Hello TMC folks! First post... and the first thing I want to say is thank you for being a healthy community and answering all the questions on here! You've done an amazing job making people feel welcome that are new here.
I have been reading these forums for weeks because I love to research the ever loving S#%* out of my cars. I have a 2011 Lexus IS 350C and it's my baby... but it's time has sadly come (still in awesome shape)... and many of my friends at work happily have Teslas (one let me joy ride his M3!) and I've decided to join the party.
I've settled on getting the following vehicle (if not listed, I ain't gettin' it!):
QUESTIONS
I have been reading these forums for weeks because I love to research the ever loving S#%* out of my cars. I have a 2011 Lexus IS 350C and it's my baby... but it's time has sadly come (still in awesome shape)... and many of my friends at work happily have Teslas (one let me joy ride his M3!) and I've decided to join the party.
I've settled on getting the following vehicle (if not listed, I ain't gettin' it!):
- Tesla Model 3
- White exterior / black interior
- 18" aero wheels
- Standard Range Plus (SR+)
- Autopilot (AP)
QUESTIONS
- This seems crazy, but, does the SR+ model have a garage door opener? Or, is the only garage door opener available in Tesla 3s reserved for the LR model via Homelink? Am I insane to think that a regular (and not geo-aware) garage door opener should be standard?
- Is it true that Autopilot (AP) in this new configuration will not change lanes at all? I'll have to "break" the autopilot, do the lane change manually, and then re-engage it? (otherwise, I'd have to get the +$5k Full Self Driving [FSD] option, eh?)
- For those in Southern California... it appears there's a $1,000 rebate from Southern California Edison (our power provider out here) but it lists the Model 3 LR and the Model 3 Mid Range (which no longer exists) as being eligible. Does anyone know if the SR+ takes the place and qualifies for this rebate?
- I went to the Tesla store tonight (3/25) in Mission Viejo, CA because I called in to see if they had a SR+ with the semi-premium package because I was dying to hear the audio system and they had one for me to check out. I had already listened to the premium audio in my friend's M3 LR and it was amazing. That said, the SR+ Semi-Premium interior looked awesome and the sound system was fantastic. The difference, to me, was the bass. It definitely was kicking in my friend's car and if you are into that BOOM then you'll want to get that one, but if you're like me then you'll be fine. I like a kick, sure, but I like loud, clear, crisp sounding rock music. First song was MASTER OF PUPPETS by Metallica and then I played ONE... both sounded F'ing amazing. CAPITAL F FRIENDS... capital F. Everything sounded great on the semi-premium audio.
- The sales guy (who was pretty darn knowledgeable and friendly by the way) confirmed that Tesla will match any trade-in offer by Carmax, but that is (according to him) the only one they will match. I'm wondering who Carmax will match and maybe play a game to see who matches who and then somehow tether that back to Tesla for the best trade-in value possible. He said the same matching philosophy is true for the auto loan, with the obvious stipulation (at least to me) that it has to be the full details of the loan - rate, amount, and term.
