HELP! I just put a deposit down for a new 75RWD model S but the monthly price is coming in more than I had thought (tax wasn't included...) and now I'm seeing these posts and videos of people LOVING the 3. I still have a reservation from February (set date May-June 2018) and I'm seriously considering cancelling the S and eating the $2500 and waiting for the 3. I just am getting a little worried I'm going to be "stuck" paying $1100/month for the next 6 years and then wish I had the 3.... Am I crazy?? I need to make this decision in the next day or two so I'd really love some advise from people who have driven (or ideally own/owned) both. Thank you!
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kiwiguy
Member
What is your tax rate in PA? 6-8% ?
I think you are crazy to lose $2500 to save a slightly higher monthly payment over 6 years!
Plus no Free Supercharging. I guess you are never getting raise over 6 years.
Can you cut $100 a month from your budget?
You did ask for an opinion. Just enjoy your new S!
I think you are crazy to lose $2500 to save a slightly higher monthly payment over 6 years!
Plus no Free Supercharging. I guess you are never getting raise over 6 years.
Can you cut $100 a month from your budget?
You did ask for an opinion. Just enjoy your new S!
barjohn
Member
I received an invitation to test drive an S and yesterday I did. Boy, if I could swing it I would go for the S over the 3 even though I like the size of the 3 better. However, the refinement in the S, the really big screen, the additional screen in the dash all lead to a nicer experience. If I wasn't retired on a relatively fixed income (Some depends on the stock market) I would go for it with the guaranteed tax benefit.
EV-lutioin
Active Member
TaoJones
Beyond Driven
I believe that a CPO AP1 RWD Model S85 (many will come off 3-year leases now and for the months to follow) is an excellent bridge car for the next 2-3 years. Figure those off-lease cars will have close to their allotted 45,000 miles (within 10K either way, typically), and will have included ESAs through 100,000 miles. That gives you a solid 2-3 years of mileage *under warranty* with AP1 stability.
The kicker is that these cars can be found in the $45K-$50K range. There was a pristine P85+ with every option and only 28K miles for sale recently - obviously a unicorn like that will cost more. But for yer average garden variety moderately-optioned simple S85, sanity prevails.
So there's another option to consider. Supercharging is included, the depreciation is largely accounted for, and it buys you time. Figure you could drive the hell out of it and it would still be worth $15K-20K to somebody once you're done with it.
In 2-3 years' time, there should be a) a useful AP3.0, b) a nifty batch of new features as part of the refresh(es) and otherwise, and c) maybe even a compact SUV or pickup truck to consider as well (be still me widdle heart).
Having now seen a few Model 3s up close and personal, they're fine cars, and will only get better. However, if you drive a lot and live in a state with high per kW costs as I do, included supercharging is worth $6K-$9K over 3 years and must be accounted for.
So there's that.
Good luck.
The kicker is that these cars can be found in the $45K-$50K range. There was a pristine P85+ with every option and only 28K miles for sale recently - obviously a unicorn like that will cost more. But for yer average garden variety moderately-optioned simple S85, sanity prevails.
So there's another option to consider. Supercharging is included, the depreciation is largely accounted for, and it buys you time. Figure you could drive the hell out of it and it would still be worth $15K-20K to somebody once you're done with it.
In 2-3 years' time, there should be a) a useful AP3.0, b) a nifty batch of new features as part of the refresh(es) and otherwise, and c) maybe even a compact SUV or pickup truck to consider as well (be still me widdle heart).
Having now seen a few Model 3s up close and personal, they're fine cars, and will only get better. However, if you drive a lot and live in a state with high per kW costs as I do, included supercharging is worth $6K-$9K over 3 years and must be accounted for.
So there's that.
Good luck.
arcus
Active Member
Similar experience here. Yes, you need to do the math to make sure you are not overextending your budget.
No regrets here on going with S while waiting for 3. I still kept my reservation for 3 though.
Pkmmte
Le meow
Don't forget that you have 2 days after you initial deposit on the Model S to cancel and get a refund. If you're still within that time window, I highly suggest you do so, even if just to give you extra time to think about it.
And, if you go the CPO that someone mentioned, you might be able to talk Tesla into letting you roll over your $2500 deposit.
I disagree you can get a fully loaded 3 for 20k+ less than a Base S. The 3 will have more range as well and honestly the S is too big the 3 is the perfect size
Do you actually see inventory 75s? I see only 6 inventory cars, all 100D, ranging from 103-108k. If I put in a zip code, I only see a subset of these same cars.
@DarthPierce I'm assuming you are looking on ev-cpo.
I was actually quoted on the 75S yesterday with a VIN located in Alabama without any transportation fee. It seems strange but with 69,500 for the S compared to 49,000 for the 3, I can't tell spending an extra 20k is a good idea or not...
Contact the local advisor. They may be able to give more information. Be patient as their customer service is not that great.
I was actually quoted on the 75S yesterday with a VIN located in Alabama without any transportation fee. It seems strange but with 69,500 for the S compared to 49,000 for the 3, I can't tell spending an extra 20k is a good idea or not...
Contact the local advisor. They may be able to give more information. Be patient as their customer service is not that great.
McHoffa
CyberOwners
Don’t forget about getting the tax credit for sure vs getting either maybe half of you get the 3 next summer or not getting it at all if it’s nixed.
If you get it, put the $7500 this winter/spring in an account and put it toward the difference in payment, or invest it in something that will earn you money.
electricity
Member
I haven't seen the 3 in person , but after looking at many pictures I like the 3 more than the S at this point in time. The S interior looks dated, I personally love the X alot more than the S because of the open-ness inside. I read someone say the 3 is like a S and X had a baby, if that is the case then no doubt I want a 3 over an S.
I got my RWD S a couple months after placing my 3 reservation and so far 30000 miles of gas free bliss! I've been up and down the entire East coast multiple times(MA to FL) without skipping a beat(sooo many SCs now!).
An advantage to buying now of course is you'll get the $7500 tax credit for this tax year(while it still exists) free supercharging(w/referral code) and of course you can start driving a Tesla now instead of months or years from now.
The 3 is obviously a cool car(I have the low range on order for my wife) but the RWD S is an awesome car as well.
If you have any specific RWD S questions I'd be glad to answer.
barjohn
Member
Even though I prefer a smaller car, after driving an S 75, if I could afford the difference I would buy the S for two reasons: 1) It has a nicer interior and I prefer an instrument cluster in front of me, not to the side and 2) Tesla has had more time to refine and repair bugs and issues. Not withstanding that statement, it appears that there are still numerous bugs in the S and they have been present for several years now which leads me to believe that the M3 is likely to have even more bugs and that it will be several years before they get fixed. I hope I am wrong but it appears that software bugs such as rain sensing wipers still not functioning properly are not a high priority for Tesla to fix.
I swapped my 3 to an S.
A Model 3 is assumed to be around $70.000,- where I live. My 75D was $110.000,-. Of course, this is quite I big difference, but after 5 years Tesla will give me back 42% of the value of new (of course, if I can sell it better, I can).
Reasons to swap:
A Model 3 is assumed to be around $70.000,- where I live. My 75D was $110.000,-. Of course, this is quite I big difference, but after 5 years Tesla will give me back 42% of the value of new (of course, if I can sell it better, I can).
Reasons to swap:
- I hate to wait (this is by far the most important one)
- The S looks better (opinion)
- The S has more room
- The S interior looks better (opinion)
- I hate to wait
davidc18
Active Member
I think you really need to drive the cars to make a reasonable decision (if cost is not an issue) in the configuration you intend to purchase. Put 21s on coils vs 19 on air on the MS and you have two completely different cars.
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