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WHY are you buying the Model S?

Why are you buying the Model S?


  • Total voters
    149
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AnOutsider

S532 # XS27
Moderator
Apr 3, 2009
11,958
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...this in itself is begging for a poll! What exactly are folks going to great lengths for (in most cases) to get a Model S? Is it purely for the looks? Performance/handling/features? Or, for the EV/green aspect of it? To stand out in a boring ICE crowd?

Here ya go GG. Multiple choice.

*edit* I voted for Stylish and Cool factor. I'm not huge on the "green cred", but I AM big on being somewhat self-sufficient -- that is, being able to install panels and power my car (or via other means in the future).

I also forgot to add performance, which is a big thing for me. I feel like I could take this thing to Pocono raceway and be happy (though I may get carried away deplete the batteries!)
 
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Whew, that ends up being complicated for me to answer. All of them and none of them. I really like the simplicity of an EV, which I guess is sort of in the tech area. I also like looks and would never buy a car I didn't like the look of. Eco? Sort of, though mostly it's back to the simplicity thing.

Fundamentally, I think it's just a better car.
 
As I've said before, nearly every aspect of this car is KICK-ASS!

I'm not that into the stylish bit so much. In fact, that was one of the marks against the Roadster. Where I live, that thing sticks out like a sore thumb. The rest of the marks against the Roadster were on the practicality side. Just couldn't see spending $140,000 (most of which, at the time, I would have had to borrow) for basically a toy.

The Model S has everything (with the possible exception of price).

Extremely practical. Lots of space for schlepping stuff around and possibly even a roof rack for plywood.
Green is ok. It'll be awesome to skip the gas stations, the oil changes, the engine maintenance and have a full tank every morning though.
The tech is cool and I'll probably even sign up for the data plan. But I could pass on that.

I mainly bought it because it's electric with a long range and lots of storage, but what REALLY sold me on it was the performance! It's as fun and zippy as my SLK55 yet as practical as my Ford Escort station wagon.
 
Clearly three is not enough reasons to choose from

Eco is not the same as national security (oil dependence) indeed, they are on the opposite side of the political aisle.

I usually list 5 reasons to buy electric and none of those are related to manufacturer, style, comfort, handling, early-adopter, or appointments.

I think the grouping below could be fleshed out to 10 reasons.
  • Eco/Green (environment, oil dependence)
  • Stylish (head-turner)
  • Cool factor (tech, futuristic)
  • * Handling (low center of gravity)
    * Quiet
    * Performance characteristics of an EV (torque, no transmission / instant-response)
    * Support Tesla
 
There are too many all-of-the-aboves. But then, it's very difficult to narrow down to a single feature because for every feature, there's a better car out there. The Model S brings all those kick-ass features all together into a single KICK-ASS package!
 
I bought the Roadster because it's green/nerd/testosterone all in one package. :wink: That, and the fact that I was floored by the test drive.

Those are the same reasons I'll buy the S, but I'll add some.

More carrying capacity (passengers and cargo), more comfort, plus fast DC charge will make it far more practical than the Roadster for road trips (assuming Tesla actually deploys the chargers).

I'll also add peak oil. Oh, and the fact that it's quiet.

On top of that, the handling sounds like it will be amazing. The Roadster handles pretty well compared to most cars, and easily it outpowers a Lotus, but it has a fat ass... the Lotus kicks its butt at autocross. The low weight and even distribution of the Model S should make for superb handling.
 
Lovely question.

My primary reason for getting a battery-electric is ecological -- wanting to get off gasoline. (You can add peak oil, with potential massive gasoline price spikes, and foreign wars to the motivations for wanting to get off gasoline, but for me carbon emissions are reason one.)

The secondary reason is low maintenance. It's not even the money, though that's nice; I just forget to do all the various and sundry maintenance tasks on my ICE (change from summer to winter oil? huh?). Nice to just be able to forget about half of them. For similar reasons, I want something which will last a long time just so I don't have to think about replacing it.

The next question is, why a Model S rather than a different battery-electric? I've been looking for a suitable battery-electric for several years, but I've managed to talk myself out of all the others because they had fatal flaws:
(1) I don't have the time or energy or interest in tinkering to do a conversion (plus see reason #6)
(2) I live on roads which are too fast to get a "neighborhood electric vehicle"
(3) I drive too far, too often to get a Nissan Leaf (especially considering that they don't have thermal battery management yet)
(4) I need more seating and cargo capacity than the Roadster (we routinely have 4 people plus baggage), and I don't like convertibles anyway
(5) I don't trust the car companies which haven't actually produced cars yet
(6) I want something with really good quality and safety standards. The low center of gravity is very attractive in this regard and Tesla has a good record with the Roadster.
(7) Being quite allergic to polyester, I generally shouldn't get cloth interiors, which rules out a lot of "low end" cars anyway. Bleah. I've actually been emailing Tesla about interior materials because I need to know as soon as possible if I have to wrap or replace the floor coverings.

Why a Signature? First, because I had the cash for the deposit and it was earning 0.01% interest without an attractive (to me) alternative investment. Second, because I want to get off of gas ASAP rather than later. It was a bit of a nasty to realize that the Signature requires the 300 mile battery (I only need the 230), but I realized I was willing to pay a huge premium to get the car sooner rather than later. Which is probably irrational, but I really really want to get off of gasoline.

In contrast, why does my *fiancee* agree I should get a Model S Signature? Primarily so I'll stop moaning "I want my electric car", which I have been doing for several years now. Others may want to try that with their significant others. :)

The other benefits of the Model S are just bonuses for me.

Finally, my goal when choosing an exterior color was to make the car stand out enough that people will come up and ask about it, so that I can then EVangelize. :) I've been slightly frustrated in this by the available choices. But I do have a couple of people who I expect will want Model S after they see mine.
 
So what color Signature are you going with?
I'll have to see the colors in person I think. I don't want the black (have that now) or red (had that in the car before). I've never been fond of white. Which leaves me with metallic on the Sig and I just can't tell from the design studio how that will look. I actually like some of the non-Sig colors better, like the blue.
 
In contrast, why does my *fiancee* agree I should get a Model S Signature? Primarily so I'll stop moaning "I want my electric car", which I have been doing for several years now. Others may want to try that with their significant others. :)

Thanks for that suggestion. I haven't resorted to whining yet. The best I've done is complain to friends (in her presence) that she won't let me buy one.