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End of lease decision P85D help.

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Options 2 and 4 make the most sense to me.

While I waited months for a fully loaded white / tan Next Gen seat "unicorn" P85D+ to hit Tesla's inventory and my Corvette Z06 was sold, I drove our 2011 Prius. Saved a LOT on gas but hated driving it since it's such a noisy wallowing slug with horrible electronics and terrible user interface. Going from the Prius to our P85D+ was like trading in Rosie O'Donnell for an Olympic supermodel. :cool:
 
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Reactions: davidc18 and DIL
Easy - option 3 ;-)

The reviews have been great and it's better than the P85 in many ways (better MCU/screen, better build quality, about as fast, and many more creature comforts). And it doesn't hurt that it's a little more than half the cost.

Worst case, you're not in love with the 3...you wait until the S gets its interior refresh (I'd be shocked if it wasn't within the next six months), easily sell the 3 and probably break even, and get the 100D. You'll get the full tax credit on the 3 and at least a $3,875 tax credit on the S too, if not the full thing depending on the 3 ramp.
 
I extended my lease by 6 months. It was an easy process. I simply sent an email to Tesla Finance and a we sent a few docs back and forth. I love my current car and want another, but want the new one to be meaningfully better.
I agree and remain annoyed with the Tesla issue of COMPLETELY RANDOM car changes. It sux and fanboys will tell you to be happy with what you get, but I for one would be pissed if I miss a refresh buy even a few months. The fact that they cannot announce or respect some form of update cycle is infuriating. Essentially ALL Model S's are the same currently from 2012-2018. Of course, I am massively generalizing, but other than a new nose cone the general appearance and interior remain identical. I worry once the big car companies start laying the wood to the EV market, Tesla could get blown out the back by not making current owners happy with enhanced trade-in's and loyalty programs. Extend your lease until there is a real reason to upgrade.
 
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Reactions: Esme Es Mejor
As a P85D+ owner I have dithered about these choices without the lease termination part. I have decided to defer my first Model 3 until there is a PxxD and other options, and defer another S until a new battery etc are available. By default I continue for some time with my superb Dec 2014 Tesla. I have never owned any car for such a long time, nor am I even mildly bored with it. If I change it much be for a distinctly better choice.

Were I leasing, I'd extend the lease until there were an irresistible emotional choice. That probably means a Model S refresh with better range and other features, which probably means a higher capacity battery too. A 100 comes close, and would move me if there were door pockets. :confused::D
 
It's hard to know how to answer the question without details about the least payment, buyout price, and what would happen to the lease payment if you extended it.

Generally speaking, the way Tesla structures the leases to ADD $7500 to the residual(and therefore the buyout price) it's almost never a good idea to buyout a Tesla at the end of the lease period.
 
I would make the decision based on your gut feel for the refresh. I have not heard this but your safest bet is to extend your lease 6 months and cross the barrier you believe is the refresh timeframe. I just traded in a P90D for a P100D and had the same concerns. However, I simply went ahead and have not regretted the decision. Love the upgraded model.... Good luck

Picture of new Tesla attached..... Yes, I had a Matt Wrap put on the car as well.....

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Hi all…I know there is no right answer here but I’m looking for some advice. The lease on my P85D is up end of March. I’ve loved the car, it's still in perfect condition…it’s been fantastic and I’m excited for my next Tesla which probably will be a 100D BUT…From everything I’ve read, and my gut feeling tells me that some level of a refresh to the model S is on the horizon. 3 months, 6 months, 12 months who knows.


I know that IF I lease a new Model S in March and then the refresh happens shortly thereafter I will be upset so my goal is to try and time it. So I have a few options I’m considering and I’m looking for some guidance.


And yes…I know that Fed $7,500 law change will put a major wrinkle on all of these decisions.


Option 1 – Turn the P85D in in March, order a new Model S to be delivered in March, get to use the $7,500 credit but knowing that I will miss out on the refresh. I looked yesterday and unless I was doing something wrong but the leases seemed to me about ~$200 a month less then when I last looked.


Option 2 – Extend the lease on my P85D up to 6 months and hope by Sept. 2018 the refresh has taken place and order a new one. If not, I can the do option 3 or 4 below.


Option 3 – Turn in my P85D in March, use my Model 3 reservation and either love the Model 3 and keep it or once there is a refreshed Model S available order it and sell the Model 3.


Option 4 – Turn in my P85D and utilize a very short term lease to drive something fun / different for 6-12 months and then get back into the Model S when the refresh happens.


Any ideas and insights will be very much appreciated.


- Jason
 

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I would make the decision based on your gut feel for the refresh. I have not heard this but your safest bet is to extend your lease 6 months and cross the barrier you believe is the refresh timeframe. I just traded in a P90D for a P100D and had the same concerns. However, I simply went ahead and have not regretted the decision. Love the upgraded model.... Good luck

Picture of new Tesla attached..... Yes, I had a Matt Wrap put on the car as well.....

=================================================================================================

Beautiful! Can I ask about how much the matte wrap ran you? Any details on the material would be awesome too. Considering it myself.
 
I'm guessing from your lease expiration, that you started your lease in March of 2015. That's around the same time I bought my Model S (I tend to keep my cars for 10 years+).

In the past, the Model S major updates/features/refreshes have happened in April, July, and October.

October 2014 -- announcement of Autopilot, D models (85D, P85D).

April 2015 -- announcement of the new 70D (with new colors),

July 2015 -- 90kwh battery upgrade available for new 85 orders, availability of the P90D, and Ludicrous available on the P90D.

April 2016 -- Model S refresh, with the bumper change.

August 2016 -- P100D available.

I just remember thinking that only a year had passed, and they had already made a lot of changes, including new battery sizes and a new performance model. I think no matter when you get your new car, it's going to be outdated in some features in 3-6 months. And honestly, I think as long as you're going to continue to lease, the timing doesn't matter too much, because it's not as permanent as ownership.

I don't think Tesla will have many P85D Ludicrous CPOs, just because the upgrade was a post-purchase $5k. CPOs primarily come from lease returns and inventory stock. Since the P85D was a hardware-involved upgrade from Insane to Ludicrous, you're far more likely to see this done in a privately owned vehicle, rather than an a lease or inventory model.

I think if the person is leasing, they aren't going to spend very much unfinanced money on the leased vehicle except for maintenance (I wouldn't, but that might just be me). Also, since Tesla wrote in a "We will buy your Tesla at the end of the Tesla for 50% of your purchase price" in their finance contract, that's $5k of their own money that they spent (and that Tesla isn't necessarily covering in the buyout price).

I think you also need to ask yourself, with the new lease, will I be getting a better car, or just getting something about the same?

A P85D has good value -- a look at the current CPOs show them ranging from $71k for one with 41k miles, and $86k for 32k miles. (probably all lease returns, as their VINs are within the late 2014 / early 2015 production).

I've thought about trading-in or selling my P85+DL, but it'd only be worth it if I was getting some features substantially better, and Tesla doesn't make it (yet). (FSD and AP2 are neat and all, but I hardly use AP1 as it is). I'm waiting until I can get a bigger battery pack, and then I can have a P1xx+DL!.
 
If I were in your position, I would choose a variation of Option 4. Do a 2 year lease on a new 100D (with an option to extend the least by a year). This way, you will get to drive a brand new Tesla, not commit to it for the longer term, and wait for Tesla to iron out bugs in the Model S refresh (if that happens at all).