Now, don't take this the wrong way, the Model S is too good to be true.
Here's the thing: It is an amazing vehicle and an amazing achievement for a company. These guys have jumped into the automotive industry and really shaken it up. This is only their second production vehicle! Do you know how insane that is?
BUT, even with the vehicles that aren't affected by the defects, long term reliability is a huge unknown, which is to be expected. This is a first generation model. Like all first generation vehicles, it's going to have bugs that need to be worked out. Both mechanical and electrical. It shows that overall, the build quality is pretty great.
I have been telling people this about Tesla that are considering getting one: Wait one or two more generations of vehicles. With the information gathered from long term use of the Model S, their next vehicles are going to be outstanding.
My biggest concern with the Model S is the battery life. Battery technology is on the cusp of taking some huge leaps and I feel that two things are could happen within the next 10 years. 1: The batteries in the Model S will become outdated and impractical to where they will no longer be mass produced. 2: The battery range of the Model S will start to drop off a noticeable amount every year thereafter.
That leaves a huge problem that I'm not sure has been addressed. I hope Tesla steps up, but those cars are going to be working their way toward becoming paper weights at some point. You could argue that with any vehicle, but there are massive amounts of parts for combustion engine vehicles that would let you keep nearly any vehicle running for 30-40 years. Plus the systems are so universal that with some fabrication, you can swap in just about any drivetrain from one vehicle to another. I don't see that as a possibility with the Model S
So, the questions I'm left with are: What is going to be the resale value of these vehicles? And then, what's going to happen to these vehicles once their range drops down to an amount that makes them impractical to use?