How do you decide? Regrets?

[David in NC]

No right time to buy a Tesla as constantly evolving and will be different 6-12 months down the road.
I bought a demo pre-Raven 2018 100D in 2019 with 335 mile range.
What sold me was the discount (on the demo), one of the last cars with a sunroof and EAP (essentially FSD for highway only, without future city driving upgrades).
Now new cars are similarly priced cars with 390 mile range (but without sunroof and EAP/FSD).
If you are into range, energy consumption, etc. then get a non-performance.
If you are into pure performance without concern for range and energy consumption then get performance.
If you are concerned about timing, then just lease for 3 years, don't buy.

 

[Bubba9]

If you are concerned about timing, then just lease for 3 years, don't buy.

Having leased from BMW in the past I had sworn to never lease again... they just nickle and dime you everywhere. Does anyone have any experience with Tesla especially things like wear and tear? Turn in charges? I like the idea of being able to own the car and modify it if I see fit without worry of eventually needing to give it back.

 

[SilverGS]

I do like the ability to change lanes with just the blinker and not disengage Autopilot. I don’t think the basic lane keeping allows for this. (I don’t use navigate on Autopilot very often. I prefer to be in control of when to change lanes.)

This is obviously on purpose. This is the one feature that would make me want the FSD in its current iteration. If they added this to the basic AP I don't think as many people would upgrade.

Point of correction to the above - AP1 already has basic lane change. You just push the indicator as usual and the car changes lane.

 

[SoCal Buzz]

Having leased from BMW in the past I had sworn to never lease again... they just nickle and dime you everywhere. Does anyone have any experience with Tesla especially things like wear and tear? Turn in charges? I like the idea of being able to own the car and modify it if I see fit without worry of eventually needing to give it back.

I decided to lease my 2nd Tesla, mostly because California carpool lane regulations changed to only allow EVs for 3.X years from the purchase date. It turned out to be wise decision given rapid evolution of Tesla hardware improvements. I got working sunroof, EAP, MCU2 and AP2.5 which is a great, functional combination for now. I'll see how FSD looks in a couple years.

Tesla leases are pretty typical with regard to terms and returns. The lease factor is high and you pay a premium (something like 5.5% equivalent I think), and the return fee is around $500 similar to most brands. Minor modifications like window tint and interior LED upgrades, etc. are fine.

 

[tonybelding]

I have my order in for a S LR+, no VIN assigned yet.

I had a few moments of being tempted to get the Performance version. I weighed the giggles from all that crazy acceleration (exhilaration?) against the additional $20,000 and sacrificed range — which is not much, but I do plan to take some long trips, so I don’t dismiss it.

The S LR+ is supposed to do 0-60 MPH in 3.7 seconds. That is not a slow car! That’s quicker than the 1998 Lotus Esprit V8 that I had for a couple of years, and it’s quicker than the 2010 Tesla Roadster that I have now. I’m guessing it won’t feel as quick because it’s a much bigger car with a softer suspension, but still, not a slow car. So, whenever I have some stray thoughts about the P, it’s not for long.

 

[KalJoMoS]

Point of correction to the above - AP1 already has basic lane change. You just push the indicator as usual and the car changes lane.

Not to forget that if disengaging AP by steering wheel (not by AP stalk) then you will only loose auto steering, TACC will still keep assigned speed...

 

[Battpower]

I went with LR+, for a couple reasons:

1. I anticipate using the car fairly frequently for trips from southern Utah to California and Colorado. Wide open spaces, especially when you get off the beaten tracks of the Interstates, which I intend to do. Any bit of extra range will help, I think.

2. Performance I am sure would be way fun, especially when sprung on unsuspecting passengers. But that joy is not worth $20k to me, especially since said passenger’s only and first exposure to a Tesla will be in mine.

As far as FSD, I went with it knowing it is not ready for prime time, but it buys me into incremental improvements in the coming years. The engineer in me made me do it.

I agree with everything here.

The LR (+ if you can) means you can work between 20% & 80% charge most of the time and still have good range available. Most likely to maximize battery life.

Performance.... Great for track, otherwise just too tempting = tire wear and tickets.

0-60 sub 4 seconds is already crazy for an everyday ride.

 

[SilverGS]

I agree with everything here.

The LR (+ if you can) means you can work between 20% & 80% charge most of the time and still have good range available. Most likely to maximize battery life.

Performance.... Great for track, otherwise just too tempting = tire wear and tickets.

0-60 sub 4 seconds is already crazy for an everyday ride.

That sums it up right there.

 

[2101Guy]

Coming from AMG's and //M's, power and performance have always been high on my list.
But for me, I had a financial limit that I was going to put towards a depreciating asset. In the end, I couldnt personally justify spending many thousands more just for faster acceleration, especially when the LR version already is already faster accelerating than 90% of ICE cars on the road today.

Im not waiting for reverse summon. Plus, I only park in end spots/close to the curb/far away, anyways. I'd never use the reverse summon. And based on the quality of Smart Summon today (ran up over a curb, the auto parallell park "P" doesnt pop up half the time when it should), Im just not that concerned with FSD as a priority. Im sure it will contunue to get better, but today even Tesla still clearly says it all "beta" on the screen.

In the end, get what your personal requirements dictate.

 

[Dan Baldwin]

Where do you find that the extra power really shines? Do you feel it in everyday driving or is it really limited to wide open throttle driving - red lights, on/off ramps... I mean I won't be at the track or drag strip any time in the foreseeable future.

You will understand the Performance shine when you take someone for their first, full on, 0-60 ride !! I wish I would have compiled a video of all the reactions that have occurred when I did this. It truly is a unique experience. Oddly, I never do a full on 0-60 by myself anymore, but love doing it for first timers .

 

[Bubba9]

So thank you everyone. After weeks of decision paralysis I put my order in tonight for the LR+ in midnight silver metallic with the sonic carbon slipstream 19" wheels. Oh my did I want to upgrade to the performance, but practicality for range and "common sense" when it came to speed, won out over the sheer awesomeness of ludicrous+... maybe on the next one.

I opted against the FSD because I just don't do enough highway driving to make it useful... I must have read a hundred threads of people debating the use of FSD in its current form. If Telsa somehow come sthrough with some major additions to FSD over this month as Elon tweeted, well I can always add it on before delivery.

Now to buy a million accessories in anticipation.

 

[PrGrPa]

The LR will be performance enough most of the time. Question is do would you rather have the opportunity to use the performance features of the P or have $20k/a lower lease payment in your pocket?

Back in the day (2017) I was torn across the Model S range.
In the end I went for the 75D. Fast enough that most passengers used to ICE tell me ‘don’t accelerate like that again please’. Range sufficient for every journey I’ve made with supercharging stops at about the right time for a restroom break. And a few £10,000s cheaper than the models above.

Having said that, I’ve since driven the P100D S and X and the extra acceleration is astonishing. But day-to-day I’m not convinced I’d get much more out of it.

Today I’d go for the LR.

 

[Lasttoy]

Think 8 years down the road. The range will be 25 percent less. Mine was 245, now 210, and dropping.
I'm a old gearhead, the normal performance is fine, u get over the acceleration after u burn thru a set of tires in a few thousand miles. I burned thru rear set in 3 months.
The range after u run out of warranty is what u need to think of.
Battery degradation. Look at my chart., as the battery falls off, so does range. I go on a lot of trips. Charge rate decreases alot.
So, my advice, think 8 yrs from now.

 

[Battpower]

Think 8 years down the road. The range will be 25 percent less. Mine was 245, now 210, and dropping.
I'm a old gearhead, the normal performance is fine, u get over the acceleration after u burn thru a set of tires in a few thousand miles. I burned thru rear set in 3 months.
The range after u run out of warranty is what u need to think of.
Battery degradation. Look at my chart., as the battery falls off, so does range. I go on a lot of trips. Charge rate decreases alot.
So, my advice, think 8 yrs from now.

That makes complete sense if you plan on keeping the car for several years and / or drive over 120,000 miles. If you end up with effectively a sub-40kwh car that has the potential for needing high cost non-wty repairs AND a battery swap then you car is quite likely to be worth more for breaking at that time.

If you are financing with the intention of returning the car after 2-4 years then it probably makes no difference what battery you go for. You cansupercharge it to the max, run it down to rock bottom, do as many ludicrous launches as you like, and your costs stay pretty much the same (except for tires / tyres).

For me, I (currently) plan on keeping the car long term, and so absolutely having the best possible battery and battery condition especially as the car gets older is very important. In fact, it is what will keep the car viable either for me, or its next owner. Finance agreements don't generally reward anything other than keeping your car in good cosmetic order and within agreed service / mileage constraints.

 

[David_Cary]

Something else to think about if you are planning on only owning for the shorter term. Resale on performance models in the past have been much worse than non-performance. A lot of this is one off because Tesla reduced the performance premium significantly.

But they could do it again. It could be $10k. When it doesn't cost them much, they can do whatever they feel like.

Also, the range matters more on the older car so even if Tesla doesn't change anything, performance should depreciate faster. There is also the perception that performance cars get trashed more and will suffer more long term repair costs.

At some point, range at resale time will probably matter a lot. Also, charging speed is always better on the non-performance - not by a lot but still. If it gets throttled down, every bit counts.

 

[CLLACAB]

Not sure where the 25% drop came from. That would be unusual. I have a P85. At 100% it was 260 miles. 75K miles later it is at 245, a drop of about 6%.

 

[Stiction]

Back in 2015 I opted for the dual motor and so glad I did..not just for the AWD in snow but also the
extra torque is super handy.... for squirting in front of people to get to that right hand exit etc. And the
best part is all that power is SILENT.

The only problem is when you have to drive an ice car. They all seem defective now. Noisy, smelly, poisonous and sluggish.

 

[evfeh]

Ludicrous mode stays on all the time, otherwise just buy LR.

 

[Altair7]

Poisonous cars?

Do you think all of that lithium and cobalt you are sitting on is organic?

You would have a little less snark if you read up on how and where it is produced.

 

[SO16]

Poisonous cars?

Do you think all of that lithium and cobalt you are sitting on is organic?

You would have a little less snark if you read up on how and where it is produced.

This is funny. Of course there are some bad aspects of EVs. Guess what. There are bad aspects to almost EVERYTHING humans do. The key is what is overall worse. I think you know the answer.