Mid life crisis??

IbePatience said:

I am not a car person and definitely not an expensive car person, i fact I currently drive a Hyundai Sonata hybrid (which I an very unhappy with) That all changed Friday when I saw my first Tesla Model S. I was on my way to work when I saw it in the carpool lane next to me, gorgeous, charcoal grey and those headlights! As soon as I got to work I texted my son who gave me all the details and we agreed a test drive was needed. My husband went along mostly out of curiosity but very little interest in an electric car. After talking to the Tesla guy I decided to drive the 85D and I can't even express how impressed I am with this car. After returning to the mall my husband started asking about the different models and features and once he heard about the P85D and the power it has I swear I think he was as excited as I was about this car. This was last night and now we are going over all of the logical reasons why we shouldn't, all of the crazy ideas why we should and trying to decide if we really want to do this. Our kids are all grown and moved out, financially we can but even those who can question this type of expensive purchase.

A couple of questions we have for the lucky Model S owners out there. About how much does your insurance run? We are in California so our rates are crazy high here but how much did your rates go up with the Tesla? Have you had any repair issues? Are there bugs they have yet to work out? I bought one of the first Sonata hybrids and I am sure thats why I am having so much trouble, in fact I am currently waiting to hear back if they are going to do the lemon law buy-back. Are there features you wish you'd got? Features you regret getting? Any issues with finding charging stations on road trips? Any other issues? I would love to hear all of the "cons" of the Model S.

I was sold on the look of it, and once I heard about all of the amazing safety features, and crazy high ratings it got, that sealed the deal for me. I am the more reckless one so my husband will need the convincing more than me but once he heard it ranked up there with the Corvette (which he always wanted)as far as performance, I think he is definitely open to the idea.

Click to expand...

I got my model S over two years ago and have nearly 50K miles on it. Love it every day. Insurance wasn't bad at all. Similar to Bimmers I've owned. No long trip problems. Just got back from spring training in Phoenix. I've driven to San Fran and Vegas numerous times. It's easy and fun.

I have had my Model S for 9 months. It's great - I wish I had ordered the upgraded sound. Glad I did not order dual chargers, many road trips and 12,000 miles never even close to needing it. You might think about an S85 it's crazy fast - unless you are going to take it to the drag strip then maybe the P85.

My insurance for P85+ runs slightly lower than for our other car - 2013 Acura MDX (with identical coverage, Liberty Mutual). When I was shopping for insurance (about 1.5 year ago), a lot of insurance companies were clueless about Model S and were giving me crazy high estimates, just because they did not have any idea about the car and the history of claims. I am not sure if this is true now, but suggest shopping around for insurance. One thing that can soften your husbands resistance is that if he would buy Corvett, his insurance will perhaps be multiples of that for P85D.

Regarding my car, after 1.5 years and 33,000 miles, I am an extremely happy owner. Although I had few issues - one major (drive-train replacement) and few minor (rattles and squeaks) - all of them were handled by Tesla service promtly, with excellent customer service. My situation is similar to your in that I never even considered buying such an expensive car before MS - the next most expensive car I ever bought was almost 3 times less than my Model S, but I am SO happy I got it! Go for it, you will not regret it.

P.S. Make sure your husband test drives P85D :wink:

You have officially contracted the Tesla bug. The only cure now is to have one in your garage/driveway! It's a fantastic car! We don't have ours yet, but I fell in love after test driving it a couple times.

There have been reports of some people's insurance rates skyrocketing quite a bit, but others didn't experience such a thing. You can search around on the forums to get the details on that.

I just love the fact that Teslas keep getting new features and updates! It really is brilliant. Definitely go for the tech package and next gen seats. In my opinion they're the most important upgrades!

The performance is great! When compared to corvettes or even Ferraris, the performance isn't better. The acceleration from 0-60 certainly is! There's a slight distinction. But it totally outperforms other large luxury/premium sedans in its class!!

- - - Updated - - -

IbePatience said:

I would be perfectly happy with the S85 in fact I wasn't even considering the P85 but once the guys started talking 0-60 and 1/4 mile times my husband was interested in the Performance model. We're going to go back this week to test drive the P85D since they didn't have time for us to do it last night so we will see.


Do you have to get the premium sound package to get XM radio? Do you have to have the sunroof to get XM? I think I read that on Teslas site. Do you know if their sales guys work on commission? We are planning to go to a different dealership this week but the guy who took us out yesterday was great!

Click to expand...

I'm certain they don't get paid any commission. They are there to provide information and give you a great overall experience!

My insurance did not change much from my 2008 Prius - I have Met Life

Yes you need Pano Roof for XM and you need premium sound for XM. But I find Slacker better than XM.

IbePatience said:

Great! We went to the closer location but traffic getting there is horrific, especially during the week plus there's really nowhere to test the speed/power where we went yesterday.

Click to expand...

We went to the one in Brea. I'd HIGHLY recommend it if you want the perfect place to test drive the Tesla. They take you on a windy back road that has some gentle twists and turns. There's also an entrance to the highway if you want to test it on there too. You can test out the acceleration, the handling, the highway performance, and everything else.

Been to both the Brea (Ray) and Palm Springs (Steve). The Brea mall is always busy and difficult to navigate, parking is crazy. Palm Springs is much better. Not busy at all. Back road test. Watch for the beyond mid-lifer's, there are plenty driving around.

The most difficult choice for me were the seats; check both the new and the old style. The new seats have very large bolstering which makes entry and exiting more difficult, and for my wife and myself a little confining after a short drive. The textile seats are very popular.

The 85D deliveries started a couple of weeks ago and many are reporting quick accel times, a second and a half behind the P85D. The acceleration buss wears off fast, and will mostly be used to scare your passengers anyways. With EV's it is about the range, and the 85D EPA rated is the longest. With the added advent of the new seats to the 85D, the additional cost for the P is less of a value in my opinion.

The insurance costs seem to be rising over the last few months due to high repair costs and the time it takes to get the required parts. Rental car costs can add up fast. Need to shop around to see. Helps to have your kid(s) on their own for sure.

To compare the MS and a Vet...not exactly in the same class. Its been a while since I owned a vet. The Vet is a sports car by any measure, and the MS is a very fast sedan. Just because they have similar HP, the similarity ends there. My motivation here was the idea of owning an electric car, to not have an engine and all the supporting hardware. To not visit a gas station anymore just thrills me. I want to experience the future as it should of happened years ago, and Tesla is offering this opportunity.

Sounds like this will be a shared ride, so it will be more difficult to decide for you two. My current car is a Prius which I like. The MS is a lot on money for a depreciating thats for sure. This was definitely a mid-life crisis purchase for me. You only live once, and I have yet to see anyone take it with them. Good luck with your decision.

smsprague said:

Yes you need Pano Roof for XM and you need premium sound for XM. But I find Slacker better than XM.

Click to expand...

I knew the Pano Roof is a must for XM, but I thought even the standard audio would get XM accessibility? I guess I will have to do without XM as I was not planning on getting the upgraded audio and perhaps doing an aftermarket subwoofer instead.

Insurance for me it jumped up an extra $150 a month. Tell your husband to get the P85D, he will have buyers remorse, if he didn't. By all means the Model S is not a replacement for the vette. No way are they the same car. I own a GTR before purchasing the P85D. The P85D is fast, but its no sports car. Someone said upgrading the sound. If you listen to music with a lot of bass, I would say get it. I listen to both back to back. The standard sound, was more muddy when you turn up the bass. The truth is you'll probably never turn it pass 7(vol) to really notice. If your into really hard hitting bass "Bump" get the standard and upgrade aftermarket. Even with the sub from the high fidelity sound it doesn't hit hard enough.

One thing not yet mentioned in this thread is Tesla sells new cars manufactured to your exact specifications.
You may be able to take the $7,500 federal income tax rebate.
Tesla also sells loaner/service cars at reduced rates and since those cars are not yet titled, you may still be eligible for any state and federal income tax rebate(s).
Best time to get those would be near the end of a Quarter, as Tesla reports only cars delivered to customers in their numbers.
Completed cars off of the production line in transit or not yet delivered are not part of the Quarterly report.

There are several threads on where to apply for great rates for financing.

And because there appears to be a bit of upgrading going on with exiting owners to the "D" Models, there are currently a lot of used Tesla Model S on the market.
Since those cars have been titled by the original owner, you cannot qualify for any income tax rebate.

Almost 35,000 miles here, owner since June '13.
My insurance did go up a bit, but not a lot.

I consider the Models S and the corresponding Supercharger Network a work in progress: there were a total of eight available when I bought my car, there are now over 400 Superchargers Worldwide, 170+ in N/A.
Looking ahead to the TM Map depicting the N/A Supercharger Network @ the end of 2015 and 2016 which will give you an idea how much further they intend to grow the Network.
Depending on where you intend to travel, and if you are going from Supercharger to Supercharger, you should have no worries.
California is blessed with many SpC locations, and couple more still under construction.
Using RV Parks and some hotels/B&Bs that have 240V service will take you almost anywhere, at least until the Supercharger Network is filled in a bit more.

No repair issues here that were not fully covered by warranty.
I have caused a couple of repairs: rear fin damage and chin/nose damage from parking bumper. (Be sure to get the air-suspension)
Strongly recommend the 19" wheels, my 21's got curb rash and dented from a major pothole.

Biggest con (for me) would be the lack of Superchargers out of Texas, and for routes heading North that just got resolved last week as two Superchargers came on-line in Oklahoma, third one is well on its way.
Still a couple more SpC locations to go before Texas is fully connected via I-10.

The S85D seems to be the sweet spot for most people.
Longer range will be made available/official after the next firmware update.
And the D Models track around corners like they are on rails.

Next Gen seats are very nice, but your husband and you should try out both versions and concur before going for either version.

Slacker Radio is better than XM, but you can decide for yourselves.

Take a test drive where you can experience the car as you would use it in day-to-day driving.
The 0-60 buzz is fun, but after the first 10 times or so, it not how I really drive.

XM Radio... LOL!

I went for a test drive today, and the trip to the 'store' was a 3.5 hr drive each way. I've had Sirius in my Benz and have always maintained the subscription. It never drops out, unless I'm in a parkade or stopped at a light under a bridge. We took the trip in my wife's Audi, which has XM in it. I was reminded once more just how much XM sucks. Drop outs in the mountains, in the city... terrible fidelity (although Sirius isn't any better for fidelity these days!).

Part of the test drive was a demo of the Internet radio options. Amazing! Fidelity was really good, in both the standard and up-scale audio systems. I won't be worrying about XM or Sirius after that demo and frankly, I think SiriusXM needs to be concerned about surviving as a company. Save for areas without cellular data coverage, they simply can't compete any longer.

If you are stuck on XM, I sure wouldn't spend on the expensive sound system - it won't make the lousy source quality sound any better!!

IbePatience said:

We went to Brea too! We live in Riverside so the drive there and back were awful! The traffic around the mall was bad too but we did get to drive the winding back road. We never really got a chance to go fast because of the traffic though. I was thinking about going to the Palm Springs location.

Click to expand...

Aww that's a bummer! Both the time we went, there wasn't any traffic. In fact, I hit very very illegal speeds on that road lol... Hopefully you have better luck at the Palm Springs location!

IbePatience said:

l Do you know if their sales guys work on commission? We are planning to go to a different dealership this week but the guy who took us out yesterday was great!

Click to expand...

"Dealership" is a gross misnomer. Tesla has showrooms and service centers but not dealerships in the usual ICE (internal combustion engine) sense. It is all factory-priced regardless of where you go and the only difference is the persons/personalities you deal with. AFAIK, they do not work on a commission basis.