P85D vs P90DL - Questions - Please Help

[rowing guy]

Greetings Tesla Fans,

Okay, some of you may know that I’ve been searching for the elusive P85DL+, preferably in red. With the P85DL supply dwindling down I’ve given up on finding one. So, I've been forced to look at P90DL cars. Of course, that leads to the battery issue.

My rational for the P85D was price, ludicrous speed and the plus suspension. Now the P90D has fallen into my price range and it has the speed, IF you get the right battery pack. Unfortunately, the few cars with the v3 battery pack are outside of my price range. They also don’t have the plus suspension. Yes, that is something I prefer and want.

I’ve been rationalizing the P90DL because with the battery degradation, it’s really just like the P85DL and it’s basically the same speed. My biggest concern is about it’s overall longevity. Is the battery going to crap out right after the warranty runs out? If my luck remains the same, it probably will.

We all know how glorious Tesla’s used car program is. I have tried to get P90D battery information from Tesla, they will not give it out. This makes the P90D a huge crap shoot. Well, any used Tesla really.

To vent a little, what kind of BS are they running. Crappy photos, won’t let you look at the car, won’t give you pertinent information to make an informed decision, pricing scam. WTF!? I’m wondering if I should just wait for the Porsche Taycan to come out. I almost bought a Panamera Hybrid for almost $15k less than the Tesla. I can’t tell you how frustrated I am, I’ve been searching for over 8 months.

Questions:

Ultimately, I feel like going with a v1 or v2 battery is a mistake. Am I going to regret going with a v1 or v2 P90DL in the long run?

Do I wait for a v3 P90DL or go for a P85D without ludicrous?

Is there ANY way to get Tesla to share battery info, give better photos, and/or allow us to actually see the car before purchase?

What are my options for making the car handle like the plus suspension without replacing ALL the parts?

Thanks.

 

[glide]

I would get a P85D over a P90D with gen 1 or 2 battery any day.

How much is the difference between 2.8 and 3.1 seconds worth?

 

[P85_DA]

I would get a P85D over a P90D with gen 1 or 2 battery any day.

How much is the difference between 2.8 and 3.1 seconds worth?

This ^^^ .. plus u need a V3 to get that 2.8

 

[whitex]

Is there ANY way to get Tesla to share battery info, give better photos, and/or allow us to actually see the car before purchase?

I would simply ask and tell them what pictures exactly you want. If you want to see if P85D has ludicrous, ask for a screenshot of the acceleration settings. If you want to know which battery, rather than ask the sales person who doesn't know much about that, ask them to take a picture of the battery sticker under the right front wheel well. Provide them with a clear how to and a sample picture for hard to explain pictures like the battery sticker. You can also tell them that you're going to look for that at inspection time and only accept a car with specific version of the battery, so why not save time and send you this picture. Remember that people who sell these cars probably never owned one, don't know the difference between v1 and v3 battery, couldn't even tell you where the battery sticker is. Tesla doesn't train their sales much beyond what is available on the website.

 

[rowing guy]

We tend to keep our cars a long time and won't likely be upgrading this for many, many years. While not having ludicrous isn't a deal breaker, it is pretty important to have.

 

[rowing guy]

Thanks whitex, I've asked the sales advisor for additional photos many times for different cars, to date, I have never received any. I also asked him for the battery part number and was told that he confirmed with higher ups and he cannot disclose part numbers for used vehicles.

I have no idea how to get in contact with anyone else other than my sales advisor. They always bring me back to them. I do like your idea. I'll phrase the question like that.

On the plus side, they are pretty good at telling me if the car has ludicrous. May take a while but they usually tell me.

 

[bomquito]

Thanks for bringing this up. I am having a hard time deciding between the 2015 P85D, the 2014 P85DL with the plus suspension and of course the 2016 P90D. the price is $52k, $55k and $70k accordingly.

Thinking of the first option as it is the cheapest at the moment. Really want to hear what you all think about it

 

[Vegas]

Hi mate, I have a P90DL V2 battery - had since new and can say the battery deg and performance have been fantastic. I absolutely love it.

Given that I'm biased (!) I would still recommend you consider the 2014 P85DL - seems good value for money. I haven;t met you but I know you need Ludicrous in your life.

Good Luck

 

[Rdr4evr69]

I have owned a 2014 P85D+ and a 2015 P85D now Both are great, the 15 I am not sure if it has the + suspension?
I also drove a 16 P100D,
To be honest I felt very little acceleration difference, I am very aware there is a difference, just seat of the pants not a ton.

 

[Evil Twin]

You won't find a 90 with + suspension. It died halfway into the 85 run. The suspension became standard on all cars after that.

I wish people would stop thinking of ludicrous from a 0-60 perspective. It matters on HIGHWAY PASSING POWER. I bailed out of a P85D (insane) because I read a thousand posts on this forum regarding that exact issue, then drove one, and realized it was insufficient.

 

[whitex]

Thanks whitex, I've asked the sales advisor for additional photos many times for different cars, to date, I have never received any. I also asked him for the battery part number and was told that he confirmed with higher ups and he cannot disclose part numbers for used vehicles.

I have no idea how to get in contact with anyone else other than my sales advisor. They always bring me back to them. I do like your idea. I'll phrase the question like that.

On the plus side, they are pretty good at telling me if the car has ludicrous. May take a while but they usually tell me.

They don't want to give you part numbers because they might now know how to check and more importantly they don't want to be responsible for any bad info they might provide you due to not understanding what part is what, or if their records don't match because the previous owner swapped something out. Taking a picture on the other hand is just showing you what you would see in person anyways, so technically they are not telling you what part number battery is in the car, but only showing you a picture of what the battery looks like - you are the one interpreting the sticker, not the sales adviser (who is not a service tech btw).

 

[J.J.]

I bought a CPO P85D and didn't look back. I think L is a hype, and while I can understand you wanting it, I wouldn't let that specifically guide my ultimate decision. I simply have no regrets and would have been dismayed had I deprived myself over something that I would use so rarely. If you find the color, options and price you want in a P85D, I would buy it. Months of searching for the perfect P90DL would not be worth it to me personally, and after 3-6 months of ownership, I think any reasonable, daily driving, individual would come to a similar conclusion.

As an example, I drive in insane mode all the time. I have yet to find anyone who just blazes past me from a dead stop at a red light... and typically I'm not even trying. If I had L mode, I would most likely drive around in that mode all day as well. It's just how I like to drive, but again, the L mode is not something you will, under typical daily- driving scenarios, find yourself in need of or using to its full potential. I would totally disagree with anyone who says P85D is underpowered under any reasonable circumstance, including highway passing at speeds of 75 mph.

Again, this is simply the opinion of someone who has never driven or ridden in L mode. I would even say, if they offered L mode to me now for $5K, I would pass. I'm extremely satisfied with my deal / purchase. GL with your decision.

 

[whitex]

I bought a CPO P85D and didn't look back. I think L is a hype, and while I can understand you wanting it, I wouldn't let that specifically guide my ultimate decision. I simply have no regrets and would have been dismayed had I deprived myself over something that I would use so rarely. If you find the color, options and price you want in a P85D, I would buy it. Months of searching for the perfect P90DL would not be worth it to me personally, and after 3-6 months of ownership, I think any reasonable, daily driving, individual would come to a similar conclusion.

As an example, I drive in insane mode all the time. I have yet to find anyone who just blazes past me from a dead stop at a red light... and typically I'm not even trying. If I had L mode, I would most likely drive around in that mode all day as well. It's just how I like to drive, but again, the L mode is not something you will, under typical daily- driving scenarios, find yourself in need of or using to its full potential. I would totally disagree with anyone who says P85D is underpowered under any reasonable circumstance, including highway passing at speeds of 75 mph.

Again, this is simply the opinion of someone who has never driven or ridden in L mode. I would even say, if they offered L mode to me now for $5K, I would pass. I'm extremely satisfied with my deal / purchase. GL with your decision.

As with anything, it always comes down to personal taste and personal value, i.e. "what is this feature worth to me". Some people don't think Insane is worth the money and are happy with 85D instead of P85D, I can totally understand that. I've driven and enjoyed cars with even slower accelerations. The one thing I will have to disagree with you on is that L is hype, it's not. It is a real and perceivable power boost, no different than S85D to P85D, or Ford Mustang to P85. Whether you like it or not doesn't make it hype (like some other features Elon sold to us, such as 691hp). Personally I almost never use full throttle in my P85DL from a dead stop because I feel I get totally sufficient acceleration without flooring it (that and I don't want to be collecting stuff from by cubby from the back seat). However, for highway acceleration, I floor it all the time as I find it useful and wish there was more - I wish the car delivered the advertised 691hp for that. Again, this is all personal taste; my parents feel their Toyota Rav4 has more acceleration than they need, so it's all relative.

 

[GSP]

Thanks for bringing this up. I am having a hard time deciding between the 2015 P85D, the 2014 P85DL with the plus suspension and of course the 2016 P90D. the price is $52k, $55k and $70k accordingly.

Thinking of the first option as it is the cheapest at the moment. Really want to hear what you all think about it

I would go with the 2015 P85D, since it more likely has a heated steering wheel. The 2014 was likely built before the heated wheel was added to the cold weather package.

It was 22 F this morning where I live, so I don't consider cars without the cold weather package. Your priorities may be different.

Good Luck with your purchase,

GSP

 

[Stan Moraski]

#rowing guy, if you check the only used Tesla website there is a P85DL in red for sale. Not sure if it has plus suspension, and not a used from Tesla, so no warranty. I think it is overpriced, but you may be able to negotiate.

Hope this helps.

 

[WaitingForY]

Can I ask how you find out what version you have please v1, v2 or v3? Thanks

 

[Evil Twin]

I bought a CPO P85D and didn't look back. I think L is a hype, and while I can understand you wanting it, I wouldn't let that specifically guide my ultimate decision. I simply have no regrets and would have been dismayed had I deprived myself over something that I would use so rarely. If you find the color, options and price you want in a P85D, I would buy it. Months of searching for the perfect P90DL would not be worth it to me personally, and after 3-6 months of ownership, I think any reasonable, daily driving, individual would come to a similar conclusion.

As an example, I drive in insane mode all the time. I have yet to find anyone who just blazes past me from a dead stop at a red light... and typically I'm not even trying. If I had L mode, I would most likely drive around in that mode all day as well. It's just how I like to drive, but again, the L mode is not something you will, under typical daily- driving scenarios, find yourself in need of or using to its full potential. I would totally disagree with anyone who says P85D is underpowered under any reasonable circumstance, including highway passing at speeds of 75 mph.

Again, this is simply the opinion of someone who has never driven or ridden in L mode. I would even say, if they offered L mode to me now for $5K, I would pass. I'm extremely satisfied with my deal / purchase. GL with your decision.

Really? Because I tested it, extensively. I don't need to blow you away at the light because I'm not 16. However, when I need to pass you because of an emergency, you can enjoy reading the licence plate on my SL550 in your non- "L" P85D.

I offered facts, you offered opinion.

 

[Evil Twin]

As with anything, it always comes down to personal taste and personal value, i.e. "what is this feature worth to me". Some people don't think Insane is worth the money and are happy with 85D instead of P85D, I can totally understand that. I've driven and enjoyed cars with even slower accelerations. The one thing I will have to disagree with you on is that L is hype, it's not. It is a real and perceivable power boost, no different than S85D to P85D, or Ford Mustang to P85. Whether you like it or not doesn't make it hype (like some other features Elon sold to us, such as 691hp). Personally I almost never use full throttle in my P85DL from a dead stop because I feel I get totally sufficient acceleration without flooring it (that and I don't want to be collecting stuff from by cubby from the back seat). However, for highway acceleration, I floor it all the time as I find it useful and wish there was more - I wish the car delivered the advertised 691hp for that. Again, this is all personal taste; my parents feel their Toyota Rav4 has more acceleration than they need, so it's all relative.

Someone else who understands the difference between off the line and highway passing.....

 

[rowing guy]

@Evil Twin Yep, that's the big reason I want ludicrous. It's more well rounded. And stupid fast.

@whitex Your logic is flawless, let's hope Tesla also believes in this. Thanks. I'm not holding my breath though, to date, they have never sent me photos they already didn't have.

@Stan Moraski Can you send the link? I was just out there and only see a P85+, no ludicrous.

Thanks all for your help.

 

[Stan Moraski]

If you go on the site and check model S, then check P85D, only those will come up. It does not say ludicrous in the description, but one of the photos has the touchscreen and it shows ludicrous.

Hope that helps!