Yes - this exactly. Some of us are worried about depreciation of HW3 v. HW4, but if you get in at todays prices, and don’t use anything beyond autopilot, you automatically bake in the savings upfront - a savings that will likely offset any future depreciation concerns. If you buy a new car every 10 years, depreciation is not even a thing. (For those who can’t wait 10-years for the new tech, here’s what my 2-car family does: we stagger the 10 year hold, and buy a new car every 5 years, so we still get the feel of the “newer tech” upgrades without sacrificing personal finance. YMMV, but I am now looking forward to HW6.0 in my 5-year future, without depreciation concerns
Again, IMO, there is no way Tesla doesn’t raise today’s prices before or soon after the 3/1 event, with the prospect of continued inflation, the new $80k limit (and a possibility of the feds keeping / extending the credit terms), the fact that todays prices are lower than the 2019 rollout prices (even with inflation!), the MYP v MP price gap differential is historically the thinnest now, and the excitement being generated around the new FSD Beta software and HW4. We have seen this movie before, and it has never ended with MORE price cuts
Again, what premium amount are we willing to pay for the latest hardware? If you wait and see, the number will be closer to $10k than $0 in my option, a steep price for a non- FSD user.
I guess I posted this originally to understand the impact of HW4 and if Tesla would do any upgrades. I now feel a bit better knowing my car will function fine (exactly as I expected it to at time of purchase, with some promises of increased functionality when the park assist bugs are worked out), and that the software updates will still support HW3 (the software is not obsolete).