Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

Critique My Strategy: Blindly Buying the Base Model

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
Why "shortly"? Are referrals ending?

NikeWings, thanks. FWIW, I'm no longer in city; 45 mins north, in a house. Which reminds me, I need to investigate what I need to set up, electrically, including options for snaking a cord out to the driveway (luckily, my basement's fuse box faces the driveway and there's a window.


1. "Related order must be placed between May 30, 2016 and July 15, 2016 and delivered for a referral code to qualify. Pre-owned vehicles are not eligible."
2. Tesla Charging | Tesla Motors
 
  • Like
Reactions: Eric S and e-FTW
Why "shortly"? Are referrals ending?

NikeWings, thanks. FWIW, I'm no longer in city; 45 mins north, in a house. Which reminds me, I need to investigate what I need to set up, electrically, including options for snaking a cord out to the driveway (luckily, my basement's fuse box faces the driveway and there's a window.
As others have mentioned, you have two weeks to order to be able to leverage a referral code worth $1000. When going for the base model, it makes a big difference.
I would investigate the charging threads about what your options are. Standard option is to get a NEMA 14-50 outlet installed, which should give you the charging rate needed to fill up overnight. But there are so many other ways to do this, depending on what is available in your house, this thread may get off topic. Some folks even go with 120v, with a NEMA 5-20:
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Eric S
Making a huge step up is pretty common among Model S buyers. I came from a Prius v. A Tesla-owning friend got his at almost the same time and he came from a Prius. Many other similar stories can be found in the forums. So you're very much not alone in this.

I investigated everything thoroughly and ended up with a RWD 85 (back when it was 60 and 85) with tech package (included autopilot, power lift gate, and a couple of other things, the options are different now), pano roof, and third-row seats. I never regretted missing out on any upgrades or options, the car is pretty much perfect for me.

Personally I think you should do the same, and that would be the best way to ensure you have no regrets later on. I think you're likely to be happy with the base car (although the pano roof is great, and autopilot is really great, so consider those at least), but if so then you should be happy with it even knowing everything about the higher-end options. But that's just my opinion, I may be wrong!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Eric S
Eric:
Your location says NYC.... about how many miles will you be using the car on a daily commute basis between recharges?
I know of many folks in THE CITY who do not use their cars at all during the week and use public transportation. What will your vehicle use case be like with the S?
Is you situation such that you can install a 40A 240 volt plug for recharging?
 
Has that been confirmed? It's still listed as part of the $3K "Premium Upgrades Package."

I'm just going by the Canadian configurator. It says "automatic rear liftgate" under "standard equipment", and there's nothing about the liftgate at all under the PUP.

Update: Oh, it does look like a Canadian thing, it's different on the US store.
 
Last edited:
Your location says NYC.... about how many miles will you be using the car on a daily commute basis between recharges?
I know of many folks in THE CITY who do not use their cars at all during the week and use public transportation. What will your vehicle use case be like with the S?
Is you situation such that you can install a 40A 240 volt plug for recharging?

Art, I'm actually in Westchester for the time being (need to change my profile), and I work from home, so no commute. I do trips down to Brooklyn or NJ and back, with lots of crazed stop/go stops in between, but it rarely amounts to > 150 miles. I'm assuming there's no nighmarish scenario of stop/go driving and heavy AC use that won't get me home from a 150 mile trip, right?

Anything longer is infrequent and involves major highways, where I can grab a charge. I'm pretty loosely-scheduled, so I wouldn't mind a 30 min stop or two on long drives (in fact, it'd be good for me; I forget to rest unless forced to; I'll bring a book).

Sounds like I'm a pretty good candidate for one of these, no?
 
We were in this boat last year. My first new and "nicest" car was a 2011 VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI. I've wanted an electric car for ages and figured I'd be waiting for the Model 3 for a few more years.

Then Tesla announced their Certified Pre-Owned program. We started looking and comparing CPO to new. We ended up getting a CPO 2013 P85 with every option available except for the winter package and the back jump seat.

I've had lower spec loaners, and they are still very nice cars, and there are options that our car has that are really not necessary.

However, here are the things I'd suggest you get, even if you go for the base model:
1) Navigation. Whatever package the navigation is in, I'd recommend getting it. That center screen is great for maps, and if you don't get the navigation, the map is software limited to show you where you are, and where your destination is, but no way to connect the two together. Its very frustrating. I really wouldn't recommend getting the navigation package in any other car, but the center display and the dash display integration for navigation is the best I've seen or experienced. Its a huge improvement over your smartphone, which was what I had always used in the past, just because it was just as good, or better than any of the in-car packages I'd experienced.

2) Get the heated steering wheel. Our car doesn't have it, and it is a super nice feature.

3) Not an issue if you're buying new, but if you're considering buying CPO or used, and you drive in remote areas often (we do), get the twin chargers. Its not often that you'll come across 240v supplies higher than 50 amps, but when you do, its really nice to be able to take advantage of that with the dual chargers. New cars are capable of charging to 72amps, so it doesn't matter.

I wouldn't have an issue with buying a base model car, except for one thing: One of the big reasons we bought CPO is because of where we live: We're fairly remote, and we drive to even more remote places as part of our work, so the 85 kwh battery was a minimum for us. Buying a new 85 compared to a CPO car was pretty much a wash, even with the tax credit figured in, so we took the difference and bought a highly optioned CPO car.
 
I intended to do exactly what you did. In the end I got somewhere between base and loaded as you can see by my signature.
I think if trying to save money is your goal there are three options to pass on (besides wheels which will cost you a ton up front and a lot down the road in range and wear). I did not get the cold weather package, the upgraded sound (usually listen to podcast) or the suspension.
The pano is a no brainer at $1500 and would be on my list if I could only get one option.

My referral is:
Referral | Tesla Motors
 
Thanks, Stacey, good posting.

Nav makes sense....exactly the sort of thing I'd be annoyed at myself for blindly ignoring. Thanks!! Anything else like that?

Hey, another vote for the $1000 heated steering wheel! But I'd rather opt for the $25 gloves, thanks.

The charger amperage makes sense for extra charging versatility and peace of mind. Do you know what model year charging was raised to 72 amps?

Also.......the following list of (minor but not trifling) complaints is useful for expectation adjustment, and may be helpful for others in my position considering a Tesla, so I'll throw it into this thread:

The Model S is missing many things you would expect in that car class. No lighted visor mirrors, no storage in the door, no adjustment for the shoulder strap, no ventilated seats, no sunglass holder, non-functional blind spot detection, etc.

The Model X has fixed some of these and presumably the Model 3 will fix others, but currently the Model S is not seeing any of these improvements as Tesla focuses elsewhere.
 
I hear you. During the 1980's, when "Escape from New York" didn't seem like such extreme sci-fi, everyone I knew in the city avoided sunroofs due to perceived security risk. Of course, the people I hung out with at the time (musicians and other bohemians) were not the most linear thinkers. I maintain a few unchallenged assumptions from those days.....

Can you explain the thinking (if there was any, you may be implying there wasn't) behind that? If thieves want to get in your car, it's easy enough to smash a window. Going in through the sunroof sounds like quite a hassle by comparison, although I admit my experience with burgling cars is rather limited.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ArtInCT
Woops, I edited that posting just as you posted this.

I just recalled the thinking: sunroofs are way more expensive to repair/replace than a side window. And if that's the consensus from the time of a high-crime plague (seriously, in the 1980's you never knew if your car would be there when you returned; it was, like, a nice surprise if so....I myself had two cars stolen), then that's got to be a thing that thieves do, or so I'd imagine. In any case, I've been conditioned ever since to avoid sun roofs, perhaps senselessly.
 
Woops, I edited that posting just as you posted this.

I just recalled the thinking: sunroofs are way more expensive to repair/replace than a side window. And if that's the consensus from the time of a high-crime plague (seriously, in the 1980's you never knew if your car would be there when you returned; it was, like, a nice surprise if so....I myself had two cars stolen), then that's got to be a thing that thieves do, or so I'd imagine. In any case, I've been conditioned ever since to avoid sun roofs, perhaps senselessly.

The pano glass definitely seems thicker than the side windows, probably necessary because it's part of the roof structure.

I can't see any criminal breaking the pano roof and then trying to climb up on the car and then down through the small hole with broken pieces of glass, when he could much more easily just smash a window and then unlock the door manually and step in.

As far as your original question, I would say that autopilot is the only option you'd probably want. I say this as a classic 2013 Model S owner with most of the options but no autopilot.
 
I would say that autopilot is the only option you'd probably want. I say this as a classic 2013 Model S owner with most of the options but no autopilot.

Well, that's pretty authoritative, then. I forgot who said it, but it's true: "A luxury, once enjoyed, becomes a necessity."

What about navigation? Seems silly to navigate off my iPhone with that big monitor sitting there front and center, taunting me with its non-helpfulness.