Getting ready to buy my first Tesla... What to know...

[voldar]

People who don’t own EVs suffer from much more battery anxiety than actual owners, in my experience…

I would add also that mostly it's a battery anxiety induced by other people who never had an EV, but are "specialists" in how a BEV works.

I drove a PHEV since 2014 and changed to a BEV in 2019, when the DCFC infrastructure became available in the places I needed it. I decided to join the "Tesla group" because of the LFP battery. Which isn’t the fastest, nor the strongest but the most efficient. Some day people will understand that efficiency in The EV world is the thing that makes things equal.

If anyone looked at the numbers I posted in the Excel photo above, the SR LFP added enough energy in the battery to cover 150 miles in the same amount of time as the LR and the P = 23 mins. In cold temperatures.
Those who drive BEV for a while already, they know that usually you do it in 120-150 miles charging stops. IMO this is $ 10-15 000 kept in my pocket.

 

[Zcd1]

I would add also that mostly it's a battery anxiety induced by other people who never had an EV, but are "specialists" in how a BEV works….IMO this is $ 10-15 000 kept in my pocket.

True.

If one doesn’t value the extra performance of the 2 enhanced models, that’s fine. I do, though and wouldn’t have been happy with anything but a P.

 

[ewoodrick]

I agree. I am starting to have battery anxiety and don't even have the car yet.... maybe not an issue for most people, they'll buy a tesla, and then get rid of it within a few years. I typically hold on to my vehicle for much longer. Heck, I still have my 2003 F250 7.3 Diesel that I bought new back in the day. Only have 148k on it and will last pretty much longer than I will. When I try to put EV's into the same category from a longevity standpoint, then the battery fatigue / anxiety sets in.

Tesla recently released information that there Model S and X batteries were averaging 12% loss at 200,000 miles. The Model 3 and Y batteries, I believe, are expected to be better.

So if you drive it like your F250, It should still be great in 2050. If that makes you anxious, you really need to see a counselor.

 

[father_of_6]

For what it's worth... Get the M3P and never look back, although you should still try to say nice things to your corvette as you walk by it every day.

This.

I mean, the C7 is a nice fancy sports car and probably turns a lot of heads, but I just can't imagine wanting to drive it after getting a Model 3 (unless you get the neutered RWD M3).

 

[ewoodrick]

This.

I mean, the C7 is a nice fancy sports car and probably turns a lot of heads, but I just can't imagine wanting to drive it after getting a Model 3 (unless you get the neutered RWD M3).

Why do you say that about the RWD M3? It's still faster off the line than most other cars. 0 to 60 in under 6 isn't something to sneeze at.

People have to stop comparing the base Tesla's against the performance versions. Compare them against your current car.

For example:

• The new front-wheel-drive Prius we tested hit 60 mph in 7.1 seconds, making it 3.4 seconds quicker than its older equivalent.

 

[father_of_6]

Why do you say that about the RWD M3? It's still faster off the line than most other cars. 0 to 60 in under 6 isn't something to sneeze at.

Because the OP drives a C7 Corvette year round... the RWD M3 isn't going to feel as zippy. Sure it's still a fast car, but I suspect that the "M3 will be my commuter car and I'll drive the C7 everywhere else" would not be true if the OP gets the LR or P... OR being used to a fast car will regret getting the slowest M3.

2 seconds faster 0-60 is pretty significant.

 

[father_of_6]

If I am doing this, I am only doing it with a Tesla wall charger at home (240V).

This is the right decision. If you can afford a dual motor Model 3, that would be the right decision too.

 

[one2many]

What is the first question a "P" owner asks on here.
WOW how can I make it go faster.

Look at the Tesla supercharger map, sometimes the fastest route
could be 100's of miles out of your way.
I spent 3 hours going to get chips, a 30 minute drive.

 

[Apprunner]

Range anxiety is felt from non-EV owners. EV owners actually feel charger anxiety which is easily mitigated by Tesla's awesome Supercharger network. Try owning a CCS car...charger anxiety is real

Also, OP should definitely test drive a standard model and Performance model back to back. Such a magnitude of difference and if he's a performance junkie, an easy choice

 

[mark02115]

Thanks for all the advice. If I am doing this, I am only doing it with a Tesla wall charger at home (240V).
I even have a gift card to Best Buy for $500 and they sell the Tesla wall chargers for that, so there is that benefit.

As for cold weather use, I will ask some fellow engineers I know here that drive their M3s year round.

I find that people that don't live around here think winters are brutal and they simply aren't (in my eyes).
Snowed twice last winter, a couple inches each time. Melted all in a couple days. RI is not Maine. Ocean everywhere keeps the snow from forming.

Anyways, I will do some more research on cold weather performance.

yes --- winter in RI was not harsh. we had one weekend of brutal cold and with the wind chill it was unbearable. I place my order on tuesday - live in boston, but the tesla will spend most of its life in RI.

 

[ewoodrick]

Because the OP drives a C7 Corvette year round... the RWD M3 isn't going to feel as zippy. Sure it's still a fast car, but I suspect that the "M3 will be my commuter car and I'll drive the C7 everywhere else" would not be true if the OP gets the LR or P... OR being used to a fast car will regret getting the slowest M3.

2 seconds faster 0-60 is pretty significant.

My point was that it is pretty demeaning to call the M3 SR RWD "neutered".

I had a nephew that was determined to get a Model Y performance. He's a young guy, had sports cars, and knew that he had to have a fast car.
I took our Model Y over and gave him a test drive. He was floored at the performance and realized that it was quite enough for him.

People often poo-poo the lower end Teslas, they aren't to be looked down upon.
While the high end Teslas may look down to them, they are still in the clouds above most other cars.

 

[Apprunner]

My point was that it is pretty demeaning to call the M3 SR RWD "neutered".

I had a nephew that was determined to get a Model Y performance. He's a young guy, had sports cars, and knew that he had to have a fast car.
I took our Model Y over and gave him a test drive. He was floored at the performance and realized that it was quite enough for him.

People often poo-poo the lower end Teslas, they aren't to be looked down upon.
While the high end Teslas may look down to them, they are still in the clouds above most other cars.

There is a pretty significant difference between a standard range Model 3 vs. your dual motor Model Y. The standard range M3 feels pretty slow comparatively and certainly no rocket.

 

[one2many]

People often poo-poo

Really not true. If I could get a kitchen pass for a plaid, well.
We all match our requirements with cost.

Now moving on I drove 100 miles for a hamburger, beat that.

 

[3sr+buyer]

There is a pretty significant difference between a standard range Model 3 vs. your dual motor Model Y. The standard range M3 feels pretty slow comparatively and certainly no rocket.

Though there are not many places outside of tracks or race courses where the difference in acceleration between a "slow" Model 3 RWD and a faster Tesla car makes a practical difference in normal driving. On some of the shorter on-ramps, I did find it necessary to floor the accelerator in cars that did 0-60 in 11+ seconds, but not in cars that did 0-60 in under 7 seconds.

 

[Apprunner]

Though there are not many places outside of tracks or race courses where the difference in acceleration between a "slow" Model 3 RWD and a faster Tesla car makes a practical difference in normal driving. On some of the shorter on-ramps, I did find it necessary to floor the accelerator in cars that did 0-60 in 11+ seconds, but not in cars that did 0-60 in under 7 seconds.

Anything under 9s 0-60 is a luxury. No one needs that much speed. Performance is never really a question of need...just a question of want.

 

[Zcd1]

Though there are not many places outside of tracks or race courses where the difference in acceleration between a "slow" Model 3 RWD and a faster Tesla car makes a practical difference in normal driving. On some of the shorter on-ramps, I did find it necessary to floor the accelerator in cars that did 0-60 in 11+ seconds, but not in cars that did 0-60 in under 7 seconds.

LOL - okay so we all just need brown diesel wagons with manual transmissions…

YOU obviously don’t care about extra performance, but many do, and are willing to pay for it.

I’ll take my 3P’s better tires, brakes and handling too!

 

[voldar]

There is a pretty significant difference between a standard range Model 3 vs. your dual motor Model Y. The standard range M3 feels pretty slow comparatively and certainly no rocket.

Sure, and this because people buy an EV for it's 0 to 60 rating. BTW, 5.8 seconds 0-60 mph isn't too shabby. The RWD feels a lot more peppy from 30 to 70 or more. I think Elon nerfed the RWD so that people still buy a LR.

 

[voldar]

YOU obviously don’t care about extra performance, but many do, and are willing to pay for it.

I’ll take my 3P’s better tires, brakes and handling too!

2 seconds less don't make a difference in my book. If I would spend all day on a track, racing and winning money from it, definitely I would buy a S Plaid. Not a M3P. But I am not doing this. Although you can do whatever you like with your money. So do I.

 

[ewoodrick]

Really not true. If I could get a kitchen pass for a plaid, well.
We all match our requirements with cost.

Now moving on I drove 100 miles for a hamburger, beat that.

You are really missing my point. There is NOTHING that I'm saying that talks about what I want.

And unless you have a requirement to run it on track, which the original poster didn't, you really won't notice the difference, as others have just said.


Honestly 100 miles for a hamburger is only slightly impressive. It's a regular challenge for many pilots. Their cost per mile is significantly more than an ICE, let along a Tesla

A Lifetime Chasing the $100 Hamburger - FLYING Magazine

John Purner knows all about flying for food. As author of the yearly resource, “The $100 Hamburger: A Guide to Pilots’ Favorite Fly-In Restaurants,” he has three decades worth of experience, $100 at a time. He also knows that making that trip every so often is a needed thing for pilots to do...

www.flyingmag.com

 

[ewoodrick]

LOL - okay so we all just need brown diesel wagons with manual transmissions…

YOU obviously don’t care about extra performance, but many do, and are willing to pay for it.

I’ll take my 3P’s better tires, brakes and handling too!

I'll agree with @voldar

If you care about performance, then you aren't buying a Model 3.

Anything below the Plaid suggests that you are compromising on price vs performance. And the bottom end Model 3 provide a awesome price/performance tradeoff when compared to just about anything else in the road.