Car Shopping Advice, Purchasing Tips

[jslanger]

I'm sure that topics like this have come up before, and I've been reading through a large amount of the forums, but haven't seen applicable comments. Apologies if my reading has missed anything...

In short, I have wanted a Model S for a long time. I am now to the point I can afford one, and my current car is rapidly dying (no heat in Kansas winter is no fun!). My wife recently gave me permission to get a new car ("get whatever you want" were her exact words, but this could be a trap!). I test drove a MS, and loved the experience. One of my partners at work has had one for a year and loves his (and he wants me to take his referral too!). My wife is mostly on board with the idea, but she wants me to test drive some other cars too. I still think I will end up back with a MS 75D, but I was wondering if you guys had any recommendations on cars that might be along the same lines as a MS for comparison purposes. If I get any car, I plan on keeping it for a long time, and would like it to be a 4-door sedan, comfortable, but doesn't need to be flashy. I will admit, that I am a bit of a babe in the woods when it comes to car shopping...I've had the same used '04 Ford Taurus since....2004 when my parents purchased it at the end of my time in college.

If I proceed with the MS, any advice on purchasing? I have been keeping a close eye on the new inventory online, but it has been completely empty. The Tesla employee who gave my test drive hasn't been all that helpful--just told me to watch online. Are there other Tesla employees who are able to see what upcoming inventory cars might be soon available? If not, I'll just purchase online. Any other purchasing tips?

Thanks again for any thoughts or advice. I have learned a TON from reading through these forums, and think that I have my eyes wide open including all the problems reported, but also the awesome aspects too, when it comes to owning a MS.

 

[DrReid]

If you are seriously considering the Model S, remember that the referral benefit of free unlimited supercharging goes away at the end of this month - so order fast!

The staff in stores can usually look up inventory units before you can online. I helped someone find an inventory X for example that wasn't showing up online. Even with that said, there aren't a lot of inventory units right now.

Good luck!

 

[jslanger]

@DrReid : I know...I'm on a time crunch! I'll see if I can push the staff next time I stop in....
Also, MD? I'm a gen surg guy.

 

[Hugh Mannity]

test drive the MS again back to back against the ICE competition and see if you still want to consider "the others". I know most of us have been swayed for good; for the good.

 

[jslanger]

@Hugh Mannity what would you consider to be "the ICE competition?" I want to compare the 2, but not sure what I should be looking at.

 

[Hugh Mannity]

@Hugh Mannity what would you consider to be "the ICE competition?" I want to compare the 2, but not sure what I should be looking at.

that could be very difficult to answer; depends what you are looking for; if you are solely interested in performance you need to test drive ICE cars with 400+hp; if it's the room then large sedans would be on the list regardless of performance; is AWD a must ? Then maybe SUVs would be comparable.

performance, space, looks, price wise I would say the Porsche Panamera or Audi S7 would be most likely contenders. In my opinion the Panamera is an ugly duckling and they are both fossil cars so not worthy in my books !!

 

[Robotpedlr]

I just purchased my Model S and am very happy with it. I am note sure there is a great ICE competitor as there is a lot of great tech in the MS that you cant find in other cars. You may look at an Audi A8 or or BMW 7 series as a competitor, but none of them update the car after you buy it. I had a Porsche Cayenne before my MS and like other high end cars, whatever functionality you have when you buy it...that is what you have as long as you own it. Other cool "features" may come out, but those are for the new model years. Chances are with the Tesla, you may still benefit from the new stuff...some exceptions apply of course that are not software related.
Good luck with your decision.

 

[jslanger]

Thx Robotpedlr and Hugh Mannity. Appreciate the recs. I'll try to take a look at the Audis for sure. My heart is still on the MS, but I should see comps too.

 

[whitex]

I just purchased my Model S and am very happy with it. I am note sure there is a great ICE competitor as there is a lot of great tech in the MS that you cant find in other cars.

Not sure what "tech" you are referring to. MS has an amazing drive-train, but beside that nothing revolutionary, actually behind other cars in things like comfort features, phone integration, etc. Tesla AutoPilot is still a gimmick, other guys latest "lane keeping" features are comparable. Emergency braking Tesla lags (for example it will not bring a car to a complete stop like many other, cheaper cars). Blind spot monitoring, the other guys who use radar based one beat Tesla hands down, even in $25K cars.

You may look at an Audi A8 or or BMW 7 series as a competitor, but none of them update the car after you buy it. I had a Porsche Cayenne before my MS and like other high end cars, whatever functionality you have when you buy it...that is what you have as long as you own it. Other cool "features" may come out, but those are for the new model years.

The "constant updates" sword has a double edge. While it's nice to have new features, there are counter points:

1. It allows Tesla to ship and charge money for complete vapourware - for example we had to wait a year and half for rain sensor controlled wipers, of few months before the light sensor enabled headlights (auto-on in the dark). Easy entry took 4 years to deliver. FSD is still completely nothing, EAP still not even on par with AP1. Your car may be out of warranty by the time you'll get all the features you paid for, so best advice is to not count on them. The other guys who don't give you updates can't do that, they have to get the features working before shipping the car or they can't charge for them.
2. With new features you get new bugs, one such bug almost cause an accident for me when "max heat defrost" turned out to do the opposite in one version of the software - "max freeze windshield, kill all visibility". The recently released Easy Entry had some gaffs too, the one about it getting activated when the IVI is rebooting (which can happen on its own while driving) is down right dangerous IMO - imaging your seat suddenly moving back and steering wheel away from you when you are driving.
3. New features can be annoying, costly or even dangerous. Personal example: After a year of driving my wife's car got a software update that automatically unfolded mirrors when the car starts moving. She parked in a right office building parking, did what she's been doing for months - got in the car, folded the mirrors, and started backing up. The mirrors unfolded and one of them broke - $600 fee for not reading the fine print release notes in the morning (actually it turned out by daughter dismissed that screen as she got into the car first and wanted to turn on music).

I've bought 3 Tesla's to date. Love the car, it is awesome to drive and there are no comparables out there yet. @jsnalger, as for buying advice I would say buy one, but:

1. Don't pay for "P" as it is "bleeding edge" and Tesla has been known to add new caveats to such features after the fact, such as limiting "P" power after so many "pedal mashes" in the life of the car, of the famous "the motors are capable of 691hp but the battery limits the motor output to 463hp max" - now that was a HUGE feature they never delivered and never will, they delivered the excuse instead.
2. Don't pay or count on anything which is not there today to save yourself the anguish such as people who paid $8K for FSD and are still waiting for it to do anything at all, a year and half later. Make sure you are happy with the as it stands today.

I followed the above advice myself when getting the last car. BTW, a closest comparable car for me would have been the Porsche Panamera, but again, Model S just drives so much funner!

 

[trm2]

Good choices above, but also check a Cadillac CTS-V or CT6. Maybe a Genesis (Hyundai) G90. Hyundai doesn’t get the credit they deserve, their cars are very well made.

 

[Scott_K]

You may look at an Audi A8 or or BMW 7 series as a competitor...

I agree. Both of those are very nice ICE cars. When I was shopping around, I was also looking closely at the Mercedes C Class (AMG model) and the BMW M4.

Ended up buying a MS 100D, couldn’t be happier with my decision.

 

[jslanger]

So I tried some Acuras, and some Audis over this week and weekend. The Audis were quite nice, but still no Model S. Just the difference in drive was noticeable.

Any other brands/models to try out before I work on the final convincing of the wife

 

[WannabeOwner]

One of my partners at work has had one for a year and loves his (and he wants me to take his referral too!)

Get the partner to give you the charger freebie so you don't have to buy one

 

[Qbenjamin]

My options before I purchased the MS were: Audi A7; BMW M3; MB E350 & Jaguar F-Pace (I know, very random to toss in an SUV).

Nothing compared to the Tesla no matter how much I tried. Tesla is lacking on the upscale interior that other manufacturers offer, but the technology was leaps and bounds ahead of the competition. Not having to get gas was simply icing on the cake.

 

[Struja]

I originally had a deal for an S90D in February 2016. Deal fell apart because of Tesla employee stupidity. I swore I would NEVER buy a Tesla because of how poorly I was treated, so I went on the "World Test Drive Tour". Here is what I test drove:

AMG E63
BMW M5
CTS-V
Audi RS7
Porsche Panamera
Lexus GS-F

And a whole host of others.

After 16 months of stewing in the fact that nothing "did it" for me the way the S90D did, I bought one, sight unseen and without going back to the store. I picked it up a month later and I am as happy as a clam.

Nothing I test drove was even close (IMO).

 

[jslanger]

Get the partner to give you the charger freebie so you don't have to buy one

Hah, we JUST discussed it yesterday, that I'd buy it off of him for a few bucks. He already has his own charger at home anyway....he doesn't need a second one!

After 16 months of stewing in the fact that nothing "did it" for me the way the S90D did, I bought one, sight unseen and without going back to the store. I picked it up a month later and I am as happy as a clam.

Nothing I test drove was even close (IMO).

I agree...nothing seemed close. I tried some Acuras, some Audis this weekend. They're nice cars, powerful even. But once you drive an electric the regular old gas engine starts to seem...boring isn't quite right but close.

Now, if I can just get the wife on board. I think I've worn her down and shes tired of hearing me talk about this...

 

[WannabeOwner]

I'd buy it off of him for a few bucks

Why is he entitled to any bucks?

You are paying, what?, 700$ extra on the car price so that the Referrer can get a "Gift".

That's fine for a stranger who has, say, taken the time and trouble to create a website that gave you all sorts of useful information ... but a mate? Should be offering you both advice and the charger I reckon, and the loan of his gym/boat/plane/!!

if I can just get the wife on board

Has she driven it? Be interested to know of any wives that don't like driving one. My wife's only complaint is that its a wide car, for parking bays.

nothing seemed close

My liked-features would be:

Acceleration. Sure, when I first had it I was like a kid in a sweet shop, but all my mates have had "the demo" now ... but overtaking on a country lane, merging with traffic, hopping out onto a roundabout, etc. are all nice-to-have. Plus the occasional journey when I hustle ...

... but most of my driving is highway, and AP means I arrive far more refreshed than I used to (didn't believe people saying that before I owned one, but now know for sure that its true). Plus, heaven forbid, if I fell asleep at the wheel, or was taken ill, the car would not drive into the ditch ... the one-pedal driving too. I'm heavily into Eco, so I like that Hypermiling is made so easy ...

I like the Tech too. I used 3rd party APP to record journeys etc. and enjoy the use of the data, plus have schedules to pre-condition the car on cold mornings before going to work, and in the evening - hot and cold days - before coming home. Plus use the phone APP to turn on climate when getting up from table at restaurant, leaving theatre, etc. And to tell me where (e.g. my wife) left the car, and give me a map with walking directions

No filling at gas stations. Here in UK that is stand-and-pump and then stand in line to pay, so 5 - 10 minutes per stop. Electricity here is a lot cheaper than gas (compared to USA differential) so that's a bonus too.

I don't exceed range often, so Supercharge about once a month, and often only for 5 - 10 minutes for the 25-50 extra miles I need to get to destination. Works well, and I can do something else whilst the car is charging.

OTA updates. My car is a P so hasn't had uncorking, but for those that did it was a 20% improvement in acceleration. As a freebie!

Since I've had the car it has gained Summon, Auto-park, AEB additionally for the car two-in-front, large improvements to AP1, key fobs set driver preferences on entry, exit profile, goodness ... lots more if I put my mind to it. Not sure you get that with any other car? Heck, in all the decades I've owned a VW never ... NOT ONCE ... did they even offer, or suggest, or quote me a price even!, to upgrade the SatNav maps. Now then come OTA several? times a year, for free.

I service once a year, that's 25-27K miles for me.

Love the driving, but hard to explain why. There is a smoothness to the application of power, or maybe its the lack of noise - none of that revving, and clunking gear changes when overtaking something, stuff that I thought was cool when I was 17!! Its just different to Gas but in a good way.

But if fit & finish is your No 1 thing then Tesla might not be for you. Sure, plenty are good, but more owners encounter annoyances than with other marques, although even the best marques get it wrong now and then too .... Tesla is likely to improve that over time though ...

 

[phaduman]

After much discussion with my colleague and letting him test-drive my MS, he went and bought a BMW 530E (plug-in) on Dec 31st, to get the best deal. For him, $90K vs. $50K was the decider. So I test drove his new 2018 5-series plug-in, and felt so bad for him. The whole car has become a boat - completely lifeless. I didn't realize how much diff the 5-series has become since I owned a 2007 5-series. Completely disconnected, steering felt slow, numb and dumb. Gas pedal lacked any enthusiasm (yes, it was a AWD car due to the hybrid setup). The only thing I really thought I would have run away with was the headsup display - wow!! The speed/direction/speed-limit is projected into some distance in front of you and passengers/others cannot see anything. That was amazing. Really feel like MS and M3 should have had it. It had some gimmicky features to use your hand gestures on top of the gear knob to answer/reject incoming phone calls etc. I felt bad for him - he missed out on a great opportunity to own the MS. Oh well! and he could have gotten me my 4th referral award - I know I tried!

 

[Jack Tripper]

Tesla's appeal for me rests on 4 key things:

- electric drivetrain resulting in instant torque and lack of NVH (noise, vibration, hardness) of ICE cars
- usable range in an exterior package I wouldn't be embarrassed to be seen in
- OTA updates and lack of a dealer network, so your car gets continually updated
- EAP. Many times when I was driving home on the freeway post-call it was downright dangerous. It's a lot less taxing with AP, especially for stop and go traffic and you're more refreshed on arrival

I spent so much time on these boards contemplating buying the car, I went ahead so if nothing else, I could have more free time having done the deed. But now that I bought the car I'm still on here way too much...

 

[jslanger]

- EAP. Many times when I was driving home on the freeway post-call it was downright dangerous. It's a lot less taxing with AP, especially for stop and go traffic and you're more refreshed on arrival

Definitely see that as being a big plus. I've been post-call as a resident, and I've literally fallen asleep mid-sentence talking to med students, or nearly dozed off driving home. On the other hand, if I hadn't been really concentrating on staying awake driving, I might have fallen asleep!

I spent so much time on these boards contemplating buying the car, I went ahead so if nothing else, I could have more free time having done the deed. But now that I bought the car I'm still on here way too much...

Yeah that's my problem too! I've been lurking on here for a while, and then test drove the MS at the end of December. Haven't been able to truly consider much else!