Got ‘18 M3 LR. Worth upgrading? When?

[usual.year4075]

Hi folks. So I have a 2018 Tesla model e long range. Got FSD and all luckily during the rebates and low FSD cost (3k). After 3 years, in reflecting as to when would be the sweet spot time to trade in and upgrade? While costs for FSD are higher it has allowed me greater equity.

So my question is, for a new M3, any significant differences worth upgrade? Or the class hasn’t changed much and instead worth looking at an S even though it’s a huge price jump. I know it’s subjective but thought I’d ask

 

[danp]

We just sold our 2018 M3 LR to Carvana a month ago and bought a new M3 LR to replace it. Got almost the same for the 2018 as the price of the new 2022.

In terms of improvements, the new Model 3 has things like longer range, heat pump, heated steering wheel, improved interior, better sound proofing, power trunk, etc. But it also just feels much better, the quality improvements on their own would have made it worth it.

 

[tm1v2]

I have an S and a 3. They're really different driving experiences in my opinion, drive an S before deciding you want to buy one. To some people the S is entirely better. Me, I like driving the smaller and sportier 3 more than any S I've driven over the years (many as loaners), but an S is a lot more practical thanks to that big hatch and better back seat (still not great). (Also my S has a huge frunk but new ones don't anymore.)

Have you figure out how exactly much upgrading to a newer 3 would cost you? Remember to account for sales tax. Lots of nice little changes since your 2018, but it's still overall the same car, not like a complete new generation yet. (Whereas the latest S is truly a complete new generation from my old one.)

Personally I think comes down to how much you can get for your old 3. There's nothing essential or *that* major that's better, but there are a lot of small improvements (NVH, interior quality, heat pump, power trunk, more I'm forgetting...plus MCU3 and 15V Li-Ion battery are being phased in now). If you can get a really high price for your old 3 in today's crazy car market, then by all means go for it! In normal times I'd say wait for more/bigger changes, but these ain't normal times.

 

[jjrandorin]

Got FSD and all luckily during the rebates and low FSD cost (3k)

Correction here.... your total cost to get to "FSD" on your car was not 3k, it was 8k. FSD required purchasing Enhanced autopilot at 5k, and then you could buy FSD for 3k additional, so you paid 8k, not 3k.

There are those who bought during the FSD transition when EAP went away (march / april 2019) who got FSD as an add on for 2k, so their total spend on FSD was 7k. I was one of those above people, so my total spend on FSD was 7k (5k EAP + 2k FSD).

I mention this, to hopefully head off all the newer people who would likely then chime in "FSD used to be 3k?!?!?!!!? what a rip off at 10k!!!!!!"

Back to your question. Ignoring the S part of the equation, whether the changes are worth it or not is up to you.

A non all inclusive list

New headlights
New Windows
(supposedly) better build quality (although this one is very anecdotal and I dont tend to believe its much different)
Lots of small engineering changes because tesla iterates constantly
Possible new ryzen MCU chip (if taking delivery in US later this year)
New center console design
Vision only, no radar for AP / FSD
No frunk hooks
Homelink no longer included
Slightly re designed door interior trim
Heat pump / Octovalve


If you were ever considering it, now is the time. People are getting top dollar for all model 3s except for performance model 3s. This will not continue to be the case forever, but right now is a very good time to consider this, especially if you are not going to buy FSD on your new vehicle since its 10k now. The car comes with AP (not EAP), so if all you use is regular cruise control, and have no interest in the rest of the FSD stuff, you can likely make out pretty good.

if you want FSD, the upcharge from what you paid (its a 2k difference vs what you paid as I already explained above, not 7k difference) will eat into that, but it could still be a decent time to do it.

 

[usual.year4075]

Thanks some great advice. I tend to agree they model s for me personally feels bulkier. Also AWD is a good upgrade since i live in Washington now. But yes lots of variables and yes you are right, it felt I paid less for FSD but it was just fragmented.

 

[planetary]

I just sold my 3 and bought a new S (after a 5 month long order-to-delivery wait).

Last 20 years of car history: BMW 3-series, Miata MX-5, BMW 5-series, Porsche 911, then in 2018 a Tesla Model 3 LR, and now a 2022 Model S LR.

As you can see, I like two kinds of cars: smaller+tossable, and larger comfy+sporty. I appreciate both, but as I've approached my fifth decade, I'm definitely leaning toward the larger sedans. Part of it is practicality with a family, part is getting a bit older and appreciating creature comforts. Showing up at work reasonably fresh, despite a long SF Bay Area commute, is worth a lot. ...Even though many of us are not commuting much these days -- on the days we do, it's really great.

Specifically what I love about the S over the 3:
- comfier ride / air suspension is *far* easier on my back
- quieter, which translates to a whole lot less fatigue
- bit more range is nice, but mostly a wash for my daily usage pattern (I went from a Tesla-rated 303 to 375)
- more space, comfier for wifey and kiddos, guests, etc.

I originally wanted a Model S back in 2018, but I hated the idea of buying "old tech", and I liked the minimalist interior of the 3 far better. Glad that Tesla finally refreshed the S. Additionally, I find the Model S sufficiently fast and powerful -- more than I can legitimately use. But the M3 definitely feels faster, and is much more nimble. The M3 is fun. But the MS is where I want to be.

If I had unlimited funds, I think the ideal pair of Teslas is (1) MS for the daily, and (2) the Roadster for the weekend, in a few years. If you can only have one, the M3 is a good compromise, but it won't be truly great for any day of the week.

 

[tm1v2]

Btw I live in a climate similar to yours @usual.year4075 and the heat pump + octovalve works GREAT. Our climates are probably ideal for its usefulness and effectiveness. It's way, way better than the resistive heating in my old S, it heats up much quicker and stronger, never struggles at all to keep the cabin warm, and has much less impact on range.

I never owned an older 3 with resistive heating though, maybe they're better than my old S.

I'm sure the heat pump is of minimal benefit in warm climates, and from what I understand it's of minimal help too in very cold places where it basically has to fall back on waste energy heat. But PNW is probably ideal for its benefits.

 

[EVRider-FL]

We own a 2018 S (my car) and 2018 MR 3 (my wife’s). For local driving we usually take the 3, but for longer trips we use the S. I wouldn’t want to take the 3 on long road trips, even if it had the same range as the S, because the S is quieter and has a lot more storage space. I also prefer the dedicated controls and separate dash display in the S.

 

[EVRider-FL]

I meant to add that there’s nothing about the new 3 that would compel us to upgrade.

 

[HeatproofGenie]

We just sold our 2018 M3 LR to Carvana a month ago and bought a new M3 LR to replace it. Got almost the same for the 2018 as the price of the new 2022.

In terms of improvements, the new Model 3 has things like longer range, heat pump, heated steering wheel, improved interior, better sound proofing, power trunk, etc. But it also just feels much better, the quality improvements on their own would have made it worth it.

Just curious. What did you sell for and what mileage did you have?

I too just sold our '18 M3 LR and am upgrading to a '22 M3 LR. Sold our 36k mile car for 47k. At that resale price it was a no brainer IMO to upgrade. Our delivery window is starts tomorrow so I'm really hoping we get a new Ryzen processor. It's a crapshoot at this point though. We are down to one car though for a family of four so not sure I can delay any longer.

Anyway I'd say yes to exploring the upgrade. You'll pay some I'm sure but the increased value and all the incremental upgrades makes it worth it I think.

 

[danp]

Just curious. What did you sell for and what mileage did you have?

I too just sold our '18 M3 LR and am upgrading to a '22 M3 LR. Sold our 36k mile car for 47k. At that resale price it was a no brainer IMO to upgrade. Our delivery window is starts tomorrow so I'm really hoping we get a new Ryzen processor. It's a crapshoot at this point though. We are down to one car though for a family of four so not sure I can delay any longer.

Anyway I'd say yes to exploring the upgrade. You'll pay some I'm sure but the increased value and all the incremental upgrades makes it worth it I think.

50K from Carvana, and had around 18K miles. Maybe we could have gotten more but selling to Carvana was ridiculously easy and it basically covered the cost of a new one (before fees/taxes).

 

[HeatproofGenie]

Nice, you made out well. I'd say we did too for double miles.

 

[usual.year4075]

Hey guys so another thing. I heard here someone day 22 M3 is a better built but heard the opposite from someone else (cheaper parts). Anyone have any thoughts on that ?

 

[jjrandorin]

Any comments like that are going to be anecdotal. My personal feeling is that both are true. Tesla has more experience building the cars, and is also (like every other car manufacturer, and frankly every other business) is constantly trying to drive costs down. "cheaper parts" doesnt necessarily mean "worse".

As for build quality itself, I still feel that this is a bit up to the particular vehicle you get. Some are great, some are good, and a few are..... not so good. We always hear about those not so good ones here because in 2021/2022, the first thing it seems people do, even before trying to get something resolved, is to run to the internet and start posting about it and "anyone seen this problem?????" it.

 

[usual.year4075]

Any comments like that are going to be anecdotal. My personal feeling is that both are true. Tesla has more experience building the cars, and is also (like every other car manufacturer, and frankly every other business) is constantly trying to drive costs down. "cheaper parts" doesnt necessarily mean "worse".

As for build quality itself, I still feel that this is a bit up to the particular vehicle you get. Some are great, some are good, and a few are..... not so good. We always hear about those not so good ones here because in 2021/2022, the first thing it seems people do, even before trying to get something resolved, is to run to the internet and start posting about it and "anyone seen this problem?????" it.

Right. And it’s anecdotal so getting a qualitative poll from those that did the 18 to 22 upgrade in the thread on those thoughts.

 

[jjrandorin]

Right. And it’s anecdotal so getting a qualitative poll from those that did the 18 to 22 upgrade in the thread on those thoughts.

Here is plenty of anecdotal posts on the topic of issues with model 3s. The last few pages of this thread will be recent deliveries (late 2021 or 2022s). Of course, it suffers from what I explained above about who actually comes to forums to talk about their vehicles.

Delivery / Service Issues (panel gaps, delivery delays / issues / Service problems etc)

I had similar gaps when I took my 2021 M3P. The tech agreed that the gaps were out of spec and said they would fix it next time I brought it in. When I did they fixed the gaps but a month later, I found that the gaps were too tight which caused my left trunk arm to lock against the body of the...

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