Hi everyone,
I am currently looking to get a used Tesla but I am curious to know about the difference of years for the AWD models.
I know that the 2019 April M3s have HW3 but can a 2018 M3 be upgraded to HW3?
What would be the downside of getting the 2018 version.
Thank you!
Telsa does not do model year changes so much of the answer will be more minor updates and in some minor cases downgrades between a 2018 and 2019. Part of the answer would also depend on what month the car was built in both years.
Removal of Homelink, removal of the phone cables, removal of frunk mat, removal of the 14-50 connector, removal of a hook in the frunk are the downgrades that have happened as Telsa has tried to cut costs. Most of these are not significant and did not occur all at once but overtime..
The positive upgrades have been incremental improvements to the overall build quality, insulation from road noise and similar things that are hard to compare head to head but in my opinion Telsa has gotten better at these details as they have made more cars.
Rear seats were improved at some point but I think only the 2017 or very early 2018 would have the old seats if any 18's do at all.
Resale will also be affected, no matter if Telsa does model years the used market value will still matter what year the car states, a 2019 will always retain more value than an other identical spec 2018.
In terms of speculation: there may be a different rear motor in the 2018 version which may be more capable than the one in the 2019. Or maybe they are just numbered/named differently but have the same capabilities. This is just speculation and even if one is in fact more capable it may never mean anything.
In terms of hardware/computer system. If you buy FSD or a used car with FSD then you will get your hardware upgraded at some point so is not really a concern. Not really clear how quickly that will happen though and if you don't buy FSD then that is a fairly big difference to consider.
If I had a 2018 I would want FSD for this reason, but as a later 2019 model FSD does not offer much presently for the high cost.
Lastly, if buying from a private seller a 2018 or early 2019 AP but not FSD could mean EAP ; "enhanced auto pilot"
This is a superior product to the regular AP which is included in the new cars. It could also make the upgrade to FSD lower cost.
On the other side of the coin, a 2018 or early 2019 AWD may not even have any Auto Pilot at all, where the later 2019 would all have it.
To me EAP is worth a couple thousand more than regular AP ; and lack of AP is worth a couple thousand less than one with regular AP.
Be aware if you buy a used car directly from Telsa, they will remove any EAP and downgrade it to regular AP ; likewise if the car did not have AP before, they will update it to the regular AP. So all used AWD cars from Telsa will have regular AP. Some will also have FSD. EAP no longer is offered and has not been for 8 months or so.
