I need reassurance I am making the right decision on a Model S

[mspohr]

Ok so a couple things...
2nd- so alot of comments are that technology is quickly evolving in terms of batteries, features, and so on. REALISTICALLY, outside of auto pilot features and maybe more efficient/cheaper batteries that cannot be retrofitted in lets say 6-7 years to a 2017 model, are there things people are specifically worried about that would make them say " i honestly doubt you'd be driving this car in 10 years?" (outside of something like structural damage). This might be way too forward thinking.

On #2
AP will evolve and advance but AP2 should be "state of the art" for quite a while.
I have AP1 and I have no inclination to trade it in and get AP2. I just don't try to chase the latest tech.
Any battery advance should be within the pack and there is no reason to think that you won't be able to update the battery pack 10 years from now with a cheaper, larger capacity battery pack if you want. (Tesla is even making updated battery packs for the Roadster which was only a very limited production car.)
I plan on keeping my car "forever". I really don't think it will require much maintenance or repair. The battery pack might need to be replaced because of declining capacity at 10-15 years but by then it will be much cheaper. Brakes, tires, wheels and 12v battery are all easily sourced. I don't think anything else should need replacing. The electronics should last "forever"... I have a pile of old computers all of which still work just fine.
Worst case... Tesla goes out of business. There are a few hundred thousand cars out there... enough to develop a healthy secondary market for parts and service. (My old Land Rover has about the same number of vehicles and there are lots of sources of rebuilt parts, OEM parts and companies manufacturing secondary market parts.) For the Tesla, the only unique parts are the motor drivetrain and battery. The rest of the car, brakes, suspension, etc. are auto industry standard parts. For body panels, there will be plenty of salvage vehicles.

 

[MXWing]

On #2
AP will evolve and advance but AP2 should be "state of the art" for quite a while.
I have AP1 and I have no inclination to trade it in and get AP2. I just don't try to chase the latest tech.
Any battery advance should be within the pack and there is no reason to think that you won't be able to update the battery pack 10 years from now with a cheaper, larger capacity battery pack if you want. (Tesla is even making updated battery packs for the Roadster which was only a very limited production car.)
I plan on keeping my car "forever". I really don't think it will require much maintenance or repair. The battery pack might need to be replaced because of declining capacity at 10-15 years but by then it will be much cheaper. Brakes, tires, wheels and 12v battery are all easily sourced. I don't think anything else should need replacing. The electronics should last "forever"... I have a pile of old computers all of which still work just fine.
Worst case... Tesla goes out of business. There are a few hundred thousand cars out there... enough to develop a healthy secondary market for parts and service. (My old Land Rover has about the same number of vehicles and there are lots of sources of rebuilt parts, OEM parts and companies manufacturing secondary market parts.) For the Tesla, the only unique parts are the motor drivetrain and battery. The rest of the car, brakes, suspension, etc. are auto industry standard parts. For body panels, there will be plenty of salvage vehicles.

Tesla unlikely to go out of business, that's a bear story that 26 short share percent float is hanging on too.

Not much problem to go to uncle tencent for another 5 percent stake. Or if intel is willing to pay 15 billion for mobileeye guess how much Tesla software is worth?

 

[ABVA]

I'd suggest to throw "financially smart" out when you are buying a car, and ask yourself
- Will it make you happy,
- Can you afford it without stressing yourself. Including ownership costs.

If the answers are yes - then go for it.

I will say though that I really really doubt you'll keep your Tesla for 15 years, so don't go in with that expectation.
- Reliability isn't that great, and repair costs are high. First 4 years not an issue. Next 4 you can buy ESA. 15 years ... time will tell, but signs right now seem to point towards "not a smart idea".
- Things will get outdated, and you'll be back here lusting over Model S 2021, trying to justify it as a financially smart decision, knowing very well it is not.

Buying a TESLA IMHO is also financially smart.

1) avail the Federal Tax Credit of $7,500 while it is there (Not going to be there too long)
2) Safest car on the road (Life is priceless)
3) Driving with electricity is lot cheaper than driving with Gas/Petrol (in my case it I save approx. 67% on cost of fuel)
3) No need to visit gas stations. Your home will be your gas station.
4) No oil Changes required (Cost Money)
5) No Transmission Service (Cost Money)

and most importantly

6) As of today, the only car that improves over time (through upgrades over the internet) Like Wine
7) Eco Preservative (Friendly)

So, my friend make the choice that is best for you.

 

[naylorman32]

out of curiosity, are we to assume the cars will stay around the same price after the tax incentives go away? will cheaper batteries make up for this lack of incentives?

 

[ABVA]

out of curiosity, are we to assume the cars will stay around the same price after the tax incentives go away? will cheaper batteries make up for this lack of incentives?

In accordance with current regulations, Tax incentives will eventually go away, just like batteries in future will be more efficient at a lower cost.
TESLA, like any other successful technology, will keep on getting better. So the choice is to avail what is being offered now or wait until you conclude that TESLA has achieved the optimum and it can not improve any more.

 

[Sir Guacamolaf]

The thing about tax incentives going away, Tesla has a huge profit margin on every Model S/X sold now, probably even 3.
With more gigafactories, cost of batteries going down, they may not need to reinvest every dollar back into the company.

I wonder if the tax breaks will really matter as much in 2 years - they just dropped the 75D price, I don't see why they can't drop another 7500 in another 2 years. (and the breaks don't go away, they phase out slowly).

 

[RogerHScott]

ive looked at most of them to this point and i can confidently say i prefer the tesla over any of them

Ok, so we've clearly established certain base level of intelligence and taste.

 

[RogerHScott]

I don't think you need to drink the cool-aid

glurk-glurk-glurk... ahhhhhh we don't know what you're talking about!

 

[oktane]

Tax breaks will not be relevant, just like the utility solar credits are not relevant today since it is cheaper per Watt to install today than five years ago even with the credits. FYI, the 30% credit start decreasing in 2019.

 

[rjcbox]

No regrets, I absolutely love this car! Would have bought a year sooner if not for my (unfounded) fears based on TMC negative posts, which I now believe to be a loud minority of mostly true issues Tesla is working through. Overall, significantly more positives than negatives and I won't be buying gas cars in future

 

[rjcbox]

No regrets, I absolutely love this car! Would have bought a year sooner if not for my (unfounded) fears based on TMC negative posts, which I now believe to be a loud minority of mostly true issues Tesla is working through. Overall, significantly more positives than negatives and I won't be buying gas cars in future

Having said that, I don't think I would have bought the car if not for all the wonderful people and info here on TMC!

 

[ACExpress]

Ok so a couple things...

I did do a test drive about a month ago... my god was it nice. thats kind of where i began to snowball down this road to the point where i'm now seriously talking with the sales team and trying to convince my girlfriend and even my dad why I SHOULD purchase one.

If you keep waffling and your girlfriend is anything like my wife, she'll want you to buy it just so you'll stop talking about it.

If you can legitimately afford it, do it.

 

[abasile]

out of curiosity, are we to assume the cars will stay around the same price after the tax incentives go away? will cheaper batteries make up for this lack of incentives?

As others have opined, Tesla may well reduce its prices in the coming years. But those reductions may not necessarily coincide with the phaseout of our federal tax credit, which drops in a step-wise manner, not all at once. Tesla sells its vehicles in many different countries, and their prices are relatively consistent (when converted to USD) across borders. Pricing changes may need to be considered with the world in mind, not just what's happening with US tax treatment.

Looking at what Tesla has done in the past, including in recent weeks, they've mostly tended to avoid big reductions in Model S/X base prices. Instead, they've included more features with the base model that were previously added-cost options. Examples would be the 75 kWh battery (now only a bit more expensive than the discontinued 60 kWh level), the old "tech package", access to Supercharging, and others. At the same time, Tesla has been coming up with more options on the upper end that didn't exist before, like ludicrous mode, the 100 kWh battery pack, AWD, AutoPilot, etc.

Perhaps around the time the US tax credit phases out, Tesla may include the full suite of AutoPilot capabilities as standard features with the Model S/X. Who knows. Or, if the Model 3 becomes as popular as the Toyota Camry in the US and Tesla is production-constrained, perhaps we won't see price concessions on Tesla vehicles for a while.

The used EV market may see a bit of a bump when the tax credit phases out. Or not, depending on what's happening with new car prices.

 

[ABVA]

The thing about tax incentives going away, Tesla has a huge profit margin on every Model S/X sold now, probably even 3.
With more gigafactories, cost of batteries going down, they may not need to reinvest every dollar back into the company.

I wonder if the tax breaks will really matter as much in 2 years - they just dropped the 75D price, I don't see why they can't drop another 7500 in another 2 years. (and the breaks don't go away, they phase out slowly).

With all due respects, old technology will keep on getting cheaper and technology improvements/enhancements will keep on coming (at a higher cost albeit). So if we were to take that approach, wait will never end. But, to each his own.

 

[Buddyroe]

...plan to keep the S until it dies, I die or I just HAVE to have something else.

Isn't that pretty much what everyone does?

 

[jerry33]

With all due respects, old technology will keep on getting cheaper and technology improvements/enhancements will keep on coming (at a higher cost albeit). So if we were to take that approach, wait will never end. But, to each his own.

That's why the way to insure happiness when purchasing a high-tech product is to purchase the best you can afford at the time and then never look at another ad, review, or group discussion until your purchase no longer does what you bought it to do. When that time comes, repeat the process.

 

[naylorman32]

As an update, I put down the deposit Sunday night to take advantage of a financing offer- but as you know, i have 7 days to cancel the deposit. So its now crunch time to decide.

 

[Btrflyl8e]

As an update, I put down the deposit Sunday night to take advantage of a financing offer- but as you know, i have 7 days to cancel the deposit. So its now crunch time to decide.

Eh, stop kidding yourself. Once you've made a deposit, you're done. Enjoy that new car!

 

[xav-]

Hi everyone,

I just signed up here so i apologize if a similar thread exists.. but i am very close to pulling the trigger on a new model s 75D. I currently have an Audi Q5 with just under 60K miles, and its completely paid off. Its given me no issues whatsoever, so i really dont need to get a new car.

However.. i started a new job about a year ago and found out we offer free electric vehicle charging in our parking lot, so that is vasiclaly $100 in free gas each month. I always have wanted a model S so after doing a test drive and playing with some numbers, i have gotten to this point where I am just looking for some reassurance that spending around $50K for a new car is a smart decision.

My justification for it is pretty simple: I spend the $50K over the next 6 years to get a car that should last me at the very least, 15 years... I put maybe 10K miles on a car in a year, and hearing that most tesla batteries maintain like 95% of their charging capacity after 150K miles, i'm led to believe this car should run beautifully (knock on wood) for those 15 years. Then after i reach whatever the battery threshold comes out to be where its time to replace it (does anyone know this milleage # yet?), i'd just cough up the money to get new batteries, essentially giving my model s a new life.

Have I done my research on this enough? Or am i misunderstanding how this should work. I just want to make sure that me getting off of a car in which i owe no money, for an expensive electric car, is actually a SMART decision for me... especially while my Audi has some value (i've been told its worth about $18K).


Looking for some feedback. Thanks everyone!

Poor reliability ratings, high cost of repairs. Not a good car to own past the warranty period IMO. I would wait for the model 3 (although I know the sedan trunk will likely be something very frustrating for someone used to an SUV)

 

[Akikiki]

Hi everyone,

I just signed up here so i apologize if a similar thread exists.. but i am very close to pulling the trigger on a new model s 75D. I currently have an Audi Q5 with just under 60K miles, and its completely paid off. Its given me no issues whatsoever, so i really dont need to get a new car.

However.. i started a new job about a year ago and found out we offer free electric vehicle charging in our parking lot, so that is vasiclaly $100 in free gas each month. I always have wanted a model S so after doing a test drive and playing with some numbers, i have gotten to this point where I am just looking for some reassurance that spending around $50K for a new car is a smart decision.

My justification for it is pretty simple: I spend the $50K over the next 6 years to get a car that should last me at the very least, 15 years... I put maybe 10K miles on a car in a year, and hearing that most tesla batteries maintain like 95% of their charging capacity after 150K miles, i'm led to believe this car should run beautifully (knock on wood) for those 15 years. Then after i reach whatever the battery threshold comes out to be where its time to replace it (does anyone know this milleage # yet?), i'd just cough up the money to get new batteries, essentially giving my model s a new life.

Have I done my research on this enough? Or am i misunderstanding how this should work. I just want to make sure that me getting off of a car in which i owe no money, for an expensive electric car, is actually a SMART decision for me... especially while my Audi has some value (i've been told its worth about $18K).


Looking for some feedback. Thanks everyone!

I didn't even read what you wrote. Yes, you are making the right decision.