilot up front. I figured I would have rolled the 3K into a loan which increases my monthly payment, whereas now I will save for it as a one-time 'luxury' purchase.

I also do a lot of travel hacking/mileage hacking, so the incentive to swipe the $3K on a card has about $300 financial value to me for the points/miles that I earn. So after factoring that + tax, I figured it's not worth the $2500 to pay up front for features that don't even exist yet and that we haven't actually seen. Once I see them released and hear opinions from others, I'll consider.

As far as a basic 70D -- I'm in the same boat. No leather, no audio, no air suspension, no cold weather. Just met another 70D yesterday that was stock except for the paint + pano.

I get the sense that the people who join the forums are more likely to go all out, whereas the other thousands of Tesla buyers who aren't active on the forums are just getting a few options and not the whole spectrum of add-ons.