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S85 Post-Purchase Regret?

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Hello All!

I am receiving my Tesla in about 2 weeks after 3 years of waiting for this moment. Very excited! I landed on the S85 and like some it was more due to the fact that I was already spending way too much on a car purchase then I was comfortable with. Even though I don't feel like changing to a performance due to cost, there is still one thing that scratches at my brain today.

You see I never got to drive the S85 and frankly extreme acceleration isn't the most important thing to me. But the thought has crossed my mind how it would compare to the performance model, as I have only test driven the performance. Now, I have seen threads where it talks about drivers who got the S85 and tested out the P85 and saw that most were happy with their purchase decision. I was hoping to make a more granular thread about the S85 and how it lived up to expectations or failed on some levels.

Did you purchase the S85 with only driving the P85? Do you now regret the decision based on the performance of the two vehicles? Or do you love that you went with the S85? Why did you go for the S85 and not the P85? Was it TOO fast? Was it a money constraint? Were you concerned about the difference in torque and were ultimately more then happy with the S85? Or were you disappointed and plan on upgrading?

A car purchase of this magnitude, obviously people are going to defend their purchasing decision to the grave, but with not much to compare it too for me something like this will help me put my mind at ease. Again its not a buzz kill to me, I will still be excited no matter what. I am assuming the P85 is mind blowingly fast, I drove it after all, and I am assuming the S85 is not-as-fast-but-still-super-torquey.

I wish I could be knocked unconscious for two weeks so I didn't have to experience all this waiting!
 
After 15 months and 24,400 miles, I don't regret my S85 purchase one bit. It has more acceleration than I need. I've had a couple of P85 service loaners and I was always happy to get back to my S85.
 
After 15 months and 24,400 miles, I don't regret my S85 purchase one bit. It has more acceleration than I need. I've had a couple of P85 service loaners and I was always happy to get back to my S85.

That is good to hear. I am not going to fall over myself if someone said they were disappointed in the difference. Its more "You don't know what you don't know" and a part of me is kicking myself without trying the S85 before purchasing which was a silly move when buying something this expensive. Maybe I just knew I would naturally love it no matter what. :)
 
Year and a half and 30K+ miles and I love my S85. My only "regret" is that I can't show off the full capability of the Model S when I give rides, but there is absolutely no "need" for the P.

I think this is where the mental itch is coming from. I love to tell people about the car and I would love to show them the power of the P85, though I am sure they will still be impressed by the S85. I am looking forward to showing people the car and breaking misconceptions. I thought that by now a lot of people would already know, but I am dead wrong. There are still so many who haven't even heard of a Tesla.
 
You said that extreme acceleration is not important to you right, then it really doesnt matter. I know I will get blowback on this, but I have a simple 60, and it has all I could ever need. When I had the service done, they gave me a P85. Yes the acceleration could lift the front of the car, but other than that I didnt find much difference in my car that was $50k less. Just enjoy, you wont be dissappointed.
 
a part of me is kicking myself without trying the S85 before purchasing which was a silly move when buying something this expensive. Maybe I just knew I would naturally love it no matter what. :)

Many of us never even saw the car in person before ordering, let alone drove one. I'm pretty sure this auto manufacturer can register as it's own religion. Hey.. that might help them with taxes.
 
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I am with Mnlevin. I have a 60. When I give people rides, they are still blown away by the acceleration. I've now driven two P85 loaners, and while they clearly were faster, I didn't say to myself "I wish I had just spent $30k more for that". I was happy to get my 60 back, actually.

Another soon-to-be owner drove my car last week, after test driving a P85 back in October. He said he didn't notice the difference since it has been so long...

I think you will be fine with the S85.

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Many of us never even saw the car in person before ordering, let alone drove one. I'm pretty sure this auto manufacturer can register as it's own religion. Hey.. that might them help with taxes.
That was me, too!
 
Many of us never even saw the car in person before ordering, let alone drove one. I'm pretty sure this auto manufacturer can register as it's own religion. Hey.. that might them help with taxes.

I forgot about this fact. This is a good point and perspective. Thanks!

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You said that extreme acceleration is not important to you right, then it really doesnt matter. I know I will get blowback on this, but I have a simple 60, and it has all I could ever need. When I had the service done, they gave me a P85. Yes the acceleration could lift the front of the car, but other than that I didnt find much difference in my car that was $50k less. Just enjoy, you wont be dissappointed.

No blowback from me. :)

You make a valid, as well as an expected point by my statement. For me its about the unknown and maybe a little bit of my anxiety of waiting for so long. I was more curious if others have been in my same spot and it looks like that is the case.

Edit: You know its likely MOSTLY anxiety I think at this point. :p
 
Bardlebee,
I am in the same boat. I test drove a P,,,and have never driven an S85. I am due for delivery on an S85 in late June. The idea pops into my head from time to time about getting the P...and never having been in an S85. There are a few factors that personally give me comfort in my decision. My current car, and previous car are both large SUVs. Pretty much any decent sedan will feel like a rocket ship compared to these large cars....so I'm sure the S85 will be impressive to say the least. Also, I don't particularly mind the extra 15k or so to get the P....but I know if I made that jump, then I'd likely feel the need to get the upgraded suspension and performance tires....at least for the safety factor of having that much torque. More cost there. I've also read that I'd likely have to purchase a new set of performance tires annually.....which seems like a pain, not to mention quite expensive.
Even if the 0-60 time on the s85 is more comparable to 'normal' luxury sedans...the instant torque should still give you that awesome feeling that only a tesla can.
During my 10-15 minute test drive of the P85, I managed to spin/burn up the tires about 3 times, totally on accident. The power was amazing, but the extra carrying cost for tires was a factor for me. Also the inherent temporary loss of traction seems a bit dangerous since I'll generally have a 5yr old and 3rd old in the car with me.
Maybe tire burnouts will continue with the S85,,,but for me, I'd like to think I car floor it more often in the S85(relative to the P) without having to worry about losing traction.
...and as you can see on this thread...there are many happy s85 owners out there. Soon, you'll be one of them.:smile:
 
You said that extreme acceleration is not important to you right, then it really doesnt matter. I know I will get blowback on this, but I have a simple 60, and it has all I could ever need. When I had the service done, they gave me a P85. Yes the acceleration could lift the front of the car, but other than that I didnt find much difference in my car that was $50k less. Just enjoy, you wont be dissappointed.

Couldn't have said it better. I'll be able to fit a Gen III and more in that difference.
 
I have a P (don't stop reading bard) I love my P and wouldn't go back for a thing however you mentioned in your first post something about giving test drives and not being able to really open it up. Remember something about the tesla....it has 100% torque which no ICE has. So when anyone gets into your S85 regardless if you have the P85 or the S85 they are going to be absolutely blown away. Case in point here...like I said at the outset I have the P...I was having my drive unit replaced and the SC gave me a loaner that was gray just like mine the ONLY difference between the loaner and mine was that it was a 6 and mine and a P85. My friend wants to buy a tesla and wanted to go on a real test drive and yes I'd gotten permission from the SC before hand soo I let them drive it and they were absolutely blown away by the acceleration and the torque. And it was a 60. The S85 is an amazing car! You will have no regrets with it. Even after driving the 60 I realized that I could completely drive that 60 as my second car and when my ICE I have coughs it's last cough that's what I'll get....
 
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Don't lose any sleep over this: your instincts were sound. Your S85 will deliver more driving pleasure than you can imagine, every time you get behind the wheel. When you give test drives, your victi...er, friends will wear the Tesla Grin from the moment you treat them to a full-power launch. Then when you let slip the fact that there's another model with even more power, they'll just shake their heads in wonder. Meanwhile, you'll be wearing the permagrin that comes from knowing you got the car that's at the sweet spot of the Model S line. Or so says I, who bought an early Sig S85 and whose only regret is that it wasn't available sooner.
 
After 15 months and 24,400 miles, I don't regret my S85 purchase one bit. It has more acceleration than I need. I've had a couple of P85 service loaners and I was always happy to get back to my S85.

Totally agree with Jerry33 here. I absolutely love my S85, and have driven several different P85s and even a P85+ on several occasions. Each time, I love coming back to my S85, with its smooth, controlled accelerating power. The P85s leave me with a bit of a "hang on for dear life and hope the back end doesn't lose it" feeling.
 
Thanks for the replies guys! I think its a cool topic for those perhaps in my shoes. Now that I think about it more its more me waiting that got all these thoughts in my head now. Of course now I am even more excited. I will just go ahead and go into a 2 week long coma now. :)
 
I drove only the P before ordering. I love My S, and the acceleration is great. Arguably more than I need.

Having said that. I had a P85 Loaner once, and it was obviously more powerfully, especially from a stop. The best way I can describe the difference is: with the P85, the driver feels that acceleration similarly to how the passenger does on the S85.

Now I have the occasional regret that I did not get the P85. If I did it again, I think I would skip the fog lights and the prepaid service to save a little money and get the P85 over the S85.

I recommend requesting a S85 loaner when having service. Then you'll always be happy :)