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How long do you plan on keeping your Tesla?
- Thread starter 2krazykats
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- Model S
I would like Autopilot and dual motor but I'm not going to spend $30K to trade mine in on a new one. I would consider spending a lesser amount for a CPO when they are available. That is the most likely scenario for parting with my current Tesla. Wouldn't mind the next gen seats or better. And who knows what Elon will come up with in the next few years. The good thing is I really like what I have and for 90% of my driving it probably can't be improved much.
whitex
Well-Known Member
I went a similar route, though my regret was not upgrading but rather getting the "691hp" P. After Tesla finally came clean about the P specs, it turned out no magic 691hp OTA is coming, P85D has only 46hp more than 85D and it's ~0.7s faster 0-60. Having driven both, other than a bit of extra kick from complete stop, the car drives and handles about the same on regular roads.
AMPd, definitely test drive the 85D and read the specs with all the fine print on the Model S page (not just in the Design Studio). As I see it, you either care about every hp and fraction of a second, in which case you buy P90DL, or you don't, then 85D gives you the best bang per dollar as far as performance. P85D/P90D seems kind of a misfit since P90DL became available (why would one spend $20K for 46hp but not spend another $10K for an additional 69hp).
Peter_M
Member
15 years is my plan. I usually keep cars for 10-12 years but this was way more than I've ever spent on a car, so making it a 15 year purchase instead of 10 was like getting the car at 33% off. My wife says 30 years 
With the simple drive train, aluminum body, XPEL paint protection and expanding supercharger network (so that battery degradation won't be a big deal), I don't think 15 years should be hard.
With the simple drive train, aluminum body, XPEL paint protection and expanding supercharger network (so that battery degradation won't be a big deal), I don't think 15 years should be hard.
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SmartElectric
Active Member
Ontario Canada driver of a 2013 CPO 85 here.
Answered 7-9 years.
1. AWD would be nice. But we're happy with winter handling of the RWD 85 based on a recent heavy dump of snow.
2. Frunk space is crucial element to our road trip enjoyment of the car, we travelled 1200 km in the summer and the frunk made a tremendous improvement in visibility, as previously in our gas SUV, we'd be stuffing things so high I didn't have rearward visibility. Frunk storage made it possible to tuck everything under the covers, perfect visibility.
3. Autopilot sure would be nice. May end up trading just for that in 4 years time when the kids are older and we decide to road trip 10,000km in a single trip like we've done in RV's in past trips.
4. More power/performance is not an issue. Drove a P85 loaner this summer, and while it was fun, the 85 is "plenty" quick. As for effortless sustained highway speeds, any Tesla is awesome at that, just clearly superior to the big 300HP+ vehicles I've owned.
5. More range is absolutely an issue. Arrived home last night with 7% remaining after a day trip in cold weather. While I didn't range charge before we left, it did remind me that in 7 years time, that trip would require me to range charge the night before, and drive slightly slower (oh the humanity!!).
6. At >70,000 km driven we've seen only a few small hints of longevity issues on our car. The only one worth mention is the drivers leather seat side that I rub every time I enter. It will look worn after 8 years for sure.
7. Having driven previous cars to >>200,000 km, they looked broken in after 70,000 km whereas the Tesla does not. The aluminum body/frame should hold better than the steel frames of previous vehicles. However, there are places where dissimilar metals meet in the car, such as behind the front nose cone bumper where time and water/salt will have their effects. (see Galvanic corrosion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ). Fortunately, none of those areas are externally visible.
8. Nothing is more quiet/refined on the highway shy of high $ luxury cruisers.
9. The tech is mind blowing to people unaccustomed to a Tesla S/X. Very satisfiedwith screen/nav speed/responsiveness. If/when Tesla drop free 3G connectivity, I'll wire in a 4G (or above in the future) portable hotspot. Unlikely to upgrade the tech in the car, will just add after market goodness as it becomes available/sensible.
10. Size. It's a wide car, but that's a plus. I am far more likely to upgrade my commuting appliance (aka Smart Electric Drive) than the Tesla, as we need/like a big car for our weekend road trips. Then again, might just keep the Smart ED, it's perfect for intended mission. 1st world problems....
11. Exclusivity/uniqueness. We see a few Tesla every week, mostly on long highway drives. A few around town. For the most part, draws interest and compliments. It will be years before this runs it's course in our area. Always gives the opportunity to educate people on EV's. Both our cars are like that, very distinctive. We like this element of ownership, as we are advocates for personal choice in sustainable technologies.
12. Warranty. Will likely keep beyond end of CPO warranty, but once drive train/battery warranty is up, we will reconsider based on our comfort and experience over the long haul with this early 2013 car. So far, no issues, and Tesla has been tremendous. Not a penny spent on the car in maintenance (yet).
13. Change of lifestyle. This could have an effect, but we have young(ish) kids, so it's a great car design/implementation for our intended purpose (road trips and team sports events) for the next 10 years.
Thanks for listening! Loving our S.
Answered 7-9 years.
1. AWD would be nice. But we're happy with winter handling of the RWD 85 based on a recent heavy dump of snow.
2. Frunk space is crucial element to our road trip enjoyment of the car, we travelled 1200 km in the summer and the frunk made a tremendous improvement in visibility, as previously in our gas SUV, we'd be stuffing things so high I didn't have rearward visibility. Frunk storage made it possible to tuck everything under the covers, perfect visibility.
3. Autopilot sure would be nice. May end up trading just for that in 4 years time when the kids are older and we decide to road trip 10,000km in a single trip like we've done in RV's in past trips.
4. More power/performance is not an issue. Drove a P85 loaner this summer, and while it was fun, the 85 is "plenty" quick. As for effortless sustained highway speeds, any Tesla is awesome at that, just clearly superior to the big 300HP+ vehicles I've owned.
5. More range is absolutely an issue. Arrived home last night with 7% remaining after a day trip in cold weather. While I didn't range charge before we left, it did remind me that in 7 years time, that trip would require me to range charge the night before, and drive slightly slower (oh the humanity!!).
6. At >70,000 km driven we've seen only a few small hints of longevity issues on our car. The only one worth mention is the drivers leather seat side that I rub every time I enter. It will look worn after 8 years for sure.
7. Having driven previous cars to >>200,000 km, they looked broken in after 70,000 km whereas the Tesla does not. The aluminum body/frame should hold better than the steel frames of previous vehicles. However, there are places where dissimilar metals meet in the car, such as behind the front nose cone bumper where time and water/salt will have their effects. (see Galvanic corrosion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ). Fortunately, none of those areas are externally visible.
8. Nothing is more quiet/refined on the highway shy of high $ luxury cruisers.
9. The tech is mind blowing to people unaccustomed to a Tesla S/X. Very satisfiedwith screen/nav speed/responsiveness. If/when Tesla drop free 3G connectivity, I'll wire in a 4G (or above in the future) portable hotspot. Unlikely to upgrade the tech in the car, will just add after market goodness as it becomes available/sensible.
10. Size. It's a wide car, but that's a plus. I am far more likely to upgrade my commuting appliance (aka Smart Electric Drive) than the Tesla, as we need/like a big car for our weekend road trips. Then again, might just keep the Smart ED, it's perfect for intended mission. 1st world problems....
11. Exclusivity/uniqueness. We see a few Tesla every week, mostly on long highway drives. A few around town. For the most part, draws interest and compliments. It will be years before this runs it's course in our area. Always gives the opportunity to educate people on EV's. Both our cars are like that, very distinctive. We like this element of ownership, as we are advocates for personal choice in sustainable technologies.
12. Warranty. Will likely keep beyond end of CPO warranty, but once drive train/battery warranty is up, we will reconsider based on our comfort and experience over the long haul with this early 2013 car. So far, no issues, and Tesla has been tremendous. Not a penny spent on the car in maintenance (yet).
13. Change of lifestyle. This could have an effect, but we have young(ish) kids, so it's a great car design/implementation for our intended purpose (road trips and team sports events) for the next 10 years.
Thanks for listening! Loving our S.
Electricfan
Active Member
Now that is a dream I definitely share! But alas, I think world peace may be more likely...
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15 years is my plan. I usually keep cars for 10-12 years but this was way more than I've ever spent on a car, so making it a 15 year purchase instead of 10 was like getting the car at 33% off. My wife says 30 years
I drove a 1985 Monte Carlo (Chevy) for 16 years. But I replaced every part on the car including engine/transmission. I think the S will last 15 years, but not in good shape. It will still roll, but its going to shake and rattle like crazy - just my feeling. The windows for sure will rattle - the Monte Carlo had windows just like the S - no frame and just a big huge piece of glass sticking up. At the end they were waving around and not forming any kind of seal with the door.
thecloud
As rhythm raced inside, the ship came alive
Can't wait to do some shaking and rattling with my Model S. :biggrin:
Even without a T-top, though, you're talking about a GM vehicle built in the 1980s. Modern cars with frameless windows now have better seals, using a regulator to crank the window down slightly when you open the door (allowing it to clear the seal), and to roll back up against the seal when you close the door. Frameless windows are used on Mercedes and BMW vehicles, too.
mbaier
Member
felixtb
RsEU502,Sp+14274,XpEUSig4
I put 0-3 years.... but it really depends on which one is considered...... The S about that time frame since I am planning on switching to a newer model or a mission-e ( if ever produced) by then. for the roadster.... I'll probably keep it forever as a collectors item and for the X..... if I ever get it! I'll probably also renew after 4 or so years......
I'll probably also renew after 4 or so years......I put 0-3.
The car is supposed to be a no-compromise option when compared to an ICE, and not refreshing it with a new car in 3 years for me would be a compromise. I can't help it I get bored with them after about 24 months, and get the change itch.
Now what to change it with is a good question. I'd have a real struggle if the replacement was not visually different, but then I really don't want the out of warranty concerns.
I'm hoping a Model 3 with performance options is available in these time scales, but I'm not holding my breath it will be available in right hand drive by then.
The car is supposed to be a no-compromise option when compared to an ICE, and not refreshing it with a new car in 3 years for me would be a compromise. I can't help it I get bored with them after about 24 months, and get the change itch.
Now what to change it with is a good question. I'd have a real struggle if the replacement was not visually different, but then I really don't want the out of warranty concerns.
I'm hoping a Model 3 with performance options is available in these time scales, but I'm not holding my breath it will be available in right hand drive by then.
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chriSharek
Member
The poll results shocks the hell out of me. Why would an early adopter expect to keep technology for 10+ years (indicated primarily by the poll)? Wouldn't these early adopters want the latest and greatest - isn't that the reason they jumped into the deep end of the pool in the first place?!
The results were kind of inline with what I expected (originally the 10+ answer far out stripped the other choices but less so now). I don't think of myself as an early adopter since my VIN is in the 93XXX range. There have been plenty of cars built before mine and I don't like being an early adopter of anything, especially when it comes to technology. I think people in the 7-10+ year range think of the Tesla as a car, albeit with lots of cool technology. However, even so, it's still just a car! My husband's F-150 has a lot of cool tech features that I don't have in my Tesla (360 camera for example) and it's still just a car. People who generally keep their cars for a long time will most likely do so with the Tesla as well...
My concern as echoed by several people for keeping the car past warranty expiration is how expensive it will be to fix things. If there are few issues, I am liable to keep it for 10+ years, but if not, I'll be selling it before warranty expires.
Can't speak for anyone else but I purchased it because it was the first electric car that was a real car. As far as being an early adopter goes, I figured that after a few thousand were made they wouldn't really have any particular problems--and so far that's been the case other than alignment.
FWIW. I kept the 2001 and 2003 Prius (both first year models) for over ten years an both had over 100K miles (accidents got both of them). They have about the same reliability as the Model S (including alignment from the factory).
thecloud
As rhythm raced inside, the ship came alive
At least for me, I think it's because I expect the "latest and greatest" will still keep coming in software form. The hardware platform will be revised a lot less often than the software is updated. Even if there is a major hardware upgrade to the Model S within the next few years, Tesla won't be dropping software support for my car. Consider that they provided v7.0 software to all cars in the fleet, even those without dual motors or Autopilot sensors that could not use some of the improvements. And hopefully some hardware improvements can be purchased a la carte, like the LTE upgrade or a longer-range battery when it finally arrives.
That said, I'm also prepared to be wrong. Tesla could come out with some new hardware tomorrow that would make me feel completely dissatisfied with my legacy car. The dual motor version was not that hardware. Maybe something else will be.
Olle
Active Member
I voted 7-9 years. l crave AP and AWD, but not badly enough to drop 50k on a trade right now. I'll save the money for the addition of an X and a 3, both of which are needed for the family to finally get the garage completely free of smelly ones.
The only way I can see the S go before 7 years is if
1: something amazingly better comes out that's impossible to resist (like the S itself when it came out), or
2: My S gets too damaged or expensive to maintain.
The only way I can see the S go before 7 years is if
1: something amazingly better comes out that's impossible to resist (like the S itself when it came out), or
2: My S gets too damaged or expensive to maintain.
Olle
Active Member
Not sure if it is that surprising. I believe that I am a fairly typical early adopter and therefore got a Tesla early on, it was really a no brainer and I was super excited about it. Otherwise I have had pretty old cars because there hasn't been much "early adopter" about cars. 100 years of almost the same with just tiny tiny changes for each new model. Model S was the golden exception IMHO.
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