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A used 2016 and above Model S or a new Model 3
- Thread starter wdskuk
- Start date
SF_EVFAN
Member
I also went through this same dilemma last month and ended up buying 2016 Model S 90D and cancelled my M3 reservation.
My key decision points were
1- Free supercharging for life, I have a supercharger close to my home and work and happy to report that I haven't spent a dime on charging in 1 month ownership either at home or outside.
2- For my aging eyes, I prefer a large screens and a front view dashboard behind steering wheel.
3- My model S90D was VERY well priced at $53k (>$58k total in CA) for a total 29k miles. Reason the price was so good because it has no extra bells and vessels such as high fidelity sound system, trunk lift button or fancy suspension. These upgrades were not important to me. I found the prices were > $60k for similar mileage if I would go with these upgrades
After placing the order I found out that my my CPO was lease returned vehicle. Apparently, Tesla is very hard on lease returns, no visible scratches or dents were found on the body. There was one scratch on the bottom rubber guard below the backseat side door which Tesla agreed to fix at free of cost. The trick is..you will need to negotiate such items at the time of purchase with Sales Advisor. Inspect, Inspect, Inspect before you sign the paper.
The best part.. there was 0% battery degradation and Tesla has replaced all 4 tires.
I think this was a GRAET deal...
My key decision points were
1- Free supercharging for life, I have a supercharger close to my home and work and happy to report that I haven't spent a dime on charging in 1 month ownership either at home or outside.
2- For my aging eyes, I prefer a large screens and a front view dashboard behind steering wheel.
3- My model S90D was VERY well priced at $53k (>$58k total in CA) for a total 29k miles. Reason the price was so good because it has no extra bells and vessels such as high fidelity sound system, trunk lift button or fancy suspension. These upgrades were not important to me. I found the prices were > $60k for similar mileage if I would go with these upgrades
After placing the order I found out that my my CPO was lease returned vehicle. Apparently, Tesla is very hard on lease returns, no visible scratches or dents were found on the body. There was one scratch on the bottom rubber guard below the backseat side door which Tesla agreed to fix at free of cost. The trick is..you will need to negotiate such items at the time of purchase with Sales Advisor. Inspect, Inspect, Inspect before you sign the paper.
The best part.. there was 0% battery degradation and Tesla has replaced all 4 tires.
I think this was a GRAET deal...
Thanks for the explanation. I will definitely look into the used models they have at my local Tesla store.
Did they let you test drive or look around the car before purchasing it.
Dpc131
Member
I also bought 3rd party. Right now the only difference is with 3rd party you can actually see, touch and drive the car before you buy and for the CPO is the warranty extension. Well, the first 3rd party warranty is out now and uses Tesla service. Price of that is comparable to adding the Tesla warranty before end of 50k miles (~$4750)
I got my P85D for a really good price mainly cause I don’t think the dealer knew what they were actually selling and even if I added on the third party warranty, I still was about $4-5k below Tesla CPO.
So there’s options out there now..
I got my P85D for a really good price mainly cause I don’t think the dealer knew what they were actually selling and even if I added on the third party warranty, I still was about $4-5k below Tesla CPO.
So there’s options out there now..
SF_EVFAN
Member
Nope, test drive was not an option. It was a leap of faith with CPO. The only reason I went in because of CPO warranty and after speaking with Sales Advisor who addressed my key doubts over the phone.
Hank42
Legacy Supporter
I have both. The 3 is waaaay more fun to drive, but a bit harsh at times. The S is smoother and more refined. As far as long drives are concerned, I've done 10 hour trips in both - I did not notice much of a difference other than some more road noise in the 3 which is nicely drowned out by it's superior audio system. I also found it to be a little more efficient as some other have pointed out. I'm sure other have thought it, but if they could take the lessons from the 3 an apply them to a refreshed S, I'd be a happy camper - until that time, I'd say go with a new 3 for the price and plan to upgrade to a "refreshed" S in 5-10 years 
Oldschool496
Member
V3 Charging is a game changer here. Even replying to my own post of a few days ago in this thread.
Being a MS 75D owner-
It'll take a few years for full implementation, but my mind has been changed here. Model 3 and future variants, Y etc is the way. All current Model S and X will never meet where this is going. If Supercharging is not important then this point is moot.
I would not go backwards(buying into older tech) knowing what we know as of last night with V3 fast charging coming to our future Teslas and all TM3 ever produced for FULL utilization of V3 fast charging, again if thats important.
When I Supercharge, on trips even with this current tech, doing all that I may do at a stop, I am still rushing to get my car off the charger via the app for fear of holding someone else up from charging, paramount and idol fees.
SO its plenty fast now, will be cut in half with newer models under V3 charging.
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Here are some questions I would consider:
-- Do you like larger or smaller cars? Model S has a large luxury feel, model 3 feels like a small sports sedan.
-- How important is the range to you? In my experience 3 LR has better range than 90D, and a lot better range than 70D. Also, supercharging takes noticeably longer in Model S.
-- Are you able to charge at home with something like 50 amp outlet? Model S is a lot less energy efficient, so you will need to have access to solid charging options. If your charging options are marginal, Model 3 is for sure a better bet.
-- Consider total cost of ownership. Everything, including tires, electricity, brake pads, etc. will cost more on Model S.
Hope this helps.
-- Do you like larger or smaller cars? Model S has a large luxury feel, model 3 feels like a small sports sedan.
-- How important is the range to you? In my experience 3 LR has better range than 90D, and a lot better range than 70D. Also, supercharging takes noticeably longer in Model S.
-- Are you able to charge at home with something like 50 amp outlet? Model S is a lot less energy efficient, so you will need to have access to solid charging options. If your charging options are marginal, Model 3 is for sure a better bet.
-- Consider total cost of ownership. Everything, including tires, electricity, brake pads, etc. will cost more on Model S.
Hope this helps.
Oldschool496
Member
All valid points as well. Does your family/lifestyle fit in the car you may choose?
Again thanks for all the help guys. I've been looking on EV-CPO everyday for all these cpo Model S and noticed the prices drop every other day. However the process of going through Tesla for a used model is a hit or miss after reading everyone's experience.
If we were to do the Model 3 then me and wife have decided we would do the Performance version. The test drive was amazing. Especially the acceleration. But we are still undecided. Ahh this is so confusing. Wish we can just get both. haha.
Or just wait forever for the Model Y. Pretty sure that will be a nice compact suv.
If we were to do the Model 3 then me and wife have decided we would do the Performance version. The test drive was amazing. Especially the acceleration. But we are still undecided. Ahh this is so confusing. Wish we can just get both. haha.
Or just wait forever for the Model Y. Pretty sure that will be a nice compact suv.
Oldschool496
Member
Goodluck in either case and don't rush, things change everyday these days, wait a little longer then ..... Little longer then ......
OTARon
Member
I too was facing the same decision, MS or M3. there was a local dealer who had a MS2015 and a M3 2018 for sale on their lot. Wife and I stopped by, told the sales man we just wanted to do a side by side comparison and he was happy to move them next to each other to see what I knew that he didn't (it was an Infinity lot so you can guess who new more). I had test drove several MS's and even 1 M3 at that point but side by side with the wife was really amazing.
MS has XM in Ultra High fidelity sound
M3 has nice sound but No XM
MS has a bigger and better trunk
M3 is not a hatch back so smaller trunk really is smaller
MS has a bigger back seat
M3 really feels smaller in back seat
MS has more leg and hip room.
M3 see above
MS has opening Moon roof.
M3 No Moon Roof
MS pre 2017 has free super charger
M3 Pay per use super charging
MS has bigger Front trunk
M3 Front trunk is only slightly smaller
MS has bigger touch screen
M3 touch screen is rumored to be faster, but Wife didn't like how it sites out like a iPad attached to the car
MS has a instrument cluster
M3 touch screen is everything (easy to get use to but could be confusing at first)
With the side by side, the super charging, the size of the trunks and this becoming our primary driver even for big trips, we chose the MS and ordered a 2016 out of Las Vegas and should get a delivery date soon.
Hope this helped or at lease gave you some ideas.
MS has XM in Ultra High fidelity sound
M3 has nice sound but No XM
MS has a bigger and better trunk
M3 is not a hatch back so smaller trunk really is smaller
MS has a bigger back seat
M3 really feels smaller in back seat
MS has more leg and hip room.
M3 see above
MS has opening Moon roof.
M3 No Moon Roof
MS pre 2017 has free super charger
M3 Pay per use super charging
MS has bigger Front trunk
M3 Front trunk is only slightly smaller
MS has bigger touch screen
M3 touch screen is rumored to be faster, but Wife didn't like how it sites out like a iPad attached to the car
MS has a instrument cluster
M3 touch screen is everything (easy to get use to but could be confusing at first)
With the side by side, the super charging, the size of the trunks and this becoming our primary driver even for big trips, we chose the MS and ordered a 2016 out of Las Vegas and should get a delivery date soon.
Hope this helped or at lease gave you some ideas.
There is always a premium for buying new cars, hence your $45k model 3 will depreciate to $25-28k in 3 years. The Model S is a much bigger car, and the body of the car has a very elegant beauty in the curves. The wide hips in the wheel wells, the curves in the front wheel wells put in a different class. As long as you buy a car with AP1...the difference between AP2 is not that much. When FSD comes out, Model S 2016 and older Model S can't benefit form this, but I think city driving with FSD will be quite complex. Not sure how well it will work.
The best value is to get a Model S with Ap2, built before 2017 ( SC included)
The best value is to get a Model S with Ap2, built before 2017 ( SC included)
For that money I probably will jump onto the performace Model 3 with all the newer features and AP 2.5 and V3 charging.
So many choices.
So many choices.
Gerk
Member
35k doesn't get you much in terms of an M3 though. If you want to actually use that AP hardware or have things like maps with traffic data then plan to add a bunch more on top of that 35k. If you want to make a real comparison make a real comparison. You would need to be at least at the lower premium level and then add FSD. Don't know exactly what the prices are today but I can tell you it's a good bit more than $35k.
check out ev cpo for sold cars people have gotten refreshed model S 75 with 30k miles for $41k. this will have Ap1-2 free supercharging for life and a better warranty as well. 4/50k. to compare that you would need a model 3 with at least 260 range plus Ap3 and upgraded rims..looking at $50k+ ymmv
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