First post, test drive Tuesday, I have questions

[idealsol]

This would be quite a leap, most we ever spent for a car was 50k, now I’m considering right at 100k, but it’s doable. We’ve been financially quite conservative, so maybe we need to now jump out of our comfort zone

We have a test drive scheduled this week. So I’m prepping for it

I am kinda thinking 90D, maybe 75d. I think the 10k difference is justifiable. Pretty much have some options decided on should we buy. Pretty sure we’d go with stock 19” wheels, autopilot, and pano roof

Undecided and would love thoughts on:
1) Premium upgrade package, not sure about 3k there, power liftgate is appealing, wondering about rest of package

2) Smart air suspension – this car will be used mostly locally in Orange County, good roads, no steep driveway here

3) Premium sound, prob not really worth 2.5k, but we really like XM radio, anyone really like the sound upgrade, my current car is a Genesis w/Lexicon sound, and I love it

4) Next gen seats – we’ve never sat in them, so don’t know. Not really impressed with the seats in the 2013 we drove. Kind of leaning towards the upgrade

Lastly, insurance. AAA wants 1800/yr roughly. Seems high. Per forum thread, got a quote from Costco/Ameriprise. Shockingly low. Has anyone dealt with Ameriprise, especially handling a claim? Or other thoughts on insurance welcome

Sorry for this 1st post length, but appreciate any thoughts

 

[idealsol]

One post in, and I already messed my post up, can't really see an edit button?
The 1st part on my post above should have read: ( cut and paste error )
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So TIA for your help. I have been an ardent lurker here for 2 months, and gained a lot of knowledge


My wife and I made the mistake? of driving a Tesla. A 2013 60. We were hooked from the go. I’m in my 60s , my wife in her 50s. The acceleration was captivating. So I’ve been reading and learning.

 

[Saghost]

Edit button disappears after about fifteen minutes - then you're stuck with the post.

Welcome. You're not alone - I'd never spent even fifty k on a car before, and I know there's a bunch of others like us.

Love love love the HEPA and carbon filters in premium package - no stinky trucks, no landfill smells, nothing penetrates the car. One of my favorite features, and probably the best reason to buy premium imho.

Unless there's a specific channel you're addicted to, I think Tesla's streaming radio can replace XM just fine. The new interface in 8 makes it much more accessible including genres and dj collated channels. Make sure to play with that while you're at the gallery.

Ask to try the different types of seats, too. At this point I think they have three types available on the S - original, next gen, and premium seats based on the X seats.

 

[doubleohwhat]

I just went through the same process two months ago of debating which options to get. Hope this helps a little:

1) Premium upgrade package, not sure about 3k there, power liftgate is appealing, wondering about rest of package

Go look at the interior of a car without the premium package. A lot of inventory cars don't have it. So you should be able to find a car without this feature at a Tesla store.

The power liftgate is a plus but you also get a more refined interior if you also choose leather seating. I was on the fence with this one but after seeing a car in town without the premium interior, I opted for it. Personally I think the extra fit & finish should be standard on a car this expensive but it's not.

Also, as Saghost mentioned, outside odors do not make their way into the car with the upgraded air filter.

2) Smart air suspension – this car will be used mostly locally in Orange County, good roads, no steep driveway here

The standard suspension rides nearly identical to my 2011 BMW 550i. I'm glad I didn't opt for the smart suspension as odds are it would need maintenance down the road (after the warranty expires).

The easiest way to figure this one out is to go test drive a car with the air suspension and a car without it.

3) Premium sound, prob not really worth 2.5k, but we really like XM radio, anyone really like the sound upgrade, my current car is a Genesis w/Lexicon sound, and I love it

If you don't plan on doing an audio upgrade after purchase, GET THE PREMIUM SOUND!!! Oh my gawd am I disappointed in the standard sound. I never opted for the upgraded sound on any of my BMWs and I figured I'd be fine doing the same with the Tesla. Wow was I wrong. The standard audio in my Tesla sounds like a bluetooth speaker. I wish I was joking.

I'm now looking at doing the Light Harmonic upgrade for my Tesla:
While you drive the world’s best electric vehicle, you should be listening to the world’s best stereo.

4) Next gen seats – we’ve never sat in them, so don’t know. Not really impressed with the seats in the 2013 we drove. Kind of leaning towards the upgrade

I opted for the upgrade. The next gen seats have turned out to be some of the comfiest I have ever had. That said, they do squeeze you a bit on the sides compared to the standard seats. So if you're on the larger side, I'd try them out first. I'm around 225lbs and I love them. However, I could see how someone larger than me could find them a bit uncomfortable on longer trips.

 

[mhw23]

Hi - I just got my 75D on 9/24 and I have some thoughts. I have the midnight sliver metallic paint, with AP, Pano, Premium interior and next gen seats, 19" wheels, and standard suspension. I think I nailed it in terms of what's important. My only regret is not getting the UHFS. I agree that the standard sound is not as good as I would have hoped for. My old Acura TSX with premium sound was MUCH better. Hope this helps!

 

[mediocreguy]

1)Premium upgrade package, not sure about 3k there, power liftgate is appealing, wondering about rest of package

3K does seem steep for what you get - welcome to Tesla! I think the power lift gate on a high-end car is a must - the HEPA filter and lighting are nice too.

2)Smart air suspension – this car will be used mostly locally in Orange County, good roads, no steep driveway here

I didn't get this option - seemed like something that would break down the road. The ride on the standard suspension is fantastic - it accelerates and corners like a performance car - and I only have an S60 - the 90D will be even better.

3) Premium sound, prob not really worth 2.5k, but we really like XM radio, anyone really like the sound upgrade, my current car is a Genesis w/Lexicon sound, and I love it

I agree, it is a lot of money - but If the vehicle's sound system is important to you, get the UHFS option - it sounds great!

4) Next gen seats – we’ve never sat in them, so don’t know. Not really impressed with the seats in the 2013 we drove. Kind of leaning towards the upgrade

Again, a lot of money for this option, but for a high-end vehicle, I think leather seats are a must. The Tesla NextGen seats have a good feel and are comfortable.

Good luck with your evaluation and purchase!

 

[PtG62901]

I got a 90D 3 weeks ago. I didn't get air suspension, got everything else you list. Next gen seats are very nice. You are on the right track. The car is fantastic.

 

[andyaycw]

Since no one's touched on the OP's question of insurance, I'll share my experience.

I would recommend shopping rates on an annual basis and try several different companies. There are so many factors that go into determining risk and premium, that there's really no one size fits all solution for insurance.

For instance, many here have recommend Ameriprise. Well, that didn't work for me. Apparently, they don't take kindly to young Tesla owners (I'm 28, clean driving record, licensed for 10 years in the US, and drive a 70D). They wanted $3500/yr. AAA wanted $4900/yr from me.

In the end, I went ahead with Allied. $1800/yr, less than half the price of what AAA, Ameriprise, Mercury, Travelers, Geico, Progressive, Esurance, and many other insurance companies wanted.

I'd also recommend checking on an annual basis. Last year Wawanesa wanted $2400/yr, which I declined and went with Allied. This year, I was considering moving away from Allied and decided to get another quote from Wawanesa. This time, they only wanted $1600/yr. Not sure why the big difference in just 1 year. Almost made the switch but in the end decided to keep my bundled insurance products with Allied.

 

[CmdrThor]

This would be quite a leap, most we ever spent for a car was 50k, now I’m considering right at 100k, but it’s doable. We’ve been financially quite conservative, so maybe we need to now jump out of our comfort zone

We had never spent more than 35k on a car and our X was north of 110k

I am kinda thinking 90D, maybe 75d. I think the 10k difference is justifiable.

We have had at least 5 or 6 times in less than 6 months of ownership that we would have been stranded with a 75D. Granted the X has less range than the S.

1) Premium upgrade package, not sure about 3k there, power liftgate is appealing, wondering about rest of package

Paid $4,500 for premium on the X. The extra $1,500 I suppose is for the auto front door (which I love). I also love the HEPA filter. I had to drive a rental car while I was out of town this week and the smells sucked. I never smell anything from outside in my X.

3) Premium sound, prob not really worth 2.5k, but we really like XM radio, anyone really like the sound upgrade, my current car is a Genesis w/Lexicon sound, and I love it

I didn't order the sound package, but I also spend most of my time driving listening to the toddler station on Slacker.

 

[markn455]

I got everything but the next generation seats and passed on the performance option. You are on the right track..personally you can't beat the upgraded sound. I would get everything but the performance package and pass on the 21" wheels. I have the 21"; they are great and great looking. However, the don't last very long, and if you have a flat, it's extremely difficult to find a replacement on the quick. Because of the poor mileage and availability, I would stick with the 19" wheels.

The next generation seats were not available when I bought mine, otherwise I would have got those..

 

[doubleohwhat]

Because of the poor mileage and availability, I would stick with the 19" wheels.

Agreed. I would have really liked to have gotten the 21" but they aren't super practical.

 

[Frankman60]

If you are a Consumer Reports subscriber, there is a current member satisfaction survey about car insurance companies. AAA is close to the top of the ranked list, but Ameriprise is just below AAA The rankings are solely based on member satisfaction surveys and include a claims process.

 

[fallen888]

My 2 cents...

1) Premium upgrade package, not sure about 3k there, power liftgate is appealing, wondering about rest of package

Power liftgate was the only thing I truly wanted out of this package. But not worth 3K, IMHO.

2) Smart air suspension – this car will be used mostly locally in Orange County, good roads, no steep driveway here

Completely unnecessary.

3) Premium sound, prob not really worth 2.5k, but we really like XM radio, anyone really like the sound upgrade, my current car is a Genesis w/Lexicon sound, and I love it

I love XM as well. I didn't care about premium audio, as the standard system sounds plenty good to me. I'm now using the XM phone app via bluetooth as a workaround. But I do miss it being seamlessly integrated into the car media system. If you have 2.5K to burn and love XM, go for it.

4) Next gen seats – we’ve never sat in them, so don’t know. Not really impressed with the seats in the 2013 we drove. Kind of leaning towards the upgrade

No opinion here. I have the basic seats and I'm fine with them. I'm not a small guy either, at 6'2" and 215 lbs.

Lastly, insurance. AAA wants 1800/yr roughly. Seems high. Per forum thread, got a quote from Costco/Ameriprise. Shockingly low. Has anyone dealt with Ameriprise, especially handling a claim? Or other thoughts on insurance welcome

Have you received a quote from Geico? Out of a handful of companies I shopped around with, they offered the best deal for me.

Btw, don't waste money on a 75. The new 60 is just fine. But again, if you have $$ to burn, just go all the way to 90 or 100.

Good luck! You'll love this car.

 

[idealsol]

First, thanks for all your replies, all very helpful
We went for our test drive today. To refresh about my original post here, we were thinking 90d, but maybe 75d
At Costa Mesa they only had a 75d, no 90
Long story short, we pulled the trigger!!. Still would appreciate further comments on our configuration. They are trying to find us a 90d to drive
We went for, 90d, standard black, pano, 19" stock, multi pattern black seats, I know, I know, but my wife didn't care for the bolsters, AP, premium upgrade package, coil suspension, upgraded sound

Help me with:
1) Paint, it's prob gonna be standard black, or metallic black. Still unsure. We didn't see a big difference. Should I stick with standard, or upgrade to metallic? How about maintenance, hiding dirt, etc
2) seats - my wife is claustrophobic , the bolsters bother her, I personally felt it a close call, prob with a slight lean to the standard seat. Just with I had a color option on the standard seat
3) premium upgrade package - 3k a lot, but kinda leaning toward adding it. As with the 90d model, we weren't able to preview at Costa Mesa . Hopefully, we can find 90d to test with the premium upgrade package
4) premium sound - prob gonna get it, Sirius SM fans. Hoping to see that on a 90d test drive, again not available today

That's it, we did get a chance to use AP, which still kinda blows me away, my wife isn't sure she trusts it!!. She doesn't really trust our current adaptive cruise. Guess we'll need to work on that one

Thanks again for your help
-Rick

 

[EinSV]

First, thanks for all your replies, all very helpful
We went for our test drive today. To refresh about my original post here, we were thinking 90d, but maybe 75d
At Costa Mesa they only had a 75d, no 90
Long story short, we pulled the trigger!!. Still would appreciate further comments on our configuration. They are trying to find us a 90d to drive
We went for, 90d, standard black, pano, 19" stock, multi pattern black seats, I know, I know, but my wife didn't care for the bolsters, AP, premium upgrade package, coil suspension, upgraded sound

Help me with:
1) Paint, it's prob gonna be standard black, or metallic black. Still unsure. We didn't see a big difference. Should I stick with standard, or upgrade to metallic? How about maintenance, hiding dirt, etc
2) seats - my wife is claustrophobic , the bolsters bother her, I personally felt it a close call, prob with a slight lean to the standard seat. Just with I had a color option on the standard seat
3) premium upgrade package - 3k a lot, but kinda leaning toward adding it. As with the 90d model, we weren't able to preview at Costa Mesa . Hopefully, we can find 90d to test with the premium upgrade package
4) premium sound - prob gonna get it, Sirius SM fans. Hoping to see that on a 90d test drive, again not available today

That's it, we did get a chance to use AP, which still kinda blows me away, my wife isn't sure she trusts it!!. She doesn't really trust our current adaptive cruise. Guess we'll need to work on that one

Thanks again for your help
-Rick

Just a quick plug for premium sound (sounds like you are leaning that way anyway). I recently leased an S and was surprised at how quiet it is even at highway speeds, which really allows you to appreciate the music. AP is also fantastic (in case your wife comes around). I have found commuting with AP and nice music to be very relaxing.

The other options you mention are a matter of personal preference and budget. I would have a hard time choosing between PUP and Next Gen seats (both are nice if they fit in the budget).

 

[DarylS2001]

My local Tesla Store? let us have a Tesla over night and it for sure sealed the deal also was able to weed out the options I didn't feel I needed (smart air Suspension, rear jump seats, 21" wheels, Winter Package). I ultimately ordered a 60D - will upgrade to 75D if needed and all options except whats listed above. Deep Blue Metallic/Black Interior. Love this color especially after my last car "white".

 

[No2DinosaurFuel]

Here is my reply:

1) if you are going to wrap your car in some film like many do here, the black is plenty fine. The only reason not to get black is you will not get it wrapped and you live in sunny SoCal which will strip your black paint unless you wax it every 4-6 months.

2) try it out with both type of seats. Then make your decision if it is worth the extra cash.

3) IMO 3K is a lot just for power life gate. But when you play tesla's game you have to abide by their rules. I have it and I can't see myself owning any car with out power life gate. Tesla should just offer it standard like the model x. I am not sure if there are any other luxury cars out there in the tesla price range without power lift gate. I think tesla is just nickel and diming their customer.

4) I would try to compare if possible. There are a stories on both sides where people who got the upgrades sound later spent money to upgrade again. But if you must have xm radio then it is probably better to get the sound upgrade. IMO in this day and age where everything is streamed, I am not sure why XM is still around. It is far cheaper monthly to stream everything.

Good luck! Hope this helps.

 

[hmmm]

So, how was it?

My 2 cents YMMV. I bought an inventory car so didn't pick my options per se, so my feedback is (almost) unbiased

- Love the upgraded interior personally. Love the NextGen seats as well.
- I have air suspension, it's nice, but not where I would spend my $$ if I had to pick and choose what options to get.
- Premium sound: the jury is still out. There is a lot (and I mean a lot) of threads/debate on the topic. It's growing on me, but I think the stock one is just fine and you can still upgrade later with something that feels 100% right to *your* ears. If XM is a deal breaker, make sure to check out what's available via streaming, as it may cover your core needs. I most likely would not have spent money on it.
- Insurance. As you guessed, shopping around is key. In my specific case, AAA could not be beat by a mile (multi car, umbrella policies etc already with them). One thing to note is that most insurers only track tesla's loosely in their systems...AAA only knows Performance vs. Non Performance cars regardless of battery size for instance, no concept of Ludicrous either etc.

Good luck with your choices, you can't really go wrong

 

[idealsol]

So I have an update. They finally located a 90d to complete my test drive. Well, kinda. I am in south Orange County. They looked all over Southern California for a 90d and finally found one in San Diego, actually, they found a P100d. So we wil be "forced" to try that. It's fully loaded, and we will get to see any of the options we didn't see in the original test drive. They said they can modify the software so the car will emulate a 90d. That's great but part of me says I'll really have to try it unmodified version also. No chance I will go beyond my 90d choice, just too much
Should be fun, all except for having to drive to San Diego ( 1 hour plus on a good day ) We're going tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes and our final decisions
Thanks for all the help

 

[hmmm]

Should be fun, all except for having to drive to San Diego ( 1 hour plus on a good day ) We're going tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes and our final decisions
Thanks for all the help

It may be a bit late, but based on your situation, have you considered asking/doing an over night test drive? I doubt they would say no.