wraithnot
Model 3 VIN #2942 Model S VIN #5785
I purchased a Tesla S85 in March 2013 and it now has over 65,000 miles. We now drive whenever possible and save flying for things like crossing oceans or quick trips where driving simply isn't an option. The car was about twice what I was planning to pay for a new car, but there was simply nothing else with similar capabilities and carpool lane access in California so we stretched the budget a bit and haven't regretted it once. It's kind of sad that nearly three years later there still isn't anything else with similar capabilities from another company on the market.
My wife was really impressed with the Model S whenever she drove it so she decided to sell her 2009 Acura TL and lease a BMW i3 as an urban commuter car in September 2014 since a second Model S wasn't in the budget. She still likes the i3 for commuting to and parking in San Francisco, but the limited range has caused problems on multiple occasions and the car is going back to the dealer when the lease is up.
The Acura did have a few features that the Model S doesn't have such as a more bullet proof nav system and driver profiles linked to the key fobs. But the Tesla nav system improves with every free over the air software update and the Acura dealer wanted a fair amount of money just to update the maps on the nav system during a service visit. The Model S does take two taps of the touchscreen to switch driver profiles, but this is a pretty minor inconvenience in the grand scheme of things. The i3 doesn't have power seats to save weight and they didn't bother synching the power mirrors to the key fobs or establish driver profiles so we have to manually adjust the seat and the mirrors every time we switch drivers. That is much more of a hassle than tapping the touch screen twice.
If you want a pure EV that is capable of road trips, you really only have once choose at the moment. If you don't really need features like autopilot*, parking sensors, folding mirrors, next gen seats, or all wheel drive that weren't available on early cars, I'd actually suggest getting an early 85 kWh Model S from a private party with 50-60K miles if it has the extended warranty. All the parts that are likely to break will probably already have been replaced under warranty and you'll still have most of the 8 year unlimited mile power train warranty left. You will need to make sure the original door handles, drive unit, 12V battery, and HV battery contactor have been replaced because those parts on early cars tend to fail pretty often. And the options on early cars changed often so you'll need to make sure the car has memory seats, nav, or anything else that is important to you. But if you play your cards right, you could get a car that meets your needs for far less than the cost of a new one. My car would probably be perfect for you- but you can't have it since I plan to drive it at least until the 8 year unlimited mile drivetrain warranty is up.
*you said autopilot was a priority, but until it advances to the point where you can go to sleep and let the car do all the work, it seems more like a cool bit of technology than an essential feature. Full autonomy will be a huge deal, but I certainly have no strong desire to trade my car in for a current auto pilot equipped car.
My wife was really impressed with the Model S whenever she drove it so she decided to sell her 2009 Acura TL and lease a BMW i3 as an urban commuter car in September 2014 since a second Model S wasn't in the budget. She still likes the i3 for commuting to and parking in San Francisco, but the limited range has caused problems on multiple occasions and the car is going back to the dealer when the lease is up.
The Acura did have a few features that the Model S doesn't have such as a more bullet proof nav system and driver profiles linked to the key fobs. But the Tesla nav system improves with every free over the air software update and the Acura dealer wanted a fair amount of money just to update the maps on the nav system during a service visit. The Model S does take two taps of the touchscreen to switch driver profiles, but this is a pretty minor inconvenience in the grand scheme of things. The i3 doesn't have power seats to save weight and they didn't bother synching the power mirrors to the key fobs or establish driver profiles so we have to manually adjust the seat and the mirrors every time we switch drivers. That is much more of a hassle than tapping the touch screen twice.
If you want a pure EV that is capable of road trips, you really only have once choose at the moment. If you don't really need features like autopilot*, parking sensors, folding mirrors, next gen seats, or all wheel drive that weren't available on early cars, I'd actually suggest getting an early 85 kWh Model S from a private party with 50-60K miles if it has the extended warranty. All the parts that are likely to break will probably already have been replaced under warranty and you'll still have most of the 8 year unlimited mile power train warranty left. You will need to make sure the original door handles, drive unit, 12V battery, and HV battery contactor have been replaced because those parts on early cars tend to fail pretty often. And the options on early cars changed often so you'll need to make sure the car has memory seats, nav, or anything else that is important to you. But if you play your cards right, you could get a car that meets your needs for far less than the cost of a new one. My car would probably be perfect for you- but you can't have it since I plan to drive it at least until the 8 year unlimited mile drivetrain warranty is up.
*you said autopilot was a priority, but until it advances to the point where you can go to sleep and let the car do all the work, it seems more like a cool bit of technology than an essential feature. Full autonomy will be a huge deal, but I certainly have no strong desire to trade my car in for a current auto pilot equipped car.
The OP is not looking for an unbiased opinion. They are looking for us to provide suitable rationale to be used in convincing themselves and then subsequently a significant other! The decision was 80% before they showed up here. I see that you've all done your job, to provide good solid (cough!) reasoning. And now the test drive is all that's required to close the deal! 
