{"id":27403,"date":"2021-05-27T11:38:47","date_gmt":"2021-05-27T15:38:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=27403"},"modified":"2021-05-27T11:38:47","modified_gmt":"2021-05-27T15:38:47","slug":"payne-used-2015-tesla-model-s-p90d-is-a-ludicrous-bargain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2021\/05\/payne-used-2015-tesla-model-s-p90d-is-a-ludicrous-bargain","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Used 2015 Tesla Model S P90D is a Ludicrous bargain"},"content":{"rendered":"

The OG has still got it.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been over three years since\u00a0I\u2019ve been behind the wheel\u00a0<\/a>of a Tesla Model S. The Original Gangster. The breakthrough electric vehicle that redefined what a battery-powered vehicles could be. Since that time, I\u2019ve owned two Model 3s \u2014 the more affordable\u00a0junior version of S that made the Silicon Valley brand a luxe best-seller when it was introduced in 2017.<\/p>\n

But here\u2019s the thing. The Model S is not only still state-of-the-art, it\u2019s now affordable too.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"What<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The used market is awash in Model S cars going back to its original\u00a02012 model year. Good cars. Like the 2015 Model S P90D with 60,000 miles I drove for two days while my Model 3 Performance was in the shop (to clean out a mouse that tried to escape from Michigan\u2019s winter by nesting in the floorboards).<\/p>\n

Ludicrous mode. Zero-to-60 in 2.8 seconds. All-wheel drive. Leather and Alcantara interior. Panoramic sunroof.<\/p>\n

Tesla\u2019s Clarkston dealership was using this P90D as a loaner for customers like me, but I\u2019m sure they\u2019d sell it to you. Offer 45 grand. That\u2019s right, $45,000, a few grand more than the average $38,900 new car price paid in 2020. If they won\u2019t sell it to you, there\u2019s one in Glendale, Arizona, for $46.4K with 55,000 miles. Or Chattanooga for $49.9K with 50K miles, or …<\/p>\n

You get the idea. They\u2019re out there at accessible prices for a sedan that sold new for $140 grand. A new, 2021 Model S starts at $79,990. The performance version (now called Plaid instead of P90D)? $120k.<\/p>\n

Despite its six-year age, a used Model S\u00a0still feels like the most modern car in the midsize market. Other manufacturers have pedaled hard to catch up \u2014 most notably Mercedes, which now sports most of the tech features found in the Model S. But S remains as fresh as the first time I saw it on the Detroit auto show floor in 2012.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Crowds were three deep to get into it. They ogled its big screen. Its simple interior. My Model 3 took that simplicity to its logical extreme \u2014 an iPhone-simple interior with everything located in a 12-inch center screen. It was the Model 3\u2019s radical design that enticed me to put $1,000 down after Elon Musk unveiled it in April\u00a02016. I put a deposit on a $50,000 car without even sitting in it. Before a single model had even rolled off the line.<\/p>\n

Because I knew its potential\u00a0after driving multiple Model S\u2019<\/a>s.<\/p>\n

Turning right onto Interstate 75 after leaving the Clarkson dealership, I matted the throttle and … curses! The Tesla mother ship in Silicon Valley had restricted the loaner car\u2019s drive mode to \u201cChill.\u201d No Ludicrous mode for loaner drivers. Insurance reasons, I get it.<\/p>\n

But the 4,800-pound sedan still surged forward nicely \u2014 an appetizer for the dizzying, face-flattening torque that Ludicrous mode offers. Yet\u00a0for all its heft (equal to a base Ford F-150), the Model S felt planted, its battery underneath me creating a center of gravity lower than a Porsche Boxster Cayman, for goodness sake. I hustled around the clover leaf.<\/p>\n

I barked a restaurant destination \u2014 \u201cZao Jun in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan\u201d \u2014 and the system didn\u2019t miss a thing, perfectly interpreting my southern West Virginia command for an Asian restaurant. I set sail using the beautiful\u00a0Google Earth-rendered display that still wows nearly a decade after I first saw it on the showroom floor.<\/p>\n

\"In<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Significantly, the S felt current \u2014 its software updated through 2020 by over-the-air updates to contain the latest infotainment and toybox features (like Fireplace) that Tesla offers. That is, despite being six years old, the Model S has gotten better, its graphics and features updating all the while.<\/p>\n

What the used Model S did not have, however, was Autopilot.<\/p>\n

Though all cars Tesla manufactured from September 2014-October 2016 contained the hardware necessary for driver-assist, my car likely didn\u2019t have the updated software for the same reason it was denied Ludicrous mode: so loaner customers didn\u2019t play with it. It can be, um, intense for the uninitiated.<\/p>\n

That will be fine with most folks (a friend of mine has a Model S with Autopilot and never uses it) since the vehicle\u2019s standard adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist and\u00a0emergency braking are excellent. I cruised happily around town barking navigation instructions, deferring to the auto windshield wipers to clear muck from my screen, and watching the auto high beams switch on\/off when they sensed another car.<\/p>\n

The 2015 model still has the \u201cnose cap\u201d (as Tesla-philes call it) \u2014 that awkward faux plastic grille that S sedans had until designers removed it for a simpler \u201cfalcon beak\u201d in 2016. My Model 3 looks awkward with no grille at all \u2014 its nose as featureless as bad guy Voldemort in a Harry Potter movie.<\/p>\n

\"Best<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

For $1,750, you can buy an updated front clip\u00a0for the Model S from TSportline<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Unlike Model 3, Model S is equipped with a hatchback, opening massive rear cargo space just like an SUV. Or an A7, my favorite Audi sedan. It\u2019s the best of both worlds: SUV utility meets sedan\u2019s low center of gravity.<\/p>\n

The Model S is also solid as a rock at high speed. Mrs. Payne remarked on how hushed the interior felt compared to the Model 3 \u2014 which has had numerous build issues as Tesla rushed them out the door to fill demand. Pals who own Model S\u2019s have remarked to me how reliable theirs have been \u2014 a testament\u00a0to the simplicity of the Tesla\u2019s build. Electric motors and batteries don\u2019t require much maintenance.<\/p>\n

So for your $45,000\u00a0luxury yacht, you also get low maintenance costs. And \u2014\u00a0finally!<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 a dealership nearby.<\/p>\n

The Clarkson dealership is the first in the state for Tesla after the incoming Whitmer administration lifted restrictions on manufacturers (i.e., Tesla) selling directly to customers. The state legislature tried to reverse the order, but the effort died in the Senate.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Just a half hour up I-75 from my Oakland County home, I returned the S and picked up my repaired Model 3. The 3 remains my preferred Tesla for its compact size and more track-worthy nature (we motorheads like track days).<\/p>\n

But a low-mileage, sub-$50,000\u00a0P90D is a tempting dish indeed. Especially as it tastes as fresh as when it came out of the oven.<\/p>\n

2015\u00a0Used Tesla Model S P90D\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vehicle type: Battery-powered, all-wheel-drive, five-passenger\u00a0luxury sedan<\/p>\n

Price: est. $45,000-$50,000 ($139,700 when new in 2015)<\/p>\n

Powerplant: 90 kWh lithium-ion battery with twin, electric-motor drive<\/p>\n

Power: 532 horsepower, 713 pound-feet torque<\/p>\n

Transmission: One-speed direct drive<\/p>\n

Performance: 0-60 mph, 2.8\u00a0seconds (Car and Driver); top speed, 155 mph<\/p>\n

Weight: 4,842 pounds<\/p>\n

Fuel economy: EPA MPGe 89 city\/98 highway; range, 270 miles<\/p>\n

Report card<\/strong><\/p>\n

Highs: Exotic EV at an affordable price; Ludicrous mode<\/p>\n

Lows: Charging on long trips tedious; \u201cnose cap\u201d<\/p>\n

Overall: 4 stars<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The OG has still got it. It\u2019s been over three years since\u00a0I\u2019ve been behind the wheel\u00a0of a Tesla Model S. The Original Gangster. The breakthrough electric vehicle that redefined what a battery-powered vehicles could be. Since that time, I\u2019ve owned two Model 3s \u2014 the more affordable\u00a0junior version of S that made the Silicon Valley […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27403"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27403"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27403\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27404,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27403\/revisions\/27404"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27403"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27403"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27403"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}