…I’m reading negative comments about buying out of warranty. I am planning to drive across Spain and, again. am concerned about reliability and charging anxiety. Totally confused about MCU updates etc!! Prefer the S as it looks superb and has the hatchback…
Get the S. Drivetrain and battery warranty are good for another 4 years. I have 90,000 miles on mine and besides MCU1 replacement (which Tesla will repair with eMMC upgrade at their expense) I have only had a random charge port replacement.
Set aside $1500 for misc repairs. Maybe another $1000 for CCS2 upgrade and adapter if your car doesn’t have it. If you have no problems by the time you save another $2000, then save it for a treat for yourself for the MCU2 upgrade, less if you don’t use the radio.
Prices are in dollars obviously but pounds are about their equivalent cost.
Bonus points if roads are salted where you live since S is mostly aluminum where 3 is steel. If you get the S, double check that the car is performance uncorked. A few rare cars won’t have been done. Double bonus points if it comes with air suspension and you plan to keep your S for a long time, as third parties can more easily replace your battery with the heavier 90/100 that way. Triple bonus points if your car comes with the experimental BTX8 85kWh battery that never appeared in the US, although nobody knows what happens if you put a replacement 100kWh battery into that car software locked to 75kWh.
Don’t use timed charging while road tripping before you upgrade to MCU2 since you can still drive, charge and use the instrument cluster if MCU1 fails, but if you have timed charging set and MCU1 fails you can’t charge.
Also, I understand there are professional Tesla thief rings in Europe. Setting PIN to drive might defeat some, but similarly, if you have a PIN set and MCU1 fails then you are calling for a tow to a service center.