$35,000 Tesla Model III Is Coming In 2017

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drnickriviera

Platinum Member
Jan 30, 2001
2,414
199
116
Question is, when will the cars be able to use it? Aren't they still trying to get the gov to approve it?
 

Ichinisan

Lifer
Oct 9, 2002
28,298
1,234
136
Question is, when will the cars be able to use it? Aren't they still trying to get the gov to approve it?
...and I don't think it can be approved by a national agency and automatically be allowed in other areas that have their own rules.
 

KentState

Diamond Member
Oct 19, 2001
8,397
393
126
Pretty impressive application of technology and chip design. Unlike a lot of other companies, they are tailoring the hardware for the problem and not taking existing parts and cobbling them together. Pretty simple in concept of taking the inputs directly into the processor and feeding it back out to the physical controls. Everyone else has layers in between that slow down the pipeline.

Skip to 1:09 for the actual discussion on the processors.

 

Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
Feb 14, 2004
48,392
5,257
136
Looks like Tesla will be launching their own car insurance in May:

https://electrek.co/2019/04/24/tesla-launch-insurance-program-elon-musk/

Curious to see how that compares price & feature-wise to traditional providers. Musk did mention this in the earnings call:
Dacia 15:05 PT: On Full Self-Driving safety, Tesla will keep reporting their findings and numbers at “a broad brushstroke level”…”We do give some information to insurance companies to reduce rates,” Elon says, meaning FSD safety data to lower auto insurance rates for Tesla owners.
 

KentState

Diamond Member
Oct 19, 2001
8,397
393
126
Insurance rates are heavily impacted by the cost to repair the vehicle. That is the only thing that ever differianted the rates between various cars I've had over the years. The risk rates of owning a certain type of vehicle probably aren't that big of a deal as you get older.
 

manly

Lifer
Jan 25, 2000
10,914
2,061
126
$399/mo Tesla Model 3 lease:

https://electrek.co/2019/05/03/tesla-model-3-monthly-lease-payment-399/

1. $4,500 down (~$19k total over the 3 years, with the down payment & 36 payments of $400/mo)
2. No option to buy at the end of the lease (car gets recycled into Tesla's Uber competitor)
3. 10k miles a year
3. RWD, black paint, 18" aero rims, Autopilot included
Still seems like a raw deal. Let's say about $2k is the financing cost over 3 years.
Let's also deduct $1200 for delivery.

So you're paying about $15,700 for the car over 3 years. Does the Model 3 actually depreciate that much? Divided by $39,500 that is 40% depreciation. I suppose some of the "well-equipped" Model 3 builds might depreciate at that rate, but I think that's excessive compared to reality. There just aren't a lot of used Teslas being sold, the cars at this point are still somewhat unique in overall user experience, so they depreciate fairly slowly compared to typical "luxury cars."
 

Aikouka

Lifer
Nov 27, 2001
30,383
912
126
$399/mo Tesla Model 3 lease:

https://electrek.co/2019/05/03/tesla-model-3-monthly-lease-payment-399/

1. $4,500 down (~$19k total over the 3 years, with the down payment & 36 payments of $400/mo)
2. No option to buy at the end of the lease (car gets recycled into Tesla's Uber competitor)
3. 10k miles a year
3. RWD, black paint, 18" aero rims, Autopilot included

Hm, going with a Tesla lease might not be a bad idea. The biggest thing is with how much Tesla cars change over the years, after about three years, you may want to consider upgrading anyway. I looked at a Performance model's lease pricing that's pretty close to my features (but no FSD), and it was about $780 per month. (That was with the 15,000 mile option.) Financing the car at six years with the same amount down ($4500) ends up being around $100 more per month.

If you gave me that choice today... I might consider the lease option. Overall, it looks like you're paying slight over half the cost of the car, which sounds about in line with depreciation on cars. (The cheaper option is slightly below half given 19k versus 39k cost.)

EDIT:

Does the Model 3 actually depreciate that much? Divided by $39,500 that is 40% depreciation. I suppose some of the "well-equipped" Model 3 builds might depreciate at that rate, but I think that's excessive compared to reality. There just aren't a lot of used Teslas being sold, the cars at this point are still somewhat unique in overall user experience, so they depreciate fairly slowly compared to typical "luxury cars."

Depreciation on Tesla vehicles has always been... odd. Some people prefer to factor in the tax credit as a deduction in the value. (Speaking of that, if you lease, you cannot get the tax credit.) Also, there's how Tesla recently reduced the price on the cars. If a friend of mine would've waited about six months, he would've saved around $18k on his Model X. That means there's an automatic $18k loss in the price of his car as why would you pay him more than retail? Also, his used price is now based on that new price, which means his depreciation will hit even harder. Fortunately, the reduction in price doesn't hurt me as much, but it did hit as well.

Also, speaking of not getting the tax credit, Tesla baked in the reduction in credit into the price of their cars. This makes leasing more appealing since you're still getting ~$4k worth of benefit since the price was reduced to match the lost tax credit... a benefit you'd normally never get with a lease.
 
Last edited:

manly

Lifer
Jan 25, 2000
10,914
2,061
126
Hm, going with a Tesla lease might not be a bad idea. The biggest thing is with how much Tesla cars change over the years, after about three years, you may want to consider upgrading anyway. I looked at a Performance model's lease pricing that's pretty close to my features (but no FSD), and it was about $780 per month. (That was with the 15,000 mile option.) Financing the car at six years with the same amount down ($4500) ends up being around $100 more per month.

If you gave me that choice today... I might consider the lease option. Overall, it looks like you're paying slight over half the cost of the car, which sounds about in line with depreciation on cars. (The cheaper option is slightly below half given 19k versus 39k cost.)
Apples and oranges. If you finance, you have trade-in value at 36 months, no?

EDIT:



Depreciation on Tesla vehicles has always been... odd. Some people prefer to factor in the tax credit as a deduction in the value. (Speaking of that, if you lease, you cannot get the tax credit.) Also, there's how Tesla recently reduced the price on the cars. If a friend of mine would've waited about six months, he would've saved around $18k on his Model X. That means there's an automatic $18k loss in the price of his car as why would you pay him more than retail? Also, his used price is now based on that new price, which means his depreciation will hit even harder. Fortunately, the reduction in price doesn't hurt me as much, but it did hit as well.

Also, speaking of not getting the tax credit, Tesla baked in the reduction in credit into the price of their cars. This makes leasing more appealing since you're still getting ~$4k worth of benefit since the price was reduced to match the lost tax credit... a benefit you'd normally never get with a lease.
Yes, Tesla has different models with different depreciation rates. Any Model X for over $100k is easily worst of the bunch. Historically, Model S wasn't bad but with the emergence of the 3 and price cuts, I'm sure that is no longer the case.

But as I said, Tesla BEVs are still somewhat unique (long range, OTA updates, Supercharger network, good styling) and owners are very loyal to the cars. With so few (Model 3) on the used market, their depreciation curve is significant better than any other luxury marque. I won't argue whether Tesla M3 is actually a luxury car.

My point is that 60% residual value (40% depreciation) is terrible if in reality, Model 3 is losing just 30% in 3 years.

And it may be worse than that, as I had ignored the tax credit earlier since I wasn't sure how to account for it. You're saying they baked in the $3750 tax credit into the lease, which means the car's price was roughly $36k. So in this scenario, RV is just 57%.

I didn't say it earlier, but unless you have a business tax deduction, auto leases are almost always bad for consumers. Sure there's something to be said if you're in the top 1% of American earners, enjoy a new car every few years, and for whom $500 per month is essentially chump change. In that case, I have no argument against leasing.

For most consumers, leasing just ensures you take the full depreciation hit of a new car. The only benefit you get in return are smiles.
 

Aikouka

Lifer
Nov 27, 2001
30,383
912
126
Apples and oranges. If you finance, you have trade-in value at 36 months, no?

I guess it would depend on what the trade-in value would be. I'm not really sure what a Tesla is worth as a trade-in. As you mentioned, it is hard to tell given the lack of data. Also, the reduction in price and the fact that my model (LR RWD) isn't even sold anymore (on the website) is worth noting. Although, if it's any indication, you can pay $2000 less for the AWD model as I did for the RWD model with the same options selected. The AWD increase usually bounced between $4000-6000 depending on Elon's mood. :p

And it may be worse than that, as I had ignored the tax credit earlier since I wasn't sure how to account for it. You're saying they baked in the $3750 tax credit into the lease, which means the car's price was roughly $36k. So in this scenario, RV is just 57%.

Tesla tried to bake the halving of the tax credit (-$3750) into the price of the car for everyone not just leasees. What I mean is that by baking in the savings, leasees now at least get some of the benefit by default. Prior to the drop from $7500 to $3750, leasees got nothing.
 

Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
Feb 14, 2004
48,392
5,257
136
I didn't say it earlier, but unless you have a business tax deduction, auto leases are almost always bad for consumers. Sure there's something to be said if you're in the top 1% of American earners, enjoy a new car every few years, and for whom $500 per month is essentially chump change. In that case, I have no argument against leasing.

FWIW, most of my leases were in the $230 to $280 range (zero down). Just off the top of my head, my vehicles included:

* Saturn ION
* Kia Soul
* Honda Fit
* Honda Civic

They weren't super fancy or anything, but the lease payment (for 12k miles/yr for 36 months, typically) was pretty reasonable to me, as a trade-off to always have a 100% reliable car...even if I had to fall back to working in retail or fast-food, I could still cover the ~$17/day that a lease cost (lease @ $250/mo + gas @ $200/mo + insurance @ $80/mo, divided by 31 days) & not have to drive a clunker around that was always costing me big bucks for maintenance or in the shop constantly for issues.
 

Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
Feb 14, 2004
48,392
5,257
136
I looked at a Performance model's

You know, now that I've driven my buddy's base model (well, Standard Plus) a few times...yeah, the Performance model is awesome, haha. I mean, the SP is as fast as my Mustang, advertised (0 to 60 in 5.3s), but the Performance 3 (3.2s currently) is ridiculous. I see what you mean about wanting more out of the non-Performance model. Initially it's crazy-fast, but as you get used to it, I can see how you'd crave more power down the road.

I don't know if it will ever happen, but I'd like either magnetic shocks or the air suspension on the 3, plus a heated steering wheel.
 

Aikouka

Lifer
Nov 27, 2001
30,383
912
126
You know, now that I've driven my buddy's base model (well, Standard Plus) a few times...yeah, the Performance model is awesome, haha. I mean, the SP is as fast as my Mustang, advertised (0 to 60 in 5.3s), but the Performance 3 (3.2s currently) is ridiculous. I see what you mean about wanting more out of the non-Performance model. Initially it's crazy-fast, but as you get used to it, I can see how you'd crave more power down the road.

I don't know if it will ever happen, but I'd like either magnetic shocks or the air suspension on the 3, plus a heated steering wheel.

I feel like the dichotomy of stinginess and speed-demon would be at odds in a Performance Model 3. You'd want to have some fun with the car, but you'd check your Energy window and be all :eek: when you see your Wh/mi. I think my energy usage has gotten worse since I switched off of Chill mode, because I tend to accelerate faster without really noticing it.

I'm mixed on whether you'd see fancier suspension in the Model 3. If I remember correctly, the air suspension used to be a premium option on the Model S, which makes me think that Tesla would rather keep it as a fancy option for the more expensive vehicles. Although, I do agree that it should have a heated steering wheel. There was a thread on the Tesla sub-reddit about changes that you'd like to see, and I wrote up quite a list.... There's no real order to this and it includes issues and minor quibbles.

Hardware Changes
  1. Add about an inch to the steering wheel's max height.
  2. Add dedicated hardware functions (buttons, dials, etc.) for lights and wipers.
  3. Reduce the noise transference between the trunk and the cabin.
  4. Adjust the water channels in the trunk to make it better at catching falling rain when opening the trunk lid.
  5. Use an IR sensor for automatic rain-sensing wipers (currently the front camera).
  6. Use an easier indicator for blind-spot detection (e.g. LED on the side-mirror).
  7. Heated steering wheel.
  8. Better seats with the Performance model (current seats lack side support).
  9. Rework 20" Performance wheels to be a better balance between looks and weight.
  10. Black trim instead of chrome.
  11. Black dash insert option instead of wooden default.
  12. Add proximity capability to the key fob.
  13. Add a small display in front of the steering wheel for current speed, cruise speed, and a user-selectable option (media, navigation, etc.).
  14. Consider providing an option to choose your cellular carrier (AT&T vs. Verizon). (When this was free, it was hard to complain, but it's going to cost us $100 per year in the future and AT&T has never been great in my area.)
Software Changes
  1. USB playback needs a major overhaul. Currently scans at each start-up, only plays contents in a single folder, no playlist support, etc.
  2. Voice commands should affect the current media source if possible. During USB playback, a voice command will switch it to Streaming.
  3. Add more voice commands for media features.
  4. Add a separate function to use normal Cruise Control when the vehicle is equipped with Traffic-Assisted Cruise Control. (This should NOT be a toggle between the two!)
  5. Switch from Slacker to Spotify. (Slacker seems best suited for common songs, but has awful pairings for more niche content.)
  6. Consider a normalizer function for the radio. (Slacker has an issue with poor volume on its songs some requiring the volume to be 50%+.)
  7. Provide adequate notifications and progress if recalibration is occurring. (This took up to a week to finish on my car with no notifications.)
  8. Reduce bugs in live (non-experimental channel) builds. (No connection, rear camera takes 5-20 seconds to display, phantom slowdowns, etc.)
 

bigi

Platinum Member
Aug 8, 2001
2,482
153
106

Autopilot detects rear end collision checks up the left lane and gets around the car in front to prevent front end collision. Stunning.
 

manly

Lifer
Jan 25, 2000
10,914
2,061
126
FWIW, most of my leases were in the $230 to $280 range (zero down). Just off the top of my head, my vehicles included:

* Saturn ION
* Kia Soul
* Honda Fit
* Honda Civic

They weren't super fancy or anything, but the lease payment (for 12k miles/yr for 36 months, typically) was pretty reasonable to me, as a trade-off to always have a 100% reliable car...even if I had to fall back to working in retail or fast-food, I could still cover the ~$17/day that a lease cost (lease @ $250/mo + gas @ $200/mo + insurance @ $80/mo, divided by 31 days) & not have to drive a clunker around that was always costing me big bucks for maintenance or in the shop constantly for issues.
I'm trying to be careful here and not sound like I know what's right for your situation. But I still stand by what I've said, which is that leases generally are not the best choice for consumers. It's simple really, leasing a new car means you are paying for the full depreciation over the lease term. One exception is that in the past, BMW USA would artificially inflate its RV to sell cars. This made their leases quite attractive compared to their class competitors, but it also means their captive lease unit would be stuck with the cars after the lease ended. With the inflated RV, it made almost no sense for the lessee to buy out the car. People would also argue that you'd have to be mentally ill to own and operate a German car out of warranty. That may have been well true at a time, but even then, there is a huge difference between a car with 36k miles on the odometer than one with over 100k miles.

I certainly would not support someone with a typical retail job having a car lease payment (within their means) as that is an inefficient use of discretionary income. Let's be real here, it's not like cars suddenly become clunkers at the 36 month mark. I sort of miss my 2000 Honda Accord. While I didn't put many miles on the odo, it was cheap to operate. Besides several sets of tires and other routine maintenance over 17 years, I believe the only actual repair of a parts failure was of the fuel sensors.

There could be an argument for leasing a slowly-depreciating car such as Hondas, Toyotas, or Tesla Model 3 if the residual value is right and the money factor is low. But realize you're still paying for depreciation; it just happens to be less on a percentage basis for certain autos.
 

Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
Feb 14, 2004
48,392
5,257
136
I feel like the dichotomy of stinginess and speed-demon would be at odds in a Performance Model 3. You'd want to have some fun with the car, but you'd check your Energy window and be all :eek: when you see your Wh/mi. I think my energy usage has gotten worse since I switched off of Chill mode, because I tend to accelerate faster without really noticing it.

I'm mixed on whether you'd see fancier suspension in the Model 3. If I remember correctly, the air suspension used to be a premium option on the Model S, which makes me think that Tesla would rather keep it as a fancy option for the more expensive vehicles. Although, I do agree that it should have a heated steering wheel. There was a thread on the Tesla sub-reddit about changes that you'd like to see, and I wrote up quite a list.... There's no real order to this and it includes issues and minor quibbles.

Hardware Changes
  1. Add about an inch to the steering wheel's max height.
  2. Add dedicated hardware functions (buttons, dials, etc.) for lights and wipers.
  3. Reduce the noise transference between the trunk and the cabin.
  4. Adjust the water channels in the trunk to make it better at catching falling rain when opening the trunk lid.
  5. Use an IR sensor for automatic rain-sensing wipers (currently the front camera).
  6. Use an easier indicator for blind-spot detection (e.g. LED on the side-mirror).
  7. Heated steering wheel.
  8. Better seats with the Performance model (current seats lack side support).
  9. Rework 20" Performance wheels to be a better balance between looks and weight.
  10. Black trim instead of chrome.
  11. Black dash insert option instead of wooden default.
  12. Add proximity capability to the key fob.
  13. Add a small display in front of the steering wheel for current speed, cruise speed, and a user-selectable option (media, navigation, etc.).
  14. Consider providing an option to choose your cellular carrier (AT&T vs. Verizon). (When this was free, it was hard to complain, but it's going to cost us $100 per year in the future and AT&T has never been great in my area.)
Software Changes
  1. USB playback needs a major overhaul. Currently scans at each start-up, only plays contents in a single folder, no playlist support, etc.
  2. Voice commands should affect the current media source if possible. During USB playback, a voice command will switch it to Streaming.
  3. Add more voice commands for media features.
  4. Add a separate function to use normal Cruise Control when the vehicle is equipped with Traffic-Assisted Cruise Control. (This should NOT be a toggle between the two!)
  5. Switch from Slacker to Spotify. (Slacker seems best suited for common songs, but has awful pairings for more niche content.)
  6. Consider a normalizer function for the radio. (Slacker has an issue with poor volume on its songs some requiring the volume to be 50%+.)
  7. Provide adequate notifications and progress if recalibration is occurring. (This took up to a week to finish on my car with no notifications.)
  8. Reduce bugs in live (non-experimental channel) builds. (No connection, rear camera takes 5-20 seconds to display, phantom slowdowns, etc.)

Yeah, all of those make sense. Probably my biggest complaint was the lack of a wiper button or lever. The auto wipers stink!

I really wish they'd integrate Apple Carplay. I personally didn't like the musical interface & whatnot in it. My Mustang has Carplay and I love love love it! Texting & calls are easy with voice commands, Spotify & Audible & my podcasts are cinch to operate on the touchscreen, and I don't have to sync or update anything...I just plug my iPhone in via the Lightning cable & viola, it's ready to go right away!

I wish they offered more wheel options...I don't really like of the aftermarket wheels, aesthetically. As far as the suspension goes, I don't really have any beef with the suspension, it'd just be a cool option to have, haha!
 

Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
Feb 14, 2004
48,392
5,257
136
I'm trying to be careful here and not sound like I know what's right for your situation. But I still stand by what I've said, which is that leases generally are not the best choice for consumers. It's simple really, leasing a new car means you are paying for the full depreciation over the lease term. One exception is that in the past, BMW USA would artificially inflate its RV to sell cars. This made their leases quite attractive compared to their class competitors, but it also means their captive lease unit would be stuck with the cars after the lease ended. With the inflated RV, it made almost no sense for the lessee to buy out the car. People would also argue that you'd have to be mentally ill to own and operate a German car out of warranty. That may have been well true at a time, but even then, there is a huge difference between a car with 36k miles on the odometer than one with over 100k miles.

I certainly would not support someone with a typical retail job having a car lease payment (within their means) as that is an inefficient use of discretionary income. Let's be real here, it's not like cars suddenly become clunkers at the 36 month mark. I sort of miss my 2000 Honda Accord. While I didn't put many miles on the odo, it was cheap to operate. Besides several sets of tires and other routine maintenance over 17 years, I believe the only actual repair of a parts failure was of the fuel sensors.

There could be an argument for leasing a slowly-depreciating car such as Hondas, Toyotas, or Tesla Model 3 if the residual value is right and the money factor is low. But realize you're still paying for depreciation; it just happens to be less on a percentage basis for certain autos.

In modern cars, even at 100k miles, you still have a pretty good car in most cases, surprisingly...that's about the time you have to change out the spark plugs for the first time!

The way I look at cars is based on two things:

1. What's your budget?
2. What do you want?

A lot of people get really wrapped up in the economic aspect as the sole lens at which to look at cars with. But as we all know, the one rule of finances is, "you can buy anything you can responsibly afford." Which then leads into, what do you want, given your available budget? Just reliable transportation? Just transportation, period? A fun car? An off-road vehicle? A trunk to go to Home Depot on a regular basis?

For a long time, my budget only allowed for rolling piles of garbage, haha. Later, after I got a steady income from a full-time job post-graduation, my goal was to have an extremely reliable vehicle. I work in freelance IT & drive to customer sites all day long, so my car can't be down, because that kills my schedule. Based on how many miles I drove at the time I was leasing vehicles, leasing made a lot of sense for my situation.

Is leasing the bottom-line, absolute most economical way to have a reliable vehicle in your life? Definitely not! Owning a reliable used car that you can do the work on yourself is probably #1, followed by a late-model vehicle where the depreciation is paid off, such as an off-lease vehicle. Of course, post-lease, you'll have to start looking at new tires, brakes, and some other work, which can run you a grand, but then you're good to go for awhile after that.

Personally, I absolutely loved leasing & would still do it, but I'm running about 25k miles a year right now, which is a bit of a stretch for most lease deals. Technically, yup, you are eating the depreciation. In practice, finance-wise, those leased vehicles that ran under $300 a month (with tax etc.) split into less than $75 a week, which met my personal budget at the time nicely - compact vehicle, good gas mileage, budget-friendly price for what I had allocated, etc. I wasn't hung up on "owning" a vehicle; my primary metric was having reliable transportation for my work commute & finding the right price to fit my budget. I had been through a number of unreliable clunkers prior to leasing for 10 or 15 years & didn't want to have downtime issues with being in the shop all the time (then I got burned on my Renegade, but that's a separate story! lol). So my vehicle lens is simple:

1. What's your available budget? (by choice, in terms of what you choose to allocate to it, or by force, based on tight budget constraints)
2. What do you personally want? (type of car, new or used, gas or electric, etc.)

If your goal is (1) to have a low-cost vehicle, and (2) you don't want a monthly payment, there are plenty of options out there. I often tell people who don't have a far commute to buy a used Nissan Leaf. In my area, off-lease Leafs are going in the $8k to $12k range with 40k miles on them. My buddy leased & then bought his Leaf & put 100k miles on it with zero expenses outside of windshield wipers (he didn't have to buy new tires until around 105k miles, somehow!), so if you can handle the charge time (hours) & the limited range (80-ish miles on the older models), then it's kind of a hard deal to beat! Likewise, I have a buddy with an older Honda Civic, but it's easy & cheap to work on, and has lasted him 250k+ miles so far, and it's over 20 years old!

The same thing applies to "fun" cars. I have a few buddies who drive BMW's, especially specific older models, because they love the. They definitely don't make sense financially, but again - budget & goals are the driving metrics for any car purchase or lease. I have customers who have $150k Teslas, which, if you're trying to save money on gas by driving electric, makes absolutely zero sense, lol. But, they have the available finances & a personal desire for that specific ride, so more power to them! Anyway, leasing makes a lot of sense - in some situations. A late-model, well-maintained used car is probably one of the best financial choices out there if you just need fairly reliable transportation on a budget, but again - budget & goals, that's the name of the game, and buying an off-lease Corolla or Camry is just one option for one particular situation.

Part of the reason I look at things this way is because people are horrible with their money. This leads to skewed perspectives & an unwillingness to sacrifice one thing for another thing. For example, there was a girl I used to work with who would always ask me how I could afford a lease payment every month, as she sipped on her $7 daily Starbucks drink. That's $140/mo right there, which you could make at home for like a dollar. I think a pack of cigarettes goes for $9 in my state; I have friends who smoke a pack a day, so the math works out to almost $280/mo; my last Honda Civic lease in 2015 was $234/mo.

So it's not just about looking at cars as the cheapest possible best deal on a whatever car (which most people do, by default), or about looking at it from a budget & goals perspective (my approach), but also about looking at your finances & determining the priorities (which nobody wants to do, lol). I also have friends who go out drinking every weekend & consistently spend $100 a weekend on booze. $400 a month right there, that's a Mustang payment! Not to mention the cost of fast-food, vending machines, and eating out in general...that can easily be plus or minus $500 to $1,000 a month for many people. But that may also cramp your social life to the point where it's not worth it. Priorities.
 

Aikouka

Lifer
Nov 27, 2001
30,383
912
126
Yeah, all of those make sense. Probably my biggest complaint was the lack of a wiper button or lever. The auto wipers stink!

I saw someone remark that the auto-wipers had gotten better (more accurate) in a recent update. I'm not sure if I'm on the same version nor have I been out in the rain lately, but I'll keep an eye on this. In my experience, the auto wipers have been bad in the dark as I'd have to hit the one-wipe button quite often.

I really wish they'd integrate Apple Carplay. I personally didn't like the musical interface & whatnot in it. My Mustang has Carplay and I love love love it! Texting & calls are easy with voice commands, Spotify & Audible & my podcasts are cinch to operate on the touchscreen, and I don't have to sync or update anything...I just plug my iPhone in via the Lightning cable & viola, it's ready to go right away!

There were a few people in that Reddit thread that mentioned Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. I'm a bit mixed on them as I'm not sure what would be the best way to do so. Unlike most cars, Tesla vehicles have a considerable amount of screen space, and even among Tesla vehicles, some of them have two screens (Model S and Model X) and others only have one (Model 3 and Model Y). Do you treat it as a static screen that essentially takes over most of the map area (all of it except for the status icons/buttons at the top)? Or do you treat it as another tab option at the bottom where you can drag it up and down at will? Also, do you use wired CarPlay or wireless CarPlay?

I think all I'd really want CarPlay for is Waze support. The traffic reporting in the Tesla is okay. It has highlighted a few trouble areas as red, but there's no alert for them. To be fair, this is usually when driving home, and I don't normally set navigation when driving home. So, it may alert the driver if navigating through a bad traffic area. Tesla also zooms the map out on highways/interstates, so it can be kind of hard to make out the road quickly. (I don't want to take my eyes off the road for too long.)
 

tweakmonkey

Senior member
Mar 11, 2013
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We rented two model 3s and that was enough. Autopilot for our traffic heavy region and superchargers were the final push over a Bolt or something else. Granted it's my GF's car but we live together and I'll drive it quite a bit. Guess she'll stop borrowing my Smart now. :)

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Dual motor long range, autopilot but no FSD. 5/19 build date.
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It fits in our little garage but not with a ton of extra room.
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Charging both cars on 110 (two separate circuits):
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My Smart now has 45,000 miles on it with zero problems. Range is about 95% of when it was new (currently about 65 miles max range w/ my commute but I use 40-45/day).
 
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Aikouka

Lifer
Nov 27, 2001
30,383
912
126
In regard to my earlier Autopilot woes, I ended up having to take my car to get serviced, which is about 1.5 hours each way. I took it in on a Friday and then picked it back up on a Saturday. Turns out that one of the cameras was either going bad or had gone bad. Unfortunately, it being replaced means that I have to get that little bit rewrapped, but it's not too bad.

Although, given the annoyance of having to get it wrapped again, it makes me wonder if I'd be better changing my plan to eventually get a better Model 3 to just getting a Model Y. Of course, that would change if they introduce the black trim on the Model 3.

We rented two model 3s and that was enough. Autopilot for our traffic heavy region and superchargers were the final push over a Bolt or something else. Granted it's my GF's car but we live together and I'll drive it quite a bit. Guess she'll stop borrowing my Smart now.

Charging both cars on 110 (two separate circuits)

I recommend at least switching to 220V. The problem is that 110V is really inefficient to the point where I was seeing between 67-72% charging efficiency. I use a Tesla wall connector now, and I get around 92-98% efficiency.
 

Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
Feb 14, 2004
48,392
5,257
136
In regard to my earlier Autopilot woes, I ended up having to take my car to get serviced, which is about 1.5 hours each way. I took it in on a Friday and then picked it back up on a Saturday. Turns out that one of the cameras was either going bad or had gone bad. Unfortunately, it being replaced means that I have to get that little bit rewrapped, but it's not too bad.

Although, given the annoyance of having to get it wrapped again, it makes me wonder if I'd be better changing my plan to eventually get a better Model 3 to just getting a Model Y. Of course, that would change if they introduce the black trim on the Model 3.

Did I miss your liquid or vinyl wrap, or did you just do a chrome delete? Piiiiiiiics? :p

Service is one of the things that scares me about Tesla right now...I have 4 Ford dealerships within 20 minutes of me, plus the parts are pretty common, so I could go to pretty much any mechanic or DIY if needed.

How's your overall feeling with your 3 so far? Still enjoying it but still ready for the performance upgrade?