I don't think Tesla's for me.. :(

[JTesmod3]

With FSD, Acceleration Boost, HomeLink at 15k miles/year for $0 down? I thought it seemed reasonable.

Sorry... for a lease $850+ is crazy to me, if it was a performance version it might make me think a little longer

 

[run-the-joules]

As an owner of this year's Model S and a two year old 3, I disagree. You use the word "dramatically," which does not define your statement, and your use of the word "idiotic" shows that you are biased. Personally, I find the seats in the S better than the 3's, the dash is MUCH nicer, as the 3 doesn't have one, and the road noise is substantially less in my S.

If you could use an acoustic meter in each car to verify your claims, you might have something, but as it is, I think you're just wrong.

anyone who says they aren’t biased is either incredibly self unaware, or lying. Yes, I am biased against piano black trim because it’s basically terrorism to put a material like that where it’ll be touched.

any way, until the s/x seats get adjustable thigh support and cooling, their improvements aren’t substantial enough to bother with, in my opinion.

I don’t know what you mean about the 3 not having a dash, unless you mean the small instrument cluster mounted on the dash. I personally couldn’t give less of a crap about that, though. I was referring to the dashboard.

 

[SlimJim]

Also, for people now thinking about leases, down payments are absolutely horrible. If the car gets totaled the day you drive it off the lot, insurance will pay out directly to Tesla to cover the value of the vehicle, Tesla than will NOT polity send you back your full down payment or a prorated amount or anything.

As long as money factor (interest) is low, there is no reason not to carry as much cost of the car as possible into the lease payments.

What if you totaled your financed model 3 on the first day? How would that be different?
How much equity would you have?

 

[DBV1]

I would have agreed with you on that up until the Raven suspension was introduced on the S/X. That finally brought the ride up to a high-end luxury experience IMO, which somehow seems to make the interior feel more serene. It is pretty magical and a non-trivial improvement over prior S/X. The cabin noise is improved too for some reason (though sound system in 3 still wins). Of course you can still argue about the interior or outdated design, but I think people who have preferences in that area that aren't met by a Tesla are already prioritizing other cars.

That said, every time I get back in my S after driving a 3, it does feel like a large boat for a few days.

I agree with you.

As an owner of this year's Model S and a two year old 3, I disagree. You use the word "dramatically," which does not define your statement, and your use of the word "idiotic" shows that you are biased. Personally, I find the seats in the S better than the 3's, the dash is MUCH nicer, as the 3 doesn't have one, and the road noise is substantially less in my S.

If you could use an acoustic meter in each car to verify your claims, you might have something, but as it is, I think you're just wrong.

I agree with you and I think the original OP should have purchased a Model S, especially if comparing to other higher end cars. Coming from a BMW 5 Series, I wanted to like the 3 and really do, but it is missing something that the Model S has, which makes it compete better with the BMW 5. Model S feels more planted with the air suspension, much smoother and also though quieter too.

 

[Zer0t]

Looking for feedback..

I have a 2020 Model 3 LR AWD with FSD and Acceleration Boost in MA that I got in March. It's a really cool car (and will no doubt get cooler as they continue with updates), but I am increasingly feeling like it's really just not for me. I had come from a Genesis G90 and a Mercedes before that and miss the larger size and more luxurious interior.

I had decided to lease since that's just generally what works better for me, so I have like 33 months and ~41,500 miles of allowance remaining (15k/yr).

I know you cannot buy out leased Teslas since they want it back for their future robo-fleet, so simply selling it is out of the question, but does anyone know if they allow lease takeovers, or would you instead recommend subleasing (I really don't want to become a bank chasing someone down for monthly payments and needing to enforce a contract, but will if that's my only option). The monthly payment is $848.43.

How would you proceed in this situation? Thanks in advance!

We came from a 2017 S550 to a 2020 Model S LR+ that we lease. There’s no comparing the opulent luxury of the Benz to the S. However the S is 10” shorter and 2.5” wider. The fact there is no “drive train” tunnel and the additional width make for more cabin space than the Benz. The seats are acceptable and no where near the Benz. However, I paid tremendously less, love the feel of EV, the tech and autopilot / FSD. That being said I can see where it’s not for everyone. If opulent luxury is your main driver Tesla will not fit you. They’re quite spartan in that regard. Good luck and I believe you can assign (transfer) the lease for a fee to a qualified applicant.

 

[Redbrick]

I didn’t get the S because it’s interior felt just as basic as the 3’s and isn’t it due for a redesign soon? I’m also not interested in replacing it with an S or X because the sales process is awful. They are the most incompetent group of people I’ve ever dealt with.

Totally agree, I dropped this brand until interference... It just blows my mind that such awesome tech could be managed by such knuckle-heads...esp the Vegas group...gah!!!!

So what Merc did you come from...just so I understand your point of reference on your thoughts on the interior? You might think of the interior as easy to maintain...no more stuffing towels around buttons to clean crevices and failures....jeez button failures irritate me to no end...but then again we do have a single point of failure with that monitor.

I would also agree with some comments above, that rate is high especially for lease. ...Tagging along to see how you resolve this...

 

[Zer0t]

What if you totaled your financed model 3 on the first day? How would that be different?
How much equity would you have?

The difference is you have no equity in a lease, it’s a long term rental, down payments (NEVER0 are just reducing the monthly payment but not the total amount paid. If you total a leased car it’s tantamount to canceling the lease. The insurance company pays it off and if it’s an underwater lease (almost all are even at the end) the bank fee is the modern version of gap insurance to cover the difference. When you total a car that is owned the insurance company will give you replacement value, if you’re underwater you lose. Many insurance companies will provide full value for the first year, but not all. Thus, if you drive oof the lot and total the car they will give you what you paid (tax you’re probably screwed on but I would research that).

 

[Zer0t]

Since I’m newer to all of this can someone tell me what is acceleration boost? I didn’t see it in the model 3 configurations.

 

[DanDi58]

I guess I should be happy that I'll be coming to a Tesla from a Mazda CX-5.... It's a 2014, and even the top level Grand Touring, which we have, isn't particularly luxurious.... They have gotten more so in the current generation, but are still very conventional. And I guess luxury is in the eye of the beholder. I view it less in terms of gee-gaws and doo-dads, like the A/C'd - massaged seats, and more in terms of tech and innovative thinking. And it's hard to beat a Tesla there.

 

[Super_Popular]

Since I’m newer to all of this can someone tell me what is acceleration boost? I didn’t see it in the model 3 configurations.

Anytime you have a question about anything in life, google it. I'd didn't know what it as either

tesla model 3 acceleration boost - Google Search

 

[Redbrick]

Also, for people now thinking about leases, down payments are absolutely horrible. If the car gets totaled the day you drive it off the lot, insurance will pay out directly to Tesla to cover the value of the vehicle, Tesla than will NOT polity send you back your full down payment or a prorated amount or anything.

As long as money factor (interest) is low, there is no reason not to carry as much cost of the car as possible into the lease payments.

Yeah, but that's the catch isn't it? ...low interest rate...anything above a 2 is high for a car these days.. VW was practically lending money for free just a month ago.

 

[mjw930]

The OP is roughly the buyer Lucid is targeting with the Air though I doubt he’s really the target market unless the Mercedes he owned was an S Class, they are targeting the ultra luxury market first. Of course you could by 2 or 3 M3’s for what the Air will cost.

 

[john5520]

I guess I should be happy that I'll be coming to a Tesla from a Mazda CX-5.... It's a 2014, and even the top level Grand Touring, which we have, isn't particularly luxurious.... They have gotten more so in the current generation, but are still very conventional. And I guess luxury is in the eye of the beholder. I view it less in terms of gee-gaws and doo-dads, like the A/C'd - massaged seats, and more in terms of tech and innovative thinking. And it's hard to beat a Tesla there.

All my cars had basic or mid-range interiors. So the Model 3 was a big step up in terms of 'luxury' even though the main draw was the performance, tech,and it being an EV. And its minimalist design has grown on me to the point that manual vents, round gauges, and traditional buttons all seem old school now.To read the complaints about seat comfort or needing cooled seats is somewhat bewildering. On hot days, back sweat was a major issue in my other cars even with the A/C on full blast. In the Tesla, it's a non-issue and I have the black interior.

What's also a little surprising is fact that the OP could not immediately tell the difference in the interior coming from those higher end cars. It should have been fairly obvious the M3 wasn't about luxury before signing that lease.

 

[jelloslug]

Ahhhh didn’t see that you had FSD. Even still, the price of that software feature over the course of a lease is bonkers but some may want it.

FSD on a lease seems like a waste of money right now....

 

[SlimJim]

The difference is you have no equity in a lease, it’s a long term rental, down payments (NEVER0 are just reducing the monthly payment but not the total amount paid. If you total a leased car it’s tantamount to canceling the lease. The insurance company pays it off and if it’s an underwater lease (almost all are even at the end) the bank fee is the modern version of gap insurance to cover the difference. When you total a car that is owned the insurance company will give you replacement value, if you’re underwater you lose. Many insurance companies will provide full value for the first year, but not all. Thus, if you drive oof the lot and total the car they will give you what you paid (tax you’re probably screwed on but I would research that).

Thanks for the explanation.
On a lease one pays sales tax on the lease portion which is about 35% of the value, whereas on a purchase the tax is calculated on the full value of the car.
On a $50000 car 9% sales tax for lease would be $1575 and on a purchase it would be $4500. The difference is almost $3000 less tax on a lease.
Assuming the insurance will pay the full price on a totaled purchased car, the buyer would lose $3000 more than a person who paid $0 down on his lease.
Is this correct?

 

[Zer0t]

Thanks for the explanation.
On a lease one pays sales tax on the lease portion which is about 35% of the value, whereas on a purchase the tax is calculated on the full value of the car.
On a $50000 car 9% sales tax for lease would be $1575 and on a purchase it would be $4500. The difference is almost $3000 less tax on a lease.
Assuming the insurance will pay the full price on a totaled purchased car, the buyer would lose $3000 more than a person who paid $0 down on his lease.
Is this correct?

the lease tax calculation varies by state. For example the lease tax is on the payment amount for example a 1k * 6.625%. Other states do other calculations. However, in some fashion or another they are taxing the part of the car you are using.

and yes your comment is correct.

 

[DanDi58]

All my cars had basic or mid-range interiors. So the Model 3 was a big step up in terms of 'luxury' even though the main draw was the performance, tech,and it being an EV. And its minimalist design has grown on me to the point that manual vents, round gauges, and traditional buttons all seem old school now.To read the complaints about seat comfort or needing cooled seats is somewhat bewildering. On hot days, back sweat was a major issue in my other cars even with the A/C on full blast. In the Tesla, it's a non-issue and I have the black interior.

I'm glad to hear that about the seats, as I was a little concerned about that. The leather seats in my Mazda are perforated and comfortable in summer (black interior) while my daughter's MINI Cooper has vinyl seats that are brutal (especially with the pano sunroof and ineffective sunshade). I know the interiors are 'vegan' so what are the seats actually made of?

 

[Mojito]

Rent it at Turo.

 

[SlimJim]

I'm glad to hear that about the seats, as I was a little concerned about that. The leather seats in my Mazda are perforated and comfortable in summer (black interior) while my daughter's MINI Cooper has vinyl seats that are brutal (especially with the pano sunroof and ineffective sunshade). I know the interiors are 'vegan' so what are the seats actually made of?

I thought mini coopers mesh sunshades were funny.
then when i bought my Tesla it didn’t come with any sunshade. I had to buy a mesh sunshade. Lol

tesla vinyl is softer than mini cooper vinyl.

things i had to buy for model 3
sunshade
Coin tray
Frunk mat
Phone holder with suction cup
Nema 14-50 plug

 

[Ejl80]

that's what you think. if you don't put any down payment, you are paying more interest on the payment anyway.

If you can’t average more investing the money in mutual funds than the extra interest you would pay by not having a down payment, I’d be shocked. Unless the interest rate was 15% or similar ridiculous number. I’d stand by my statement that one should never put money down on a lease.

I put almost nothing down on my purchase. At under 3% interest it is almost free money.