Thirty-Two Dive: Thank you (sincerely) for your detailed, point-by-point response. NO sarkasterisks.
You suggested looking at a new Model S because they just refreshed it. What does that mean? Have there been lots of improvements? Anything(s) in particular stand out?
You mentioned that the closest Service Center is probably in Pearl (about 125 miles from me) or Memphis (about 200 miles from me). If I need service and the car is at my house will Mobile Service come out that far? How much should I expect it to cost for them to come out that far (not counting labor and parts if not under warranty) at my location? How long is the warranty anyway and does it transfer to the new owner when the car is sold?
Regarding battery range in cold weather you mentioned that newer Teslas might have a heat pump. How new does the car need to be to have that?
They've massively updated the interior, for the first time in years. go check out the web site. Granted, this is an $80,000 car. They've updated it to feel more like one. Cutting edge tech. BUT... You aren't buying a Lexus LS. The materials quality is fairly good, but not Lexus quality (especially before the incoming refresh). Tesla, by design, tries to keep things lightweight, and minimalistic. So, that will take some getting use to, going from a Lexus. It is all function over form.
It also has more range. Approximately 100 more miles than an old P100D. (412 vs 315). Its 0-60 of 3.1 is slower than the 2.4 of the P100D, if that matters. Not to mention, the price difference probably won't be worth the tradeoff. But that is for you to compare and decide, of course.
I'm pretty sure the warranty is transferable, as far as that's concerned. A decade ago, Mobile Rangers used to be like $1/roundtrip mile (minimum $100 service fee. But they got rid of that minimum charge years ago). I think it now depends on the service, and whether it is a warranty call or not. I'm not of authority on service or warranty, for I haven't needed it. The newest Model 3s and Model Ys have a heat pump, which is really efficient for heating. I think the Model S is still uses resistant heating, which uses mucho electricity. Heated seats/steering wheel uses much less energy, than HVAC heating in electric cars. It's not a deal breaker, in the south. But it's something you learn to account for.
Teslas don't depreciate as fast as other cars (The higher end performance trims of the X and S take a long term hit, but not like the German high end cars that eventually, really long term, get mechanically totalled with daily use). But, I expect that to change in the future as the cars are updated, and competent electric cars appear on the horizon, and more Teslas hit the used market, with people upgrading to newer cars.
Keep you car in between 20-80% for daily use, and the battery will last longer than you'll care to keep it. Tesla has an built in buffer (Tesla's is an undefined amount. but like 4-5%), like newer electric cars, that will keep you from using it to a critical point of damaging the battery. You may charge the car to 100% for long trips, but don't let it sit long at that percentage.
Here's some extra... I charge to 95% for trips, or, if I'm going to use a supercharger, that amount of energy to get there +15%. I use the middle 20% of my battery on daily use, to preserve long term battery health. If you use 50% of your battery each day, charge daily to 75%, and run it down to 25%. The more you Supercharge, the less beneficial it is for your battery's long term health. Now, I'm splitting hairs for optimum health. Supercharging is not going to kill your battery, unless you do it alot, and try to charge it to 100% when doing so. Superchargers charge really fast at low energy levels, but taper off, the more "full" it gets. Supercharging from 85-100% will be take approximately more time than charging 10-85%. You can learn alot by going to the tesla owners forums, but it is a lot of either redundancy, or overkill. (like what I usually post).