Loving this thread. We stretched. The only vehicles I have owned have been old hand-me-downs from family members meaning I have not spent more than $1 purchasing them. My husband's biggest purchase was a $3000 car. Our Model S was obviously a big jump. We are a one-car family (plus an electric motorcycle) and we donated my 2000 Ford Explorer (which was falling apart) a week after we received our Model S. Despite saving me the $500/month in gas I was spending, our car payment is more than our monthly rent. Though it is DEFINITELY a stretch (causing me many sleepless nights prior to the final purchase) I have never regretted it for a second. I have loved every one of the 22,000 miles I have driven in Brutus (we named him) over the past year and will never purchase an ICE vehicle again. It is really cool to me that our kids will never know an ICE vehicle and I can't wait until they ask me why it's called the "gas pedal". I've never loved a "thing" this much. I'll love it even more in 4 years when it is paid off!
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Folks who stretched: Will you do it again given another chance or regret buying Tesla
- Thread starter amitb00
- Start date
Put another way: It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.
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I have been "eating" Tesla from the beginning. Chewing on all the post and going back-and-forth.
"Just get the 85, you will not regard it".
"What the heck ho for the P85 while you are at it"
"are you crazy, spending that much on a car!!"
"Wait for the MX, that is what you really want..."
" I don't want to wait.,. So I get a MS now"
" Wait for the Model E, it's cheaper....."
" GRRRR...."
"Just get the 85, you will not regard it".
"What the heck ho for the P85 while you are at it"
"are you crazy, spending that much on a car!!"
"Wait for the MX, that is what you really want..."
" I don't want to wait.,. So I get a MS now"
" Wait for the Model E, it's cheaper....."
" GRRRR...."
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Mario Kadastik
Active Member
Well I stretched. I drove an Evo X before, a car that cost ~25% of the cost of the P85 I bought. Well, 10 000km and 4 months later I can say that it isn't really a stretch. My leasing went up €300, my insurance went up €100, my fuel costs went down €350. If you do the math, then you discover that I'm now spending only €50 more, but I have a car that's 4x more expensive and 100x better 
No regrets what so ever. And I've not accounted for any of the maintenance etc so likely I'm actually coming in ahead
No regrets what so ever. And I've not accounted for any of the maintenance etc so likely I'm actually coming in ahead 
bareyb
Active Member
It was the object of my desire. Now that that has worn off a little, I still find myself with the best driving experience of any car I've ever owned. Forget about the fact that my PGE bill went DOWN by $200.00 a month. Would I do it again? I will have to, because I will never go back to an ICE.
nwdiver
Well-Known Member
Well... the car that I sold for $3k when I upgraded to a P85 was an '03 Jetta TDI... my wheels are worth more than that; I did go all out for the P85... I probably should have just gotten an 85 but I don't really have any regrets. I hope I can by my next EV for much less... but I'm NEVER going back to ICE.
It was definitely a stretch in the sense that we had just retired (therefore on a "fixed income" - sons roll their eyes) and we have travel plans along with ensuring there is enough for the ol' rainy day. It was just luck that we bought enough TSLA stock, that went up enough, so that we could pay for more than half the car. Without that there was no way. Even with the stock assist it was a huge mental stretch because we were sort of gambling our future (short term; pun intended for long term world positives). My wife (as an above poster put it) "relaxed her grip" by saying that when she thought about it, I had never asked for anything before and had fully supported a whole list of other life changes (reno's, changing residences, etc etc) that, shall we say, were slightly more her brainchildren than mine, and that I deserved something like this. But still, it was three times more expensive than the used Infiniti we bought 6 years ago, and more than five times the "normal" vehicle we would normally buy.
My plan was to buy the Model E after our TSLA stock went up. But how to get into electric before that? Well, out of everything I thought the Volt met our needs the best. But still oil. Then I realized that put a new Volt's cost into the mix, add the cost of a Model E (after MUCH waiting), and you probably have ¾ or more of a Model S in purchase price alone, after selling the Volt. Plus happiness 3-4 years earlier. So by closing one eye and holding my tongue just right, you can see that the dollars are starting to come together...ish.
The other thing a previous poster said was I'm not getting any younger. Also the idea took hold that by purchasing a Model S, I could help Tesla in some small way get to delivering the Model E as planned (with of course no benefit to me...). So, throw all that into a bucket and we ended up deciding on colours and options etc and pulled the trigger. Would I do it again? In less than a heartbeat. The whole ends up being far more than the singular parts: the driving experience overall with fabulous low centre of gravity handling; the fun pedal (acceleration); one-pedal driving; regen braking; OTA updates; silent drive (but with a REALLY loud horn LOL); Ranger service (anywhere - even on trips); comfortable long-trip driving with good supercharged rest breaks; friendly other owners; relatively cheap go juice (in BC, 86%+ from hydro); OFF OIL. It all adds up to pure joy every time the driver seat gets filled. Where's one of those "priceless" Mastercard commercials?
To those who managed to get this far through the life story: thanks for your patience.
My plan was to buy the Model E after our TSLA stock went up. But how to get into electric before that? Well, out of everything I thought the Volt met our needs the best. But still oil. Then I realized that put a new Volt's cost into the mix, add the cost of a Model E (after MUCH waiting), and you probably have ¾ or more of a Model S in purchase price alone, after selling the Volt. Plus happiness 3-4 years earlier. So by closing one eye and holding my tongue just right, you can see that the dollars are starting to come together...ish.
The other thing a previous poster said was I'm not getting any younger. Also the idea took hold that by purchasing a Model S, I could help Tesla in some small way get to delivering the Model E as planned (with of course no benefit to me...). So, throw all that into a bucket and we ended up deciding on colours and options etc and pulled the trigger. Would I do it again? In less than a heartbeat. The whole ends up being far more than the singular parts: the driving experience overall with fabulous low centre of gravity handling; the fun pedal (acceleration); one-pedal driving; regen braking; OTA updates; silent drive (but with a REALLY loud horn LOL); Ranger service (anywhere - even on trips); comfortable long-trip driving with good supercharged rest breaks; friendly other owners; relatively cheap go juice (in BC, 86%+ from hydro); OFF OIL. It all adds up to pure joy every time the driver seat gets filled. Where's one of those "priceless" Mastercard commercials?
To those who managed to get this far through the life story: thanks for your patience.
Alysashley79
Active Member
@dutchie. If you go for that test drive you will most certainly be parting with that $100k. All joking aside. This car was the biggest stretch of my life. However I wouldn't change a thing. 5 month 12,000 miles later and my husband and I both still have our "grins" and we also still fight daily over who will be driving it that day. Everyone thinks holy crap it's a $100k car it's completely unaffordable. Actually it's not. If you plan to own this car for just a few years yes it might be. But for me. I plan to own it for a long time. I LOVE this car I've never loved a at more than I love this car. I've already saved about $7000 on gas and maintence in these 5 months of ownership. And I love it. I'm a stay at home mom and I used to say that because I love people I'd love to work part time as a barista just because now I say I'd love to work for tesla. I've already sold two model s's since I've had mine.
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You already know how this story is going to end. Why torture yourself? I took one deep breath, closed my eyes, and clicked the button. No matter what, it will probably always be the best purchase I've ever made.
The Model S is super expensive, mainly because the battery is half the price of the car - $40,000 or something crazy like that. Electric cars are in its infancy stage, but once they get going you will be able to achieve more 'bang for your buck.' However you slice it or dice it, anyone who purchased a Model S from Tesla are, for a lack of better words, the sacrificial lambs. They are the ones that allow Tesla to build its armory to hopefully one day bring a quality electric car to the masses for a cheap price.
That is why I have my eyes set on the Gen 3.
That is why I have my eyes set on the Gen 3.
I made that "sacrifice" with my eyes open, but with a clear thought to help Tesla get to the Gen 3 point. It's the signature owners who really should be appreciated by us because they ponied up before the car was even real, and helped Tesla actually make it real. My son claims he will be first in line for the Gen 3. Of course so claims our Tesla Vancouver Owner Advisor. Along with lots and lots of others. Feeding frenzy to come.
For me the S is by far the most expensive car I've ever owned. My previous was a maxed out, every whistle and bell imaginable Audi Q5 which cost me $4000/yr in gas to drive.
Yes it was a stretch to buy the Model S BUT two factors made it a no-brainer:
1) Unlike any other car-purchase decision, thie Tesla decision was not a car decision only. It was also a question of do I believe in the Tesla investment thesis, whereby they sell the Roadster as proof of concept, develop and sell the S (and soon X) platform to demonstrate scale of the concept and most importantly, have S+X income fund the development of the Gen III to finally go head-on into the ICE market with a viable alternative that brings the world to the age of sustainable transportation. I do believe that and the SuperCharger network was what pushed me over the edge.
2) What comforted the sting of buying such an expensive vehicle was the fact that I'd started selling my holdings in GOOG and AAPL in 2012 and around the time of the Supercharger unveiling, and seeing the promise of the Supercharger vision, I backed up the truck, as it were, on TSLA stock. Had the stock not gone not just thru the ceiling but into the stratosphere, I might've waited a bit to buy the S.
With the Tesla purchase it's not a feeling like I have joined a club, a feeling I had say when once owning a Porsche, but rather, I feel very strongly that I have joined a movement, and a righteous one at that.
Yes it was a stretch to buy the Model S BUT two factors made it a no-brainer:
1) Unlike any other car-purchase decision, thie Tesla decision was not a car decision only. It was also a question of do I believe in the Tesla investment thesis, whereby they sell the Roadster as proof of concept, develop and sell the S (and soon X) platform to demonstrate scale of the concept and most importantly, have S+X income fund the development of the Gen III to finally go head-on into the ICE market with a viable alternative that brings the world to the age of sustainable transportation. I do believe that and the SuperCharger network was what pushed me over the edge.
2) What comforted the sting of buying such an expensive vehicle was the fact that I'd started selling my holdings in GOOG and AAPL in 2012 and around the time of the Supercharger unveiling, and seeing the promise of the Supercharger vision, I backed up the truck, as it were, on TSLA stock. Had the stock not gone not just thru the ceiling but into the stratosphere, I might've waited a bit to buy the S.
With the Tesla purchase it's not a feeling like I have joined a club, a feeling I had say when once owning a Porsche, but rather, I feel very strongly that I have joined a movement, and a righteous one at that.
gg_got_a_tesla
Model S: VIN 65513, Model 3: VIN 1913
I stretched - in the pre-2013 stock market boom world - but, still within reason. I got an S60 with just a couple of bells and whistles and came out under $75k post-tax-credits-and-rebates. My wife was very instrumental in "reining me in" back when we configured the car in 2012 and I'm thankful to her for that
@Dutchie and others who might be on the fence, the S60 is a relative "bargain" if the ~4-year wait for the Model E feels very long. Having lived with a P85 loaner briefly, speaking for myself, I don't think I can justify the price difference at all; the S60 is still a beast of a high-perf premium sedan.
@Ugliest1, great story! Let your son know that I'm going to beat him to a reservation for the Model E; I'm milliseconds closer to Tesla's Calif. web servers after all
@Dutchie and others who might be on the fence, the S60 is a relative "bargain" if the ~4-year wait for the Model E feels very long. Having lived with a P85 loaner briefly, speaking for myself, I don't think I can justify the price difference at all; the S60 is still a beast of a high-perf premium sedan.
@Ugliest1, great story! Let your son know that I'm going to beat him to a reservation for the Model E; I'm milliseconds closer to Tesla's Calif. web servers after all
Exactly. There is only one cure for car fever.
I prefer the term "early adopter" to "sacrificial lamb". It somehow sounds better to my ears. :wink:
I stretched. Three years ago I would have called anyone crazy had they told me I was going to purchase a $60K+ car in a couple of years. I thought $30K was a horrible price to pay for a car. (The Land-Rover I drove for 20 years cost $6K new). However, I researched, took a test drive, and I wouldn't change a thing. (Well, had I known I would have raided every bit of savings and bought Tesla at $25 or $30, but with my stock market success, it would probably have gone down to $5--just because I bought it.)
Driving is actually fun again because it doesn't cost $80 every time you go somewhere. (NB. The stereotypical Nebraskan makes the stereotypical Scotsman look like a spendthrift.)
Driving is actually fun again because it doesn't cost $80 every time you go somewhere. (NB. The stereotypical Nebraskan makes the stereotypical Scotsman look like a spendthrift.)
OK, talked with my wife once more. We have to be practical. The Model X is what we wanted all along so we decided to really wait for that. I know some people did not want to wait, got the MS only to trade it in when MX arrives. We find that silly. Yes, you get to drive a nice car for a year but the depreciation will cost us dearly. It's only another year or so. We can keep our money for a while.
Waiting is hard, but I guess you guys know all about that...
Waiting is hard, but I guess you guys know all about that...
roblab
Active Member
Yeah, we couldn't wait ... for about 4 years. You survive, and then you enter that higher realm of delight. It turn's out, it's worth it. But, we do understand.
Right. I didn't see that waiting for the GenIII would be practical. Waiting for the X--not so long. And every Model S sold means that Tesla will be able to produce the GenIII.
