Wow, this is a novel discussion. First time I think this topic has ever been discussed here!
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Full Self Driving: To Get It or Not to Get It?
- Thread starter daverosati1785
- Start date
Get rid of that gas SUV and get a Y with FSD and use it for trips. Tesla's are the preferred highway cruisers because of AP/FSD and supercharger network. If you want a short range car get a used Leaf.
Jsvette56
Member
I too had a decision to make in 2016 whether to get FSD and longer range when I bought my S. Every time I drive my S I regret the decision I made NOT getting long range and NOT getting FSD. Currently I am stuck with HW 2.0 and will not be getting many of the newer software upgrades. If I had paid for FSD upfront I would be getting new hardware upgrades for free, now I have to pay for them. And as a result I'm stuck in the past with regard to new software features.
Mattopotamus
Member
Absolutely. If you plan to charge to 80% (never below 10%) even with the most extreme case of 30% degradation that would still give you 130 miles of real life range. Again that is absolute worst case scenario, while also still only using your car between 10% - 80% charge.
I had a similar situation to the OP. Wife has an ICE SUV, and my daily commute is ~40 miles. Choosing the SR+ was a great decision. We even took it on a road trip from Atlanta to TN with plenty of supercharging options along the way. I haven't had range anxiety at all, especially once I realized how accurate the trip calculators were.
Tam
Well-Known Member
Autopilot alone adds safety for me already, but the Auto Lane Change which is FSD really makes my driving much safer and I think it's worth the big bucks.
But back to your plan, if nothing changes as you planned, then SR+ without FSD is fine.
The problem might be: Once you get the SR+, it's so much fun that it's no longer for the commute but you might ignore the gasoline SUV and you would use Tesla for road trips too which you didn't plan!
And that's why Range is King. Buy the range first, then you can add FSD later when you'll be rich in the future.
Never mind FSD...I would say get LR AWD just for the performance. And if you have the extra cash laying around, by all means go for the P. I have the LR AWD with boost, and I still want more quickness. Of course this only applies if you, too, have the need for speed. But who doesn't? 
You only live once, have some fun.
You only live once, have some fun.I got the FSD with my LR AWD. I use AP most around town, but recently took a 2K mile trip from FL to IN. I loved the FSD. I have also had a couple people park a bit close to me in the parking lot and used my phone to back my car out so I can get in. It is also a pretty cool party trick.
Is it worth the $8K? That would depend on your own financial situation. For me, buying a Tesla was partly about the FSD option, so it was a definite yes. I compare it to buying a 3000 sqft home with a single car garage, or upgrading to the three car garage. You don't really need the extra garage, but if you are going to do it, get it all..
Is it worth the $8K? That would depend on your own financial situation. For me, buying a Tesla was partly about the FSD option, so it was a definite yes. I compare it to buying a 3000 sqft home with a single car garage, or upgrading to the three car garage. You don't really need the extra garage, but if you are going to do it, get it all..
FSD is currently a really nice option, but it will be a complete gamechanger soon. There will be only two kinds of cars, self-driving cars and everything else. You'll be kicking yourself a few years from now for not buying it at today's ~$7000 bargain price.
Watch the presentation and judge for yourself.
Watch the presentation and judge for yourself.
DanCar
Active Member
That has been said since 2016. Some one will be saying the same thing 5 years from now. Now shortage of optimism on this topic. Optimism not backed up by reality.
Buying FSD has been buying an out-of-the money option imo.
We bought FSD on our first two Tesla’s. What a waste, with an opportunity cost that offsets the increase to $8k. If it’s a few years further out, the same applies. Tesla is likely to offer a subscription in the future, too, which would likely be cheaper for those that do not hang on to old tech that long.
Further, Teslas are cars I want to drive, due to superior acceleration, but as a personal taxis they’re overpriced and spartan. Will FSD result in you keeping the car as your personal vehicle longer? I don’t have a lot of interest in riding in our 2019 Tesla’s in 6+ years. Perhaps you’ll robo taxis your old Tesla, assuming you have the space, regulatory and taxes are conducive, and service is not prohibitive. If it’s as game-changer as you say, they’re be a lot of robo taxis available and the passive income less than currently expected imo.
It seems Dojo may be a couple years out from maturity, and one will likely want at least HW4. At some point Tesla will “clarify” what your $7k FSD included, and any preferred hardware upgrades won’t be free.
I have EAP and on the rare occasion I use it I find myself annoyed by the decisions the car is making regarding lane changes - generally way too timid in Chicago expressway driving (yes, I have it set in Mad Max mode). There's no way I get along with FSD, so if faced with a choice of range v FSD it's range all the way.
Michelle_eriw
Member
FSD is indeed an out of the money option. But mind you, many of us here on TMC have made boatloads of money on out of the money TSLA options, so that should not be a reason to dismiss it. Elon has made numerous outrageous claims over the years, including making great electric cars, landing rockets, and a neural interface for the brain, just to name a few. He may not always be on time, but he'll get it done. Don't bet against Elon.
Like many early Tesla fans, I’ve made money on actual Tesla stock options. I would have made more had I not gotten FSD. Buying the FSD option shares little in common with Tesla stock options. Not being on time matters to options, and there’s an expiration on the FSD option that many will pass well before FSD. It’s the time in which you’d like to own that car and/or your hardware is sufficient to run FSD.
You may think you’ll make a lot of money off your 2016 Model S that already needs hardware upgrades BEFORE the FSD rewrite. But come four years from now when Robo Taxis still isn’t a thing, you’ll just be holding onto to an 8 year old car. Maybe buy in 2024, or once Dojo is actually going, but by then there will be subscription FSD and you’ll have wasted your money buying it now.
As a poker player, the FSD option to me is a bet of $7000 to win $100.000 (value as robotaxi, if Elon is right, see the Autonomy Day presentation). Even if the Robotaxi value is only 10% likely it is a good bet (expected value over 0).
In case the Robotaxi value does not materialize, you've still got some pretty cool tech for your $$. Even if the software would never improve it'd still be maybe $3-4000 value to me, improving the expected value even more.
In case the Robotaxi does work out you'll not only make a high return on your investment, you'll also have a front seat as one of the major technological leaps of the century unfold. It might take years, but I could wait quite a number of years for such an outcome. Perhaps there are even better bets out there (such as investing everything in $TSLA stock+options) but that's true of almost everything you spend your money on.
In case the Robotaxi value does not materialize, you've still got some pretty cool tech for your $$. Even if the software would never improve it'd still be maybe $3-4000 value to me, improving the expected value even more.
In case the Robotaxi does work out you'll not only make a high return on your investment, you'll also have a front seat as one of the major technological leaps of the century unfold. It might take years, but I could wait quite a number of years for such an outcome. Perhaps there are even better bets out there (such as investing everything in $TSLA stock+options) but that's true of almost everything you spend your money on.
timmy818
Member
This.
I was like how many times in my life do I need this range? Couple times a year.
The annual cabin/camping trip in the summer and another in the winter or a road trip to SF/SD from LA. I wonder how it would be like to cross country from LA to NY with an SR+ though.
I'm thinking about it since I need to grab a lot of stuff from the NY APT, haven't been able to go back since COVID. LOL, Teslamat it up?
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