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Just bought a P85D.. did I make a mistake?

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empee

empee

New Member
Dec 26, 2015
2
0
Southeastern, USA
#1
Hi,

To give you some background, I was getting ready to purchase a pretty well loaded S90D. This is a family car, so I needed the 3rd row rear seats, and I wanted range vs performance (hence the S90D) and the premium for the P was too much (speed is fun, but not a priority).. this is a daily driver. A friend of mine purchased a S85, and made me aware of demo units (he bought one at a discount) that are discounted because they were floor model or test cars... so they have miles. I inquired about that and found a few S90Ds that were close.. you can't get exactly what you want with the demo models, but I'm pretty flexible since I was concerned with seating and range. Anyway, since I'm fairly flexible on the colors, etc. I decided it made more sense to go for the demo -- I found one that was close to what I wanted, but it was far away and with the shipping costs it wasn't much of a discount so should I just buy new and get exactly what I want.. thinking.. so I delayed making a decision and by then the car was gone. I think they are trying to dispose of the 2015 demo cars so they can have the 2016 models (I know they aren't supposed to be different, but maybe they are? Maybe buyers want to see a 2016 model? Telsa trying to make their sales goals? I dont know). I forgot to mention, autopilot was important to me also (it looks cool).

Anyway, after losing the car I was a bit disappointed because it was pretty close to everything I wanted, so I decided to take a break because you know how you can get emotional about these things.. you think you have it and then it gets taken away (you know, like buying houses you live in, etc.). So, I had alot of other things going on work, life so I decided to put this on the back seat.

Well, lo and behold a few weeks later, I got contacted that there was a P85D that met almost everything again, and this time the discount was pretty good... it was missing the radio upgrade but had everything else I wanted.. and I could have it for about the sample price as my ideal S90D (remember, my S90D was really loaded.. all optioned out).

So.. knowing my emotional state.. the discount was good.. I pulled the trigger. But now I am wondering.. did I make a mistake? I wanted range.. I got a 85, then I got a P [which cuts range].. I didn't get the radio upgrade (the only upgrade missing.. but a good stereo is important because my current car doesn't have a good one).

So did I make a mistake? I figured many of you on the board post-purchase have a better insight to what its really like. I think the P85D ludicrious mode will be fun.. when I'm with the guys to show off or whatever.. but realistically this is a family car, so I cut my mileage, got a smaller battery, and didn't get the stereo I wanted...

... BUT, I got a really good deal.. much better than I was offered on the S90s... and its important to note that I am trying to minimize my cost of renting the car [Ie what I pay to buy it less what I get paid when I sell it]. So I don't mind paying a little more for this since theoretically it should end up costing me less.. what I'm saying is I'm not concerned about the raw dollars, I'm concerned about minimizing my depreciation, and this is my first EV so if its a disaster or something I might get rid of it sooner than later (obviously, hope not but always fear when you are doing something new).

So the questions:

Does 90 vs 85 really make a difference I should be concerned about?
Does having the P really make a difference in terms of real driving/habits?
Will I be disappointed that I didn't get an upgraded stereo [but I think I can just get aftermarket speakers/etc right? or is the basic stereo downgraded somehow other than speakers?]
It came with the 21" wheels.. I live in a area that has good roads and no potholes, once again is this a mistake? Can you downgrade to 19" on a demo car [and deduct the cost or some kind of savings].. family car.. if I'm breaking down and having problems.. wife is already somewhat skeptical on this purchase.. is 21" a mistake?
I heard 21" ride rough.. I did get the suspension upgrade.. but I also heard that the tires wear out super fast at 19".

Remember.. I got a deal on this being a demo car.. so I had to take it as is.. but with the discount + referral bonus I was able to get into the P85D for about the same price as a loaded S90D new. If I was young, this would be a no brainer but as a family-mobile did I make a mistake (even tho the deal was good) opting for P85D?

Telsa oracles on this board, please speak! It was one of those it seemed like too good a deal to pass up, so I pulled the trigger without really thinking about it because I lost the last car so I had to act fast..

... so did I make a mistake buying a P85D?

Cheers

empee
 
#2
Let's take a breather... InNnN OuttTt

Good!
No you did not make a mistake getting the p85d over the s90d

I can't speak for the range difference, as I only have a standard 85. But I myself am thinking about upgrading to a p85d for the performance aspect

As far as the sound system, you can definitely have an aftermarket system installed, in fact a few users on here went with the basic sound system and upgraded to an aftermarket one after taking delivery.

You can also swap your 21s with 19s although not by tesla for a price credit, you'll have to purchase 19s and then sell the 21s, also it's the 21 inch wheels that have bad tire wear, the 19s are pretty good at extending tire life.
 
#3
These comments about the stereo options may be a little debated but.

I have been an audiophile from as far back as the 87 with my Carver 1.0 amp, Bose 901, and NAD preamp. But since then I have been a huge student of audio systems, and sound control. All the way to working at GM in the NVH, noise vibration and harshness, area studying standing sound waves in cars.

I'm a big fan of accurate, balanced, and controlled sound. After spending hours in both the standard system and the optional system, I would pick the standard system everytime for my tastes. The premium systems has very boosted lower frequencies. Unfortunately it seems to be from an imbalance speaker sizing across the frequency ranges. If I attempted to balance the frequencies to a normal PSIL curve at low volumes and then increased volumes, the power increase seemed to result in an imbalance of sound pressure across the frequencies. I almost needed a low, mid, and high volume tone settings. I must say that even with that there was still an inaccurate sound across different instruments. It is however a great system if you are in to over boosted lower frequencies, that will rattle as much as sing.

The standard unit however is an incredibly balanced sound system, with really accurate sounds levels. It wont "rock anyone's world" but from an audiophile standpoint it is one of the best car systems I have ever heard
 
#4
good choice, the difference in range won't put you out, I hardly ever get my Tesla's down to the last 30 miles.... you can always upgrade the stereo later, there are few companies specializing in Tesla stereo upgrades...

on the other side, you now have an amazingly fast super car, and you got a great deal on it!
 
#5
No way. I love this car and you will too. And you can upgrade to Ludicrous model too.

empee said:
Hi,

To give you some background, I was getting ready to purchase a pretty well loaded S90D. This is a family car, so I needed the 3rd row rear seats, and I wanted range vs performance (hence the S90D) and the premium for the P was too much (speed is fun, but not a priority).. this is a daily driver. A friend of mine purchased a S85, and made me aware of demo units (he bought one at a discount) that are discounted because they were floor model or test cars... so they have miles. I inquired about that and found a few S90Ds that were close.. you can't get exactly what you want with the demo models, but I'm pretty flexible since I was concerned with seating and range. Anyway, since I'm fairly flexible on the colors, etc. I decided it made more sense to go for the demo -- I found one that was close to what I wanted, but it was far away and with the shipping costs it wasn't much of a discount so should I just buy new and get exactly what I want.. thinking.. so I delayed making a decision and by then the car was gone. I think they are trying to dispose of the 2015 demo cars so they can have the 2016 models (I know they aren't supposed to be different, but maybe they are? Maybe buyers want to see a 2016 model? Telsa trying to make their sales goals? I dont know). I forgot to mention, autopilot was important to me also (it looks cool).

Anyway, after losing the car I was a bit disappointed because it was pretty close to everything I wanted, so I decided to take a break because you know how you can get emotional about these things.. you think you have it and then it gets taken away (you know, like buying houses you live in, etc.). So, I had alot of other things going on work, life so I decided to put this on the back seat.

Well, lo and behold a few weeks later, I got contacted that there was a P85D that met almost everything again, and this time the discount was pretty good... it was missing the radio upgrade but had everything else I wanted.. and I could have it for about the sample price as my ideal S90D (remember, my S90D was really loaded.. all optioned out).

So.. knowing my emotional state.. the discount was good.. I pulled the trigger. But now I am wondering.. did I make a mistake? I wanted range.. I got a 85, then I got a P [which cuts range].. I didn't get the radio upgrade (the only upgrade missing.. but a good stereo is important because my current car doesn't have a good one).

So did I make a mistake? I figured many of you on the board post-purchase have a better insight to what its really like. I think the P85D ludicrious mode will be fun.. when I'm with the guys to show off or whatever.. but realistically this is a family car, so I cut my mileage, got a smaller battery, and didn't get the stereo I wanted...

... BUT, I got a really good deal.. much better than I was offered on the S90s... and its important to note that I am trying to minimize my cost of renting the car [Ie what I pay to buy it less what I get paid when I sell it]. So I don't mind paying a little more for this since theoretically it should end up costing me less.. what I'm saying is I'm not concerned about the raw dollars, I'm concerned about minimizing my depreciation, and this is my first EV so if its a disaster or something I might get rid of it sooner than later (obviously, hope not but always fear when you are doing something new).

So the questions:

Does 90 vs 85 really make a difference I should be concerned about?
Does having the P really make a difference in terms of real driving/habits?
Will I be disappointed that I didn't get an upgraded stereo [but I think I can just get aftermarket speakers/etc right? or is the basic stereo downgraded somehow other than speakers?]
It came with the 21" wheels.. I live in a area that has good roads and no potholes, once again is this a mistake? Can you downgrade to 19" on a demo car [and deduct the cost or some kind of savings].. family car.. if I'm breaking down and having problems.. wife is already somewhat skeptical on this purchase.. is 21" a mistake?
I heard 21" ride rough.. I did get the suspension upgrade.. but I also heard that the tires wear out super fast at 19".

Remember.. I got a deal on this being a demo car.. so I had to take it as is.. but with the discount + referral bonus I was able to get into the P85D for about the same price as a loaded S90D new. If I was young, this would be a no brainer but as a family-mobile did I make a mistake (even tho the deal was good) opting for P85D?

Telsa oracles on this board, please speak! It was one of those it seemed like too good a deal to pass up, so I pulled the trigger without really thinking about it because I lost the last car so I had to act fast..

... so did I make a mistake buying a P85D?

Cheers

empee
Click to expand...
 
#7
I'll be the naysayer of the group and say, yeah... you probably made a mistake. :(

Having had my P85D for just over a year and 20k miles.... I wish today's S90D was an option when I bought mine. Would be a no brainer. The range on my P85D is pretty good, but there have been a few times where that extra 25-30 miles of rated range would have been very helpful. Some of examples:

Almost abandoned my Model S for an ICE rental last night...

Drained P85D Battery to 0.4%! success!!

While both of the above ended up being successful... that little extra range would have made them much simpler trips.

The performance difference between the S90D and the P85D is pretty minimal, too, and definitely not worth the price premium IMO. The S90D/S85D performs about as well, if not better, than the original P85... which performs very well. In the real world, like highway passing and such, the S90D and the P85D perform virtually identically. The only time it has any real advantage is from a dead stop, and even then the advantage tapers within about 1 second.

So really, it all depends on your use case. You'll most likely be more than fine with range on the P85D. But really, if I had a do-over, I would have an S90D (or S85D if I had to have ordered at the same time) in a heartbeat and saved the P money.
 
#8
I partly agree with Westcoast P85D and partly with wk057. I now would prefer a P90D or S90D but I am completely addicted to my P85D. I have never gone below 20% and only four times above 90% despite 17,000 miles of mostly long trips, including a couple with, so far, no superchargers New Orleans, Asheville, NC ( both either already have superchargers or will have them soon). I always want more range but honestly I have all I need now.

I also bought an inventory car that had things I would not have ordered but saved a bundle (Dec 2014 build bought in 2015). Next time I will try for an inventory car again, compromises and all.
 
#9
To the OP, don't worry about it as there's not much you can do about it, is there?

I love my now-one-year-old P85D (and I had really wanted a Green 85D at the time but, it wasn't to be given that Green was being discontinued at the end of 2014) but, given the performance boost with the firmware update to the 85D and the 90D straight out the gate, I'd take a 90D today, no brainer.
 
#10
I'm going to try and say this as delicately as I can. Jeeze. How can you be so conflicted about a decision you have already made?

You simply cannot have decided one way or the other to any degree that would make material difference in the circumstances you described. OP you should be thrilled that you have the resources and the privilege of being able to own a car that has changed the landscape of the automotive industry. P85D, 90D, 21", premium sound or whatever the differences really can only be appreciated if you have owned one and are moving to the other. If you have never owned a Telsa then whatever you choose will be a driver's orgasm. There simply is nothing to compare across the spectrum.

So, as delicately as I know how to put it. Don't second guess yourself. Assuming you are a intelligent person, did your research and made a decision without mortgaging your children's future...You made a good decision.
 
#11
empee, first, welcome to the funny farm that is the TMC forums!

I'm with AMPd...first take a deep breath! :)

A lot of the questions you ask don't have hard-and-fast answers, because the answers depend so much on an individual owner's circumstances. Battery capacity is a good example. If you've never driven an EV before (especially a Tesla Model S) you probably haven't internalized yet how 85 kWh vs. 90 kWh affects your particular driving situation, and whether the price difference is worth it. And there might not be an easy way to tell until you've done this for awhile. Just relax and enjoy it. IMHO, there's a very high chance that you'll be happy with even the "wrong" choice of car (given your two alternatives).
 
#12
Even if you did make a mistake, what's done is done, and you can't change it now so no use worrying about it. Life's far too short to sweat the small stuff and this really is small stuff. In fact, I bet 99.999% of the population wish they had this "mistake" to fret over!
 
#13
Most of the items you're concerned about depend on your particular situation, e.g. what kind of driver you are, how far away your trips are from rapid charging (SC, CHAdeMO, or HPWC), etc. The 21" wheels are an added expense, but getting a set of 19" wheels isn't all that expensive and you can use them for winter with snow tires (when the 21" wheels are most likely to present a problem). There's probably no Tesla purchase that's a mistake.
 
#15
In trips you need max range, there's a feature exactly for that: RANGE MODE
It pretty much disables the rear motor (while the mode is activated).
Bjorn Nyland did a video testing this in detail:
Range mode on P85D reduces consumption by 7 % - YouTube
Increases range by 7%
So perhaps you don't need to worry at all.
In the future when your battery is worn out, you can replace the battery with a 90 (or larger), unless you want to buy another one.
 
#16
It sounds like you traded a stereo for a performance model and a negligible amount of range. To me that's a winning deal.

With respect to the standard sound system, with all due respect to anyone that has it: it blows. It lacks bass, it lacks any kind of punch at higher volume and is just a supreme let down in a $100,000+ car. One of the cool things about Tesla is that you can pretty much order any model with any combination of options. This is also one of their undoings as the higher spec models really should include equipment that's considered standard in just about any other luxury car. But alas, people justify the stereo just like they justified the early cars having halogen lights and no navigation.

You'll find defenders of the standard system here, people that tell you they've listened to both and "honestly can't tell the difference". It's not true. There is a substantial difference between the two systems and most of the base system apologists are people that... surprise surprise... have the base system.

All that said, it's exponentially cheaper to upgrade the base system to a point where it outperforms the premium system than it is to retrofit the P option. So even without the premium audio I think you made a good decision and of the missing options to have, upgrading the stock stereo is about as easy as it gets.
 
#17
Hi Everyone,

Thanks for the welcome and constructive feedback. I did buy the Ludicrious upgrade because it was only $5k and I figured it would help with resale value, plus I could enjoy it since I got a car that could support it (ironically, the upgrade is $13k - $10k for the upgrade plus $3k for 90 battery in the newer models.. so in that sense its a deal.. but the 90 is what I was actually trying to get!) I should point out that according to the upgrade site the P85D Ludicrious is inferior to the P90 with Ludicrious.. so not apples to apples, I'm not sure what the difference is, but I'm sure many of you know and can explain how big a difference it will make(?)

I think the anxiety is its a new type of car (ie not another ICE) plus I usually never buy new, plus I'm a guinea pig for a lot of my friends and family who are curious to see how it goes. I have also never paid anywhere this amount for a car ever.. so its such a high price (BUT, it make sense in the idea of paying more for a more 'depreciated car' sense). So I think its the anxiety of all this plus the unknowns of driving, charging etc. But I have to remember the premium I'm paying is to be part of something new.

I hope that this car turns out to be the "model T" of electric cars,so I can tell my grand kids I drove one.. back when people still drove cars! (And they'll laugh at the recharge time and the low range.. but they might even do that within 5 years].

.. of course this is the same stuff everyone here went through, so just excited to get my car and start experiencing what its like to drive what I hope will be the future.. electric.

Thanks again for the support everyone, like most people have said I bit the bullet so I need to just see how it goes. Obviously,there are almost 100k of these vehicles on the road by now (I think? 50k production this year?) so the car is working for a lot of people.

Hope to join all of you as a happy Telsa owner! I decided to go without dual chargers and go NEMA 14-50 instead of HPWC + dual chargers. I can always do this upgrade later if its a problem... is it for anyone else?
 
#19
empee said:
I hope that this car turns out to be the "model T" of electric cars,so I can tell my grand kids I drove one.. back when people still drove cars! (And they'll laugh at the recharge time and the low range.. but they might even do that within 5 years].
Click to expand...

In 10 years I think they'll consider the range of the original cars archaic. The beauty of it all is that as battery technology improves, there's no reason they shouldn't be able to sell upgraded packs for the S. In that sense, it's nice to know that even a high mileage car will theoretically find more life down the road and would likely be better than it was when it was new.

I think that ability to refresh the car is also going to help it's resale value as well.
 
#20
empee said:
I think the anxiety is its a new type of car (ie not another ICE) plus I usually never buy new, plus I'm a guinea pig for a lot of my friends and family who are curious to see how it goes.
Click to expand...

This is an important element to consider - the demo factor. If you think you might be in a position to influence some friends and family on the merits of electric cars, a performance Model S makes the biggest impression. Consider it a marketing expense for spreading some EV love, changing some minds, and bringing grins to your passengers.
 
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