Edit: I should point out that the Tesla Model S has a tasteful look, but is a bit too fancy pants for me at the moment.
Really, these Tesla 50k cars are probably around 35k battery, 10k frame and body, 5k everything else. It is why the 240 mile and 300 mile versions are each respectively 10k more expensive.
One thing nobody seems to be talking about is how these vehicles have much shorter livespans than a well maintained gas guzzler. The batteries only have around 100k charge cycles, and I read somewhere that the reality is the batteries of electric cars half their charge life in 5 years, and probably need replaced by 8.
You ignore that modern gas engines require fixing/replacement of clutches, transmissions, engine rebuilds etc. that an electric vehicle don't need/have. Those things wear out faster than a HV battery.
I know folks with 10+ year old Prius who still get 45+ MPG.
Finally Tesla warranties the battery for 8 years [1]. So after 8 years you might have to replace the battery, and the cost of which (given the rise of electric cars) will have gone down considerably.
[1] http://www.teslamotors.com/blog/model-s-update-pricing-and-o...
(I also had it chipped, but that's for sheer driving pleasure and isn't visible by looking at it, obviously).
Funny... I just bought a new-ish German luxury sedan: 2004 Audi A4. It is newest and most expensive car I have ever owned.
Perspective is a weird thing...
I love my A4. I'm glad I made the "compromise" and got it.
BTW, my primary reason for getting the A4 is because the B6 design is (IMHO) the only 2002-2005 family of cars that actually do not look even remotely dated. Non-car-enthusiasts would not recognize a B6 design as being 10 years old. Audi really did a great job getting ahead of the curve with that design, esp. when (today) you compare a 2002 BMW/Mercedes/Lexus/Infiniti to the 2002 Audi models, you see what I mean: the latter group is distinctly "older looking."
WRT the navigation: just get a 100 dollar Nuvi w/ realtime traffic. My B6 doesn't have the in-dash navigation in the first place, but the Garmin's a really nice product.
Plus, the internal inputs into built-in nav are a big plus; it works a little bit better than the aftermarket stuff, and having turns on the driver information display is worth it to me too.
What would really make sense is a Model S for around here, and then getting a TDI (I wish they sold the A4 TDI in the USA, but a VW Passat or A3) for really long trips. I get about 28-30mpg on highways at 75mph in my A4 (with APR chip, and about 100k miles), but that's with premium fuel. But I guess depreciation dominates fuel cost for a while longer.
What would make for a great long-distance car here in the States would be the 335d. If you get the Model S in 2013 or so, a 5 year old 335d should be around the right price for the taking. I got my A4 chip'd as well, seeing the same mileage. Four dollars at the pump seems like a fair enough tradeoff for me (15 gallons at ~25 cents more).
My real long-term (5-10 year) goal is to make enough money and have enough time to have a CH-801 (STOL piston, diesel engine) aircraft, about $100-200k, for flying SFO to Reno or Oregon, and then eventually a HondaJet to fly to Vancouver, central Washington, dive sites in Socal, etc.
My previous ride was a 1990 BMW 535I and before that a 1982 Mercedes. Both purchased when they were over 15 years old and both for less than $3k so paying closer to $10k was quite. Move up.
And I agree that the b6 is the pinnacle of Audi style (at least currently). The b7 and b8 front ends are uglo-cars IMHO. I'm hoping to keep this car for as long as I can. I'm even looking to pick up a spare motor in case mine blows up (I'm getting current one chipped next week).