Final Decision: Is Going from AWD to P Worth $9,946-$12,946?

[candyfordays]

So I did the final calculations and Tesla bumped up their Trade in Value.
The P OTD is $60,821. I paid $54,038 for my AWD.
Tesla is offering 46K for the VH and then with the $1875 tax credit, value is a total of $47875.
Cost to upgrade is = $12,946
IF MD passes more funds for the Excise Credit then I can claim $3,000 pushing the total VH value to $50,875. Cost to upgrade would be $9,946.

What do you guys think. From a low end of $9,946 to a high end of $12,946, is this upgrade worth it at this price range?
I have it on private party site but so far I have a bunch of deadbeats who's offering 40K, 42K, etc.
Needless to say, longer I hold onto the car the more it depreciates so I rather just come to a decision sooner than later.
Thanks in advance for all the helps Tesla peeps.

 

[St☰v☰]

Only you can answer that question. Is 0-60 at 3.2 seconds really necessary for your particular driving plans or is 5.3 seconds adequate?

 

[JBT66]

When did you get the AWD and how many miles on it? Did you get the fed tax credit if it was a 2018? Does the AWD have AP, EAP, or FSD?

 

[JBT66]

AWD is low 4’s not 5.3.

 

[kunzjob]

Hmm- that’s a stretch for most people but if you can afford it (won’t affect any other lifestyle choices) then why not?
If you keep your current car do you plan on changing wheels/tires? There goes 3-4k. Add on better suspension and brakes.

 

[candyfordays]

When did you get the AWD and how many miles on it? Did you get the fed tax credit if it was a 2018? Does the AWD have AP, EAP, or FSD?

I got it August 17, 2019. Currently has 790. I do plan on obtaining the tax credit when I do my taxes next year. No FSD.

Hmm- that’s a stretch for most people but if you can afford it (won’t affect any other lifestyle choices) then why not?
If you keep your current car do you plan on changing wheels/tires? There goes 3-4k. Add on better suspension and brakes.

I can afford it but like most people I rather not spend money needlessly (as ironic as it sounds). I'm just thinking about the question of regret. Needless to say, its been stressing me out the past few days.
In regards to my current car, no. I don't plan on making any mods. There was one change I wanted which I already did, which was the 19 inch sport rims.

 

[ecarfan]

Only you can answer that question. Is 0-60 at 3.2 seconds really necessary for your particular driving plans or is 5.3 seconds adequate?

As near as I can tell, the OP says he currently has an AWD 3 but not what battery he has. If he has the LR AWD the 0-60 is 4.4s.

@candyfordays you are asking other people to decide for you how to value a faster 0-60 time. You are going to get a wide range of answers. I hope they help. But no one can get inside your head and determine how much “regret” you might feel after doing the trade. Only you can do that.

 

[candyfordays]

@candyfordays you are asking other people to decide for you how to value a faster 0-60 time. You are going to get a wide range of answers. I hope they help. But no one can get inside your head and determine how much “regret” you might feel after doing the trade. Only you can do that.

The best I can say is " I know :/ "

 

[JBT66]

Personally I wouldn’t spend that kind of money on a PUP version. I’ve jacked up enough low profile tires.
Spend less on a P3D- and I’d consider it.

 

[Knightshade]

AWD is low 4’s not 5.3.

AWD is 4.0 flat if you measure it the same way they measure the P... (Tesla uses a different method for the P to make it look artificially better)


Also OP might consider seeing if a sales guy can find him a P3D- which are still around in inventory, which would knock ~5k off the price difference if he really wants the extra 0.8ish of 0-60 time and track mode (the 2 main things of any value the P adds)

As near as I can tell, the OP says he currently has an AWD 3 but not what battery he has. If he has the LR AWD the 0-60 is 4.4s.

Again, 4.0 apples to apples... also LR is the only battery available on AWD model 3s

 

[jjrandorin]

I got it August 17, 2019. Currently has 790. I do plan on obtaining the tax credit when I do my taxes next year. No FSD.



I can afford it but like most people I rather not spend money needlessly (as ironic as it sounds). I'm just thinking about the question of regret. Needless to say, its been stressing me out the past few days.
In regards to my current car, no. I don't plan on making any mods. There was one change I wanted which I already did, which was the 19 inch sport rims.

Its pretty clear to me that you want to do it, which means you will be unhappy with your current car. Its not like that unhappiness will go away, it will likely grow. There is nothing wrong with the LR AWD but... you dont want it. You want the P which you now know you should have bought in the first place.

If you can afford to do it, you should do it, or decide to live with the fact you likely will be unhappy with your car, even though there is nothing wrong with it. if something DOES happen to it, you will be saying to yourself "I knew I should have gotten the P!!!!!!" and be even more mad / unhappy.

You dont want to be unhappy with your car for the time you own it, which it sounds like to me will happen if you keep the AWD non P.

 

[tvad]

I think if your decision is based on crunching numbers, then you're not committed to the upgrade and you shouldn't do it. Let's face it, you know it doesn't make fiscal sense, which is why you keep punching the calculator buttons to convince yourself that it's okay to make the change.

I would wait two or three years, get more use our of your present car, and then upgrade. Not only will it be better for your finances, but in three years you will be buying a more advanced automobile.

 

[BZM3]

So I did the final calculations and Tesla bumped up their Trade in Value.
The P OTD is $60,821. I paid $54,038 for my AWD.
Tesla is offering 46K for the VH and then with the $1875 tax credit, value is a total of $47875.
Cost to upgrade is = $12,946
IF MD passes more funds for the Excise Credit then I can claim $3,000 pushing the total VH value to $50,875. Cost to upgrade would be $9,946.

What do you guys think. From a low end of $9,946 to a high end of $12,946, is this upgrade worth it at this price range?
I have it on private party site but so far I have a bunch of deadbeats who's offering 40K, 42K, etc.
Needless to say, longer I hold onto the car the more it depreciates so I rather just come to a decision sooner than later.
Thanks in advance for all the helps Tesla peeps.

no

 

[AndrewAllen]

So I did the final calculations and Tesla bumped up their Trade in Value.
The P OTD is $60,821. I paid $54,038 for my AWD.
Tesla is offering 46K for the VH and then with the $1875 tax credit, value is a total of $47875.
Cost to upgrade is = $12,946
IF MD passes more funds for the Excise Credit then I can claim $3,000 pushing the total VH value to $50,875. Cost to upgrade would be $9,946.

What do you guys think. From a low end of $9,946 to a high end of $12,946, is this upgrade worth it at this price range?
I have it on private party site but so far I have a bunch of deadbeats who's offering 40K, 42K, etc.
Needless to say, longer I hold onto the car the more it depreciates so I rather just come to a decision sooner than later.
Thanks in advance for all the helps Tesla peeps.

This question has been coming up a lot. I struggled with it too. Thankfully my wife wanted my 3 so it made it a little easier for me to get a P3-.

If money has anything to do with it I wouldn’t. In 12-24months who knows what’s going to be offered as an upgrade? You have a great car now. It’s not worth having a financial hit if it impacts you.

If the money isn’t going to put you in a hardship situation for you and your family at all, I say do it. My entire life I’ve never pulled the trigger on the top model. Not because I couldn’t afford it, I just couldn’t justify it. When we bought our first one in March I was blown away with how great the car is. In my opinion the difference in power between LR car and P is significant. It’s an absolute rocket.

It makes no sense to sell a great car and loose that kind of money. It’s also supercar 0-60 for $60k otd. I had no intention of buying another one. I couldn’t pass the P3- up and 5 weeks into ownership have zero regrets. Plus my wife loves hers now.

Just don’t do it if buying it causes issues. Nothing in my opinion is worth that.

 

[daniel]

Since you ask for our opinions, my opinion is don't get the upgrade. I really wanted P3D but that was not available yet and I didn't want to wait, so I got LR RWD with PUP. I think they say 5.1 seconds? That was coming from a Roadster that was somewhere close to 4 seconds. I find that I am perfectly happy with my car. It has plenty of torque for driving on public roads.

Also, please note this: Check with your tax preparer: You might forfeit any tax credit you got when you bought your present car if you sell it this soon. I don't know what the tax breaks are now, but when the Model 3 first came out and people were talking about flipping the car, it came up that you don't get the tax credit if you buy it for re-sale, and that the IRS assumes that if you don't keep it long enough there's an assumption that you bought it for resale. I'm not a lawyer or tax specialist so I don't know the law, but you should check, as it could change the math. If you don't use a tax preparer, the IRS will answer any and all questions over the phone. They are very friendly and do not ask who you are (unless maybe you want an answer in writing).

 

[bedoig]

As near as I can tell, the OP says he currently has an AWD 3 but not what battery he has. If he has the LR AWD the 0-60 is 4.4s.

I'm pretty sure the AWD has never been offered with anything but the LR battery.

 

[Alvarex]

You say you picked your car up on the 17th of August? And put on 770 miles on it in that period of time? That's 33 miles a day of driving.

As someone who switched from a reserved AWD to a P3D- that came in stock during the wait, I'd say the trade is fine for ~2k. But unless you want the suspension, wheels, and breaks then I wouldn't make the trade at 12k. 2k felt like nothing since I didn't even have a car yet. But you have one.

The acceleration is awesome. But how often will you use it? And, if you are impulsive, how often will you get caught using it by the police? If you are going to use it sparingly then I don't think it's worth it at all. Also, your account location says VA -- weather there can be rough and I've heard bad things about the tires / suspension during the winter.

Also, are you including TAX and registration fees in your calculation? If not, then it's far more expensive than you think. You're basically agreeing to pay double sales tax on a P3.

I wouldn't do it.

 

[ecarfan]

You guys are correct, thanks for catching my error.

I consider my Model 3 AWD ridiculously quick, and my previous car was a Tesla Roadster. Sure, I came close to getting a Model 3 Performance but decided I could not justify the large price differential at the time (August 2018). Price difference is now less, but still significant, at least to me.

also LRw is the only battery available on AWD model 3s

I'm pretty sure the AWD has never been offered with anything but the LR battery.

 

[Knightshade]

Also, please note this: Check with your tax preparer: You might forfeit any tax credit you got when you bought your present car if you sell it this soon. I don't know what the tax breaks are now, but when the Model 3 first came out and people were talking about flipping the car, it came up that you don't get the tax credit if you buy it for re-sale, and that the IRS assumes that if you don't keep it long enough there's an assumption that you bought it for resale. I'm not a lawyer or tax specialist so I don't know the law, but you should check, as it could change the math. If you don't use a tax preparer, the IRS will answer any and all questions over the phone. They are very friendly and do not ask who you are (unless maybe you want an answer in writing).

Federally there's no requirement to hold the car for any amount of time at all in order to qualify for the credit... folks with state rebates might have such concerns to look into though.

 

[trm2]

You know you want it and you know you shouldn't. Decisions indeed.