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Mercedes C300 or Model 3 for Son?

Model 3 vs C300 Mercedes


  • Total voters
    82
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I vote get him a manual transmission. My parents said I can't have anything until I learn to drive a manual transmission first. It teaches good driving habits :)

I'm pretty sure they just wanted me to take the old truck though :p

Ha - and my dad refused to buy me a manual. Said it was old fashioned. Bought me a used Plymouth Fury which was a really powerful car. Hesitated when you put the foot to the floor but then shot off like a rocket. Remember this experience when going to pass a car. Caught me off guard. At least with the Model 3 you'd be quickly familiar with the acceleration response time.

BTW when I was on my own I bought a Honda Accord with manual. Had to teach myself how to drive it and thanks to a friend who drove manual sport cars who spent a few hours with me when I went to pick it up. As I recall I also took a driving lesson to get more comfortable with stick on hills. I liked the manual shifting experience, sportier I guess, but later in life was happy to give it up when I moved to a more mountainous area. Only had my Model 3 for a short time but just love driving it and being in it. I'd say go forward into the future with the Model 3 and totally agree about letting him save up for the down payment. Building a good work ethic to get something you want will take you farther in life than having things handed to you. My first car got me to my job after school and helped pay for gasoline and insurance and I was still an A student despite having a car and part-time job.

Given the son's first car was totalled (didn't say how or who's fault), I'd be more comfortable with the standard model to keep costs down in case of another accident. Will still have the same safety quality. Only thing that would give me pause would be living in a cold climate where range would be more affected. But I'm thinking there will be both LR and SR models when the base model comes out.

The great thing about Teslas is they attract buyers from all age groups. I think it's just as hot of a car for the teen-20s range as it is for the over 50s groups and those in between.
 
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I think of passive safety before active safety when I think of my kids and the fact that they are more likely to get into an accident than any other group. That being said, in order of what I would get 1) Tesla, 2) BMW, 3) Audi, 4) Mercedes. Also, would make sure that they had a good set of tires. Those brands come with a good set of tires. (Important when your kid is trying to recover from a mistake.)

Evening all,

I would like an opinion from Model 3 owners. My son recently had his Ecoboost totaled from a car accident (he is ok, thanks). I was contemplating getting him a C300 Mercedes CPO for about 30k. However, I've been reading up on the base Model 3 for 35k to be out 1st Q of 2019? If so, I'm thinking of waiting.

Are you happy with your Model 3? Is a Model 3 more fitting for the younger crowd? Is the Base worth waiting for or should I consider the current 45k Medium base Model 3?

Thanks in advance,


lol, you're funny.

The "safest car" is largely a fallacy...according to the IIHS a 2018 Kia Forte is just as safe as any Tesla vehicle.
 
Not that anyone else probably thinks this way but after reading about the European couple who's Tesla was used as a rental and completely driven hard and then disassembled and returned not whole by a Daimler Benz research team, I lost all respect for the company who wouldn't make the couple whole. At one point I thought we might buy a Benz but thanks to Tesla and learning how they as a company treated that couple, I would never own one of their cars going forward. So for me the clear choice would be the Model 3 for this purchase.
 
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No, its actually the opposite, and its not an overstatement. Mine was down to 65% capacity at 40,000 miles. That's about 50 miles of range, making the car rather unusable. Although they did release a newer chemistry in 2015/2016, which was supposed to be more heat resistant, it really wasn't much better. My replacement was already down 10% in <10,000 miles.
It has actually become even worse now that they have been trying to pack 30 kWh and more into the same space, creating even more heat. Hang out on MNL.com for a while, and you will get an idea of what an issue this is for people in hotter climates, and I think Las Vegas qualifies. IMO, a Leaf is only a bargain if:
1) you can get one USED, as they have HUGE depreciation, and
2) you get one that came from a northern, cooler climate.
Now, the 2019 Leaf, that might be a completely different beast, as they are supposed to be sourcing a pack from LG that has thermal management.
Mine didn't lose capacity at even close to that speed.
 
You don't want "base" Model 3. And as far as I know, they're not making "base" Model 3s. But you can get a 3 with only one motor, which is still plenty quick and can more than keep up with cars on the fwy. 'S what I've got, and it's great.

You'll also want the longer range battery for when you borrow it on the weekends or during vacations. And you'll probably want the premium upgrade package. You don't need red paint, but red and blue are at least colors, unlike white or black or grey. Maybe grey will keep him subdued. Nah.

One fun thing you can do is watch the car on your cell phone, which shows the car on the map and tells you how fast they are driving, even gently launching from a light. Just knowing that would slow down most kids, especially if you tell them that if they screw up, they get a used Honda or Toyota. Talk about shame! (Yeah, I owned Crayolas and Vans for 25 years)
 
well, I don't really know how you could possibly have thought to get an unbiased result in the poll, on the tesla forums, :)

but, I actually voted C Class. It is a great car, and it would be a really great car for a starting driver. I'd get a CPO model, or do a lease for a youth at this point. Let the Model 3 evolve a bit. Let the youth get their hands around DRIVING and learning to drive, rather than thinking about a single point of contact touch screen, having to plan for re-fueling / charging (because youth are just so well equipped to plan for things, think more than 1 step ahead, etc.). Not leaving it plugged in over a holiday (and having it go dead). A used C class (or heck even a new simple C300) is going to be pretty cheap to maintain and easier to do ANY sort of service on than the Model 3 at this point and it will cost a lot less to get INTO than a model 3.

Give it a couple years of use and learning to drive with more predictable driver experiences. thats my thoughts.

let the flames begin!
 
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