Keep my order for New, or Buy a 2019 M3 for $27,000?

[1LV_1HRT]

Hello all,

Am I crazy to consider giving up my $50,000 reservation on a RWD coming in Dec ‘22 for this 2019 M3 SR with 31,500 miles for $27,000?

A few facts about me:

I already need a car since I was supposed to begin commuting in September but have a temporary exemption from work. As it turns out I’ll only need to commute 50 miles a day roughly 10-12 times a month plus weekend driving, call it 750 miles a month. I don’t like the reduced range going from 272 down to 220 but my wife has an ICE SUV we can take on long weekend trips. Saving $23,000 worth of cash is a big factor but am I being short sighted here? Since I’m new to Tesla what should I really know about the 2019 model year? It would have 4 years left on the battery warranty and I checked the VIN and it’s never been in accident.

Thanks in advance for helping this n00b!

 

[father_of_6]

I like new, so I try to consider my bias when giving an opinion. I've seen many posts in recent months when used prices were crazy, where the poster was considering getting a used Tesla to save a few thousand dollars... tens of thousands of miles, very little warranty left, etc.

In your case, this sounds like the first reasonable consideration I've seen. I picked up my M3LR almost 2 years ago for about $50k... so your *new* SR price looks high to me, and the used price looks pretty decent.

That's all I've got to say... $23k discount is nothing to sneeze at. There have been some improvements since 2019, but you could always sell this one in a few years and upgrade once (if) new prices cool down.

Good luck making the decision, and congrats on driving the world's best sedan!

 

[afadeev]

Am I crazy to consider giving up my $50,000 reservation on a RWD coming in Dec ‘22 for this 2019 M3 SR with 31,500 miles for $27,000?

Not at all.
Considering your options is perfectly reasonable.

I already need a car since I was supposed to begin commuting in September but have a temporary exemption from work. As it turns out I’ll only need to commute 50 miles a day roughly 10-12 times a month plus weekend driving, call it 750 miles a month. I don’t like the reduced range going from 272 down to 220 but my wife has an ICE SUV we can take on long weekend trips.

A few things to take into account:

• You will not see 220 miles of range on SR even under ideal circumstances. Tesla range estimates are fraudulently optimistic even on new cars, and the battery looses range with age.
  • For example, my 3P was advertised as having 310 miles or range. I never saw more than 290 miles when new, and 3 years later it at most does ~270 miles. And only when it's mild outside, and you stay off the highways. And drive like a grandma.
• You will never see 220 miles if you drive on the highway (-20%), or with AC or heater on. Driving on the highway at near freezing temps --> -40% off the advertised range.
• There is more to RWD vs. AWD to the packages differences than just the range. Do acceleration and quality sound matter to you?

Saving $23,000 worth of cash is a big factor but am I being short sighted here?

If money is a concern, have you considered delaying purchase until Jan'23 when federal credits kick in?

Since I’m new to Tesla what should I really know about the 2019 model year? It would have 4 years left on the battery warranty and I checked the VIN and it’s never been in accident.

• 2019 was the first full production year for Model 3. Some cars came out great, some were slapped together in a tent outside of the Cali plant.
• Stuff does break on Teslas, more than any of my other recently or currently owned cars. When anything breaks, the only place that will work on Teslas is a Tesla-owned Service Center. In my area, it has 4-week long wait list for an appointment. Are you OK having your car out of commission fore 4 (or whatever long for you) weeks a few times a year?
• The battery may have 4 years left on its warranty, but the rest of the car will run out of 4 years/50K miles warranty real soon. Are you comfortable owning an electric car that's out of warranty?

If money was no issue, I would recommend getting a new vehicle.
Only you can decide how much out-of-warranty risk you are comfortable self-insuring.

a

 

[Apprunner]

Its seems very cheap for a 2019 Model 3...I'd be dubious and check it out carefully. It would probably sell more on Carvana so maybe it didn't pass inspection.

Also, the new RWD Model 3 comes with LFP batteries. Its a little slower than the NMC 2019 battery version but the LFP batteries are much less sensitive to battery charge levels and actually degrade slower. The new Model 3s also have an upgraded interior and dual pane windows which make the car much quieter. You actually get a lot for the difference in price.

 

[base_two]

You can pay Tesla a fee (not sure how much it costs currently, but I remember it being around $5Kish) to unlock the additional range/faster acceleration/autopilot up to a SR+. With that commute and being able to Level 2 charge at home, you're not going to have range issues with even the SR's range. The range in the RWD models are much better, especially considering you can charge to 100% without issue, and it also has a heat pump and Ryzen chip. The NCA batteries do degrade more over time than the LPF batteries, but still, it isn't something you're really going to actual have to deal with considering your commute.

I'd personally save the money and get the SR.

 

[jjrandorin]

The price seems low enough to be questionable to me. It looks "too good to be true" to me, unless there are explainable extenuating circumstances. I wouldnt try to buy this car as I would assume either the price is a scam, or its salvage or something else strange.

 

[IdaX]

It this a salvage maybe? Otherwise hard to swallow that the price is legit it's so cheap...

 

[The_Observer]

Echoing the others to see if the 2019 SR truly doesn't have problems.

Another factor to consider is the available rebates/incentives that are available in your area. The upcoming $7500 tax incentive is certainly a thing at the federal level starting next year, but there might be also incentives/rebates too in your state/county/city. Look into that, the gap may not be as high as you think...

 

[3sr+buyer]

A few things to take into account:

• You will not see 220 miles of range on SR even under ideal circumstances. Tesla range estimates are fraudulently optimistic even on new cars, and the battery looses range with age.
  • For example, my 3P was advertised as having 310 miles or range. I never saw more than 290 miles when new, and 3 years later it at most does ~270 miles. And only when it's mild outside, and you stay off the highways. And drive like a grandma.
• You will never see 220 miles if you drive on the highway (-20%), or with AC or heater on.

Just because you do not match the EPA economy/range does not mean that others will be unable to.

However, the OP should consider how their economy compares to the EPA economy in previous cars (comparing city and highway separately). If they tend to do substantially worse than the EPA in other cars, then they should expect worse than the EPA in the next car (Model 3 or otherwise) if they drive similarly. But if they tend to do substantially better than the EPA in other cars, then they could do better than the EPA in the next car (Model 3 or otherwise) if they drive similarly.

There are a few situations where the above prediction may differ with respect to ICEVs versus EVs. If the OP is in a cold temperature area, they should be aware that while heat is free in an ICEV, it can be expensive in an EV (particularly with resistance heating as older Model 3 has; newer have heat pumps that are less of a penalty).

Regarding the specific offer, I would echo the caution about checking that there is not anything specifically wrong with the 2019 SR (e.g. salvage title or other issues), and note that it has an NCA battery (more degradation than new LFP batteries, although it is likely that most of the degradation has already happened) and resistance heating (more economy / range penalty when using the heater). If you can check both the battery percentage and rated remaining range, you can do some math to get the rated range at 100% to see how much it has degraded from the new rated range of 220 miles.

 

[1LV_1HRT]

Wow! Thank you all for the great information and quick responses.

I was able to email with the seller and it turns out it was a fat finger mistake. Entered a 2 instead of 3 so the actual selling price is $37,000 which makes more sense. Too good to be true. Sticking with my original reservation and will try my best to pay for it and take delivery on 1/2/23.

Thanks again everyone!