Has anyone gone from a Model Y to a M3P

[dnstommy]

I bought a MYLR with 3 row and I am considering switching to a M3P. The 3rd row on the model Y just isn't real. To put anyone back there takes too much stealing from the 2nd and 1st row. So if I am going to switch to a 5 seater, maybe it should be a M3P. Vroom will give me more than I paid for the MY, so now is the time I think.

Anyone made the move with kids. Is a M3P really too small?

 

[theocguy]

Have you tired to do a test drive on M3P with kids auto see it for yourself?

It depends the size, height, and age of your kids.

I ordered a model 3 RWD and model Y LR. We tested both of them and the passenger seats on the 2nd row on M3 are lower as the car is lower than Y. The legroom is (about) the same.

 

[dnstommy]

Have you tired to do a test drive on M3P with kids auto see it for yourself?

It depends the size, height, and age of your kids.

I ordered a model 3 RWD and model Y LR. We tested both of them and the passenger seats on the 2nd row on M3 are lower as the car is lower than Y. The legroom is (about) the same.

My closest SC is 2 hours away, and one with demos is further. So, its all about meeting people with cars or online chat.

Kids are 4/6/8. Only the 4 yo is in a car seat. They fit fine in the MY, plenty or room, but the MY is 2 inches wider. As far as Teslas go, the X is the perfect car with a real 3rd row. But the current prices are way out there.

 

[lasttourist]

i'm looking to go the other way. i have a 3 with spouse and 2 kids. just looking for a little more room with the Y. (I've never been in a Y though).

 

[dnstommy]

i'm looking to go the other way. i have a 3 with spouse and 2 kids. just looking for a little more room with the Y. (I've never been in a Y though).

Looking for me room for luggage or people room?

 

[lasttourist]

Looking for me room for luggage or people room?

all the above.

 

[father_of_6]

I routinely fill my Model 3 with children. Often a car seat behind me, a booster seat in the middle, and a third child behind the front passenger.

The Model 3 is a fairly roomy sedan in my opinion (not a Model S or anything). There's ample room for a car seated child's legs behind the driver.

The trunk is also spacious.

 

[theocguy]

i'm looking to go the other way. i have a 3 with spouse and 2 kids. just looking for a little more room with the Y. (I've never been in a Y though).

you will not be disappointed on the Y for the space (luggage and seat wise)

 

[thesmokingman]

3 kids... I'd keep the Y.

 

[theocguy]

My closest SC is 2 hours away, and one with demos is further. So, its all about meeting people with cars or online chat.

Kids are 4/6/8. Only the 4 yo is in a car seat. They fit fine in the MY, plenty or room, but the MY is 2 inches wider. As far as Teslas go, the X is the perfect car with a real 3rd row. But the current prices are way out there.

I think the leg rooms for 4/6/8 years old kids are good in Model 3. However, have you considered to switch to Model Y 5 seaters? Since you have 3 kids, and eventually they will grow up taller/bigger, the 3 might be outgrowth soon. Or if you plan to change car every 2-3 yrs, then the Model 3 might work well for you.

I have ordered a Model Y 5 seaters and it is so much space for the passengers in the back, and the luggage. It would be our main car for a long trip. for some short(er) trips or weekend getaway, we would plan to just use the Model 3.

 

[Mingw]

My closest SC is 2 hours away, and one with demos is further. So, its all about meeting people with cars or online chat.

Kids are 4/6/8. Only the 4 yo is in a car seat. They fit fine in the MY, plenty or room, but the MY is 2 inches wider. As far as Teslas go, the X is the perfect car with a real 3rd row. But the current prices are way out there.

Turo one for a weekend and drive around with your kids.

 

[theocguy]

3 kids... I'd keep the Y.

yeah I agree. even with 2 kids, I'd keep the Y.

 

[tm1v2]

@dnstommy Model 3 back seat is very low to the floor. For preteen kids it's perfectly fine. If your family is on the taller side, then teenagers may not be comfortable for long trips. For me the 3 back seat is fine for short trips around town, but would be bad for long trips because my knees are in my face. We don't and won't take the 3 for longer trips with taller adults in the back.

The 3 trunk is also way more restrictive for hauling cargo. Any of S, X, or Y is much better for cargo than a 3. It's not just the space difference, though that's part of it. Sometimes with large items you can tell there's enough space inside the 3, but you can't fit them through any openings!

On the flip side...the 3 drives much, much better than a Y in my opinion - based on test drives of a 2021-Q2 MYLR and 2021-10 M3LR + M3P. Driving the 3 puts a smile on my face, and the ride quality is better than the Y too. The 3 is easily the most fun car in the Tesla S3XY lineup in my opinion. Plus the M3P gets Track Mode which really opens up more fun when opportunity allows, if you like pushing sporty cars to their limits. That was the key feature for me to get M3P over M3LR. Since you're in VT I'll mention that Track Mode seems like it would be very useful in the snow.

Driving-wise the Y is more of an appliance to me. I know some find it fun but I didn't, and I also hated the ride quality of the one I drove, it was super busy, felt very out of character for a family-friendly crossover. (And the handling wasn't anything special to make up for the poor ride.) The Y is very well packaged, it's a great utility vehicle, but what it gains in utility it loses in driving joy, in my opinion. (I will note that Tesla is known to change the suspension tuning of their cars over the years, sometimes without any announcement or official spec change, so it's quite possible that some Model Y ride better than the one I tested.)

Personally the 3's trunk is too restrictive for it be an only car for us. However as a 2nd car it was an easy choice to pick the M3P over the Y, and I have zero regrets about it! It's super fun and I always look forward to driving it. I don't think I'd look forward to driving a Y the same way.

 

[dnstommy]

@dnstommy Model 3 back seat is very low to the floor. For preteen kids it's perfectly fine. If your family is on the taller side, then teenagers may not be comfortable for long trips. For me the 3 back seat is fine for short trips around town, but would be bad for long trips because my knees are in my face. We don't and won't take the 3 for longer trips with taller adults in the back.

The 3 trunk is also way more restrictive for hauling cargo. Any of S, X, or Y is much better for cargo than a 3. It's not just the space difference, though that's part of it. Sometimes with large items you can tell there's enough space inside the 3, but you can't fit them through any openings!

On the flip side...the 3 drives much, much better than a Y in my opinion - based on test drives of a 2021-Q2 MYLR and 2021-10 M3LR + M3P. Driving the 3 puts a smile on my face, and the ride quality is better than the Y too. The 3 is easily the most fun car in the Tesla S3XY lineup in my opinion. Plus the M3P gets Track Mode which really opens up more fun when opportunity allows, if you like pushing sporty cars to their limits. That was the key feature for me to get M3P over M3LR. Since you're in VT I'll mention that Track Mode seems like it would be very useful in the snow.

Driving-wise the Y is more of an appliance to me. I know some find it fun but I didn't, and I also hated the ride quality of the one I drove, it was super busy, felt very out of character for a family-friendly crossover. (And the handling wasn't anything special to make up for the poor ride.) The Y is very well packaged, it's a great utility vehicle, but what it gains in utility it loses in driving joy, in my opinion. (I will note that Tesla is known to change the suspension tuning of their cars over the years, sometimes without any announcement or official spec change, so it's quite possible that some Model Y ride better than the one I tested.)

Personally the 3's trunk is too restrictive for it be an only car for us. However as a 2nd car it was an easy choice to pick the M3P over the Y, and I have zero regrets about it! It's super fun and I always look forward to driving it. I don't think I'd look forward to driving a Y the same way.

Thank you for this detailed response. Our second car is a 2021 F150, soon to be a Lightning (probably next year). I dont want to choose the F150 as our "trip car" with gas prices as they are. We aren't a tall family. Everyone is about 5'7 to 5'9. But I understand the short seat issue in the M3.

The fun of the M3P is certainly part of this equation. My wife and I are car people and enjoy ripping on it now and then. Decisions decisions.

 

[tm1v2]

Thank you for this detailed response. Our second car is a 2021 F150, soon to be a Lightning (probably next year). I dont want to choose the F150 as our "trip car" with gas prices as they are. We aren't a tall family. Everyone is about 5'7 to 5'9. But I understand the short seat issue in the M3.

The fun of the M3P is certainly part of this equation. My wife and I are car people and enjoy ripping on it now and then. Decisions decisions.

Well F150 Lightning should make a nice trip car, right? Would you be okay with F150 gasser + M3P combo temporarily until your Lightning gets built?

Nice choice on the EV pickup. Our other car is a 2013 Model S P85, which was our only car for many years. We have more hauling needs than ever so our planned replacement is an R1T. Lighting and Cybertruck are too long for us, couldn't park them in our garage to charge, plus I'm a sucker for the quad motors + trick suspension. We're relatively late on the reservation list though and our config has multiple options that Rivian hasn't started building yet, so I'm sure our R1T is easily a year or much more away from being built. Which suits us fine, we're not in a rush for it, at all.

 

[dnstommy]

Well F150 Lightning should make a nice trip car, right? Would you be okay with F150 gasser + M3P combo temporarily until your Lightning gets built?

Nice choice on the EV pickup. Our other car is a 2013 Model S P85, which was our only car for many years. We have more hauling needs than ever so our planned replacement is an R1T. Lighting and Cybertruck are too long for us, couldn't park them in our garage to charge, plus I'm a sucker for the quad motors + trick suspension. We're relatively late on the reservation list though and our config has multiple options that Rivian hasn't started building yet, so I'm sure our R1T is easily a year or much more away from being built. Which suits us fine, we're not in a rush for it, at all.

R1T is an amazing truck. And it is so built for being outside and doing fun stuff. For me, the F150 is about the reliability of the Ford dealership that is 2 miles away. My SC is several hours away. I didn't want a truck that was bleeding edge and had a SC that was 7 hours away. So the Lightning and its "Feels so normal" wins. One car that is hard as hell to get serviced is enough for me.

 

[rajendra82]

R1T is an amazing truck. And it is so built for being outside and doing fun stuff. For me, the F150 is about the reliability of the Ford dealership that is 2 miles away. My SC is several hours away. I didn't want a truck that was bleeding edge and had a SC that was 7 hours away. So the Lightning and its "Feels so normal" wins. One car that is hard as hell to get serviced is enough for me.

Also consider a Hyundai IONIQ 5 or a Kia EV 6. One of our neighbors has an IONIQ 5 in his driveway, and it looks so good.

 

[tm1v2]

R1T is an amazing truck. And it is so built for being outside and doing fun stuff. For me, the F150 is about the reliability of the Ford dealership that is 2 miles away. My SC is several hours away. I didn't want a truck that was bleeding edge and had a SC that was 7 hours away. So the Lightning and its "Feels so normal" wins. One car that is hard as hell to get serviced is enough for me.

7 hours away for service would be a no-go for me too!

As an owner of an early Model S, I fully expect the R1T and most early-effort EVs to need a decent bit of service/repairs.

 

[father_of_6]

I suspect that the local Ford dealership won't be servicing any F150 Lightnings... probably just a point of contact. Certainly better than a service center 7 hours away though. You think the ICE mechanics at a Ford dealership will be touching a high voltage BEV? (not an argument, a legitimate question).

I'm fully expecting major auto's dealerships to go through a very rough transition in the next decade... essentially becoming the place to test drive. Existing mechanics at those dealerships? Tough to know what their roles will be. Perhaps they'll continue to fix existing ICE vehicles, some of them will decide to learn about EVs. Or maybe it's just a matter of reading the repair manuals and they'll be good to go.

 

[dnstommy]

I suspect that the local Ford dealership won't be servicing any F150 Lightnings... probably just a point of contact. Certainly better than a service center 7 hours away though. You think the ICE mechanics at a Ford dealership will be touching a high voltage BEV? (not an argument, a legitimate question).

I'm fully expecting major auto's dealerships to go through a very rough transition in the next decade... essentially becoming the place to test drive. Existing mechanics at those dealerships? Tough to know what their roles will be. Perhaps they'll continue to fix existing ICE vehicles, some of them will decide to learn about EVs. Or maybe it's just a matter of reading the repair manuals and they'll be good to go.

Having worked at a Ford dealership as a kid for a few years, what I expect Ford to do is send on of their top techs to a "Lightning School" and their job will be to handle and assist with battery/high voltage work. This is what Ford did at my dealership when they owned and services Lamborginis.

Its going to be a process, but Ford is dedicated to the local dealerships (for good or bad) especially for service. And as more and more EVs get launched by Ford, they will need to service them in house.