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Want a Model S..Would love advice!!

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OK.. let me put this out there... I love the look and drive of this car. I've almost convinced myself to buy one, but after reading through many posts, I realize I have so much to learn about cars and electric cars and, and, and...

But a better idea is the collective knowledge in this community. So, I'm asking:

1. What car and features would you recommend for myself and my family of 3 others?
a. I am a tech geek and love cool features that make life easier and fun.
b. I don't care if the car is the fastest on the road
c. I do like a nice looking car (such features like the all glass roof), but don't care to have premium everything.
d. I plan to use the car for around town and short roadtrips (Less than 200 miles)
e. I live in Harrisonburg, Virginia... there will be snow..Is this a problem?
f. I live far from a major city.... Is service going to be a problem?


Thank you in advance to all of you with more brains and more time. I appreciate any advice and experience!
 
OK.. let me put this out there... I love the look and drive of this car. I've almost convinced myself to buy one, but after reading through many posts, I realize I have so much to learn about cars and electric cars and, and, and...

But a better idea is the collective knowledge in this community. So, I'm asking:

1. What car and features would you recommend for myself and my family of 3 others? If they are young kids then consider the rear facing seats
a. I am a tech geek and love cool features that make life easier and fun. The Tech package has all the goodies, just add parking sensors & the Subzero weather package
b. I don't care if the car is the fastest on the road "S" is plenty fast, you don't need the performance model
c. I do like a nice looking car (such features like the all glass roof), but don't care to have premium everything. Pano roof is great, kids love it & adds head room
d. I plan to use the car for around town and short roadtrips (Less than 200 miles) 85kW battery with 265 miles of range & Supercharging free for life included
e. I live in Harrisonburg, Virginia... there will be snow..Is this a problem? No, but better answered by someone who doesn't live in So Cal.
f. I live far from a major city.... Is service going to be a problem? What city are you in? Car doesn't require as much service.


Thank you in advance to all of you with more brains and more time. I appreciate any advice and experience!
.......
 
1. What car and features would you recommend for myself and my family of 3 others?
Get the rear facing seats because you can haul around your kids friends (assuming they are young and not teenagers).
Also get the Subzero package since it gives you heated seats in back.


a. I am a tech geek and love cool features that make life easier and fun.
Tech package is a must then! Personally, the upgraded sound system is not worth the money. You can get third party systems for equivalent pricing.

b. I don't care if the car is the fastest on the road
I don't either but it is fun to push the accelerator and feel the car go!

c. I do like a nice looking car (such features like the all glass roof), but don't care to have premium everything.
I didn't get the Pano but it does add a lot of light and some room for your head. Be warned that there is no sun shade but people here say it is no problem.

d. I plan to use the car for around town and short roadtrips (Less than 200 miles)
I would recommend the 85kw battery to be safe with distant you want to go especially during the winter. The cold weather will eat up some of your range.

e. I live in Harrisonburg, Virginia... there will be snow..Is this a problem?
No problem driving in the snow but I would highly recommend snow tires no matter what car you are driving.
I passed on the air suspension but people say they like it to go over high snow areas or very angled driveways. I have yet to find a situation that I feel like I should have gotten the air suspension and I live in Ohio

f. I live far from a major city.... Is service going to be a problem?
No, Tesla service is fantastic. Just call your nearest service center and inquire with them about what is possible.

You won't regret it one bit once you have the car!!
 
Welcome to the forum! Adding to Lump's reply:

a. Consider the air suspension as well, if you're concerned about scraping the bottom of the car on a steep / suddenly changing grade. Depends on your specific driveway/parking situation of course.

b. I agree that the base 60/85 non-performance model is plenty fast for anyone who doesn't want "fastest on the road" :) ...and you *still* might be fastest on the road, or close to it. (With the disclaimer that I have the performance model.)

c. While I agree with Lump that the pano roof looks great (and adds head room), I think even the base model looks phenomenal. (With the disclaimer that I have the pano roof.) Looks are of course highly subjective. Lots of color debates scattered through the forum. :)

d. Supercharging will help you currently if you're going to or through Hagerstown, DC, or Richmond. You might also be able to reach Burlington NC or South Hill VA, but very cold weather might make it difficult. Quite a few people are trying to convince Tesla to build more stations along I-81, but as of now there are no known plans to build any through 2015. Having said all that, I think anything less than 200 miles round-trip should be easy in mild-to-hot weather, even without any charging along the way. But you might need to charge along the way for especially hilly routes or very cold weather. For any ambitious trip, evtripplanner.com and plugshare.com are your friends.

e. Experience varies, but I had no problem driving my Model S through a brutal (for DC) winter. Low center of gravity makes up, at least in part, for lack of AWD. There are rumors that Model S will have optional AWD in the near future, but nothing concrete and no time frames. Model X will definitely have AWD, but at this point I'd guess any new reservation will have to wait till mid-late 2015.

f. Your closest service center is probably Rockville MD, which is pretty far from you and heavily backlogged. Soon the closest will be Fairfax VA, still far from you. There's also one in Raleigh NC. Tesla offers ranger service (for a fee) and roadside assistance, so you can in theory get service anywhere. You're right that the car doesn't require as much scheduled maintenance, and that definitely helps.

Keep reading, there's tons of great info on this site. You might even see some opinions/advice that conflicts directly with what I've written here. :)
 
OK.. let me put this out there... I love the look and drive of this car. I've almost convinced myself to buy one, but after reading through many posts, I realize I have so much to learn about cars and electric cars and, and, and...

But a better idea is the collective knowledge in this community. So, I'm asking:

1. What car and features would you recommend for myself and my family of 3 others?
a. I am a tech geek and love cool features that make life easier and fun.
b. I don't care if the car is the fastest on the road
c. I do like a nice looking car (such features like the all glass roof), but don't care to have premium everything.
d. I plan to use the car for around town and short roadtrips (Less than 200 miles)
e. I live in Harrisonburg, Virginia... there will be snow..Is this a problem?
f. I live far from a major city.... Is service going to be a problem?


Thank you in advance to all of you with more brains and more time. I appreciate any advice and experience!

I found this book the best $25 I ever spent, Owning Model S, by Nick Howe | Aftermarket Accessories for Tesla Model S
 
My demographics are about the same as yours and 1.5 years later, the only thing I would change is I would have gotten the pano roof (after driving a loaner with one for a couple of days).

Last winter with our 12+ inch snow I couldn't get the car out of the driveway, so rode my bike to work, otherwise for typical Virginia snow days the car is fine. FYI I live right on the other side of the Blue Ridge. My service center is in Raleigh (a little over 2 hours away) and they've been great. If I give them a week or two heads up, they bring me up a loaner, take mine away, bring it back in 1-2 days. Your service would come from Rockville MD, but I think a service center in Fairfax is opening up. I also recommend the 85. If they made a 170 kWh battery I'd get that. And just to be clear, the MS is our road trip car and we drive it everywhere!
 
My demographics are about the same as yours and 1.5 years later, the only thing I would change is I would have gotten the pano roof (after driving a loaner with one for a couple of days).

Last winter with our 12+ inch snow I couldn't get the car out of the driveway, so rode my bike to work, otherwise for typical Virginia snow days the car is fine. FYI I live right on the other side of the Blue Ridge. My service center is in Raleigh (a little over 2 hours away) and they've been great. If I give them a week or two heads up, they bring me up a loaner, take mine away, bring it back in 1-2 days. Your service would come from Rockville MD, but I think a service center in Fairfax is opening up. I also recommend the 85. If they made a 170 kWh battery I'd get that. And just to be clear, the MS is our road trip car and we drive it everywhere!

Hi Plug me In! It is great to know there is another owner close by. I would love to hear more about your experience.
Question: Did you have to put winter snow tires on in the winter, and change in the spring?
 
In addition to what has already been mentioned, I HIGHLY recommend getting the 4-year (or 8-year) service plan. It will save you money, especially if you live some distance from the nearest service center. It includes an annual checkup that normally costs $600. The plan costs less than that. If you are going to do weekend trips in your Model S, get the Dual Chargers option. This will allow you to charge at hotels and resorts that have Tesla High Power Wall Connectors (the list of hotels is growing very quickly) at 58MPH instead of 29MPH. You can add the second charger later, but it will cost more to do so.
 
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Thanks, Todd, for your advice. Since there is an 8 year warranty, is the service plan separate?

Yes. The warranty covers the repair and replacement of defects while the service plan covers regularly scheduled maintenance (rotations, alignments etc). The warranty is included on each Model S (although I think they vary depending on battery size) and the service plans are an additional optional expense at the time of purchase.