Happy with base Model S 60 with no upgrades?

[atr2016]

I'm thinking of getting the Model S 60 with Autopilot and nothing else -- not even the nicer seats or sunroof.

The only reason I'm considering buying this car, is to ease the burden of a 130-mile commute (north San Diego County to Orange County) plus occasional road-trips up to 1,000 miles (i.e. San Diego to many major destinations like San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Grand Canyon).

Anybody here who's done the same?

Are you happy with your barebones or near barebones base Model S?

Is there ONE feature that's so USEFUL you would not recommend anyone get a TMS without it?

I could afford more, but prefer not to, hence the hesitation. My personality is such, that every purchase must be justified with a really good excuse

 

[jelloslug]

I picked the pano roof more for the extra headroom. You may not need it though.

 

[evzach]

I am 6'2 and could not sit in the back seat without the sunroof, my head was nearly touching the glass.

 

[S'toon]

Don't let them bully you into getting a pano roof if you don't want one. It's your car, not theirs. I don't like sunroofs either.

I'd do the same, except add the winter package and dual motors, given our winters up here.

 

[twonius]

Depending on what you want to do on road trips the pano is required if you want roof rack anchors.

The black textile seats seem fine and are apparently pretty tough

 

[RogerHScott]

I'm not a 60 owner, so I can't speak to this directly, but it is my strong sense that most of what makes a Tesla awesome is built into
the base models. You're already covering the possibility that AP is a must-have option -- I'd certainly agree that driving a Tesla with
AP is a different, nee' superior experience to driving one without, but even without it still beats most cars on the road.

You might was to see if it is possible to arrange a test drive in a 60 that's not optioned to the max (as most vehicles for test drives are likely to be) and see what it really feels like.

Good luck. I think the new 60 sounds like a great deal and I hope lots of people get them and join the Tesla party.

 

[jelloslug]

I had a local SC find an optionless Model S for me to look at. It was more than "sufficient". I actually like the textile seats a lot and all Model Ses come standard with lots of "stuff".

 

[javawolfpack]

I considered this, except was going to do dual motors (better traction) & pano roof (so I could use a roof rack). The only reason I added more options was more personal vs functional reasons... I'm not regretting the choices but agree the base model Tesla still would be awesome!

 

[Model S M.D.]

I'm thinking of getting the Model S 60 with Autopilot and nothing else -- not even the nicer seats or sunroof.

The only reason I'm considering buying this car, is to ease the burden of a 130-mile commute (north San Diego County to Orange County) plus occasional road-trips up to 1,000 miles (i.e. San Diego to many major destinations like San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Grand Canyon).

Anybody here who's done the same?

Are you happy with your barebones or near barebones base Model S?

Is there ONE feature that's so USEFUL you would not recommend anyone get a TMS without it?

I could afford more, but prefer not to, hence the hesitation. My personality is such, that every purchase must be justified with a really good excuse

If you were going to pick just one option, AP is the one to get! A base Tesla is still a fantastic car and allows you to start driving the future NOW You can always upgrade the battery (to 75kwh) and add aftermarket wheels and sound system later, if you like.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[javawolfpack]

Worth mentioning there is another recent thread with almost the same question: Critique My Strategy: Blindly Buying the Base Model

 

[PtG62901]

It is interesting about what floats your boat isn't it? I have had a very successful life defining what makes me happy, and ignoring what other people say. The question is what will make you happy? A Model S is super rare and flashy. What can you afford and what will drive you crazy if you don't have it? For example, if I was commuting like you do, maybe the upgraded stereo system would make me very happy, because all my listening to music would be in the car? My father always wanted a sunroof, but didn't get one until he was in his 60's, maybe that is something you need? I think the base model is a fabulous car, it is quiet, fast, cheap to operate drives great and reliable. I certainly think that 21" rims and leather seats are vanity items. Pretty nice you can upgrade the range with a credit card too.

 

[Garlan Garner]

I'm thinking of getting the Model S 60 with Autopilot and nothing else -- not even the nicer seats or sunroof.

The only reason I'm considering buying this car, is to ease the burden of a 130-mile commute (north San Diego County to Orange County) plus occasional road-trips up to 1,000 miles (i.e. San Diego to many major destinations like San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Grand Canyon).

Anybody here who's done the same?

Are you happy with your barebones or near barebones base Model S?

Is there ONE feature that's so USEFUL you would not recommend anyone get a TMS without it?

I could afford more, but prefer not to, hence the hesitation. My personality is such, that every purchase must be justified with a really good excuse

The reason I believe Tesla offers different versions/options on all of their cars is because they are selling them to more than one type of people. I have absolutely no issue at all with you loving the basic version. I however couldn't fathom spending over $60K for a car ....and not getting everything I want. I would rather go without the entire car itself. However that's just me.
What makes all of this so fantastic is that there are so many people able to get what they want.

Unity in diversity. I love it.

 

[PtG62901]

All of us who buy a Tesla have a $1000 off referral code. You should find one and use it.

 

[javawolfpack]

All of us who buy a Tesla have a $1000 off referral code. You should find one and use it.

Many of us even have it in our signatures, so super easy to find

 

[Buddy]

Many of us even have it in our signatures, so super easy to find

Signatures do not show up while using my IPhone to browse the site. Not sure if it's a setting but I don't see anyone's dig lines.

Here's my referral code for what it's worth.

Referral | Tesla

 

[mikeash]

The base model is still a great car. You definitely want Autopilot for that commute, but I can't think of any other must-haves.

The 60 might be a bit limiting for your road trips. However, you can try it out and see how it goes, and if it's too limited, you can pay to upgrade to 75 at that point.

I would also get the pano roof, but that's just my taste. You may not care about it. I think it really makes the car a lot nicer, but this is very much a personal thing.

 

[DrManhattan]

This is exactly what I got. No regrets. If I did it over again I MAY get pano roof or the D. But I'm fine with what I got. I thought autopilot was gimmicky but after using it - it's a must have.

 

[Snerruc]

S60 with no options here. No point in autopilot as no roads with limit over 55 and all but 5 mi of them 2 lane. Haven't turned the radio on in at least 2 years. Hate sunroofs. Performance of base version is superior to any other car I have owned. Base car is nicer than my last BMW or Mercedes.. Range will allow me to drive all the way around the island. There's always someone with something better than what you have, so enjoy your S60 and leaving some money in the bank!

 

[khalkhin]

I have a non-D 70. For me, it was definitely the right decision to skip most of the options. You're moving from a clamshell phone to an iPhone, and getting the 64GB model instead of the 16GB model is peanuts compared to the paradigm change you're about to experience.

In my opinion, the great thing about the S nowadays is that the important "options" - safety, supercharging, etc. - are included with the car. The other stuff is more gimmicky, and I feel like you really don't get much more functionality. I've had a loaner with a lot of options I skipped. I realized that I'm not going to use Launch Mode in my daily driving, and that the premium sound system sounds the same with road noise. Save the money and upgrade in a few years, or buy another Tesla for someone special.

 

[Ormond]

I can see buying a base model with AP. It makes sense. Usually I like lots of toys, unfortunately. I don't think that I am going to get a P90D, however. (I'd like too...)