The signature series is suppose to be more expensive.

[dsm363]

I believe this was only for Roadster owners who reserved a Sig Model S.

You are correct. It's only for Roadster owners and I'm not sure if it was even restricted to Signature models.

 

[VolkerP]

If you expected a return for the risk of investing $35k to Tesla it would have been a better move to buy stock after the IPO when it was at $16. As of today, you'd arrive at $60k.

You could pay the "sig penalty" and the sports package from that gains and still get your vehicle within the first 3 months of production.

 

[onlinespending]

If you expected a return for the risk of investing $35k to Tesla it would have been a better move to buy stock after the IPO when it was at $16. As of today, you'd arrive at $60k.

You could pay the "sig penalty" and the sports package from that gains and still get your vehicle within the first 3 months of production.

it actually IPO'ed at $19, but point well taken

 

[Doug_G]

as i know, the very early birds gets a 10.000$ rebate on the Sig price. this rebate was canceled in the beginning this year for new reservations holder.

No one in Canada was ever offered that discount, to my knowledge anyway.

 

[Mycroft]

IMO, if you don't want the Signature Red or aren't willing to spend $5,000 for it, then it would be a good idea to downgrade to GP and get the color/price that you really want.

For myself, the guys at Tesla knew what they were doing and sold me on the deep red paint and white leather seats. The early delivery is just a bonus to me. So yes, for me, the red is worth the extra cash-ola.

 

[Charged_Up]

The real issue with respect to the Sig reservations - particularly those who put down the money a year ago or more, is that the company promised two things: an early spot in line (still valid) and a set of options not available in general production - in other words, something that would actually make a limited edition meaningful. Other than red paint or white leather (ugh - dirty fast) - the Sig reservations holders are now faced with a set of options that is less limited than the general production with absolutely nothing additional other than perforated vs. non-perforated leather and no options that cant be obtained via general production except the addition of some decals. To pay thousands of dollars in higher price vs two or three months delivery - and perhaps getting exactly those options you want is why there is upset out there - not so much the price. It's not that I can't afford it, but how many of us enjoy starting a fire and burning up a few thousand in cash instead of cheap hardwood?

The real shame of it is, I will bet that almost all sig reservations holders have been evangelists in describing the car and the reasons it makes sense (other than purely financial) to their well-heeled friends. I know that after feeling a little sandbagged, I don't feel quite the same urge to proselytize. It was a mistake on Tesla's part - I don't know if they will do anything to address it, but it certainly makes me want to look a lot closer at the actual interior when it comes out before I will commit to shelling out thousands of extra dollars for little benefit.

 

[Tommy]

The Signatures we rode in at Fremont had leather everywhere including the dash. I can see Tesla using using synthetic leather or soft plastic on the dash and other surfaces for production models whereas the Sigs get leather instead. Using synthetic leather or soft plastic would still be in keeping with what other premium car makers offer on their cars. The extensive leather Tesla is putting in the Signatures as well as the better quality of the leather would justify the higher price point in my mind. Maybe that's how Tesla sees it.

 

[Zextraterrestrial]

So why is everyone complaining so much about the Sig when no one even really knows what extras it will have???

There could be plenty of differences in the interior or other parts to make it well worth giving Tesla extra money early. What if all of the windows were electrochromatic or something? Everyone has been waiting this long and if you have/had the $40k to put down I'm sure it wouldn't kill you to wait to see what the product actually is that you are paying for before complaining so much.

If I had $35k extra on hand I would happily upgrade my res especially since it is a down payment anyway and you can get either Sig or non when they actually come out. Sure the 35K could be making money in the mean time but there are lots of things that could be worse eh?

 

[Jkam]

Nothing is set in stone yet. I think Elon might reward you guys with a little something something. They can't announce it outright because people would then start complaining about the "cut-off period" of who gets the token of appreciation, and new Sig holders might want it etc. At the end, probably only the people who receive the bonus will know about it.

In this day and age of communication, there is now way if an extra bonus is given that it will be kept a secret. And if I were Tesla I would not open the can of worms of creating subclasses of Signature owners (those that made reservations before and after some arbitrary cut off date). If Tesla plans on giving some bonus to the Sig owners, it has to be all or nothing IMO. And Tesla has already publicly gone on record as saying it will be nothing.

 

[Mycroft]

I think Sigs should get 8 years of "free" annual maintenance. How 'bout it Elon? Hmmmmm? :smile:

 

[mnx]

I think Sigs should get 8 years of "free" annual maintenance. How 'bout it Elon? Hmmmmm? :smile:

Great idea! especially since it can't cost Tesla that much (compared to an ICE car).

 

[Jkam]

The real shame of it is, I will bet that almost all sig reservations holders have been evangelists in describing the car and the reasons it makes sense (other than purely financial) to their well-heeled friends. I know that after feeling a little sandbagged, I don't feel quite the same urge to proselytize. It was a mistake on Tesla's part - I don't know if they will do anything to address it, but it certainly makes me want to look a lot closer at the actual interior when it comes out before I will commit to shelling out thousands of extra dollars for little benefit.

Completely agree with you Charged-Up. I wrote a similar post on the Tesla website forums. I was once a walking informercial for the Model S. I talked to dozens of people about it and know of at least 3 people that put in their own reservation after talking to me. Whatever good will or enthusiasm I had toward Tesla has been sucked out of me and from now on I'll be much more scrutinizing because I feel sandbagged (perfect term for it). I still believe in Tesla's goals, but how they accomplish their goals is also important. For now, I will not be encouraging people to put down a reservation because it is hard for me to recommend something that I'm not sure I'm enamored with anymore.

 

[ckessel]

Nothing is set in stone yet. I think Elon might reward you guys with a little something something. They can't announce it outright because people would then start complaining about the "cut-off period" of who gets the token of appreciation, and new Sig holders might want it etc. At the end, probably only the people who receive the bonus will know about it.

They'll open a whole different can of worms if they change again. I asked and was told there wasn't anything else to really reveal and the price was set. Myself and others downgraded based on that info. If Tesla then changes again and does bring more to the table, well, good for them, but then they'll have some reservation holders they've done a zig-zag on a couple times.

I think it's pretty much set and done, for better or worse.

 

[Arnold Panz]

The real issue with respect to the Sig reservations - particularly those who put down the money a year ago or more, is that the company promised two things: an early spot in line (still valid) and a set of options not available in general production - in other words, something that would actually make a limited edition meaningful. Other than red paint or white leather (ugh - dirty fast) - the Sig reservations holders are now faced with a set of options that is less limited than the general production with absolutely nothing additional other than perforated vs. non-perforated leather and no options that cant be obtained via general production except the addition of some decals. To pay thousands of dollars in higher price vs two or three months delivery - and perhaps getting exactly those options you want is why there is upset out there - not so much the price. It's not that I can't afford it, but how many of us enjoy starting a fire and burning up a few thousand in cash instead of cheap hardwood?

My feelings EXACTLY! I think that maybe there is this sense that people with enough money to plunk down $40k two years out and pay $90k+ for a car have money to burn. Whether that's true or not, I don't know anyone with that kind of money who likes to waste it. To the contrary, some of the wealthiest people I know are the most frugal when it comes to how they spend their money. For me, this would be way more than double anything I've ever bought in my life (including cars) other than my house. Whether I can "afford" to piss away $5k isn't the point -- the point is that I can't stomach the thought of paying $5k more for something I could have gotten basically exactly the same thing for cheaper.

Again, I don't think this was the intent of Tesla, but I think that they may have fundamentally misunderstood how people who are well off look at the value of money and the things they buy. Just because they can afford it doesn't mean they want to waste money needlessly on it.

 

[Arnold Panz]

The real shame of it is, I will bet that almost all sig reservations holders have been evangelists in describing the car and the reasons it makes sense (other than purely financial) to their well-heeled friends. I know that after feeling a little sandbagged, I don't feel quite the same urge to proselytize.

I wouldn't go this far. I actually thing the non-Sig pricing was spot on and right in line with what I was expecting across the board, and the pricing doesn't impact the "wow!" factor of the car, which I still think is through the roof. People are allowed to make mistakes, even smart ones, and start-up companies generally make more than their fair share. This doesn't shake my faith in the company one iota, I just think they made a serious mistake with the Sig pricing and/or lack of "special" features.

 

[Dennisf]

The Signatures we rode in at Fremont had leather everywhere including the dash..

I think this is what the extended leather means on the Signature version. BMW offers this too if you have an Individual BMW or if you choose the nappa leather package. I wouldn't be surprised if this is also one of the differences between the normal Model S and the Signature.

 

[dadaleus]

Arguments about what is reasonable aside--can someone point me to where the info is on what is included with a Signature and the Signature price? I seem to have missed that.

 

[strider]

Arguments about what is reasonable aside--can someone point me to where the info is on what is included with a Signature and the Signature price? I seemed to have missed that.

It's here: Model S Options and Pricing | Tesla Motors

You have the click the red vertical bar on the right side of the page to "Show Model S Signature"

 

[dadaleus]

You have the click the red vertical bar on the right side of the page to "Show Model S Signature"

Doh! Looked at that page a dozen times and never noticed that red bar. Thanks! Couldn't figure out where everyone was getting this info and figured as a sig res holder I should know.

 

[KBF]

At first I was also quite disappointed in the Signature options, but I chose to give myself a few days to think and ask some questions. I emailed Tesla with a few questions, and like always, they quickly and courteously replied. One thing he did mention was that the interior would be better, and that extended leather includes the dash and door panels, possibly more. To me this is worth a bit extra - on my current vehicle if the vinyl scratches it gets white and it's very noticeable. He mentioned that the Sig benefits included but weren't limited to the option list. In my email I also suggested that Signature holders would probably be quite satisfied if we got a perk in the warranty side of things. From all of my dealings, Tesla has been better than any other car company (and other businesses in general, other than maybe Costco which has ridiculously awesome customer service) at quickly and politely responding to my polite emails. I highly recommend all Signature holders to simply email them (the link is on your home page) with your questions and feedback. I believe they do listen, and things like the pano roof / rear jumpseat options reflect that. I don't expect them to bend over backwards, but in my opinion they respond well to feedback.

At first I was strongly considering reverting to my early spot, but after reflection I realized that I don't mind spending more even if I don't get all the perks I want. What I really want is for Tesla to succeed, so that they can become a player and force the other auto makers to become better - then everyone wins. I don't expect most people to agree with me, but I consider it an investment (yes I also have shares), and I only invest in companies whose primary focus I can support. In any case, I don't think it is wise for anyone to make snap decisions until all the information is there, otherwise you may regret it later. As I see it, there are at least 2 opportunities for Tesla to show some love to Signature holders without backpedaling - warranty/service and connectivity packages. If benefits in either of these areas would satisfy you, please email them and let them know in a nice way.

Sorry for the long rant, but it's been bottled up for a few days!