Newbie looking to buy a Tesla S

[Qbenjamin]

Not sure I'm following some of the comments about only spending 20 mins or so at the supercharging station..? I didn't read all of the comments, but in my 60 I had to wait about 45 mins each time I needed to charge while on a road trip. Considering that the HWY speeds are much higher in FL than most of the U.S. (70+), I was spending 45 mins at a supercharger per 2 hours of driving.

Just like electricity, it wasn't really that efficient to me, so I'll stick to ICE vehicles for my long range road trips. I only do road trips once or twice a year, so this wouldn't and doesn't have any impact on level of satisfaction with my S.

 

[Sunshine State]

i agree 100% with what "sunshine state" is saying but the point still remains unless you are routinely driving 200+ miles in a day then it doesn't much matter. Key word here is routinely... I would not spend 20K+ more on a car so that the 3 times a year I drive to LA i don't have to stop for 20 minutes... If i was making that trip once a month i might feel differently...

I would amend your comment about "getting the most range you can afford" to "get the range that best fits your driving habits / needs"... If you only drive 40 - 50 miles a day and you are not one who goes on long road trips what does a 90d or 100d do for you that a 75d doesn't? 0-60 in 4.1 instead of 4.2...

I think we agree that the right 90D is a great fit but the new 75Ds are hard to beat...

The 75 is a lot cheaper and might seem like a better value I agree but my point about buying the biggest battery you can afford I think rings true for many reasons other than price. A person could buy a Honda Accord for a cheap price, have a great car and never worry about range anxiety. The reason for buying a Tesla is to have an EV that becomes an every day car with no worry about range, with no need to drive a different car once and awhile for trips. The beauty of a bigger battery is that once, twice, ten times or however many times a year you have to worry about range becomes few to never. The 100 isn’t just better than a 75 for long trips, it better day to day when you decide to go somewhere on the spur of the moment, don’t want to drive slower that the flow of traffic on the highway to save your battery range, or don’t have 60 minutes to fully top the S75 battery to 250 when the S100 can quickly charge to 250 miles in less than half the time (because it’s only 75% of full and the last 25% crawls). It’s nice to not have to compromise with your very expensive purchase, the bigger battery takes away the comprises. I originally was going to buy a X60D because I said to myself "I have other cars", "I will be using it primarily around town" and didnt want to spend the extra money. Now I’m so glad I didn’t buy a smaller battery because no matter what your range is you are always pushing the limits. I read these forums and very often read about people selling a late model car and often it’s to buy a bigger battery, that is a very expensive mistake.

 

[Sunshine State]

Not sure I'm following some of the comments about only spending 20 mins or so at the supercharging station..? I didn't read all of the comments, but in my 60 I had to wait about 45 mins each time I needed to charge while on a road trip. Considering that the HWY speeds are much higher in FL than most of the U.S. (70+), I was spending 45 mins at a supercharger per 2 hours of driving.

Just like electricity, it wasn't really that efficient to me, so I'll stick to ICE vehicles for my long range road trips. I only do road trips once or twice a year, so this wouldn't and doesn't have any impact on level of satisfaction with my S.

That is the beauty of the bigger 100 battery, it cuts the charge time in half because you can just charge to 60-70% or even less, that’s only 15-20 minutes per stop. When you look at the route planner you sometimes have just as many stops but they are quick stops. You rarely need the 335 mile range but it gives much quicker charging and much more flexibility. That’s the reason some people don’t upgrade the new 60 battery’s to 75 because it doesn’t shorten charge times, it just gives the max range which is only part of the benefit.

 

[J King]

You mentioned looking into an Extended Service Agreement.....I think this is the main problem w/ buying a used Tesla from a 3rd party. My understanding (correct me if I'm wrong), is that Tesla won't sell you Extended Service unless you are the original owner (or purchased CPO through Tesla). In theory, you would have to work w/ the selling party to purchase this extension before the car is sold to the new owner. These are fully transferrable, but this sounds like a very painful mess (unless you are friends/family w/ the seller).

Again, this is just my understanding. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. To me, this is the sole reason to go CPO vs 3rd party.

If the original purchaser bought the extended warranty, it is transferrable with the vehicle.

 

[J King]

I drive an EARLY Model S. I live in Texas and don't get snow often. I have never had the car slide or slip. I am not sure that you need the all wheel drive D, even in the snow. Just my opinion.

 

[BoiseBruin]

I found a car i’m Interested... he says it’s a 90D with the ludicrous option and it has the 0-60 in the 2.8.. based on what I have read, isn’t it the P90D that has those specs? I know I read somewhere that Tesla offered a Ludicrous upgrade for like 10k. So is it possible to have a 90d (not the P90D) that has the Ludicrous mode and it actually will go 2.8?

Thanks for any feedback.

 

[Markk993]

not that I have heard of... the idea is LUDICROUS

 

[Sotto Voce]

Having lived in Montana with an understanding of your desire for a D, I have owned and driven a P85 witihout D in snow and ice and really did not have any problems. It was a surprise to me, as I thought I needed a D. I was running stock Michelin tires on 19 wheels, and the advice I got was to stick with 19 inch wheels. Snow tires could be an option, if you thought you needed more. In any event, this is another way you could save some money. Just my $.02.