How crazy am I? Anyone else bought the car without seeing it?

[GDH]

Went back on Wed and saw this sexy beast, the one I drove was brown.

Oh and the front plastic nose, gag. That needs a design review.

 

[smorgasbord]

There's a thread somewhere comparing Model S to the Audi S6/S7. It's worth a read.

Like Model S, the Audis have settings that control the air suspension, steering feel (and transmission, which Model S doesn't have/need) so that you can have sporty or comfort (and 2 other settings on the Audi). The S6 I drove handled really well and had more comfort/technology/style than Model S. With launch control, the Audis take off as fast as MSP, but it feels (and sounds) way better in MSP.

A fully loaded S6 is still $10K less than a fully loaded MSP after Fed & CA incentives, yet has everything from multiple cameras, night vision, adaptive cruise control, power folding mirrors, more stylish and comfortable seats, better overall rear seat comfort, a great integration of Google 3D maps with turn by turn navigation and voice control, 4 wheel drive, etc., etc. Yeah, you don't get the glorious 17" touchscreen, but the dash and controls in the Audi are done really well. Maintenance costs less on the Audi for the first 6 years, imagine that! After about 6 years, the savings in fuel should cover the difference in price. Then in a few more years, MSP may need a battery replacement (minimum $12K, which will take another 6 years to work off).

But, the Audis consume gas. Major bummer!

For me, put the Tesla drivetrain into an S6 and you'll have a killer vehicle, except for exterior looks. Neither the S6 nor Model S are lookers, IMHO, but at least the Audi doesn't sacrifice passenger comfort for looks/aerodynamics.

So, I drive my Roadster wherever I can, and as a family we continue to use our reliable BMW X5. I'm confident future versions of Model S will get the technology and interior quality I want. Elon's supposedly picky about seating, so he'll fix the front seats being too flat and retaining your butt imprints.

And who knows, as Elon's children grow big and tall, maybe he'll realize that the back seat needs more comfort and he'll make it suitable for more than young teenagers.

 

[Lyon]

While I have seen the car, and driven it (a couple of test drives and have driven my dad's car) more than once. I did have a similar thought process when it came to figuring out which car I was going to get. I started off thinking I would get the 40kWh, then I thought, well I'll get the 60 so I could get to Portland on a single charge. Well, then I decided that I would get a Signature so I could get my car sooner. So I spend some time stewing and looked deeply into myself and discovered that I really wanted a blue car... oh, and if I'm stepping down from the Signature, I could spent just a little more and end up with a Performance...

So, I've ordered a blue Performance with all the goodies... obviously.

 

[brianman]

Sure but a Miami condo can't do 0-60mph in 4.4 secs.

Yes it can, but I don't recommend it. Wind. Don't taunt it.

 

[kinddog]

I have been obsessing about the Model S since I saw one a few weeks ago, been to the local store several times and watched every video on youtube more than TWICE!. I have even made arrangements to move and rent a garage and add an 240 outlet.

Then I drove it.

I drove a P85 and wasn't exactly impressed. I currently drive a fully loaded 2013 Volvo S60 T6. It has every option and is very fast, tuned by Polestar. Yes, the Tesla has power and yes it takes off when you step on it, but that's pretty much it. Several things that I did not like about the car, when you punch it the car feels totally unstable, to the point where the car swerves....not safe. The seats are not comfortable at all, very flat and not supportive(they will not hold up over time). The big screen is nice but even the store car I drove had the pixel problems. You can hardly see out the back window and the back has no head even with the pano roof and yes that thing is drafty and cold. The door handles, as cool as they are do suck, I had to touch them many times to get them to pop out and the way the doors open and shut is just weird, it just doesn't feel right....feels like an old Lincoln.

Don't get me wrong this car is cool and it's amazing that Tesla did it but it needs major improvement.

Does Motor Trend know this "Volvo S60" you speak of?


so let me get this straight... you don't know how to control/drive a high-power sports car, and that's the Tesla's fault?

you think the seats are flat and the door handles are silly? and the way the doors open and close is "just weird"?

that's settles it. i'm canceling my order.

 

[mnx]

When I put down my 5k in 2009 I too was thinking of the 40kWh Model S. (It would be a 2nd car in our household after all).
I finalized a 85kWh perf this month. (I almost ended up with a signature P85, the lunacy had to stop somewhere)

 

[Elcondor]

When I put down my 5k in 2009 I too was thinking of the 40kWh Model S. (It would be a 2nd car in our household after all).
I finalized a 85kWh perf this month. (I almost ended up with a signature P85, the lunacy had to stop somewhere)

Yeah, I'm also purchasing the car without seeing or driving. However, my thinking is a little different than the previous posts and if there are more people like me it bodes well for Tesla Motors. I will be getting the Base 40 model, only add ons are leather seats and the color red. For under $60,000 I'll have a fine automobile to knock around town. Sure there a lot of people waiting for the less expensive next generation and many of us do have some financial constraints. Guess I speak for those of us who are in the car purchase range of $40,00-65,000. We can stay within our price range and purchase what appears to be a very special automobile, indeed.

 

[Al Sherman]

GDH, please where do I start, I can't even take that seriously, I know the feel of a fine automobile and a car prepared for the track, the S out performs them both, you must have driven one of the crash test models after the test.

Excellent as always Robert!

Does Motor Trend know this "Volvo S60" you speak of?

Thanks for the morning laugh.


As for me: I guess yes I'm crazy too more than likely. I'll try to take a test drive if it works out but I'm pretty far away from any store. I'll finalize the second I get the email. I was always going with the 85kw but decided for certain if I was getting it, it had to be the one that got COTY so it's the Performance for certain.

 

[artsci]

Trust me. It only gets worse when you see and drive the Model S. You think you're crazy now? Don't go near the car if you want to maintain any semblance of sanity

 

[ibcs]

How crazy am I?

I live just south of Cincinnati, OH, and have been researching Tesla since this spring. I was intrigued and decided to get a Reservation back in June. What the heck, it's refundable, right? I'm a frugal guy. Maybe I'll pay up front for this fancy car to save money on gas over the long run. Had my eye on the 40 kW from the beginning. The closest store was Chicago, but I couldn't make it to the Get Amped tour in the summer due to work / family. Found this forum... got obsessed with the car. December roles around and I get the email to FINALIZE! Otherwise pay more! Holy crap, what do I do now? So of course, I ordered a mostly loaded P85...

I've still never even SEEN the car, never mind driven it. Is there anyone else out there in my shoes?

FYI, here's how my insane rationalizing went:

• I'll get the 40 kW with cloth seats. Save money on gas over the long run. 50K is a TON of money, but it makes financial sense (Teslanomics anyone?)
• No way I can live without the tech package. I'm an IT nerd after all.
• Okay MAYBE the 60kW. The performance increase would be sweet, plus the supercharging!
• News update: $2K extra for supercharging on the 60kW? Seriously?!! 85 kW looking like a better deal.
• Fine 85 kW it is. Nice and fast, long range.
• Sound upgrade? It's only 1K... I'll be kicking myself if I don't get it in what's becoming my "luxury" car.
• Ugh, just remembered that Kentucky charges property taxes on cars, this is gonna hurt every year...
• New update: $600 a year for maintenance... on a maintenance free car? Really?
• Holy crap this car is EXPENSIVE! So much for saving money over time. Obsessed at this point however...
• "You are spending almost $90K on a car. Are you seriously not going to get the performance version, and possibly regret it for the next 10 years?"

And there you have it. Voila! I talked myself into buying the P85, $100K version of a car I have never even SEEN before.

Because I'm a cheapskate and have never seen the car to be able to tell the difference, I'm getting white instead of "Pearl" white for the extra $1500. And skipping the Pano. Never been a sunroof guy... Plus I need to save money for winter wheels now. LOL!

How crazy am I? Please tell me I'm not alone in my insanity.

If your ever in the Dayton area, I'll show you why you made the best decision of your life. I got my Tesla on November 2nd and have been smiling ever since. It's an amazing ride and conservative was my moto before Tesla. My other car is a 2006 Prius and now I don't want anything to do with it.

It's a great journey and you'll love it.

 

[wstuff]

GDH, Please do retest, I am old and doubt my daily decisions about anything. My shock and amazement at your post still rings in my TINITUS ears. When I took my test drive I was really not expecting much difference, a little quieter perhaps, certainly slower. Imagine my surprise, I have been waiting for an alternate fuel vehicle litterally my entire life, I would daydream about such things when I was a kid ( maybe that makes me terribly predjudiced on the subject) but when I felt that when I drove that car I felt like it was an extension of me, it was solid went exactly where my brain wanted it to go and felt like I was driving a 4500# gocart, I was blown away. I am not easilly impressed. Please do retest , and repost here after, I am very interested in your opinion.

 

[jerry33]

I purchased my last three cars without seeing them. One of them I never even saw a picture. I did test drive the Model S, so this will be the first car in a long time that I purchased after seeing it.

 

[dsm363]

I have been obsessing about the Model S since I saw one a few weeks ago, been to the local store several times and watched every video on youtube more than TWICE!. I have even made arrangements to move and rent a garage and add an 240 outlet.

Then I drove it.

I drove a P85 and wasn't exactly impressed. I currently drive a fully loaded 2013 Volvo S60 T6. It has every option and is very fast, tuned by Polestar. Yes, the Tesla has power and yes it takes off when you step on it, but that's pretty much it. Several things that I did not like about the car, when you punch it the car feels totally unstable, to the point where the car swerves....not safe. The seats are not comfortable at all, very flat and not supportive(they will not hold up over time). The big screen is nice but even the store car I drove had the pixel problems. You can hardly see out the back window and the back has no head even with the pano roof and yes that thing is drafty and cold. The door handles, as cool as they are do suck, I had to touch them many times to get them to pop out and the way the doors open and shut is just weird, it just doesn't feel right....feels like an old Lincoln. For the price of this car it should have options that you have to pay for as standard.

I feel in a few years the Model S will be amazing with changes but $90K+ for this car is laughable and on top of that you have to pay around $1k for delivery and $200 for them to prep the car LOL....give me a break. (yes I know that most charge a destination fee but a prep fee, come on!)

Don't get me wrong this car is cool and it's amazing that Tesla did it but it needs major improvement.

The P85 doesn't keep up with a Volvo? Ok. I find that very odd. It handles like a sports car (almost) which is impressive for a 4,600lb sedan. Takes off like a rocket. The handles can now autoextend with the 4.0 software update. The car will slowly improve over time (already has with the 3 software updates I've received so far) but it's not for everyone.

 

[Nikoli]

GDH, Please do retest, I am old and doubt my daily decisions about anything. My shock and amazement at your post still rings in my TINITUS ears. When I took my test drive I was really not expecting much difference, a little quieter perhaps, certainly slower. Imagine my surprise, I have been waiting for an alternate fuel vehicle litterally my entire life, I would daydream about such things when I was a kid ( maybe that makes me terribly predjudiced on the subject) but when I felt that when I drove that car I felt like it was an extension of me, it was solid went exactly where my brain wanted it to go and felt like I was driving a 4500# gocart, I was blown away. I am not easilly impressed. Please do retest , and repost here after, I am very interested in your opinion.

I felt the same way. When I test drove the car I almost lost it emotionally. Finally...FINALLY....a real electric car. Been waiting my whole life for this.

 

[dsm363]

How crazy am I?

I live just south of Cincinnati, OH, and have been researching Tesla since this spring. I was intrigued and decided to get a Reservation back in June. What the heck, it's refundable, right? I'm a frugal guy. Maybe I'll pay up front for this fancy car to save money on gas over the long run. Had my eye on the 40 kW from the beginning. The closest store was Chicago, but I couldn't make it to the Get Amped tour in the summer due to work / family. Found this forum... got obsessed with the car. December roles around and I get the email to FINALIZE! Otherwise pay more! Holy crap, what do I do now? So of course, I ordered a mostly loaded P85...

I've still never even SEEN the car, never mind driven it. Is there anyone else out there in my shoes?

And there you have it. Voila! I talked myself into buying the P85, $100K version of a car I have never even SEEN before.

Because I'm a cheapskate and have never seen the car to be able to tell the difference, I'm getting white instead of "Pearl" white for the extra $1500. And skipping the Pano. Never been a sunroof guy... Plus I need to save money for winter wheels now. LOL!

How crazy am I? Please tell me I'm not alone in my insanity.

Great story. There is some less headroom without the pano roof (especially for people sitting in the back) so I hope it works out for you but your first test drive will be in your own car which will be impressive.

 

[dailydriver]

I have driven an S Class, E Class and a Jag FX (which was supercharged and AMAZING!) and owed several GS's, never drove a Panamera...but I sure would love too....not driven a 5 series (not a BMW fan at all)

And please don't get me wrong the Model S is amazing, they just need to tweak it when they do upgrades and who knows, maybe I just drove a odd car....it did seem a little old and worn.

I have owned a M-B S class, E class, three Jaguars, Lexus SC, etc. (many were supercharged engines). I'm pretty familiar with what it is like to experience a high performance luxury vehicle and drive them hard (I have tracked most all of them). I can honestly say I am extremely impressed at the performance and ride/drive quality of the Model S. Sure, it is not the same animal as these other cars, and a direct comparison may not be possible, but the Model S does many things much better than the other cars because of what it is.

P.S.

I have ordered and purchased several vehicles sight unseen and without a test drive. If you want the latest and greatest model of any brand, that is just what you have to do (and pay full sticker price). Nothing crazy about that from my perspective.:wink:

 

[Al Sherman]

I've driven a '75 Cutlass, '81 Camaro, '96 Ram 1500, and '08 Prius. Just an educated guess from studying this forum for a long time. I don't think I need the test drive to compare the S to those. :smile:

 

[dave]

Thanks for the comments guys. It appears that there may be a few other people who have ordered without seeing one before...

Although I love cars, I have never been in the luxury car market, and haven't driven many luxury cars I'd even be able to compare with. I relied on all of the reviews and awards to win me over. I also relied a large part on reviews from this forum, which definitely got me excited about the car but still makes me a little nervous since everyone here is an enthusiast whose opinions are surely biased in favor of the car. It'll sure be exciting when my car gets here and I can see what I've bought!

The lack of Pano was a leftover cost cutting decision from when I was looking at the bare bones 40kW version. I'm only 5'10", and for the most part the only people in the back seat will be my kids, so I'm not concerned about head room. Of all the things on the car it seemed to be the one option I could live without. See, I'm being practical here!

 

[dsm363]

Thanks for the comments guys. It appears that there may be a few other people who have ordered without seeing one before...

Although I love cars, I have never been in the luxury car market, and haven't driven many luxury cars I'd even be able to compare with. I relied on all of the reviews and awards to win me over. I also relied a large part on reviews from this forum, which definitely got me excited about the car but still makes me a little nervous since everyone here is an enthusiast whose opinions are surely biased in favor of the car. It'll sure be exciting when my car gets here and I can see what I've bought!

The lack of Pano was a leftover cost cutting decision from when I was looking at the bare bones 40kW version. I'm only 5'10", and for the most part the only people in the back seat will be my kids, so I'm not concerned about head room. Of all the things on the car it seemed to be the one option I could live without. See, I'm being practical here!

See. You're actually saving money! My argument for getting the Roadster was that it only had one windshield wiper blade so cut costs by half in that regard (sales guy in Seattle told me that as a joke).

 

[GDH]

GDH, Please do retest, I am old and doubt my daily decisions about anything. My shock and amazement at your post still rings in my TINITUS ears. When I took my test drive I was really not expecting much difference, a little quieter perhaps, certainly slower. Imagine my surprise, I have been waiting for an alternate fuel vehicle litterally my entire life, I would daydream about such things when I was a kid ( maybe that makes me terribly predjudiced on the subject) but when I felt that when I drove that car I felt like it was an extension of me, it was solid went exactly where my brain wanted it to go and felt like I was driving a 4500# gocart, I was blown away. I am not easilly impressed. Please do retest , and repost here after, I am very interested in your opinion.

I am 100% doing another test drive. The asst gore manager said it was most likely the tires that are on the car. Not sure when I can get back there to to another drive but it will be this week as I want to get in before the price increase.

- - - Updated - - -

The P85 doesn't keep up with a Volvo? Ok. I find that very odd.

And I said that when?