Hi, all. New here. Cool forum.
Perhaps some of the wiser among you can help me out with my future buying decision. Basically, I made the mistake of riding in my bro-in-law's Model S, and was pretty much insta-smitten... so quiet, so smooth (air suspension), so fast, so sexy in the styling. And this was even after riding in my other bro-in-law's Jaguar F-Type about 40 minutes prior. Really nice car, but not as refined or as cool as the S.
So, now I want a Tesla. But, I'm a bit of a cheapskate, and I'm willing to wait. I did consider getting a *new* Model S, but, eh. The 100 models seem a bit spendy for what you get, and the 75 models are juuuust barely range-shy enough to activate my range anxiety. I'm sure this is not by chance. IOW, Tesla's marketing/pricing guys are evil.
So okay, *used* Model S vs new Model 3. From comparing and contrasting specs, seems like I personally would want an 85D or 90D (though 90Ds apparently are hard to find). Probably am looking at a late 2014 or a 2015 car, probably one that just came off lease.
My personal list of pluses and minuses below... tell me if I'm off-base on any of this and/or am missing anything.
Used Model S
+ Longer, lower, sleeker exterior styling than the 3
+ Has been in production for several years, so should be more reliable than a Model Year 1 car like the 3
+ Has a HUD (the 3's super-minimalist controls worry me a bit)
+ Faster acceleration
+ Could get one with Original Autopilot, which allegedly does basic functions like lane-keeping better than Enhanced AP
+ Heavier car = theoretically safer in a crash
+ Might be able to get one with Air Suspension
+ Could buy one soon
+ Unlimited Supercharging?? (some models, referrals?)
– Will very likely be more expensive than even a well-appointed 3 (though maybe not by much)
– Shorter range than the LR (long-range) option'd 3
– Heavier car = less nimble handling and longer stopping distances, all else equal
– Big = tougher to park, and fools will be dinging it when they open their car doors in parking lots
– Won't have all the cool Enhanced Autopilot features
– As a used/former lease car, perhaps the previous owner took bad care of it and/or beat the hell out of it
New Model 3
+ A bit cheaper, even with all the trimmings
+ In LR guise, will have significantly longer range than any of the used MSes I'm looking at
+ Enhanced Autopilot has some cool features that Orginal AP won't
+ Lighter car = more agile handling, shorter stopping distances
+ Smaller = easier to park, less likely to be dinged by dumbasses in parking lots
+ Don't have to worry about what the previous owner did to it
+ Probably has some minor doo-dads/refinements that the S doesn't have
– As a Model Year 1 car, could definitely have some major reliability issues
– Exterior styling is good, but not 'Model S good'
– Super-minimalist controls/lack of a HUD seem odd and slightly off-putting to me
– Slower acceleration (though still quite fast)
– Lighter car = less safe in a crash than the S (though @3500-3800 lbs, the 3's not a 'light' car, really)
– Enhanced AP has more features than Original AP but allegedly is not as refined (yet)
– No shot at getting Unlimited Supercharging?
– No air suspension option (yet?)
– No AWD option (though it's coming)
– 12-18 month wait to buy one
Does that capture it pretty well?
Perhaps some of the wiser among you can help me out with my future buying decision. Basically, I made the mistake of riding in my bro-in-law's Model S, and was pretty much insta-smitten... so quiet, so smooth (air suspension), so fast, so sexy in the styling. And this was even after riding in my other bro-in-law's Jaguar F-Type about 40 minutes prior. Really nice car, but not as refined or as cool as the S.
So, now I want a Tesla. But, I'm a bit of a cheapskate, and I'm willing to wait. I did consider getting a *new* Model S, but, eh. The 100 models seem a bit spendy for what you get, and the 75 models are juuuust barely range-shy enough to activate my range anxiety. I'm sure this is not by chance. IOW, Tesla's marketing/pricing guys are evil.
So okay, *used* Model S vs new Model 3. From comparing and contrasting specs, seems like I personally would want an 85D or 90D (though 90Ds apparently are hard to find). Probably am looking at a late 2014 or a 2015 car, probably one that just came off lease.
My personal list of pluses and minuses below... tell me if I'm off-base on any of this and/or am missing anything.
Used Model S
+ Longer, lower, sleeker exterior styling than the 3
+ Has been in production for several years, so should be more reliable than a Model Year 1 car like the 3
+ Has a HUD (the 3's super-minimalist controls worry me a bit)
+ Faster acceleration
+ Could get one with Original Autopilot, which allegedly does basic functions like lane-keeping better than Enhanced AP
+ Heavier car = theoretically safer in a crash
+ Might be able to get one with Air Suspension
+ Could buy one soon
+ Unlimited Supercharging?? (some models, referrals?)
– Will very likely be more expensive than even a well-appointed 3 (though maybe not by much)
– Shorter range than the LR (long-range) option'd 3
– Heavier car = less nimble handling and longer stopping distances, all else equal
– Big = tougher to park, and fools will be dinging it when they open their car doors in parking lots
– Won't have all the cool Enhanced Autopilot features
– As a used/former lease car, perhaps the previous owner took bad care of it and/or beat the hell out of it
New Model 3
+ A bit cheaper, even with all the trimmings
+ In LR guise, will have significantly longer range than any of the used MSes I'm looking at
+ Enhanced Autopilot has some cool features that Orginal AP won't
+ Lighter car = more agile handling, shorter stopping distances
+ Smaller = easier to park, less likely to be dinged by dumbasses in parking lots
+ Don't have to worry about what the previous owner did to it
+ Probably has some minor doo-dads/refinements that the S doesn't have
– As a Model Year 1 car, could definitely have some major reliability issues
– Exterior styling is good, but not 'Model S good'
– Super-minimalist controls/lack of a HUD seem odd and slightly off-putting to me
– Slower acceleration (though still quite fast)
– Lighter car = less safe in a crash than the S (though @3500-3800 lbs, the 3's not a 'light' car, really)
– Enhanced AP has more features than Original AP but allegedly is not as refined (yet)
– No shot at getting Unlimited Supercharging?
– No air suspension option (yet?)
– No AWD option (though it's coming)
– 12-18 month wait to buy one
Does that capture it pretty well?