Is the Model 3 your most expensive car?

[SageBrush]

Me too! Up from a brand new 1999 Mazda Protege ES 5-spd that cost me $15k.

I use the SS maximum earning amount over time as an inflation index. Since 1999 it has increased 1.75x so your protege would be ~ $26.25k in today's dollars.

The Model 3 is still more expensive, but not by much considering how much more car and technology is added. My comment is not really directed at you or the Protege, but just an example. I bought a Prius in 2004 for $27k. The base Model 3 will be a similar cost in Real dollars. That is pretty amazing.

 

[ProphetM]

Yes, by far. The Model 3 I'll get ($50k) is easily triple the price of any car I've ever bought. I've never owned a brand new car; only used. Counting inflation, I'd say $50k is still more than twice what I've spent before.

Even if I had bought that second-place car brand new, it would only have been about $32k, inflation-adjusted.

Our most recent purchase (wife's car) was 2012 and that was only $14,000-something.
My current car was just $6500 and I've been driving it for almost 13 years.

 

[Thomas Edison]

Yes, but only because I've never purchased a car new. Usually I let the original owner take the major depreciation hit of a new car purchase.

 

[insaneoctane]

Yes, by far. Compelling vehicle.

 

[oritomov]

Yep. By an order ... and then multiplied by 2

 

[Neo_fd3s]

Yes. But I'm kinda getting away with it since my province is giving me a 14g incentive towards this vehicle. When all is said and done, I would want the big battery, premium upgrade and the car in blue. Which would put me just shy of $60g's Cdn. But in truth it would be 46G's thanks to the incentive. Only 3g's more than I paid on my Miata a decade ago. So it's not too bad. Hopefully this will be the last vehicle I would need to purchase.

 

[WhiteMountains]

I was going to automatically say yes, but after adjusting for inflation, if I get the full federal tax credit, it would work out to be a little less than my current car. Quite surprised.

 

[Woosie]

Our 2016 Acura MDX was purchased for just under $50K, so the Model 3 will be more. I don’t expect the federal tax credit to be available when we configure the car, and that’ll be the difference.

 

[internalaudit]

It will be double what my current car cost granted I bought my last car 12 years ago. Hoping the Model 3 will last 10 years 400k miles.

I'm thinking of driving it forever (like my current 02 CIvic) and awaiting the update on the Right to Repair, which we never heard about again.

Without that, I'm assuming the car will only last (before expensive repairs creep up that need to be fixed by Tesla or a few of its authorized repair centers) as long as the ESA permits -- eight years and so many miles.

If I get lucky (Tesla not ripping Canadians with the FX rate, offering decent finance rates and delivering before our government incentives disappear), it might come in ever so slightly cheaper than our RAV4 Hybrid Limited with tech package (factoring the government incentive).

Only going for dual motors and LR battery. Will just adjust seats manually for my wife and daughter to save hard earned CAD dollars.

 

[djplong]

This'll cost plenty more.

The most expensive car I ever bought was about $20K in 1990 for an Old Toronado Trofeo. My Camry, my current ride, was about $12K used. My Intrepid before that was around $6K used. Before that was the Toronado. Before that was $15K for a new 85 Chrysler Laser XT. So this will be more than AT LEAST any 3 three cars I've bought.

 

[internalaudit]

Most of used have been buying used at one time or another.

I can't wait to buy used 200 mile BEVs in the not so distance future once the owners complain that there are no:

• heated steering wheel
• no heat pump
• no instrument cluster
• no mechanical door opener in the rear

 

[ölbrenner]

Will just adjust seats manually for my wife and daughter to save hard earned CAD dollars.

I also wanted to go standard.

However after sitting in an M3 and playing with the driver interface:
To fully switch drivers, not only does one have to adjust the seat (easy due to standard location seat controls), but then they will have to enter the steering wheel adjust UI screen and then go back to the scroll wheels and adjust both height and telescoping and then back to the UI; and then again ditto for the side mirrors (Tesla should really have made these standard controls imo, so much easier and faster). Then there is the rear view mirror of course.

I am afraid my wife will never drive the car on a regular basis due to the hassle, so PUP it is for now. Just walk up and everything is adjusted for that specific driver.

Oh yea and back to topic before I get in trouble, yes this will be by far the most expensive car I have purchased.

 

[EVie'sDad]

second most expensive, next to my 2015 Model S85D, but oh worth every penny!

 

[Oil4AsphaultOnly]

yes, by far! My previous new car was an '08 odyssey, costing ~$32k out the door! Had never bought anything over $30 before thtat'd,, l

 

[Shygar]

Looks like it's about double who are saying this will be their most expensive car so far. Looks like Tesla really is motivating a lot of people to spend who may not normally do so

 

[israndy]

Am I the only one who owns an RV? Spent a LOT more on those two.

But the best part of the Tesla, it's the only car that has paid for itself with a simple loan of $16K that I invested in Tesla stock back in 2014.

-Randy

 

[internalaudit]

I also wanted to go standard.

However after sitting in an M3 and playing with the driver interface:
To fully switch drivers, not only does one have to adjust the seat (easy due to standard location seat controls), but then they will have to enter the steering wheel adjust UI screen and then go back to the scroll wheels and adjust both height and telescoping and then back to the UI; and then again ditto for the side mirrors (Tesla should really have made these standard controls imo, so much easier and faster). Then there is the rear view mirror of course.

I am afraid my wife will never drive the car on a regular basis due to the hassle, so PUP it is for now. Just walk up and everything is adjusted for that specific driver.

Oh yea and back to topic before I get in trouble, yes this will be by far the most expensive car I have purchased.

Without PUP, steering wheel and seats are going to require manual adjustments. Those adjustments are probably going to be quicker to do than going through the touch screen interface. Of course if the car is in motion, then power adjusted seats are going to be better.

Only the side mirrors are going to be an issue but I shoulder check so leaving it optimal for my wife and daughter should be good enough.

Savings from PUP will go into buying an ESA.

I'd love to have PUP but I prefer getting LR and AWD (handling and traction as long as power is put on the axles).

If competition came with a 250 mile BEV with AWD, ACC and AEB, heated steering wheel and memory settings, I would seriously consider that if it's cheaper by $10k USD.

Forgot that the M3 will surpass the RAV4H because I missed out on the ESA that I will purchase just before the four years are up.

 

[AceSkywalker]

Nope. Have bought cars in this price bracket. But if it weren't for the Model 3, I'd be going to maybe a base model Versa. I'm not interested in spending on vehicles, or anything anymore (just hoarding my money waiting for the economy to tank, which I know it will sooner or later).

Looks like it's about double who are saying this will be their most expensive car so far. Looks like Tesla really is motivating a lot of people to spend who may not normally do so

Fine as long as they aren't "stretching" to buy a Model 3.

Little rule of thumb: never stretch to buy anything. Full stop. No exceptions. I've seen too many posts on EV sites of people stretching and spending thousands extra for this car and relying on tax credits. They're better off buying a used Volt or something like that.

Another rule of thumb: the price you pay on your car should never exceed 50% of your annual income. Anyone who makes less than $70,000 a year should walk away from the 3.

 

[internalaudit]

Looks like it's about double who are saying this will be their most expensive car so far. Looks like Tesla really is motivating a lot of people to spend who may not normally do so

I think it will be true for any BEV with similar features, at least in my case.

 

[Bad Horse]

Will easily be so. I do also intend (and hope) this will be the last car I will ever buy. By the next time I'd purchase a car (2028-2030) I expect most trips will be done via self driving cars and you just hail one every time you need to go someplace.