Considering a Model 3 or Cadillac ATS

[Ivan Abundance]

I confess to not reading every post in this thread. Apologies.

After some 40 cars in my history, one drive in a Model 3 made me resent every last one of them. I can't imaging going back to an engine after driving motors.
All those cars I've experienced had something initially goofy that I had to adapt to. Regenerative braking -and especially the new "one pedal" mode- has been one of the easiest to adapt to for me. Just keep yourself flexible, and don't panic. In a week, it becomes second-nature.

Be glad you never had to drive a Ford Model T and its 3 foot pedals, and a quadrant throttle in the steering wheel hub.

And for the love of all that's mechanical, don't give GM a dime.

 

[jaws2003]

4. You can turn off regen braking (almost completely), but you really should give it a try. You get used to it after a couple of hours, and it is a lot easier to drive with just 1 pedal.

I will. I would just work up to it. Sounds like the regen can help reclaim the energy back. I kinda drive like that with my focus as well. Same with my Chevy Silverado.

8. I drive about 25 miles - 30 miles daily, and I have about the same prices for electricity. My electric bill went up less than $20.

This is good to know. It's starting to line up to what I was told how my bill would increase. For the increase of the energy bill compared to gas you save a lot of money for the miles you get.

9. My wife's gas car is 2 years old. I had to take it for 3 oil changes and 2 recalls so far. Zero with Tesla.
That's good to know!!!!
10. Yes, that happens. Nothing you can do about it, just move on. You can leave a note if that person does it repeatedly.

They should start towing ICE cars that are parked in electric car spaces. The towing should be similar to how people park in apartment complexes with no decals. Many apartment complexes do this in Tallahassee. Especially in student areas. I've have my trucks towed like this before.

 

[jaws2003]

I confess to not reading every post in this thread. Apologies.

After some 40 cars in my history, one drive in a Model 3 made me resent every last one of them. I can't imaging going back to an engine after driving motors.
All those cars I've experienced had something initially goofy that I had to adapt to. Regenerative braking -and especially the new "one pedal" mode- has been one of the easiest to adapt to for me. Just keep yourself flexible, and don't panic. In a week, it becomes second-nature.

Be glad you never had to drive a Ford Model T and its 3 foot pedals, and a quadrant throttle in the steering wheel hub.

And for the love of all that's mechanical, don't give GM a dime.

They have enough of my cash with the truck I got from them. I replaced the engine, transmission and rear end. Replaced the rear end twice. It was singing like it was in an opera. Lol.

 

[pipestem]

man you are in for 17 posts, just get the damn car already. I'm 56, I don't remember how many cars I owned or drove cause this one just nukes the others.

edit: oh yeah, love the regen. you will too.

 

[Dmagyar]

Holy shitballs! I only pay about $0.10/kwh all day and night.

Lived outside of Detroit for years, I’m ok paying higher rates over here...

 

[Dmagyar]

I’m betting you’ll buy the ATS, when you finally wise up, we can all say we told you so.

 

[jaws2003]

man you are in for 17 posts, just get the damn car already. I'm 56, I don't remember how many cars I owned or drove cause this one just nukes the others.

edit: oh yeah, love the regen. you will too.

Well people on here have been helpful so I stay engaged. I already know what I am going to do.

 

[jaws2003]

I’m betting you’ll buy the ATS, when you finally wise up, we can all say we told you so.

Lol. Not at all. I've always liked the Tesla. It's fast, cheaper to run compared fueling an ICE car every month, I still have my truck that I would use sparingly and to haul things(not convinced on the electric truck yet).

 

[Dmagyar]

Lol. Not at all. I've always liked the Tesla. It's fast, cheaper to run compared fueling an ICE car every month, I still have my truck that I would use sparingly and to haul things(not convinced on the electric truck yet).

Glad that possibly my nudge helped push you over the finish line, with all the valid points I wanted to introduce a contrast... enjoy your spaceship, when you get it...

 

[ZoomsansVroom]

So, the first thing to do, as far as the financial aspect, is count all costs.

1) Depreciation on current car
2) Maintenance costs
3) Fuel costs
4) Tax costs

And, reasonable, conservative return on money you invest.

I think some folks on here got loans through co ops that were less than inflation - not exactly a parallel with Tesla’s as the pricing seems erratic.

I would not keep the focus. I cannot see the purpose to it. I kept my old pick up, as it does things my 3P cannot do/do not want it to do.

Another concern is hurricane evacuations. If you are evacuated, how far would you have to go?

 

[jaws2003]

So, the first thing to do, as far as the financial aspect, is count all costs.

1) Depreciation on current car
2) Maintenance costs
3) Fuel costs
4) Tax costs

And, reasonable, conservative return on money you invest.

I think some folks on here got loans through co ops that were less than inflation - not exactly a parallel with Tesla’s as the pricing seems erratic.

I would not keep the focus. I cannot see the purpose to it. I kept my old pick up, as it does things my 3P cannot do/do not want it to do.

Another concern is hurricane evacuations. If you are evacuated, how far would you have to go?

Thanks for the info. I was thinking along the same lines. I know a Tesla is a big investment. I've never considered buying a car as expensive as this one. Looking at the future I believe it is with electric cars and a less reliance on fossil fuels. As for me yes I was considering getting rid of the focus for a few reasons. One being it came with a bad design flaw with the transmission. As for my pickup it's old but it can do more things like you said. Also the price increases from electricity compared to gas would totally be cheaper.

For hurricanes I've researched my area regarding charging options and they are very good. I've reviewed back roads as I know the main roads would be packed and I wouldn't be able to go as fast. The furthest I would go is about 250 miles in many cases and about 500 in extreme cases. All would have ample charging options both Tesla and non Tesla.

 

[jaws2003]

Hello Everyone,

I have been searching the web for some new information about the Tesla model 3 cars. Since I've seen their introduction circa 2017 I have been interested as well as the performance of them. Now it seems like there are a lot of Tesla's that are starting to become cheaper in price and I've had the experience to drive a standard range model 3 that my friend rented and fell in love again. I have driven an older dual motor model 3 and liked it as well. Only thing I didn't like was the harsher regen braking. Granted these are higher mileage model 3 cars I am considering here are my following questions:

1. I am concerned about owning a higher mileage Tesla that would be over 100k miles. How are the model 3 cars holding up that have the 358 or 272 mile range?

2. How solid are the motors on these cars? I've seen online that it's a 6k repair if the car is out of warranty.

3. Are there any 3rd party warranties that will work with Tesla repairs?

4. Currently I do a 70 mile per day commute to and from work. I like that the dual motor long range is better and according to Tesla trip planner a faster car to recharge but I also do a longer trip from the Tallahassee area to Orlando( around 250 miles) at least once per month. I rode in a standard range car with my friend and we had to recharge a longer time compared to what the tesla trip planner shows for the long range. Granted she goes a minimum of 85 mph. I typically drive around 78 mph. Would going a little slower get more range out of it and what would be the supercharging difference with the standard and long range cars?

5. Has anyone here purchased a higher mileage Tesla Model 3 and how has your experience been with it?

6. Also for adding home charging currently my panel is full and I was thinking about getting a splitter that I can plug into my dryer outlet. I'm not sure if it's a NEMA 14-30 or 14-50 but is there a possible way to get the smart splitter and run about 50 feet of wire via an extension cord for level 2 charging out so I can charge the car? Also what rate of charge can I get with a setup like that if possible? I know typically they charge around 20-30/mile per hour.

7. I am very concerned about battery degradation at this amount of miles and what I've been reading the LFP batteries hold up well to this but they don't have as much range. If I bought a dual motor it seems like the daily limit at 80% would be very similar to 100% LFP battery. Again I will be going from the Tallahassee area to Orlando so I will be putting at least 30K/ year on the car with mostly home charging and supercharging on road trips. I will also make an occasional road trip to Texas or South Florida as well. After driving the standard range Tesla while I like it I would love to have more range and performance. Is there a way to check the battery for degradation besides the "service" mode that I've seen on videos? seems like it either works or it doesn't and I am not sure if a car dealership would let me do this to check the health of the battery.

8. This one is weird but I have seen many videos talking about people who hate EVs and me and my friend ran into one a few days ago while driving to Orlando. On the way down there was this Chevy Silverado that would keep tailing us or try to stay in front of us. She had to punch it to about 125 mph to get away from him and when she went that fast he backed off. Do a lot of you guys experience unwanted attention like that?

9. There are some reports I've seen about some suspension parts wearing out faster but I wanted to know if Tesla has addressed this or not?

 

[ewoodrick]

1) Pretty much all of the Model 3s are still out on the road
2) Motors last forever.
3) Yes
4) Any of the cars will do that trip. Pretty sure that I've done it. Sure, the Standard Range battery may take a little longer to charge, but that's a great time for a break. The secret to charging is to stay on the faster side of the battery, that means 5-50%, not 20-80%,
5) Many have
6) You need to get an electrician to take a look. It may be that your overall service needs upgrading, or that a subpanel needs to be added and some of the loads moved. Even a standard 120V 15A plug will add 60 miles in 12 hours. DO you have ant charging opportunities at work?
7) Battery degradation is something that people worry with and then realize that it was nothing to worry about. I've got one of the oldest Model 3s and I think I charged to 296 @ 100% last week for a trip.
8) I'm sure that there are videos about people hating Orlando as well. Why would you go there. There are people who hate anything, and remember whenever you watch one of these, you are paying them money!!!
9) Sure there are some. But when you read Internet forums, you can always expect problems to be exaggerated.

I'm about to get a Cybertruck and I'm really hating to sell the Model 3. I've average 25 WH/mi and that's pretty awesome. It's been to Orlando from Atlanta many times, as well as Tallahassee, and over to the redneck riviera via MS. As well as Chicago and many trips to Dayton.

 

[jaws2003]

1) Pretty much all of the Model 3s are still out on the road
2) Motors last forever.
3) Yes
4) Any of the cars will do that trip. Pretty sure that I've done it. Sure, the Standard Range battery may take a little longer to charge, but that's a great time for a break. The secret to charging is to stay on the faster side of the battery, that means 5-50%, not 20-80%,
5) Many have
6) You need to get an electrician to take a look. It may be that your overall service needs upgrading, or that a subpanel needs to be added and some of the loads moved. Even a standard 120V 15A plug will add 60 miles in 12 hours. DO you have ant charging opportunities at work?
7) Battery degradation is something that people worry with and then realize that it was nothing to worry about. I've got one of the oldest Model 3s and I think I charged to 296 @ 100% last week for a trip.
8) I'm sure that there are videos about people hating Orlando as well. Why would you go there. There are people who hate anything, and remember whenever you watch one of these, you are paying them money!!!
9) Sure there are some. But when you read Internet forums, you can always expect problems to be exaggerated.

I'm about to get a Cybertruck and I'm really hating to sell the Model 3. I've average 25 WH/mi and that's pretty awesome. It's been to Orlando from Atlanta many times, as well as Tallahassee, and over to the redneck riviera via MS. As well as Chicago and many trips to Dayton.

Thanks for your feedback!!! Seems that you can't go wrong with either car. As for the electric panel I will get someone to check it out. As for charging around my job I have a few places where I can charge. There's a DC fast charger and a level 2 charger that I would have to pay for.