The reasonably* priced Model S

[hmmm]

I was going down a similar path before I stumbled upon a thread here that *forced* me to pull the trigger on a 2yr lease that was actually cheaper than a similar lease on a naked 60...Here is how I was approaching my build:

- I would start with a 60 and see down the road if you need the extra capacity of a 75.
- AP? It took me a while to get used to it, but I like it. Is it a must have? no.
- Pano? nice. Must have? no.
- I would skip the audio upgrade. Lot's of mixed feedback on it and I think you'd be better off doing an after market upgrade that truly suits your ears.

Overall, my philosophy for the items I was on the fence with was/would have been to get the ones I could not add later: ie take the upgraded interior, but defer AP and the larger battery.

 

[Chris P]

HA! I love the whining about the whine here. Keep in mind that relative to other cars this "whine" means your Tesla goes from silent to nearly silent. My wife calls my refresh 60D the Stealth Bomber. Compare it to any ICE vehicle and it's pretty damn quiet, with or without the front motor. Road noise and radio noise means I only hear the whine if I have the radio off and I'm driving at slow speeds with the window open. We're really splitting hairs with the whine. Perhaps it was worse on the older models?
Get AWD if you need AWD is my opinion, but perhaps I'm too pragmatic for this discussion!

Why all the whining about whining!? On our April'16 S90D, the whine is noticible only at low speed with the radio off when accelerating rapidly. I actually like it, would miss it if it was gone, and compared to anything else I've driven would still consider it "silent". Road noise is far more obvious once your over 45ish.

Just trying to point out to the OP (and anyone else considering a D vs RWD) that some of us here have found the front motor whine to be bothersome. Not because there is a sound, or that it is noticeable, but because the sound itself can be annoying. There is a certain pitch that 4 out of 5 D cars I had test driven had at various speeds that bothered me. So much so, that if the car were only offered in D, I would not have bought one. We all are affected differently by sounds at various pitches.

 

[Model S M.D.]

Two thoughts from personal experience.

1. I would delete the front motor, it tends to make quite a bit of 'whine'ing noise so the car is not silent like the rear drive only models ( I had the front DU replaced at 16k miles and the replacement is now as noisy (at 26k) as the original unit. I wish we had gone rear motor only.
2. Use the money to get the upgraded sound system. The LH system will not make up for the lack of the subwoofer.

Not sure if this is specific to the P100D, but I have zero front motor whine like my previous 85D. There is a small noise, but it's different, sounds more like a motor?

 

[davidc18]

The P90D is much quieter than the 70D (so far) but still noticeable. I really enjoyed the complete silence of the 60 loaner I had for a week last year. I also liked the acceleration curve on the 60 better than the 70D. Having the big motor in the bag gave the 60 a fun kick on launch that the 70D is lacking.

 

[DIL]

I've always preferred RWD to AWD for this reason. Dynamically, I would expect 60 or 75 (non-D) to be more fun because of the weight distribution (no motor up front) and the bigger motor in back. Yippee, the cheaper one is also more fun!

The P90D is much quieter than the 70D (so far) but still noticeable. I really enjoyed the complete silence of the 60 loaner I had for a week last year. I also liked the acceleration curve on the 60 better than the 70D. Having the big motor in the bag gave the 60 a fun kick on launch that the 70D is lacking.

 

[jedinite]

I've always preferred RWD to AWD for this reason. Dynamically, I would expect 60 or 75 (non-D) to be more fun because of the weight distribution (no motor up front) and the bigger motor in back. Yippee, the cheaper one is also more fun!

So I went back to the dealer yesterday to try out the RWD vs AWD and unfortunately, they don't physically carry a RWD test drive vehicle at the location I go to. They cheaped out by doing a software trick to disable the front motor by switching from 75D mode to 70 mode. So I don't think I really had any real comparisons of the two models.

I also did not notice any whine whatsoever on the D. I found the wind noise and even road noise to be significantly louder than any engine noise, so it was in-perceivable on my test drive vehicle, so they either addressed the issue with the motor, added sound proofing, or my ears can not longer detect that frequency of sound (I'm not that old!). Tough choice though, it really is. But I think after this new announcement I might have to make some sacrifices before my build locks in at 11:59pm this Friday.

Does anyone know what happens when your build is in process but Tesla decides to spring a change like this? Do they honor the original build and give you the vehicle you configured but with new capabilities, do they remove the capabilities and ask for less at time of delivery, or do they keep the new feature in and ask you for more money at time of delivery? I am hoping for option 1 as that would be a very nice treat for those of us that just order and are being rewarded as new owners that decided to buy despite anything news.

 

[PlayaVista]

Same boat! Also in LA and want to get a "sensible" Tesla. Very happy with 2007 Toyota Highlander Hybrid AWD (30mpg!) but there is no way for that car to break down because of Toyota quality unless I get into an accident. Pulled the trigger yesterday for $77K for Dec delivery (need tax offset for 2016!).

Here's my thought process for future LA buyers.

1. Keeping costs low or reasonable - Decision: 60 mostly for the economic factors.
   
2. Rear-wheel or Dual - Decision: Rear-wheel. We do go to Mammoth and Big Bear and snow chain will suffice.
   
3. Premium Upgrade Package - Decision: No need
   
4. Enhanced Auto Pilot - Decision: Buy - 50 mile commute!
5. Full Self-Driving - Decision: Buy - 2-3 hours on the road everyday so anything to make the commute better I am for it
   
6. Smart Air Suspension - Decision: Skip for the cost/benefit payoff
   
7. Sub-zero Weather - Decision: Skip. Even if I am Mammoth can't I just turn on heat 10 min before entering car?
   
8. Ultra high fidelity sound - Decision: mostly a radio guy
   
9. Rear-facing Seats - Decision: Skip Kids 10 and 8 want to sit in adult seats
   
10. Charge Upgrade - Decision: Skip
11. Roof - Decision: Pano for roof rack. In a perfect world I would get a 6 seater Model X (we camp a lot) so a roof rack is essential
12. Paint - Decision: multi-coat. My one splurge. Will go well with my red Tesla hat. Plus too many black/grey/white cars on the road here.
13. Wheel - Decision: Standard, not a wheel guy
14. Seats - Decision: Leather will eventually dry out and crack in hot dry Socal. Skinny non-fast driving guy so cloth seats should suffice
15. Decoration - Decision: Basic, black headliner for uniform look
    
16. Others - will eventually get a roof rack, snow chains, and mostly likely a hitch for bikes or an light trailer (<2000 lb)

 

[hingisfan]

My value car would be a rwd 60, red, AP, textile seats, black Headliner, 19s, standard sound, pano roof, no air suspension, no winter pkg, no premium interior, no kid seats ... Wait on the self driving to see when/if it materializes. 60 (but really a 75) is a great value, and supercharging on trips will be just as fast as the 75. Clear wrap on the hood and front bumper for protection if you plan to keep long term.

Weird that in Canada we get power trunk even without premium interior pkg.

 

[Watts Son]

I don't think the "D" is worth the $$ in SoCal either. Only upgrades I feel are worth the money are new AP and the next gen seats-I've sat and driven in both and think the next gen make a big difference, especially for longer drives. Not sure on whether or not to spend the $3000 now to be able to "activate' the new AP at a future time is worth it ( $4000 down the road). With this build I'm at $73,500 if I choose black (still can't believe they did away with plain old white !) and still some wriggle room on OP's $80K cap.
Nite mentions. "keeping it longer than lease" and I'm not sure why anyone would lease if they knew they were going to keep the car ten years...also all of you 2 year lease people, it just looked like Tesla took the 3 year lease money an up front deposit to lessen your monthly payments. So when someone said his parents were under $600/month on 2 year lease, that's because they put a huge down payment on th e car-again, makes no sense to me. Get the car you want, buy it and drive it like you stole it !

 

[David29]

Maybe slightly off-topic, but seeing this, I looked back at what I received just over one year ago (car delivered 9/23/15), and compared the prices I paid with today's. Using the closest comparisons I could and not giving up anything, the closest equivalent to my car today would cost $94,000 before tax rebates, versus $86,250 last year (excluding destination charge). The extra $7750 is because of the higher prices for the autopilot features (5000 versus 2500), next generation seats versus the standard seats with leather (no longer available -- difference of 750), and a higher price for the basic car ($79,500 for the 75D versus $75,000 for the 70D no longer available).
Initially that struck me as a big jump. But actually the higher basic car price is mainly due to the larger battery so in a way that shouldn't really count. Also, there is now no alternative to the Next Gen seats and their price is the same as it was a year ago. There wasn't even a price change for the premium package, even though it now includes the HEPA air filtration feature. Plus the car now comes with a front center console (which I paid extra for) as well as improved headlamps. So the only "real" increase is for the more advanced autopilot features. I must admit, the price for that package does seem awfully high (it's as much as all-wheel drive and more than any other option available) and if I were ordering today I might hesitate to buy it.

But overall, I was pleasantly surprised that the pricing actually has not increased at all for the basic car over the past year despite several improvements, except for the AP.

As to the OP's initial question -- As to whether or not I would order the same features again, I might get silver paint (which was not available when I ordered) versus red and save $500 there, but I don't think I would change anything else. I have not felt as though the Premium interior is really "worth it," frankly, but now it has the HEPA filter and the dynamic headlamps, so that makes it more worthwhile. (I do like the power liftgate, though!) And I do think I'd still spring for the leather seats. As for the Subzero package, I have not been too impressed with it except for the heated steering wheel. But in my area, a car without it would be at a disadvantage so I'd probably get it again. (Does not apply in So. California, though). I have been happy with the audio and the suspension and would not change my selections there.

And as I said above, I am a bit torn about the enhanced AP. It seems very pricey, especially compared to the AP version 1 capabilities. So what i might do there is to wait and see how it works once it is implemented and decide later whether or not to activate it after delivery. Of course, that raises the eventual cost by a grand, so...tough choice!

Good luck!

 

[Watts Son]

I now see the typos in my post above- a little OT but how do you edit a previous post ?

 

[mrtian97]

non-leather seat vs leather seat.
I am also in So Cal area, same boat, looking for basic 60, but not need to buy until maybe April 2017. Looking to keep the car for 8 yrs, will the non-leather wear better than leather? Most my cars have leather that smell weird after 4 yrs. Car is parked under the sun in the office 8-9 hrs daily.

 

[davidc18]

The textile seats appear to be indestructible after 27,000 miles. They look brand new.

 

[jedinite]

So my order is officially confirmed and I have a VIN now! I also have a referral if anyone would like $1000 off their order. Please send me a PM if you are interested.

My Final Build:
Red Multicoat, w/ Premium Tan Gen 2 seats and Black headliner, Dark Ash Wood- I like the red in the sea of dark silver and black Teslas I see around LA. It's uncommon to actually see a red one outside of the showrooms. I like the red and tan combo and I preferred the soft supple leather on the next gen seats. This is really a matter of personal preference but I was willing to spend a bit more here. I went with a dark headliner because I have had vehicles in the past with light headliners and stuff always gets on it for some reason. I just wanted to keep it low maintenance. I didn't touch the interior Decor, there's really not a hole lot of it, and it's just one of those things for me I barely even pay attention to and could care less, because all these options look just as good but just not just as good for the additional price.

Panoramic Roof - I might one day take my new vehicle to the mountains for snowboarding and if I want a roof mount I needed glass. But more importantly I like having a sunroof, and being able to feel less incapsulated. My passengers (probably mostly my kids) will appreciate the open feel of it too. The backseat isn't as low as my CLS was but it's not a lofty roof in the back either and the glass roof gives the passengers in the back another 2 inches of clearance. and less claustrophobia.

Wheels and suspension - I went stock here. The wheels are decent, i can't say I love or hate them, I wish there was a dark finish option on the stock wheels but I can always take them to get done if I really wanted to. I find with 19's vs 21's the ride will be better matched with the stock suspension. I won't have to worry about air suspension failing on me in the future like it has on another vehicle I own with it. And 19' wheels will give you a sporty yet comfortable ride and you won't worry that you have to replace a wheel if you accidentally hit a pothole, well at least not as much as if you were driving on 21's. Range will also be slightly better with 19s vs 21s because of lateral momentum required to get the larger and heavier wheel going.

60D - Yes I changed my mind. I drove both and I found a really good freeway exit to test AWD vs RWD but since it was really software limited for the vehicle I thought if I went with the D I could turn AWD off at any time and just use RWD for a more playful drive. Yeah, it's not really a reasonable option but since I am a long term car owner, I would regret not having this option down the road if I ever need it. Not a recommended option if you are looking to keep costs down and can't afford it though. Extra .3sec 0-60 will not blow any higher end sports car away, but it's very modest increase from RWD. I think the added range, and longer lasting wheels and breaks are also probably nominal here. So I can't really say I justify this if you really want a less expensive build (even in an area that gets snow) save yourself the money and go RWD. Remember I said reasonably priced build not the cheapest or the highest performing. Therefore, I'm sure you'll come to the right conclusion for you.

EAP (Enchanced AutoPilot or AP2.0) - I rationalized this on another post and the benefits of the EAP system will make driving in traffic even easier. It's not autonomous but it will take advantage of a lot more cameras and presumably have better AI to determine how to match speed of traffic and change lanes. Tesla is NEVER going to just give you this upgrade for free, so I'm saving myself the extra $1000 down the road to upgrade post delivery. Think about this, Telsa is already putting in brand new hardware and a bunch of new cameras regardless if you order AP or not. If you ordered before the announcement and are able to still get AP1.0, and are hoping for a free upgrade, really you want EAP and you should just spend the extra $2000 now otherwise it will cost you $3000 when you realize that you're never going to get it for free, or after Telsa decides to enable 30day trial period and you can't live without it.

Premium Package - I said this before, this is a no brainer for me, I'm adding it. You are driving around in a at the VERY least $66K luxury vehicle and you want to miss out on fog lights, interior lights, high quality air filter and automatic trunk? That just doesn't make sense to me, it's probably the best "value" upgrade to the vehicle.

My build is not the cheapest nor the most expensive at $85,200 before taxes and delivery. I think if you're in the same boat you'll probably end up being +/- $7500 depending on what your preferences are.

PS I received my VIN this morning! About 24hrs after my order confirmed. I can't wait until 2017!

 

[davidc18]

Enjoy!

 

[hmmm]

Nice work! AND red cars are always faster too.

 

[dckiwi]

Did you go with UHFS?

 

[mrtian97]

congrats, delivery is in 2017, seems longer than average.

 

[jjj7088]

I would also consider purchasing a demo to stretch your budget, and trade your car in to do the same, especially if your state gives you trade in tax credit.

I bought a P90D, with 300 (yes three hundred) miles on it and they discounted the car $11400, had a referral code for $1000 and with the demo they waived the doc and delivery of $1200, for a total savings of $13600!!!!

Now the car I bought has all the goodies, and listed for $144K, and I would have never spec'd or bought one like this, but Im so happy. I got way more car than I wanted or needed, at a "reasonable" price ....

JJ

 

[jedinite]

Did you go with UHFS?

I did not, from all the reviews I was reading the sound is better because of the sub but it's not a phenomenal system. I also listed to it in the showroom and I tried 5 different genres and I found the mids to be very muddy, highs weren't exceptional and the bass was a significant improvement over stock, but that's not saying much as stock doesn't come with a sub. I am going to save the $2500 and perhaps upgrade down the line aftermarket. Most of my listening is Audible when I'm commuting so I won't be missing much. I recommend listening to it for yourself in the showroom and listen to the stock and see what you think.

Pop and Country for testing mids
Classical for testing highs
Hip Hop for testing mids and bass
EDM for testing highs and bass

Not scientific but compared to say MBZ sound upgrades stock to Harmon Kardon Premium systems you certainly hear the difference at all levels and it's wonderful. If Tesla could improve in one area it would be audio, especially at the cost. If it was $1000 more I would have upgraded for the subwoofer and better quality speakers but it's not a $2500 upgrade in my opinion.