Model 3 reliability

[MONTANTK]

Hi all,

I recently graduated and took a new job. In the next year I’ll be looking to get a new car and with a longer daily commute (36 miles total) a lease is out of the question. I’m debating on whether I buy a used car or if it is practical to buy a Tesla. I decided I can afford the base model 3 (220 range) but I’m not sure how practical it will be in Buffalo. I’m not super concerned about RWD drive in snow as I will be putting on high quality snow tires. My biggest concern is the range in the cold after sitting outside for 9 hours and then possibly dealing with traffic. Can anyone provide some insight?

 

[Runnergirl]

Hi all,

I recently graduated and took a new job. In the next year I’ll be looking to get a new car and with a longer daily commute (36 miles total) a lease is out of the question. I’m debating on whether I buy a used car or if it is practical to buy a Tesla. I decided I can afford the base model 3 (220 range) but I’m not sure how practical it will be in Buffalo. I’m not super concerned about RWD drive in snow as I will be putting on high quality snow tires. My biggest concern is the range in the cold after sitting outside for 9 hours and then possibly dealing with traffic. Can anyone provide some insight?

DO YOU HAVE A STUDENT LOAN?.. I can hear Suze Orman right now saying get a used car until you pay it off!

 

[MONTANTK]

DO YOU HAVE A STUDENT LOAN?.. I can hear Suze Orman right now saying get a used car until you pay it off!

No debt at all

 

[ALSETJC]

Hi all,

I recently graduated and took a new job. In the next year I’ll be looking to get a new car and with a longer daily commute (36 miles total) a lease is out of the question. I’m debating on whether I buy a used car or if it is practical to buy a Tesla. I decided I can afford the base model 3 (220 range) but I’m not sure how practical it will be in Buffalo. I’m not super concerned about RWD drive in snow as I will be putting on high quality snow tires. My biggest concern is the range in the cold after sitting outside for 9 hours and then possibly dealing with traffic. Can anyone provide some insight?

Winter, cold soaked car and trips under 20 miles you will lose 50% in Jan and Feb. Don't listen to anyone that says otherwise and don't make compromises like turning off the heat.

I even had a few weeks where it was 60% loss. Short trips and traffic with heat on is a killer.

 

[MONTANTK]

Winter, cold soaked car and trips under 20 miles you will lose 50% in Jan and Feb. Don't listen to anyone that says otherwise and don't make compromises like turning off the heat.

What does charge time look like?

 

[Runnergirl]

No debt at all

Good for you! I still would start out with used car until you know the new job is a good fit for you. Congrats graduate!

 

[mswlogo]

No debt at all

Go for it.

It sounds like range will be fine.

Factor in that you normally run battery around 20%-90% on a routine basis.

So now you’re at 70% of that 220 range.
Then you take another 30% hit in winter.

So your down to 108 miles.

You should be fine.

Expect to plug in every night at home and/or work.

 

[ALSETJC]

What does charge time look like?

Superchargers will do 40kwh in winter and take 1.5 hrs unless it is warmed and even then it has a hard time going any faster . If you charge at home it's not an issue . When I speak of these items it is for Jan and Feb only.

 

[MONTANTK]

Superchargers will do 40kwh in winter and take 1.5 hrs unless it is warmed and even then it has a hard time going any faster . If you charge at home it's not an issue . When I speak of these items it is for Jan and Feb only.

Interesting. I plan to charge every day at home (supercharger is 8 miles away).

 

[MONTANTK]

Good for you! I still would start out with used car until you know the new job is a good fit for you. Congrats graduate!

Thank you! I’m not too worried about the job as I have done similar things and I only have to stay in it for one year. I’m definitely not ruling out a used car because it will obviously be cheaper. It’s just a matter of if I can find something I like that won’t suck up gas

 

[dhrivnak]

Hi all,

I recently graduated and took a new job. In the next year I’ll be looking to get a new car and with a longer daily commute (36 miles total) a lease is out of the question. I’m debating on whether I buy a used car or if it is practical to buy a Tesla. I decided I can afford the base model 3 (220 range) but I’m not sure how practical it will be in Buffalo. I’m not super concerned about RWD drive in snow as I will be putting on high quality snow tires. My biggest concern is the range in the cold after sitting outside for 9 hours and then possibly dealing with traffic. Can anyone provide some insight?

14 months and 24,000 miles out Model 3 is solid. The most serious issue has been a stuck Frunk solved by a Ranger visit. The ability to preheat the cabin is awesome in the cold. In the dead of winter you may lose 60 miles on a 36 mile commute but gas mileage would also suck. Good for you to graduate with no debt. It sounds like you may have earned a Model 3. I survived a winter in Niagara Falls with RWD and never had an issue.

 

[golfpilot]

Do you have access to any type of plug at home? 110v or Is there maybe a dryer plug within 60 feet of where the car sits (you can buy reliable extension cords 40ft long)?If not, Is there a reliable charging option at work?
I would not rely on Supercharging.

You want to be able to set the car to Auto temp and enjoy the car the way it is meant to be driven. In a cold place like buffalo I wouldn't get a 220 mile tesla if your distance between reliable charging exceeds 100 miles. If you are road tripping, using superchargers, that number will stretch a bit. That will leave you buffer and let you use the car in the manner you want to.

 

[COrocket]

Interesting. I plan to charge every day at home (supercharger is 8 miles away).

If you have a 240V charger at home that can charge the battery completely overnight, owning a Tesla is an amazing experience. Like others have said, even with the range losses in the winter cold you should be fine as long as your average daily drive isn’t over 100 miles. If you do decide to road trip farther, the efficiency improves after driving a while and the battery has a chance to warm up.

 

[MONTANTK]

Do you have access to any type of plug at home? 110v or Is there maybe a dryer plug within 60 feet of where the car sits (you can buy reliable extension cords 40ft long)?If not, Is there a reliable charging option at work?
I would not rely on Supercharging.

You want to be able to set the car to Auto temp and enjoy the car the way it is meant to be driven. In a cold place like buffalo I wouldn't get a 220 mile tesla if your distance between reliable charging exceeds 100 miles. If you are road tripping, using superchargers, that number will stretch a bit. That will leave you buffer and let you use the car in the manner you want to.

I’ll be charging at home regularly

 

[MONTANTK]

If you have a 240V charger at home that can charge the battery completely overnight, owning a Tesla is an amazing experience. Like others have said, even with the range losses in the winter cold you should be fine as long as your average daily drive isn’t over 100 miles. If you do decide to road trip farther, the efficiency improves after driving a while and the battery has a chance to warm up.

Only road trips would be within 4-5 hour drive during the summer

 

[golfpilot]

I’ll be charging at home regularly

With 4-5 hour roadtrips in the summer and the ability to charge overnight at home, the 220 mile tesla sounds like a good fit for you!

 

[ewoodrick]

Don't go that far in debt just out of school and new job. Wait a little and see what your expenses are going to be, also, time to start saving a little..

Don't let the money burn a hole in your pocket.

 

[happyzod]

If you are buying a car in a year, it might be worthwhile to look at a used model 3. Model 3 is very reliable but like all cars there are a few things you need to prepare for (iced door/window in the winter). Most of the range loss in the model 3 is running the 6 kw heater as well as the defroster.

 

[jamessmooth007]

Not sure if you have a house yet, but if you plan on buying soon lenders don’t like to see car debt (or any debt really). House first, car second.
If that’s not an issue for you, pull the trigger and buy new. Do some research, but don’t over research. It gets in your head after awhile!

 

[MONTANTK]

Not sure if you have a house yet, but if you plan on buying soon lenders don’t like to see car debt (or any debt really). House first, car second.
If that’s not an issue for you, pull the trigger and buy new. Do some research, but don’t over research. It gets in your head after awhile!

No house yet but I’ve built some different models to see if I would be able to buy a house in my desired time frame and see what my savings would be over the life of the car. The main difference between buying a used car or the new model 3 was basically the difference in length of the loan. (36 months v 60 months). Either way I’d have enough saved to be able to put 20% down on my desired price range (100k to 150k)