Tesla - seems to be the time..

[theaxe]

I've been thinking about a Model S for a while and with the facelift (and recent sale of my Aston) I think now's the time.

I had a test drive and I think a 90D is the model for me (maximum range important). I have a few lingering questions though.

1. I hear there's a referral discount but google seems to suggest it's mostly (or just) for the US. Does anyone know the situation in the UK?
2. I could pay cash but the PCP deal includes a guaranteed future value. Is it fair to say this is a good idea given uncertain residuals?
3. In terms of spec I think the sun roof, auto pilot and enhanced interior packages are worth it. Air suspension and uprated hifi seem less so..
4. Has anyone got experience of running with bikes on the roof? Just wondering how much they would impact the range.
5. Superchargers in the UK, I get the coverage is okay and expanding but my concern is availability. If I was to arrive at 6pm on a Friday should I be expecting a wait? Do Tesla publish stats on Supercharger usage?

Any other thoughts or observations would be welcome!

[gangzoom]

I've just ordered mine (60D - with intention of upgrading to 75kWh via software update at some point)

1: US referral codes work - you get £750 off, this round of referral program ends soon though.

2: Residue values on anything but the 'P' versions of the car are holding up well, the fact prices have gone up 20% in 8 months due to the weak £ helps. If your sure you want to change after 3 years than you can treat the interest you pay for taking finance as some kind of insurance against deprecation.

3: I've gone for the same spec as you, but also added cold weather pack. If your going for finance or plan on selling after 2-3 years just remember add options will add little value to the car come resale compared to how much they cost new.

4: Energy consumption with a loaded roof is quite scary, 500wh/mile!! - That'll drop the predicted range by 40%!! https://speakev.com/threads/roof-bars.17188/#post-...

5: I don't think UK superchargers are that busy, but they are rolling out more chargers. Either way it's a much better setup than the Ecotricity chargers other EVs have to make do with.

[theaxe]

That's really helpful, thanks! I'll drop into one of the US forums to see if I can get hold of a referral code there..

[mrloudly]

I swapped from a RR Vogue to S90D and have zero regrets! It's a truly amazing vehicle and the charging is a non-issue! I guarantee you'll be amazed!

[ricola]

Feel free to use my referral code http://ts.la/richard7145 It runs until July 15th this time..

90D does seem to be a good all rounder, some have even swapped from P85D to 90D.. I have had an 85 RWD for a year now, no regrets! Be aware that the prices change regularly due to exchange rate fluctuations, it has only got more expensive since I got mine.

Rich

[JonV8V]

theaxe said:

I've been thinking about a Model S for a while and with the facelift (and recent sale of my Aston) I think now's the time.

I had a test drive and I think a 90D is the model for me (maximum range important). I have a few lingering questions though.

1. I hear there's a referral discount but google seems to suggest it's mostly (or just) for the US. Does anyone know the situation in the UK?
2. I could pay cash but the PCP deal includes a guaranteed future value. Is it fair to say this is a good idea given uncertain residuals?
3. In terms of spec I think the sun roof, auto pilot and enhanced interior packages are worth it. Air suspension and uprated hifi seem less so..
4. Has anyone got experience of running with bikes on the roof? Just wondering how much they would impact the range.
5. Superchargers in the UK, I get the coverage is okay and expanding but my concern is availability. If I was to arrive at 6pm on a Friday should I be expecting a wait? Do Tesla publish stats on Supercharger usage?

Any other thoughts or observations would be welcome!

Plenty of uk referral codes - mine is http://ts.la/jon833

Yes, guaranteed future value is worth having, they even adjust for mileage so don't feel you're limited

Sun roof is mandatory if you want roof rails. You can't fit without. I've seen someone comment on much higher battery drain with a roof box but then it's to be expected. You can't fit a tow bar and attach a carrier to a model S so that's not really an option (at least not an official one).

The interior upgrade is better than it used to be, it's personal choice. I think air and hifi are expensive for what you get and 21" wheels are eye watering to buy and to re-tyre.

SC aren't too bad. South Mimms used to be bad but it's been expanded, Warrington, Leeds and Barnsley are known hot spots but you'll probably not be too bad down south although more cars are going on the road all the time. Chademo is 2/3 the speed and available in lots more locations but you can be in competition with other makes. I've done neatly 18k since Xmas and not really had an issue.

Get insurance quotes before you buy, they can be expensive. The interior is cheap American tat really for an 80k car.

[chandrew]

Not sure it's translated into GBP pricing yet, but given the recent movement of the currencies I would expect a sizeable price change in the near future. If you can lock in a current price I would be trying to do that.

[gangzoom]

chandrew said:

Not sure it's translated into GBP pricing yet, but given the recent movement of the currencies I would expect a sizeable price change in the near future. If you can lock in a current price I would be trying to do that.

This is why I've ordered now even though I wouldn't be taking delivery till early 2017. Once the 14 day cooling of period is over your order price is fixed regardless of currency changes.

[Mike_C]

theaxe said:

I've been thinking about a Model S for a while and with the facelift (and recent sale of my Aston) I think now's the time.

I had a test drive and I think a 90D is the model for me (maximum range important). I have a few lingering questions though.

1. I hear there's a referral discount but google seems to suggest it's mostly (or just) for the US. Does anyone know the situation in the UK?
The referral code works in the UK too, mine is http://ts.la/michael1153 and will give you £750 off a Model S or Model X until July 15 - only 11 days left!!

2. I could pay cash but the PCP deal includes a guaranteed future value. Is it fair to say this is a good idea given uncertain residuals?
[b]I ended up paying cash for mine, did look into the finance deal (not PCP at the time) and was better off just paying up front. I still got the guaranteed future value (50% of car + 40-45% of accessories value, from memory?), so would assume you still would with a cash buy today, can't see why not[b]

3. In terms of spec I think the sun roof, auto pilot and enhanced interior packages are worth it. Air suspension and uprated hifi seem less so..
Autopilot is a must, the panoramic sunroof is well worth it, the interior is much lighter/airier and gives a lot more rear headroom, plus allows a roofrack to be fitted. Enhanced interior is also worth it, and I would recommend the upgraded hifi too. The air suspension is only really worth having with the 21" wheels IMO, if I were ordering one today I'd go for the 19" wheels and standard suspension. Next gen leather seats are a must.

4. Has anyone got experience of running with bikes on the roof? Just wondering how much they would impact the range.
Can't help you here but I'd imagine it would have a significant impact on range! I put 2x mountain bikes in the boot with rear seats folded down and front wheels removed

5. Superchargers in the UK, I get the coverage is okay and expanding but my concern is availability. If I was to arrive at 6pm on a Friday should I be expecting a wait? Do Tesla publish stats on Supercharger usage?
So far I haven't had a problem, South Mimms was a pinch point with only 2 chargers, but it's got 12 now. And most people only charge for 20 mins, so chances are if you do ever have to wait it won't be long. The expansion programme in the UK, both in terms of locations and additional stalls, is pretty impressive!

Any other thoughts or observations would be welcome!

There's my thoughts, on the "any other points" I have a P85+ and had a P85D with Insane Mode as a loan car. Without doubt, off the line the P85D kills it, it's crazy fast, but after the initial thrill of demonstrating it to everyone, I honestly don't notice the difference. Getting back into mine (which still does 0-60mph in 4.2s, vs. 3.2s for P85D) it really doesn't feel any slower in any situation other than a standing start. Given mine is also RWD (not an option with the P cars anymore, sadly) I honestly prefer driving mine. So if you are considering a 90D or P90D, my advice would be to make sure you test drive both but try and ignore the standard start performance and see if you notice any difference the rest of the time - if not, a 90D will more than likely be plenty fast enough in any give situation.

Edited by Mike_C on Tuesday 5th July 13:44

[theaxe]

Thanks for the replies, put my order in just now. Still making my mind up on colours.. currently going with the multi-coat Red exterior, tan leather and black Alcantara.

[Mike_C]

theaxe said:

Thanks for the replies, put my order in just now. Still making my mind up on colours.. currently going with the multi-coat Red exterior, tan leather and black Alcantara.

Congrats! Did you use a referral code and did it work? The red is nice, but you see quite a few of them - then again, there isn't a huge range of colours anyway! How long until delivery did they quote? Their Q2 deliveries were well below target...

[theaxe]

I used Richard's code (thanks!). It worked fine although I had to start a new design.

Currently quoting just 'September' but the dealer said it'd be up to 12 weeks.

I was surprised to find a number of bugs/UI problems on the ordering page. I got some screenshots which I'll pass back to them.

[ricola]

theaxe said:

I used Richard's code (thanks!).

Glad to help What did you go for in the end? Or is it more of a place holder while you make your mind up on options? You can often change your mind up to close to the build via your Delivery Specialist and the initial price list will apply unless you change for a new option that wasn't originally available.. For example: if I had wanted to change my order to next gen seats it would have cost me over £4k over standard leather due to re-pricing!

[theaxe]

Here's the current spec..



I didn't want black/grey/silver/white and the Blue looked a bit too bright.

For the interior I wanted something not too dark and I think the tan works better than the grey. The only outstanding thing is whether to have the light alcantara (lightens the interior but not the same shade as the leather) or the black (hides fingerprints from kids, goes with anything).

[gangzoom]

^^

Cracking order/spec, my ordered has just been confirmed . It was really hard to resist the temptation to up the spec, at one point the order was similar to yours but in the end my tightness allowed me keep to the original budget. After living with the Leaf for 18 months 200 miles of range, and a sub 6 second 0-60 time is going to seem like heaven!!

I've delayed my pick up date till early 2017, I still have my Leaf till than, but when/if Tesla confirm autopilot 2.0 hardware before than I'll be changing my pick up date to ASAP and just parking up the Leaf till its Nissan come to collect. Cannot wait for the next few months to go by .

Edited by gangzoom on Thursday 7th July 07:40

Edited by gangzoom on Thursday 7th July 11:50

[MrDan]

I pick mine up next Monday... Rather excited.

Im usually a tight arse but this is a treat.. I have every option bar rear facing seats on a 90D... I also got mine at the pre face lift price in effect saving 6k

[gangzoom]

MrDan said:

I pick mine up next Monday... Rather excited.

Im usually a tight arse but this is a treat.. I have every option bar rear facing seats on a 90D... I also got mine at the pre face lift price in effect saving 6k

Bet you cannot wait....How long did delivery take??

[Mike_C]

gangzoom - of course this is entirely personal preference, but personally with a light colour leather interior I reckon a black headliner is cooler! Mine has the tan leather with light alcantara headliner, and if I were doing it again I would go black Also, the premium interior pack is worth it - the ambient lighting really ups the luxury feel at night, but more than that you get the remote open/close tailgate option which is well worth it. Finally, no Autopilot is madness IMO - anyone looking at a Tesla in the future will expect it to have AP, so this could really hit resale values. Plus, it is utterly awesome

MrDan - is yours a facelift car, then? But at the older prices?

Edited by Mike_C on Thursday 7th July 12:50

[theaxe]

Mike_C said:

gangzoom - of course this is entirely personal preference, but personally with a light colour leather interior I reckon a black headliner is cooler! Mine has the tan leather with light alcantara headliner, and if I were doing it again I would go black Also, the premium interior pack is worth it - the ambient lighting really ups the luxury feel at night, but more than that you get the remote open/close tailgate option which is well worth it. Finally, no Autopilot is madness IMO - anyone looking at a Tesla in the future will expect it to have AP, so this could really hit resale values. Plus, it is utterly awesome

I've come to that conclusion, if the light headliner better matched the tan I think I'd keep it but for now I think black is the way to go.. each to their own of course... :-)

For me autopilot is one of the main selling points, in a couple of year a lot of cars will have something similar so I'm keen to be ahead of the curve.

BTW. I'm pretty sure I can skip the 2 week cooling off period so now I've decided on the headlining I might do that.

[MrDan]

MrDan - is yours a facelift car, then? But at the older prices?

Yep my order was confirmed 3 days before the Face lift came out.

Edited by Mike_C on Thursday 7th July 12:50

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