Is this used 2020M3P a bad idea?

[ts2340]

TL;DR: Had a M3S as a rental two weeks ago.. Fell in love and have been looking for one ever since.. Agreed on price to a 2020 M3P with 30K Miles, full FSD, an additional set of wheels/tires that are in great shape, white leather, very clean (no dents/dings/scratches), one owner who is in his 50's, never been in an accident.. Price is $41,900.

I've been looking / researching every day for the past two weeks.. Price is good as far as I can tell as I've been searching nationwide.. I live in the Northeast so have some cold weather in the winter and I know the 21's are when the heatpump started.. That being said my commute is 17 miles one way and I will have a wall charger installed..

Is this a bad idea?

 

[804son]

Heat pump or not you won't have any daily range concerns with that type of commute. You might want to see what the range is at full charge, that will tell you what kind of degradation the battery has. It will have some, as they all will after the first year. If the degradation is somewhere in the 10% range, then no worries.

 

[father_of_6]

Congrats!

FSD isn't worth much to me. I would just recommend looking at the numbers. A brand new M3P might be subject to the $7,500 federal tax credit. That would make it about $4k more for a brand new M3P.

If you're asking, "Is this a bad idea?" To buy a Model 3 - best car I've ever owned. One pedal driving, home charging, instant torque, quiet, smooth, energy efficient, zero emissions, minimalist interior, comfortable seating, great audio, integrated large navigation... the car is fantastic.

Truly, the only real downside is that Tesla's service centers tend to be overwhelmed and too few and far between.

 

[ts2340]

Thanks for the replies guys! Yea I already did the math on used vs new with the rebates and with new it would be about $7,000 more ($51,123 with tax and Tesla fees vs $44,150 for the used one I’m looking at).

Plus this one has extra set of wheels and winter tires, some springs, is 1” lowered, tinted, has some carbon fiber accents, white leather, and FSD.

I think it’s a solid deal and I haven’t seen much better. Just scares me that I’ll get this, have it for 3-5 years, past the battery warranty, then who would want to buy it and for how much we that point?

I can’t wait to get it tho. Those 2 days I had the M3S RWD were fun as hell. Never had that much fun driving a car and I knew absolutely nothing about how to work it lol!

 

[father_of_6]

Also the newer ones have no ultrasonic sensors, those have been removed. I strongly recommend getting a hardwired Tesla HPWC for charging.

As for the car holding its value, that's anyone's guess. A lot of owners bought during a time of high demand and low supply, so the prices were very high... this past year saw a lot of price drops, so many people lost value... but they still have the same car they bought.

 

[AS9.9.]

I think that price is very fair!

Make sure things like a heated steering wheel, heated wipers (which don't do much in my opinion), and a power trunk are all things you don't have to have (as my 2020 M3 doesn't have them either). There is also the newer MCU3 in the 2022-23 model 3's that is significantly faster, so I would advise you to see if you don't mind the current Intel Atom speeds (night and day difference for me!).

That being said, I still mainly drive my M3 over my MY!

 

[ts2340]

Also the newer ones have no ultrasonic sensors, those have been removed. I strongly recommend getting a hardwired Tesla HPWC for charging.

As for the car holding its value, that's anyone's guess. A lot of owners bought during a time of high demand and low supply, so the prices were very high... this past year saw a lot of price drops, so many people lost value... but they still have the same car they bought.

Good point. I am getting a gen 3 HPWC!

I think that price is very fair!

Make sure things like a heated steering wheel, heated wipers (which don't do much in my opinion), and a power trunk are all things you don't have to have (as my 2020 M3 doesn't have them either). There is also the newer MCU3 in the 2022-23 model 3's that is significantly faster, so I would advise you to see if you don't mind the current Intel Atom speeds (night and day difference for me!).

That being said, I still mainly drive my M3 over my MY!

And no wireless charging either, right? that is a bummer about the trunk but not a deal breaker. I did see a third party add on for that but it’s pricey ($500).

I didn’t know that about the computer. Is it significant you say? Thanks again for the replies.

 

[father_of_6]

I didn’t know that about the computer. Is it significant you say? Thanks again for the replies.

My 2021 M3LR has the heat pump and automatic trunk, but not a heated wheel or wipers... and an Atom processor (not the newer Ryzen). I find the MCU (infotainment) to be totally sufficient.

That said, Tesla continually updates things, so the faster one should give more longevity. Atom is fine for me though. I'd take an Atom processor and USS over Ryzen with no USS.

 

[AS9.9.]

Good point. I am getting a gen 3 HPWC!

And no wireless charging either, right? that is a bummer about the trunk but not a deal breaker. I did see a third party add on for that but it’s pricey ($500).

I didn’t know that about the computer. Is it significant you say? Thanks again for the replies.

You can add your own wireless charger, and depending on what month your model 3 was made you may have double USB-A or one A and one C port. The C port is significantly faster at charging. The newer model 3s have all USB-C, but there is a built it charger so It wont matter that much (but they did remove the capability for those ports to transfer data I believe).

I personally believe the newer Ryzen MCU3 is lightyears ahead in terms of loading times, and very noticeable for me when using applications and the blind-spot camera when engaging my turn signals (my M3 shows the video feed with too much delay, whereas I feel my MY shows it instantly).

I can live without the power trunk on my M3, but right after I drive my MY I feel like I really want to buy the aftermarket add-on (or hopefully one day Tesla will finally do the retrofit for us, I'm hopeful!).

 

[Chuck305]

@ts2340 It's a great price considering how much used cars are selling for. The main thing to consider imo is that you're almost out of basic warranty which is 4years so you have the risk to incur repair costs early in your ownership experience and if you keep it past the 8yr battery warranty your resale value will likely diminish notably especially with rising completion from other brands.

I used to own a 2020 M3P and loved it. I plan on buying a new one, but a RWD this time, this year either as a 2023 if Elon drops the price an additional 5K or wait for the upgrade Highland expected in just a few months. In my city Tesla's inventory just keeps growing weekly and I bet thats true for most major cities especially on M3's. If I'm correct we will likely see a significant price adjustment to clear inventory if not soon by the time Highland arrives, fingers crossed for 5K or more

 

[ts2340]

@ts2340 It's a great price considering how much used cars are selling for. The main thing to consider imo is that you're almost out of basic warranty which is 4years so you have the risk to incur repair costs early in your ownership experience and if you keep it past the 8yr battery warranty your resale value will likely diminish notably especially with rising completion from other brands.

I used to own a 2020 M3P and loved it. I plan on buying a new one, but a RWD this time, this year either as a 2023 if Elon drops the price an additional 5K or wait for the upgrade Highland expected in just a few months. In my city Tesla's inventory just keeps growing weekly and I bet thats true for most major cities especially on M3's. If I'm correct we will likely see a significant price adjustment to clear inventory if not soon by the time Highland arrives, fingers crossed for 5K or more

Thank you.. Yea I thought of that as well.. I figure I have about 6 more months of warranty.. I also am debating paying the $1800 to Tesla to have an additional two years but not sure that's wise.. The guy hasn't had any issues with rattles and some of the other more common issues, thus far..

Curious, why are you going from a M3P to RWD? Thanks!

 

[ts2340]

Is the "MCU2" / "MCU3" the hardware version? I've read threads on reddit where people running HW 2.5 asked for a free upgrade to HW 3.0 and got it.. Is this the same thing / what you are talking about? Thanks!

 

[jjrandorin]

Is the "MCU2" / "MCU3" the hardware version? I've read threads on reddit where people running HW 2.5 asked for a free upgrade to HW 3.0 and got it.. Is this the same thing / what you are talking about? Thanks!

Yes.

We also have a 26+ page (26+ pages of posts, not 26 posts) thread here on TMC about this too. If it was as simple as "take your car in and get a free upgrade" there would not be 26 pages of discussion about it. Some people got it, and others were told to go pound sand. You can read through the entire thread yourself though:

HW3.0 upgrade for basic AP owners now free?

Do you have FSD? If not, I'm not really sure why you'd worry about it -- HW3 doesn't add any value without FSD ... ... if you DO have the FSD package, the upgrade should be included at no cost. This just isn’t a true statement anymore. Does HW2.5 with base autopilot offer green light chime...

teslamotorsclub.com

No idea what the current status of that is, but I would not plan on getting a free upgrade to HW3 if I bought a car with hardware 2.5 (basically any model 3 before may of 2019 that did not have FSD purchased with the vehicle, and quite a few sold after may of 2019 that did not have FSD purchased with the vehicle).

Neither seems to apply to the vehicle you are targeting though

 

[ts2340]

Thanks mate! Appreciate the reply!

 

[frankusb]

Yes.

We also have a 26+ page (26+ pages of posts, not 26 posts) thread here on TMC about this too. If it was as simple as "take your car in and get a free upgrade" there would not be 26 pages of discussion about it. Some people got it, and others were told to go pound sand. You can read through the entire thread yourself though:

HW3.0 upgrade for basic AP owners now free?

Do you have FSD? If not, I'm not really sure why you'd worry about it -- HW3 doesn't add any value without FSD ... ... if you DO have the FSD package, the upgrade should be included at no cost. This just isn’t a true statement anymore. Does HW2.5 with base autopilot offer green light chime...

teslamotorsclub.com

No idea what the current status of that is, but I would not plan on getting a free upgrade to HW3 if I bought a car with hardware 2.5 (basically any model 3 before may of 2019 that did not have FSD purchased with the vehicle, and quite a few sold after may of 2019 that did not have FSD purchased with the vehicle).

Isn't MCU the infotainment computer while HW2/2.5/3/4 refers to the self driving computer? So I would say the answer is no there are not free upgrades from MCU2 to MCU3.

 

[jjrandorin]

Isn't MCU the infotainment computer while HW2/2.5/3/4 refers to the self driving computer? So I would say the answer is no there are not free upgrades from MCU2 to MCU3.

On a model 3 / Y they are the same thing, basically. There is no swap to MCU 2-3 without getting the self driving computer. Perhaps this is different on Model S/X which I am less familiar with, but this is the model 3 subforum so that is the reference we are speaking of in this thread.

 

[frankusb]

On a model 3 / Y they are the same thing, basically. There is no swap to MCU 2-3 without getting the self driving computer. Perhaps this is different on Model S/X which I am less familiar with, but this is the model 3 subforum so that is the reference we are speaking of in this thread.

I have MCU 2 (Intel Atom) in my Model 3. Originally I had HW2.5 (Nvidia?) and was upgraded to HW3 (Tesla). So I would say MCU and HW are not the same.

 

[jjrandorin]

I have MCU 2 (Intel Atom) in my Model 3. Originally I had HW2.5 (Nvidia?) and was upgraded to HW3 (Tesla). So I would say MCU and HW are not the same.

So perhaps I have the wrong idea about what "MCU" is. A car with Intel Atom and Self driving computer 2.5 was called "MCU 2.5" here previously. A car with Intel atom and Self driving computer 3.0 was called " MCU 3.0" here previously. This is the same designation as Ryzen processor (which only comes with self driving computer 3.0) as "MCU 3.0", here.

If a car has intel atom processor there is no retrofit to ryzen, so there is no "upgrading MCU" if that is the usage you are using for MCU.

 

[frankusb]

Actually I'll go one step further and assert that not only are there no free upgrades from MCU2 (Intel Atom) to MCU3 (AMD Ryzen), there are not even paid upgrades for this.

 

[jjrandorin]

Actually I'll go one step further and assert that not only are there no free upgrades from MCU2 (Intel Atom) to MCU3 (AMD Ryzen), there are not even paid upgrades for this.

The usage you are using for "MCU" is not the same one that has been used here for model 3/ y that I have seen, as I just mentioned. On model 3 / Y the term always was used to combine the self driving computer. Not saying its correct, just saying what the usage here was.