So a quick update after owning the car for a month. TLDR: It's awesome and I love the car even more than when I first got it.
Performance: The instant acceleration is still addicting. The car simply goes, at any speed. I had to turn on the speeding chime because I found myself accidentally speeding all the time. It's just too easy and fun to reach 60+. The upside is that with the speeding chime, I find myself driving around the speed limit far more than I did with my Honda Fit, especially on surface streets.
Charging: Finally got the wall charger installed this morning. If you're in the Seattle region and haven't done this yet and have a Tesla on order, you should schedule charging installation ASAP. All the places around here took multiple weeks to provide quotes, and scheduling was usually a month+ out. Before I got the wall charger, I was trickle charging at home at 3 mph, and sometimes driving to work to use their free Chargepoint station. Trickle charging just about covered by daily commute of 30 miles, but nothing more. Which kind of matters because I do more random driving in my 3.
Repairs: I took the car in for some minor issues earlier this week, mainly interior trim, loose rubber trim around the hood, and a rattling sound. The technician said it was actually wind noise, although after driving it, I think the trim fixes may have dampened some of the rattling. I'm pretty happy with it now.
P85D comparison: I got a P85D loaner. The acceleration felt roughly the same as my 3 (didn't bother to time it), but the P85D feels like a mammoth car despite being only slightly larger in physical dimensions. I'm not quite sure why this is, whether it's a psychological effect due to the interior differences, or if there's an actual handling difference. The P85D's interior was quite busy and I felt a bit like I was in a tomb due to its long hood. The 3 has excellent front visibility in comparison. I really disliked the P85D's interior door handles and center console. The P85D had 21" wheels, and there was noticeably more road noise and bumpiness compared to my 3's 18" aeros. Neither are as bad as my Honda Fit's road noise, however.
I originally considered getting a CPO P85D, but I'm glad I went with the 3. The only thing I would've liked more in the P85D is the cargo space, but I'm keeping my Honda Fit for that (they have roughly the same cargo capacity).
A minor thing about the loaner process, it's nice not having to fill up the gas tank before returning it.
Downsides: Driving anywhere takes 20-50% longer than it does with my Honda. I take lots of random detours and go on highways just to hit the onramps. Parking also takes longer, since I now try to find the safest parking spot in any given parking lot.
Performance: The instant acceleration is still addicting. The car simply goes, at any speed. I had to turn on the speeding chime because I found myself accidentally speeding all the time. It's just too easy and fun to reach 60+. The upside is that with the speeding chime, I find myself driving around the speed limit far more than I did with my Honda Fit, especially on surface streets.
Charging: Finally got the wall charger installed this morning. If you're in the Seattle region and haven't done this yet and have a Tesla on order, you should schedule charging installation ASAP. All the places around here took multiple weeks to provide quotes, and scheduling was usually a month+ out. Before I got the wall charger, I was trickle charging at home at 3 mph, and sometimes driving to work to use their free Chargepoint station. Trickle charging just about covered by daily commute of 30 miles, but nothing more. Which kind of matters because I do more random driving in my 3.
Repairs: I took the car in for some minor issues earlier this week, mainly interior trim, loose rubber trim around the hood, and a rattling sound. The technician said it was actually wind noise, although after driving it, I think the trim fixes may have dampened some of the rattling. I'm pretty happy with it now.
P85D comparison: I got a P85D loaner. The acceleration felt roughly the same as my 3 (didn't bother to time it), but the P85D feels like a mammoth car despite being only slightly larger in physical dimensions. I'm not quite sure why this is, whether it's a psychological effect due to the interior differences, or if there's an actual handling difference. The P85D's interior was quite busy and I felt a bit like I was in a tomb due to its long hood. The 3 has excellent front visibility in comparison. I really disliked the P85D's interior door handles and center console. The P85D had 21" wheels, and there was noticeably more road noise and bumpiness compared to my 3's 18" aeros. Neither are as bad as my Honda Fit's road noise, however.
I originally considered getting a CPO P85D, but I'm glad I went with the 3. The only thing I would've liked more in the P85D is the cargo space, but I'm keeping my Honda Fit for that (they have roughly the same cargo capacity).
A minor thing about the loaner process, it's nice not having to fill up the gas tank before returning it.
Downsides: Driving anywhere takes 20-50% longer than it does with my Honda. I take lots of random detours and go on highways just to hit the onramps. Parking also takes longer, since I now try to find the safest parking spot in any given parking lot.
