Better car/options for my $45K challenge

[insaneoctane]

I am leaning pretty hard towards the early model 3 with AP, non-black for $55K. With federal and California credit /rebate it should cost me $45K. That's more than I have ever spent on a car and more than I budgeted. I don't think there is anything close to consider instead, but I would be interested in other's suggestions of better equipped alternatives. I know that the model 3 does not have everything that other $45k vehicles have (ie I just drove my in-laws Lexus es350 with heated & air conditioned seats and thought hmmmm these are nice) . What creature comforts am I giving up that are not uncommon in this price range? I will start the list :

• Heated steering wheel
• Air conditioned seats
• XM radio
• ???

Please list at least 1 car you know it's included on in this price range

 

[tpatana]

I'm with same options than you but WA, so it's $47.5k.

If I didn't care for the AP, I'm almost certain I'd get the Ioniq. 22.5k after rebate. That's hell of a car for the price. For sure Tesla is not 2x better. But with my commute I'm dyeing to get AP to get some of the stress out from morning traffic.

 

[Aieukl378]

I'm just gonna say the lack of a few desirable options are completely cancelled out by all other things Tesla. Also, the Tesla SC network is a "creature comfort" that is impossible to find on any other electric. To answer your question, there is no other car even remotely comparable at 45K(85k yes...The Model S).

 

[KarenRei]

I am leaning pretty hard towards the early model 3 with AP, non-black for $55K. With federal and California credit /rebate it should cost me $45K. That's more than I have ever spent on a car and more than I budgeted. I don't think there is anything close to consider instead, but I would be interested in other's suggestions of better equipped alternatives. I know that the model 3 does not have everything that other $45k vehicles have (ie I just drove my in-laws Lexus es350 with heated & air conditioned seats and thought hmmmm these are nice) . What creature comforts am I giving up that are not uncommon in this price range? I will start the list :

• Heated steering wheel
• Air conditioned seats
• XM radio
• ???

Please list at least 1 car you know it's included on in this price range

A Lexus ES 350 does not have autopilot, so you shouldn't be factoring that into your comparison. Leaving it off would make your Model 3 is $50k and thus $40k to you. Beyond purchase price, it'll save you ~$1k in fuel costs every year as well. The Lexus also has a 7,18s 0-60 time rather than 5,1 and a higher center of gravity (sloppier handling), and is not going to score as well on safety. It doesn't have a lot of other features. "Remote starting", which doesn't even make it comparable to the app, costs $1k. It has a "glass roof" but not nearly as unobstructed, and you have to buy the "ultra luxury package". The Lexus's standard wheels are 17", if you care about that. Standard safety features on the 3 like blind spot monitoring / collision avoidance are optional extras on the Lexus. Navigation on the Lexus adds another $1,5k to your bill. The ventilated seats that you want aren't standard, you have to buy the luxury ($1670) or ultra-luxury ($3500) packages. Indeed, you have to get at least the premium package to get the power steering wheel adjust. Ultra luxury adds the ambient lighting of the Model 3, and also gets an openable sunroof, which is one thing the M3 doesn't have. Premium audio is a separate package, $2590, and comes bundled with a "larger" screen, at 8", vs. the standard 15" Model 3 screen.

That's the thing about the Model 3... even if it weren't electric and qualified for rebates and saving money on fuel, it would be very aggressively priced for a car in its segment. That's what's so impressive about it. And if you're looking for comparable electrics... heh, forget about it.

 

[22522]

This is list price. I bet they will negotiate.

 

[insaneoctane]

A Lexus ES 350 does not have autopilot, so you shouldn't be factoring that into your comparison...

I'm OK talking about a feature on a car that is in the price range even if it doesn't have AP. I want to be sure that I know what other creature comforts I am giving up that other cars in this price range (like my ac ventilated seats example). If the only things other comparably priced cars have that the $55K ($45K for me) model 3 does not is ventilated seats, XM, and heated steering wheel, then I will have eyes wide open disclosure for my purchase and I will feel awesome about it....

 

[four-walling]

I am leaning pretty hard towards the early model 3 with AP, non-black for $55K. With federal and California credit /rebate it should cost me $45K.
Please list at least 1 car you know it's included on in this price range

It's a big treasure hunt finding all the desirable features missing.

If you want a prestigious electric car for $45K stop looking.

If ICE is OK, the world is your oyster.

 

[insaneoctane]

If ICE is OK, the world is your oyster.

ICE is okay as far as comparing features to. Again, I just wanted to make sure that I know what features are common / available to all $45K cars (even if they come with ICE) to make me an informed buyer. ICE or EV.

 

[Petra]

I made a video last week comparing options and pricing to a few other cars in the premium sedan segment... gathering the information for the video was awful and a huge time suck...

Video:

Spreadsheet built for the video (not perfect, still waiting for official confirmation on a few things): Model 3 Feature Comparison - Share.xlsx

Keep in mind that the pricing is all MSRP and the average discount from a dealer ranges between around 5% and 12% based on the information I could find (the discount appears regionally dependent).

 

[AlanSqB]

What creature comforts am I giving up that are not uncommon in this price range?

 

[insaneoctane]

I made a video last week comparing options and pricing to a few other cars in the premium sedan segment... gathering the information for the video was awful and a huge time suck...

Video:

Spreadsheet built for the video (not perfect, still waiting for official confirmation on a few things): Model 3 Feature Comparison - Share.xlsx

Keep in mind that the pricing is all MSRP and the average discount from a dealer ranges between around 5% and 12% based on the information I could find (the discount appears regionally dependent).

Thanks for the information. This is quite helpful. Did you consider adding a tab for LR and engine upgrades to match?

 

[Petra]

Thanks for the information. This is quite helpful. Did you consider adding a tab for LR and engine upgrades to match?

I did consider it, which is why I verbally brought up a comparison between the Model 3 LR and the 340i toward the end of the spreadsheet section of the video... but the LR is more difficult to line up with the rest of the market. Still cheaper than the MSRP of a similarly equipped 340i (at the PUP + EAP level), though.

 

[Barklikeadog]

If it is financially difficult to purchase this, or any vehicle, by spending more than 40k. Don't do it.
Buy a Camry/Accord/Malibu hybrid with everything on it for 30k, get great gas mileage.
Put the extra cash in your war chest.

 

[AceSkywalker]

I see comparisons of a Model 3 with a Lexus ES and a BMW 5er. Wat. You don't compare those cars. The Model 3 is a compact luxury sedan. The ES and 5er are midsize luxury sedans.

Proper comparison - bring in the Lexus IS, the BMW 3er, the Mercedes C Class, Audi A4, Cadillac ATS, Alfa Romeo Guilia, and so on.

 

[Petra]

Proper comparison - bring in the Lexus IS, the BMW 3er, the Mercedes C Class, Audi A4, Cadillac ATS, Alfa Romeo Guilia, and so on.

Agreed, but try telling that to the folks in YouTube comments and elsewhere who insist that the Model 3 should be compared to a Mazda 3/Civic/Camry/Accord...

I've given up.

 

[chronopc]

Agreed, but try telling that to the folks in YouTube comments and elsewhere who insist that the Model 3 should be compared to a Mazda 3/Civic/Camry/Accord...

I've given up.

The best part about the people on YouTube is they never want to talk about total cost of ownership.

The real challenge is finding a $45k car that's better than the Model 3 that has similar cost of ownership. With EV you pay more upfront, but less during the lifetime of the car. Just think about how much gas, and maintenance will cost for a $45k BMW, Mercedes, etc.

 

[pace]

The best part about the people on YouTube is they never want to talk about total cost of ownership.

The real challenge is finding a $45k car that's better than the Model 3 that has similar cost of ownership. With EV you pay more upfront, but less during the lifetime of the car. Just think about how much gas, and maintenance will cost for a $45k BMW, Mercedes, etc.

Replacing my Audi A5 (15k miles / year) with a Long Range Model 3. We take my wife's Acura MDX on road trips to the tune of 6-10k miles / year. So we'll end up with around 25k miles / year on the 3. Electricity is cheap where we live (~$0.06 / kWh). We'll save around $3k / year on gas and maintenance. The 3 will still cost more to own than the Audi over 5 years, since the Audi has already depreciated a lot, but the gap isn't as big as one might think.

 

[N5329K]

...or just hang on and drive what you have for another year, maybe two, and see what options are available then. The Ioniq will probably have a long-range option that meets the base Model 3's range in that period, as well as a number of other cars (that are still vaporware today).
I'm installing new front struts and shocks in the family sedan (Gen 1 Prius) later today with exactly this possibility in mind.
Robin

 

[Reciprocity]

Cant read these types of threads, they just make me angry.

Just remember that TCO and Residual value on a $45k Model 3 make it more comparable to a $30,000 car ICEv not a $45k ICEv. Stop comparing apples to oranges. You have to factor in Fuel and Maintenance costs. Granted BMW has free maintenance for 2-3 years, but fuel will still cost you 2x as much at a minimum and brakes are not covered. The longer you own a Model 3 the more the value tilts to the Model 3 due to maintenance costs and you can always add solar to make fuel costs even cheaper.

If all you care about is the payment price, then so be it. Compare away. I would suggest just getting a longer term to the loan and keeping the model 3 longer to benefit the most from the advantages. And buy solar.

 

[Barklikeadog]

Agreed, but try telling that to the folks in YouTube comments and elsewhere who insist that the Model 3 should be compared to a Mazda 3/Civic/Camry/Accord...

I've given up.

You give up easily.

I made that point on this forum.
The reason I did is because Tesla buyers spend more. Most of the Model S owners had previous vehicles under $60,000... and they were buying $80k sedans.
The same thing is going to happen for Model 3 buyers. Someone who would typically spend 30k on a car will spend 45k because it's a Tesla.

The other reason is simple math.
BMW only sells 70k 3-series each year in the USA, 70k C-Class, 30k A4.... All the other entry level luxury sales are in this area.
There are 400,000 USA reservations for the Model 3. I am going to assume that C-Class, 3series, and A4 sales won't fall to 0 next year.
The Model 3 reservations must be coming from somewhere else, the only logical place are from owners of Civic, Camry, Accord, etc which
sell millions every year.

So it seems reasonable to compare the classes of cars.