How good is my Model 3 deal?

[SanDiegoM3]

The December 2018 car has about 1,100 miles on it and the advisor says it was for marketing so I assume show room or test drive vehicle, MAYBE a reporter type car.

Specs:

Long Range
AWD
19" wheels
FSD
Pearl White
Black Interior (no extra cost)


$5,830 price adjustment off a price that equaled the online price when I attempted to build one custom.

 

[OCR1]

Welcome.

Assuming that you were planning on purchasing that model with those options I think that’s a pretty good deal. There are two factors leading to the price adjustment: 1) 1,100 miles, 2) 2018 Model year.

There is no difference between 2018 and 2019 models but on resale the 2018 will sell for less.

So assuming you want the AWD, white, 19” wheels and FSD and would normally have paid for them anyway, I think you are getting a very good deal. If you don’t really want all of those options, it may not be the best deal for you.

 

[SanDiegoM3]

I was planning on order that combination, except I also contemplated adding the white interior. Then I thought twice about the white because I have a dog.

I noticed my advisor must've been looking at some special inventory screen on her laptop that had more specific details about the car, is this something that they share with future owners? Basically, she could see the mileage, that it was a "marketing" vehicle, and I presume other things.

 

[turtlesz]

I think it's a pretty solid deal for not being end of quarter. Basically it's $44,870 with autopilot being included for a LR AWD. You can remove $5k FSD if you push for it. And you are paying $1.5k for white paint and 1.5k for 19 inch wheels. If you wanted the color and wheels I think it's great. I don't think the 2019 vs 2018 is as big of a deal if you plan to keep it at least 3+ years. The options and discount would make up for some of the depreciation.

 

[gaswalla]

I'd ask to have FSD removed, subtract 5k..Then it's a good deal

 

[SanDiegoM3]

May I ask why you think the FSD isn't worth it? Is it more common that people just use the auto pilot for long hauls and the whole lane change/auto on-off ramp is more of a gimmick?

 

[SanDiegoM3]

So, if I attempt to change my auto pilot option online I get the following message

Yes, remove Full Self-Driving ($5,000) and keep Autopilot. I acknowledge I will not be able to make any further changes to my vehicle.

Do you guys think that's permanent or just until I take delivery to prevent flip flopping?!

 

[Bombero1394]

If you’re on the fence, keep the FSD. Hate for you to take it off and then later want it and have tot pay more. Essentially you’re getting it free now anyway. Plus if you’re like me, I use summon and NOA literally everyday. I no longer pull my car in and out of my tight garage.

 

[OCR1]

May I ask why you think the FSD isn't worth it? Is it more common that people just use the auto pilot for long hauls and the whole lane change/auto on-off ramp is more of a gimmick?

You are going to get a lot of different responses to “is FSD worth $5K?”

How much of your driving is freeway vs local streets? How much freeway driving involves navigating multiple freeways on a single route?

How important is the summon feature to navigate tight spaces? How important is the self parking feature?

AP will do most of the work for you. It won’t change lanes or route you from one freeway to another. Whether all of these extra features are worth $5K to you is just a personal decision.

We have two M3’s. One with AP/FSD, one with neither. We don’t drive on freeways that often so it is of limited value to us, which is why we didn’t bother getting either feature on the second M3. $8K is a lot of money for a feature we rarely use.

 

[gobble]

Sounds like a great deal if you can remove FSD and get another $5k off. Absent that, they're just giving you free FSD which really costs them nothing.

 

[jjrandorin]

Posts like OPs show that many people PREFER the "regular" dealership model of negotiating on specific vehicles. OPs post is not the only one like it, as just recently there was another thread here talking about "who scored the best deal on a model 3?".

Lots of people want to feel like they got the same thing for "cheaper" than everyone else. Surprising, as I thought that people simply wanted to not get ripped off.

OP, as for the FSD, thats a decision that YOU need to make. Will you EVER regret not having that feature on your car... EVER? Because, its 5k now, so I guarantee you will NEVER pay MORE than 5k for it... your conscience will not allow it. It might be less later, its "supposed" to be more later but we dont know and cant predict that.

What I CAN predict however is that if for some reason you end up wanting the feature, you wont pay more than 5k for it no matter how much you want it, because that would drive you crazy... as the price of it for YOU on YOUR (soon to be) car has been established as 5k.

You have to decide if you want the features that are available now, and any new features that might be introduced in the next 2 - 3 years. Are you an early adopter of technology? Does FOMO (fear of missing out) affect you when it relates to technology things? Do you think about things like resale value?

We suspect that a car with the latest hardware will be worth more down the road (just like model S/X now). Most traditional cars depreciate based on model years and car features. I expect tesla model 3s to follow that curve as well, with the exception that, because most features on teslas are over the air (OTA) updates, having hardware that takes the features is going to be important to either you, or whoever you sell your car to down the road, and there will be some value attached to having the latest hardware (more than model year, is my guess).

I suspect that 2-3 years from now, a 2018 model year model 3 that has the FSD computer in it will be worth more than a 2019 MY tesla that doesnt, because the purchaser of that car who wants the "tesla" specific features relating to autopilot will have to budget buying the hardware and getting it put in.

You have to balance those thoughts against the very real possibility that tesla changes pricing on the features, either lowering them, or making them "included" while raising the price of the car less than the 5k you will potentially pay now.

Lots of variables, but no one can tell you what any of that is worth to YOU. Only you can decide whether any of that is worth it to you to spend now on the car or potentially spend more or less later.

Removing the 5k doesnt make it a better deal if you think you might want the features. It makes it a better deal if you think you will never want the features, simply because you are not paying for features you dont want.

Anyway, good luck with your decision. I originally toyed with the idea of getting a store demo model 3 performance when I was buying mine, but decided I wanted "new new" not "technically new but in actuality used". The value of that is also different for everyone.

 

[Leafdriver333]

May I ask why you think the FSD isn't worth it? Is it more common that people just use the auto pilot for long hauls and the whole lane change/auto on-off ramp is more of a gimmick?

I would keep the FSD at that price.
You got a great deal already.
If you decide to add FSD in the future it will cost you $7000 assuming Tesla pricing doesn't change.
And that summoning..... is so damn useful. And it only comes with FSD.
I am talking about the simple straight summoning. Yes I find it very useful.

 

[dmurphy]

Posts like OPs show that many people PREFER the "regular" dealership model of negotiating on specific vehicles. OPs post is not the only one like it, as just recently there was another thread here talking about "who scored the best deal on a model 3?".

Lots of people want to feel like they got the same thing for "cheaper" than everyone else. Surprising, as I thought that people simply wanted to not get ripped off.

You are, absolutely, spot on. We have been conditioned to look for a “deal”. There’s a psychological impact that can’t be overlooked. This is also the genesis of the numerous, exhausting whining posts about the pricing and packaging changes. People want to feel that they got “the deal” and anything else is “getting screwed.”

I’ve never had a more pleasant, predictable, simple purchase experience as I did for my Model 3. Even the cars in the past that should’ve been an easy transaction (ie “fixed” pricing via supplier programs etc) were a pain in the butt, hours of wasting my time.

I’ll take Tesla’s sales model any day, any time. The vehicle I bought was worth what I paid for it on the day I decided to buy it. What someone else bought a similar vehicle for before or after I did has zero impact on my transaction.

 

[gobble]

I plan to wait until mid June when the deals are likely to come back.

 

[tomas]

Ok I have many times posted skepticism about FSD because I think the full autonomy timeline is many years, BUT... if you keep the $5,000 option, your chip will be updated to the V3 AP chip (for free, at some point). With the repackaging of AP/FSD a couple of months ago, i suspect all new AP functions and features from now on will come out as part of FSD. So, on the gradual path to autonomy, with FSD you will get a drip feed of cool new features such as the recent stop light recognition. Plus a much faster AP chip, which may (nobody knows) also make the base AP functions perform better.

So.... suggest keeping it if you care about those things, or if you expect to resell at some point.

 

[SanDiegoM3]

Thanks for the feedback everyone, that’s just what I was looking for. I’m waiting on a test drive right now for the full self drive version as I only tested regular autopilot earlier this week.

I’m going to test it on the 805 North at Sorrento Valley where there’s a large drop on the freeway that makes unexpecting drivers flail around in their lane. I’ll try to have the advisor record it so I can post here!

More likely than not I’ll keep the FSD for future proofing and the fact that I love Elon.

 

[turtlesz]

Thanks for the feedback everyone, that’s just what I was looking for. I’m waiting on a test drive right now for the full self drive version as I only tested regular autopilot earlier this week.

I’m going to test it on the 805 North at Sorrento Valley where there’s a large drop on the freeway that makes unexpecting drivers flail around in their lane. I’ll try to have the advisor record it so I can post here!

More likely than not I’ll keep the FSD for future proofing and the fact that I love Elon.

Good idea to keep FSD. Your getting a discount. Think about December prices which was just 4 months ago and you will feel even better on your deal. Before RWD LR was $49k + $5k EAP + 3k for FSD, 2k for white, 1.5k sport wheels. AWD was $5k above that making the total MSRP $65.5k. Even accounting the $3750 tax credit difference you are coming out way ahead and lower price means lower taxes too. Enjoy your car!

 

[SanDiegoM3]

Just finished my FSD test, but they said no filming.

Conclusion:

Normal autopilot is very impressive. I would likely use this mode the most on day-to-day driving. It soaked up and handled the 805 N Sorrento Valley bridge drop amazingly. I did experience odd braking patterns when I was in the slow lane to get on an off ramp and the car in front of me was driving ridiculously slow (based on my standards).

The FSD is a bit on the beta side in my opinion. Lane changes are relatively slow and the car wouldn’t make a critical decision when it had to either speed up or slow down to get around a car to the right of me so I could use an off ramp. I had to take over to speed up and pass someone as they were tracking me pretty even to my speed. I’d probably use this mode sparingly or when the freeway is empty late at night or on extreme road trips where the number of cars is low.

Overall, I think the tech will get better and if it’s this far along now then in a year or two I could see exponential improvement. The auto pilot is a steal on the SR+, like crazy worth it.

 

[dmurphy]

Just finished my FSD test, but they said no filming.

Conclusion:

Normal autopilot is very impressive. I would likely use this mode the most on day-to-day driving. It soaked up and handled the 805 N Sorrento Valley bridge drop amazingly. I did experience odd braking patterns when I was in the slow lane to get on an off ramp and the car in front of me was driving ridiculously slow (based on my standards).

The FSD is a bit on the beta side in my opinion. Lane changes are relatively slow and the car wouldn’t make a critical decision when it had to either speed up or slow down to get around a car to the right of me so I could use an off ramp. I had to take over to speed up and pass someone as they were tracking me pretty even to my speed. I’d probably use this mode sparingly or when the freeway is empty late at night or on extreme road trips where the number of cars is low.

Overall, I think the tech will get better and if it’s this far along now then in a year or two I could see exponential improvement. The auto pilot is a steal on the SR+, like crazy worth it.

I agree with everything you wrote. The only thing I’ll say is that the current incarnation of FSD includes Navigate on Autopilot, Autopark and Summon. Autopark is one of the few features my wife adores. That alone made the $5k worth it ... happy wife, happy life.