I read news about an armored Model S P90D recently. Here is the company that made it:
Bulletproof Tesla Model S
Perfect for driving through bad neighborhood.
Bulletproof Tesla Model S
Perfect for driving through bad neighborhood.
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I frequently drive in what many consider a bad neighborhood-parts of Oakland around Fruitvale and International Blvd. I drive the streets and park my P85D with zero concern. First, I've been in these areas enough that I know that a bad neighborhood is usually full of good people. If you happen upon the one gang member trying to earn his way in, then it was just an unlucky day. It could happen anywhere. I worry more about people driving while texting than me driving my Tesla in a bad area.
STbreaker
Member
The way Tesla gets treated in MI, you would think it is made in Russia or China
We got white to be inconspicuous. When the car's parked, people still come over to peer, stare, and gawk, especially in nice neighborhoods 
Yesterday I was answering questions from a bright ten-year-old and ditto 7-year-old whom I didn't even know, while their father looked on. (P. S. They were girls.)
Yesterday I was answering questions from a bright ten-year-old and ditto 7-year-old whom I didn't even know, while their father looked on. (P. S. They were girls.)
STbreaker
Member
LOL, this thread is killing me. We're talking about keeping your Model S dirty as a camouflage? All that's going to do is make people wonder why you can't keep your car clean - that's not respectable in any neighborhood.
Definitely agree with this. My grandmother lives in a kinda "rough" neighborhood in Detroit. I have no qualms driving my Tesla over there. She's lived in that neighborhood for 50 years. People know who she is and no one messes with her or anyone at her house. In fact, having met a lot of the people on the street, if something untoward were to start happening, I think they are more apt to defend/report than people in my own neighborhood.
dgpcolorado
high altitude member
Not respectable? You actually care what other people think? Maybe clear cars are required in your city but dirty cars are pretty much the norm in dirt road rural areas, especially in winter. What's the point in washing a car if it will be muddy again the next time you drive it? I think leaving a car dirty, as opposed to shiny-clean, would make excellent camouflage!
Buddy
Member
The only argument I'll make is that a clean car is better for the paint and even mechanical parts. Dust/dirt/bug guts are abrasive and acidic.
I do get your argument that a dirty car blends in better. New shiny cars always attract my eyes.
grichard
Member De-Luxe
CHG-ON
Still in love after all these miles
I do my best to stay out of unsavory neighborhoods as a rule anyway. I don't think any color will make an S or X stand out less. That's the price of true beauty!
EarlyAdopter
Active Member
TaoJones
Beyond Driven
physicsfita
Member
If the neighborhoods you are concerned about are anything like Flint, MI (back in its rougher days), I think you'll be ok. The strategies that were popular among my colleagues were to either drive a hoopdee or to drive something unusual (I think a Tesla would qualify). Either way, you car is not likely to get chopped. Just don't leave any obvious smash-and-grab targets in clear sight and maybe think about getting wheel locks.
Before the city got safer, I used to drive a rusted-out Ford Escort. When my savings account got larger, I switched to a used VW Beetle (the chop market was mostly for American cars) -- I just made sure the aftermarket radio I installed had a removable face. (Smash-and-grabs for radios and GPS units were the main problem at the time.)
Otherwise just use common sense -- trust your instincts, avoid lining up with other cars at red lights, choose wider roads, steer clear of sketchy situations happening, etc.
Before the city got safer, I used to drive a rusted-out Ford Escort. When my savings account got larger, I switched to a used VW Beetle (the chop market was mostly for American cars) -- I just made sure the aftermarket radio I installed had a removable face. (Smash-and-grabs for radios and GPS units were the main problem at the time.)
Otherwise just use common sense -- trust your instincts, avoid lining up with other cars at red lights, choose wider roads, steer clear of sketchy situations happening, etc.
