M3 or 2nd hand MS, MS it is!!!!!

[IanB]

So I put a deposit down ages ago for a M3, then when the price was announced here in the UK I thought screw that!!!! around 40k for the single motor M3, so you get hit by the new luxury car tax. So I started thinking second hand MS, and quickly decided the P85D would suit me just right, 2016 MS P85D's going for around 45k here in the UK, free supercharging for life, 30k ish miles.

So over the weekend I took both out for a spin, first time ever seen an M3, hmmm, I didn't really like the outside, not impressed with the smooth front which seems a little bland to me, I like the pre-facelift front of the MS, I like the extra room the MS gives although the size scares the wife a little. Another thing I hated about the M3 was the interior and the stuck on ipad in the middle, with no front display for the driver, now I know why they are doing this as soon we will all be passengers in our own driving seats but for now I like to look down and see things, like how fast I am going

One thing that I have noticed and scares me a little is the used cars on Teslas own site, the prices seem to drop daily by 200 - 300 pounds, good in a way as the car you may want to buy could possible be 1k cheaper next week, unless somebody gets in there before you get the chance, or do you wait another week, or a further week , do you buy it and then know that in a months time it has probably lost 1k or maybe much more?

I have used 'Man Maths' to justify the purchase to the wife, and after driving an oil burner for the last 9 years I feel now is the time for a treat for myself, bu then the oil burner doesn't cost me anything besides the Diesel and servicing as it was paid for a long time ago.

Should I stop thinking and start buying?

 

[Grant]

Similar situation to what I was in. I had a deposit on the Model 3 for over 2 years but when I saw the limited options and weird door buttons, I started looking at a used Model S more closely. Definitely drive them both if you can. The Model S is a very heavy and wide car (probably even more of an issue in Europe, I would think). I ended up buying a 2015 Model S last year. You'll have to figure out what features are most important to you. Free supercharging is nice but value of that depends on how much driving away from home that you'll be doing.

Yes, the used vehicles from Tesla are like a reverse auction. The prices drop most days until it is sold.

 

[4EVar]

I did the same. Cancelled the Model 3 and bought a used Model S. Never looked back.

 

[Rockster]

Don’t sweat the lack of a driver’s display in the 3. It’s no big deal getting used to the one central display.

That said, my wife much prefers our S over our 3, largely for the reasons you state. I, on the other hand, prefer the 3 for its tighter feeling and greater agility.

They’re both great cars in their own right. There’s really no wrong answer.

 

[cucubits]

Same boat here, I've been on a drive test with an S and a 3. Cannot spend more than about $50k so a new S is out. Very tough choice.

This may sound strange but I like the front of the facelift S and the back of the 3
I like the newer tech in the 3 but I appreciate more the smooth ride and silence in the S. I think I prefer a more cockpit like interior compared to the openness of the 3 but I guess I'd get used to it.

 

[ewoodrick]

GIve yourself a few days and you'll realize how stupid the design of other cars actually are. Putting a display behind a steering wheel where you can't see it all seems pretty stupid. A single location for essentially every control significantly simplifies the interface in every other car. I'm driving a Ford Edge rental right now and there are so many different buttons with weird icons on them, it's really confusing.

I've run with a GPS on the dash of all other cars, because a Garmin GPS shows me the speed and speed limit in a nice, easy to read position in the middle of the dash. The upper left of the Model 3 screen has the exact information in the best place to see it.

I'm now convinced that the reasons why ICE makes noise is to remind me to hit the stop button when I get out of the car!

 

[aerodyne]

I think you will be very happy with a MS 85D. Uncorked, 0-100 kms in 4 sec. A 2015 will have less depreciation and problems than a 2016. But, you really want the Tesla 4 year warranty.

Nothing against the M3, but a prefacelift MS just screams classic keeper, IMO...

 

[IanB]

Yes, it is a 2016, comes with 4 yr 50,000 mile Tesla Warranty.

nasty tan leather interior though, which I think looks ok if exterior is black but this is a white one

Still not sure what to do.

Oh and yes, asking price dropped another £200 today

 

[4EVar]

Yes, it is a 2016, comes with 4 yr 50,000 mile Tesla Warranty.

nasty tan leather interior though, which I think looks ok if exterior is black but this is a white one

Still not sure what to do.

Oh and yes, asking price dropped another £200 today

And what was the cost of fuel you put in your car during the time that the MS asking price dropped by £200? Might as well pull the trigger on it - you won't regret it.

 

[SilverGS]

@IanB I was in the exact same situation as you. Put down a deposit on the M3 the same day reservations opened. Fast forward 2 years later, sat in one and couldn't help feeling the car was small and I didn't like the very tall roofline - its actually taller than an S.

The newer tech (AP, more efficient motors etc) were not a enough of pros to me to overcome the smaller M3 and overall shape/design which in my mind was nowhere near as beautiful and classic as the S is.

Other factors were the cost of a new M3 is almost the same as a used 3 year old S. The hatchback design on the S is so much more practical and useful, it became an easy decision to get an S.

I also searched for over 2 months and noticed how the prices dropped by $200 - $300 every day on the Tesla used inventory site and kept watching cars I liked. I finally got the hang of it in terms of how much Tesla drops the cars before they get sold. The drop in price was generally between $7K to $9K CAD before the cars disappeared from the Tesla site.

So I figured if I liked a specific car and it was within my budget, I would give it a 2 - 3 weeks and then buy it.

However twice I noticed that a car would appear on the site and the price was low to begin with. I missed the first one that was listed - it got sold in less than an hour after coming on the site. I later found out that a used car dealer close to me that sells a lot of Tesla's had nabbed it "right under my nose". So I figured I would just buy it from them, as the warranty offered when it was on the Tesla site carried over to the dealer as well. However they immediately increased the price by $9k from what they paid for it. It was advertised by Tesla for CAD$67K.

So I waited and two weeks later another car popped up and I bought that - my current car.

One other important factor to me was to get one with a Tesla warranty (and not just the standard drive train and battery warranty of 8 years). That's why I deliberately only bought it from Tesla directly as I got an additional 4 years / 80K km started from the day of my purchase. So my car is now fully covered with a new car bumper to bumper warranty till June 2023 and (26K + 80K) 126K km.

 

[4EVar]

@IanB

One other important factor to me was to get one with a Tesla warranty (and not just the standard drive train and battery warranty of 8 years). That's why I deliberately only bought it from Tesla directly as I got an additional 4 years / 80K km started from the day of my purchase. So my car is now fully covered with a new car bumper to bumper warranty till June 2023 and (26K + 80K) 126K km.

That's fair. In my case, the equivalent car from Tesla was £9-12k extra compared to a private dealership, so I went private and kept the additional cash in the bank and will spend it if required on repairs over the years after the private dealer warranty has run out.

 

[cucubits]

So if someone buys a used S from Tesla, and later sells it privately, does the remainder of those 4year/50k warranty transfer to the new owner?

 

[IanB]

it was dropping £200 per day!!!!!

gone now

 

[SO16]

it was dropping £200 per day!!!!!

gone now

Bummer. I guess their pricing strategy moves cars pretty effectively.

 

[cucubits]

That also probably means they never list all the cars they have so new ones will keep showing up there...

 

[S-ALSET]

bummer!
I was on the same boat a few months ago... Lost a good deal waiting for it to come down. - lesson learned.
Then I put a deposit and purchased a 11/15 P85D with 12k miles. The car is awesome - no regrets here! The lack of communication from tesla during the buying process and wait time to get the car, is definitely another story

 

[srredbeard]

Sounds like you don't like the Model 3, not the interior, not the exterior. I bought my Model S while waiting for my 3. In my case both have MCU 2 and AP 2.5 so the 3 doesn't have the technological advantage over my S like the two cars you are comparing.

I have free supercharging with my S. I supercharge on trips only. You have to travel a lot before free supercharge really makes a different. The Model 3 is more efficient and uses less kw/mile.

The S is my daily car and the 3 is my wifes daily car. There are some things I prefer about her car. The lack of an instrument cluster is much nicer at night. There is less light in front of you. Glancing to the side for speed is no big deal. There are quite a few cars that have the speed indicator in the center.

When we travel we use my S. It has more room for our stuff, kids, and dogs. When we drive into a city, Seattle, we take the 3. It is a little smaller and easier to maneuver in the city.

Either way you go, I am betting you will go with a used S, you will most likely be happy. Most of us are very happy.