Hi I'm new!

[roblab]

Since it seems that most of these responses are telling you how much it costs to charge, along with how much you will lose in winter, etc, etc, I wish to say installing HOME CHARGING is by far a worthwhile effort. If you can get your HOA to allow you to put in a 14-50 outlet near where you park (may have to get a designated parking spot), it would make your life a whole lot easier.

SECONDLY, please consider that an EV such as the model 3 HAS NO REQUIRED MAINTENANCE. Sure, Tesla will be happy to get you to come in so they can look at your windshield wipers and tire wear, but you don't need to use them. You see my two cars in my avatar. I also had a previous Model S for 80K miles, now 80K on the new S, and 10K on my 3. I have never spent anything on required maintenance. NO OIL CHANGES, no filters, no having to take it to the garage, no paying for oil, no taking time off to deliver/retrieve your car. No Required Maintenance. That fact should be part of your cost calculations. I would wonder if maintenance costs (on a gas car) are greater than gas costs.

 

[Dana1]

Thank you so much again you guys have been so helpful. Quite honestly one of the reasons why I did not consider Teslas for the longest of time was the seemingly arrogant attitude some Tesla drivers demonstrate (for example there are these couple of vanity plates on Teslas that says "NO GAS" OR "GAS LOL" around town - come on now not everyone can afford a Tesla and I hate paying for gas so the rubbing it in your face thing is just a bit much). But having seen your replies and finding how helpful they are I know for sure that's only a minority of the community

I did go for a test drive! I drove the LR AWD and honestly it was impressive (and coming from someone who is into engine noises and handling and all that good stuff it means a lot). The steering feels amazing - tho the lack of engine sound means that sometimes I do not know if I am going fast or slow - that is something to get used to and I dont think I will have a problem with that.

I always found the interior to be completely plain but being inside one it actually felt quite pleasant. No rattling at all (rattling is a huge and very frustrating issue with my C43). I hope they have thigh support at the seats but even without them its comfortable (but doesnt give you the wrap-around-you feel - but that's definitely not a show stopper). I live in Victoria BC where they do not have a showroom - they occasionally bring cars over for test drives - unfortunately I was only given about 15 min with the car. I have scheduled a longer test drive in Vancouver with the MR in February so hopefully I will get a good feel as to how the car I plan to buy actually drives. Does any one of you have a MR? Have you compared it with the LR/AWD ones before?

My commute to and from work is 50km a day so I suppose I will have to charge that somewhere during the week, which is not an issue. I drive by a mall with lots of fast chargers and superchargers everyday and I'll have to get groceries anyway. Is supercharging the car one time per week to 80/90% detrimental to the batteries?

On weekend I commute to the cottage - I'll be able to get a charger there and based on the feedback above I am definitely getting one. Do you recommend the Tesla ones, or the J ones? Will I be able to charge other electric cars in the future with the Tesla wall charger (is there a Tesla-to-J adapter)? What is your recommendation?

One more question - I have been reading some issues with leaking in the Model 3. I am ok with being careful when I open the trunk when it rains, but other leaking issues seems a bit scary (e.g., the water noise inside the trunk lid itself, leaking in the glove box) - do you guys have the same experience/issues with the Model 3?

Thanks again!

If you can find a LR RWD you’ll get a little more range. It’s nice to have a little extra. Welcome to the family

When it rains and you open the trunk some water can drip from trunk lid into trunk. I haven’t had a significant issue and I’ve had this with other cars too. Mines been perfect. The forum can be tricky because folks will post issues more than “Hey! Mines perfect.” But it’s useful nonetheless.

You can google the owners manual online and read about car, charging, etc. which will answer a lot of questions reliably. Basically Tesla recommends not ALWAYS charging to 100% (no matter which method) or frequently letting battery drain below 10% but the car has a display that designates “Daily” charging recommendations and “Trip”...obviously folks do charge to 100% for trips with zero issues.

 

[brutus979]

Hello again and thank you for all your helpful comments!

Just a quick update - a few weeks ago went to the Vancouver showroom for a second test drive on the MR (second because the first one was too short and the sales guy had absolutely no life in him). This other sales guy I am now dealing with was late, so I had a lot of time looking at a Model 3 in the showroom.

I have to admit I started this whole "do I want a Model 3 or not" debate being quite skeptical about build quality, and as all of you may have noticed the comments or experiences you find online are quite the polar opposite - its either "this is so so bad" or "this is not bad at all best car ever". So this time I really tried looking at the quality of the Model 3 in the showroom as neutral as I could. I did not bring a ruler with me obviously and I was not looking at differences in measurements. I really just wanted to see if panel gaps is a real issue and if they are noticeable. I was hopeful that because the car I looked at was a showroom vehicle it will draw the conclusion that it's actually well built. However, the hood was indeed uneven towards the front (one side higher than the over), one of the front doors was mounted too low (so the crease did not match that of the rear door), and the trunk was quite obviously (visually noticeable) misaligned towards one side. Paint was unevenly applied at corners of panels.

The sales guy then arrived - we chatted a bit about build quality and he said they are no longer at the initial roll out stage so "none of the issues you read online persists". I then showed him the flaws identified above and he was speechless. The conversation progressed and he actually asked "so do you have anything you like about the car?"

Well - yes of course. I like the price, the looks of the car grow on me (which I think is rare and I appreciate that), I won't have to pay for gas, the car is quite well equipped etc.

We then proceeded to the test drive - the handling of the car is pretty amazing. I find that it as a steering feel that I like (granted that is quite a subjective matter), the acceleration from 0 was only ok, but from 30km/h onwards I do not think it is much slower than my C43. We did some bendy wet roads and the car felt very nift and solid - it is on par from the best car I've driven which was an Audi A3 - there is a good feeling through corners - confident and knowing that the car can be pushed a little bit more. I am very very happy with the handling.

The plain interior - something that I thought I would not like - turned out to be pretty nice and I actually quite liked it. Like others say it can benefit from a few more buttons but I think I can get used to it in no time. I quite like the music service and google navigation as well.

With the MR dead I think I will be going for the LR RWD (which is CAD4,000 more but I think it is ok because I will get 100km more in range). AP was quite a pleasant surprise and gave me enough confidence to rely on it - still I probably will not get it on my car because I prefer to drive on my own.

The panel gaps honestly is a concern for me but it is not a showstopper. I am still surprised that the showroom car was not in a better condition - I am worried that on delivery that the car they give me will have the same issues and they are only going to say "it is within parameters and we will not fix it".

Have any one of you been bugged by panel gap or other build quality issues? I won't be ordering until Sep/Oct so I guess by then the issues may be improved further but I guess Tesla probably have other issues to worry about (e.g, Model Y) so I am also not sure if this will improve or will it just be pure luck?

 

[StellarRat]

Are you sure you don't want the AWD version? It snows in the Vancouver area. They're also faster than the RWD.

 

[brutus979]

Are you sure you don't want the AWD version? It snows in the Vancouver area. They're also faster than the RWD.

I would love that but my partner and I agreed on something cheaper this time around and we really do not want to spend more than CAD60k on a car. The good thing is that we live in Victoria which is the warmest part of the country so it usually does not snow more than 2 days a year and snow do not accumulate (ironically there was a big snow storm here this year and shut the city down for two days but that's a rarity).

Coming from a AWD I actually prefer AWD - but I started with the purchase process thinking that I will get the MR which was CAD54k, now moving onto the LR it is CAD58k. LR AWD is CAD64k so if I compare that with my first choice it is like spending CAD10k only on AWD so it is quite steep (granted I get 100km more in range but still 10k!)

 

[StellarRat]

Well, I love my LR RWD, so you'll be happy with the one you get. It does have VERY long range if driven like stable human. I've never come close to running out of power.

 

[Olds442]

congrats! the LR RWD has the best range, especially if you use aero covers on the 18"s.