Question Of The Day: Is The Tesla Model S P100D Really Worth $140K?

That depends on what a "buyer" is willing to spend on it. Even Tesla is not immune to open market forces - and even if a buyer TODAY is willing to spend that - that doesn't mean it is "worth" it - nor does it mean it will continue to be worth that.

This car has some amazing engineering and performance capabilities. For it to be worth $140k, the interior needs vast improvement.

Heavens no! If I were buying a Model S, I would just get the 70D and call it a day - its 90% of the performance for about 1/2 the cost.

Exactly! So when are you getting yours? :)

I'm not, nor are many others as the declining sales indicate.

Basically, Porsche has trumped Tesla with their new Panamera - Porsche has built a better Tesla and I would think that Model S customers will defect to Panamera in droves. This is the beginning of the end for Tesla. The Model 3 is a turd.

$140k is the base, you can expect it to get to $160-165k fully-loaded. If you want maximum spaceship-like performance, then yes. It's the fastest car 0-60, and it just happens to seat 5 adults, has two trucks, and a pretty phenomenal tech features.

The 75D is half the price and is still plenty fast. You only lose the acceleration bragging rights, air suspension, and a little bit of range. An even better value will be a Model 3 75D for about $50k.

I think a used Model S for $50k will be a better deal than the Model 3 if there is no strong preference to the form factor.

Yeah, that might be the most bang for your buck short term. If you are planning to own the car very long term (8+ years) I think the Model 3 will end up costing less overall since there are lower maintenance costs and fewer parts to break. Also, the Model 3 motor is being built for 1 million miles before it needs to be replaced versus 250k miles on the Model S/X. You can also argue the 3 is more fuel efficient, but electricity is so inexpensive that it comes out to a $5-10/mo difference for typical use.

The Model S/X drive units (including the motors) are warranted for 8 years unlimited miles and when buying certified there is also a 4 year/50k miles warranty. Also Model S/X cars made until early this year have unlimited free supercharging access whereas the Model 3 will have to pay after the first 400kWh/~1,600 miles. The efficiency of the Model 3 will indeed be somewhat higher.

Ah, I'm not talking about the warranty, but the actual design. The target lifespan of the motor itself (MTBF - Mean Time Between Failures). The current motors have an expected failure rate around a quarter million miles. On one of the investor meetings they let slip that for the 3 they are trying to raise that to a million miles (also the motor is entirely machine built unlike the ones in the S/X).

It baffles me why would anyone buy any EV when technology of EVs will be advancing rapidly. EVs are in their infancy and we will see leaps that will render what is current, yesterday's news. I might consider leasing a Tesla, but never buying one. This is similar to how computers bought today are obsolete tomorrow except that you've dropped $100K plus financing. I am a complete fan of lease, dump, and upgrade with respect to EVs.

The resale values of Teslas is very high, not so much with other EVs. I think I will probably lease instead of buy the Model 3 since I will want to quickly upgrade to the latest self-driving tech available. Current cars have all the range and performance I need, but I can see the self-driving being the killer app for me to upgrade more frequently. I bought my Model S, but I honestly wasn't expecting self-driving or even highway autopilot to be a possibility before 2020.

I don't care is resale value is 100%. The fact is that the technology of EVs now will be laughably antiquated in 5 years.

For a Leaf, yes. I'm not sure if a Model S with Autopilot 2.0 is going to be that obsolete in 5 years. The original Model S came out 5 years ago and the current version is significantly better, but not laughably so. 5 years from now, there will be faster models, maybe four-motor drive (4x4 in a sedan), better range, refreshed interior and exterior, faster charging, and two more generations of Autopilot. It will be better for sure, but probably not so dramatic that nobody will want the 2017 models.