Ordered my Model S! Opinions?

[dsm363]

Sounds like you've done a great job thinking things through. You'll be happy with whatever you decide.

Almost 100% of public J1172 stations are less than 40A so twin chargers not needed. They still can be useful however if you visit another Tesla owner with a HPWC or a Tesla store/service center that has the same. Best of luck.

 

[Pilot_51]

Yes, you should see my spreadsheet. Actually... here: Google Drive
It's already a little outdated in some areas, but it has been a huge help in my decision making.

 

[Pilot_51]

For those who have used the fog lamps or heard about their quality, suggesting they aren't worth it, is that based on before or after the redesign (when it became a separate option) and does the opinion come from actually using it in fog? I came across this open letter and it sounds like it's certainly useful for some people. It gets quite foggy here in the fall and if it helps visibility at all in the fog as obviously intended, it could be considered a safety feature, and $500 is a pretty small price to pay for a little added safety. So... I'm leaning back towards getting the fog lamps unless I'm further convinced they don't help.

Edit: I get the sense I was being a bit arrogant about some of the suggestions. I apologize if I've offended anyone. I'm firmly decided on keeping 60kWh, standard 19" wheels, textile seats, tech package, parking sensors, and subzero package. So, there isn't really any point trying to change my mind on them, which would only be met with strong resistance. Also I should have mentioned that I've set my budget to $90k (after 6% sales tax, before interest or tax credit), which is much of the reason I don't want the 85kWh because even my minimum options (tech, parking sensors, subzero) would take it over $90k. I hope this respectfully clears some things up.

 

[Pilot_51]

Order confirmed!
In the end, I only dropped the dual chargers. Thought long and hard especially about the air suspension, concluding the pros outweighed the cons.
Thank you all for your opinions! Even though I may not have followed most of the advice, it did cause me to think more about my choices to be sure I wanted them.

I am hoping delivery could be scheduled for June 27th or July 3rd (coincidentally my birthday) since I'm planning to take a week off to get to know (i.e. have fun with) my Model S, and July 4th being a holiday would give me an extra day.

 

[GDH]

Order confirmed!
In the end, I only dropped the dual chargers. Thought long and hard especially about the air suspension, concluding the pros outweighed the cons.
Thank you all for your opinions! Even though I may not have followed most of the advice, it did cause me to think more about my choices to be sure I wanted them.

I am hoping delivery could be scheduled for June 27th or July 3rd (coincidentally my birthday) since I'm planning to take a week off to get to know (i.e. have fun with) my Model S, and July 4th being a holiday would give me an extra day.

Congrats!....the only thing I would have dropped was the fog lights. You will be very happy with your build!

 

[Pilot_51]

I thought about it after it was mentioned that they aren't that great, but after some research it sounds like they work great for some people. Since I consider it a matter of safety, I didn't want to chance it to save $500. You can expect a full review once I have the chance to try them in dense fog.

 

[golfski]

Congrats Pilot! I agree with your comments about the cost of this car as a learning experience, with a car and company so new it's definitely worth staying conservative when it will cover your 99% case. I think you were right to skip the air as well, I've replaced them on a MB before at a cost of 3500 a piece!

 

[Pilot_51]

I think you were right to skip the air as well, I've replaced them on a MB before at a cost of 3500 a piece!

Actually, I kept the air suspension. Aside from the benefits (primarily for snow and potholes), I sort of used my lack of experience to push me off the fence. I never drove with air suspension before and heard enough good things about it, and not much negative in regard to Model S, that I decided it is worth the risk to gain the ownership experience. My second car will benefit a lot from what I learn from my Model S.

 

[Merrill]

Opinions are many, like the choices you made. The piano black is not a problem to keep clean and it keeps the interior uncluttered, the only thing I would change is to have the supercharger capability. If you ever want to go anywhere out of your range it is a must. Love the pano, tech and I was one who was supposed to get fog lights and did not. They installed the new version and love having them but do not have lots of fog here but liked having them when I did, are they very effective not that much but about the same as my Ice cars. Enjoy!

 

[Btrflyl8e]

I think you've made great choices there, I am sure you'll be very happy with it!

 

[Canuck]

Congratulations! Now you need to make a spread sheet of all the things you can do to keep your mind off the really hard part.... the seemingly endless wait......................

P.S. I added the cold weather package over a month after confirming, and others here also made changes after confirming, so keep in mind that you still may be able to make changes if you change your mind on something.

 

[Pilot_51]

Congratulations! Now you need to make a spread sheet of all the things you can do to keep your mind off the really hard part.... the seemingly endless wait......................

P.S. I added the cold weather package over a month after confirming, and others here also made changes after confirming, so keep in mind that you still may be able to make changes if you change your mind on something.

Hehe. One of the most effective things I do to keep my mind off of something and help pass the time is to play games. But, I will no doubt spend a large portion of time just reading anything I can to make sure I'm ready for each step of the process.
Good to know about changing options after confirming. However, I don't think I'll be second-guessing during the wait. I'm more wondering which options not in shop could be added after delivery, in the unlikely case that I find out I want it and would pay whatever additional cost.

 

[dsm363]

Read the ChadS post here
Putting some numbers on the factors that affect range

Will give you a good idea about range in bad winter conditions and how to plan appropriately. Congrats on locking it down.

 

[golfski]

Actually, I kept the air suspension. Aside from the benefits (primarily for snow and potholes), I sort of used my lack of experience to push me off the fence. I never drove with air suspension before and heard enough good things about it, and not much negative in regard to Model S, that I decided it is worth the risk to gain the ownership experience. My second car will benefit a lot from what I learn from my Model S.

My bad, I must have missed the part that you stuck with it. It certainly does ride nice from experience, I just have bad luck with them and like you, I'm trying to use my past experience as an influence on my Model S (i.e. keep this thing as low maintenance as possible). Though, buying new with a 50k mile warranty will certainly give you plenty piece of mind for quite a while.

I am curious how much of a range benefit the air gives the model S? I am assuming the fact that it lowers at highway speeds is to increase efficiency at the already inefficient higher speeds. Would I expect to see much of a difference in rated range on a 60 w/air vs a 60 w/o air in the same driving conditions?