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Wrx performance for a mid 40yo

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ultimatebob said:
I've heard that the price of car insurance on the Model 3 is insane, and basically eats up most of the cost savings from not putting gasoline in it. Even when factoring in TCO, that Model 3 is probably going to costs almost double per mile driven than that WRX did.

I'm going to throw in a Toyota Camry TRD into the mix for comparison. Little bigger, little comfier, still decent performance.
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Didn't Elon enter the insurance business so that Tesla can be 100% vertically integrated and rule the world? 😛

TCO for brand-new cars is dominated by depreciation so I can't imagine a Model 3 being twice as expensive per mile as some ICE competitor. Although I don't fully agree with the analysis, there have been many TCO calculations done that compare a Model 3 very favorable with something like a $26k Camry.
 
Revisiting the Tesla site and checking tax credit eligibility, I see I skimmed and messed up the price.
Tesla's are no longer eligible for federal EV tax credits
Starting price for a Tesla standard range is 40K.
If the guy needs AWD then he is now in 50K+ territory.
 
manly said:
Didn't Elon enter the insurance business so that Tesla can be 100% vertically integrated and rule the world? 😛

TCO for brand-new cars is dominated by depreciation so I can't imagine a Model 3 being twice as expensive per mile as some ICE competitor. Although I don't fully agree with the analysis, there have been many TCO calculations done that compare a Model 3 very favorable with something like a $26k Camry.
Click to expand...

All the TCO calculations won't mean crap if the guy can't swing the down payment and monthly payments for a car that's 10K+ over his current budget.
 
pauldun170 said:
All the TCO calculations won't mean crap if the guy can't swing the down payment and monthly payments for a car that's 10K+ over his current budget.
Click to expand...

I think that the insurance costs on a Tesla Model 3 are kinda high because the replacement parts are so expensive and there are so few body shops certified to fix them. It's often cheaper to total one of those cars instead of fixing them after being in a seemingly minor accident.
 
ultimatebob said:
I think that the insurance costs on a Tesla Model 3 are kinda high because the replacement parts are so expensive and there are so few body shops certified to fix them. It's often cheaper to total one of those cars instead of fixing them after being in a seemingly minor accident.
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$850/year insurance cost on a $50-60k car is high?
 
I'm watching this thread with interest. Due to replace my wife's 2009 Accord this year. She's been eyeing the WRX but I think in many ways it's a step down from the Accord, since it's just a juiced-up Impreza. The Accord Sports seem like pretty nice cars, and they are in that 30K range.
 
pauldun170 said:
Nope even when considering other cars that have significantly lower rates.
I wouldn't even put a second thought is I were quoted that.
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Please do share examples so that I can quote them as replacements. And make them actual competitors that I would want to drive. Let's say 450+ HP AWD, 0-60 < 4.0 s, and IIHS ratings Good across the board like this:

2021 Tesla Model 3 (iihs.org)

Also, my numbers are from NJ. Your assertions seem frankly nonsense unless you are living in a really cheap state to insure.

Car insurance rates by state for 2021 | Coverage.com

Viper GTS
 
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Viper GTS said:
Please do share examples so that I can quote them as replacements. And make them actual competitors that I would want to drive. Let's say 450+ HP AWD, 0-60 < 4.0 s, and IIHS ratings Good across the board like this:

2021 Tesla Model 3 (iihs.org)

Also, my numbers are from NJ. Your assertions seem frankly nonsense unless you are living in a really cheap state to insure.

Car insurance rates by state for 2021 | Coverage.com

Viper GTS
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What the hell are you talking about?
All is said was it didn't seem high to me even in relation to cheaper options.
 
pauldun170 said:
What the hell are you talking about?
All is said was it didn't seem high to me even in relation to cheaper options.
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Seems I missed the negative at the beginning. We are clearly in agreement, though I'd be (legitimately) curious to know what you think its one trick is.

Viper GTS
 
pauldun170 said:
All the TCO calculations won't mean crap if the guy can't swing the down payment and monthly payments for a car that's 10K+ over his current budget.
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Very true, but Americans love buying more car than they should or can comfortably afford. The average new car sale is now about $40k.

I'm not at all advocating blowing your budget just to get into a Tesla, but IF you're willing to buy a Camry for $30k out-the-door, it's probably sensible to at least do the math on TCO. This isn't so much for the OP, but for anyone for who the SR+ model checks off all their boxes. Location-specific incentives can swing the math, and you'll notice some of the loudest Tesla supporters fall into that class.

That wasn't my original point anyway; I was objecting to a blanket statement that a Tesla costs twice as much to operate vs. a WRX. I don't see any factual basis for that statement.

jlee said:
You said:



What do you constitute as "kinda high" and what are you comparing to?
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I have no horse in this race, but bob is all over the map. It's widely established that Teslas (as considered a luxury car marque) have higher than average insurance rates. I don't think anecdotes of low rates changes that, but then he pivots over to the car itself costs too much. If anything, the insurance is looking pretty cheap for a $50k car, on a percentage basis.
 
I guess that I'm just trying to point out that a Tesla Model 3 isn't an acceptable substitute for a Subaru WRX. They're in totally different price brackets, and it's like comparing a Honda Civic to a Audi S4.
 
pete6032 said:
Civic Si or potentially a Civic Sport could fit those criteria.
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Only 205 horsepower, are you thinking about the Type R? That is a real beast.
Might wait for Hyundai Kona/Elantra "N" models. They have 280+ horsepower I think, but no AWD, even in the Kona.
 
How about a Kia Stinger? The GT model is high performance, and you can get it with AWD.

I was honestly thinking about getting one for myself, since I can't comfortably squeeze myself, my wife, and my now 8 year old kid in the Mustang anymore.
 
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ultimatebob said:
How about a Kia Stinger? The GT model is high performance, and you can get it with AWD.

I was honestly thinking about getting one for myself, since I can't comfortably squeeze myself, my wife, and my now 8 year old kid in the Mustang anymore.
Click to expand...

This is what I want.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
ultimatebob said:
How about a Kia Stinger? The GT model is high performance, and you can get it with AWD.

I was honestly thinking about getting one for myself, since I can't comfortably squeeze myself, my wife, and my now 8 year old kid in the Mustang anymore.
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A Stinger GT1 AWD starts at $45,890.
 
Yea, Stingers were a bargain, but at 45k, I think I would look for an A4 or 330i, or even an Accord with the uplevel turbo.
I am older now, but Kias and especially Hyundai Sonatas have gotten too wild for me styling wise. I would prefer something a bit more conservative like the Mazda 6 or even the Accord.
 
ondma said:
Yea, Stingers were a bargain, but at 45k, I think I would look for an A4 or 330i, or even an Accord with the uplevel turbo.
I am older now, but Kias and especially Hyundai Sonatas have gotten too wild for me styling wise. I would prefer something a bit more conservative like the Mazda 6 or even the Accord.
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I had an Audi A4, and found the seating (especially the rear seating) to be a bit cramped. They also get expensive once you add the big engine and Quattro. A Kia Stinger is bit larger.
 
ultimatebob said:
I had an Audi A4, and found the seating (especially the rear seating) to be a bit cramped. They also get expensive once you add the big engine and Quattro. A Kia Stinger is bit larger.
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Yea, and I like the hatchback style of the Stinger. I am short, and my wife is very short, so legroom is not an issue though. Just depends on what you want I suppose. A4 is more refined, probably not as fast. The Stinger is more of a blunt force approach, great performance but not particularly refined.

I am retired now, so either is out of my price range, and I dont drive much anymore anyway.
 
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