Picked up the M3 this evening. Very smooth ride, has really good power going from 0-60mph which was impressive. Side mirrors are very small. Other than that everything else looks good so far. Don’t have the MC yet so need to stop by the charging stations atleast couple times a week for now.
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New Model 3 wanna be owner - need tips before ordering
- Thread starter nitynity
- Start date
BitJam
Active Member
CONGRATULATIONS!
Really glad to hear it. The wide angle side mirrors work great for me. They were easy to install although some people are now complaining about needing more wire to connect the defogger. They're available at a decent price (under $40) from Amazon and from AliExpress.
Please keep us posted.
Really glad to hear it. The wide angle side mirrors work great for me. They were easy to install although some people are now complaining about needing more wire to connect the defogger. They're available at a decent price (under $40) from Amazon and from AliExpress.
Please keep us posted.
Our 2018 Long Range is a RWD. "Mobile Connector"? You mean charging cable. New Tesla's are no longer coming with charging cables?
BitJam
Active Member
Correct. It's called a Mobile Connector in the Tesla store:
Mobile Connector
Stay charged on extended trips or when you need it most with Mobile Connector. Using a standard outlet, you can recharge up to 3 miles of range per hour with the NEMA 5-15 Adapter or up to 30 miles of range with the NEMA 14-50 Adapter depending on your vehicle. Includes: 1x Mobile Connector -...
shop.tesla.com
Here's an article about them no longer bundling it with the car:
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/10752833/acastro_180430_1777_tesla_0004.jpg)
Tesla will no longer include mobile connectors with every car
Musk says including the connector is “wasteful.”
www.theverge.com
I meant I purchased it separately but the package hasn’t arrived yet. Tesla send email saying shipped it but the UPS tracking says hasn’t picked up package yet. Not quite sure what’s going on.
TehPuddingMan
Member
I have ordered multiple items from the Tesla store and I’d say most were delivered before the tracking number showed anything.
Now the UPS tracking says delivery next Tuesday. Atleast there is an update now.
I took it to the local Volta charging station and charged for an hour.(10%). It’s not very convenient unless you can leave it there for several hours. I have 65% charge now. I might take it to the supercharger next time. With LFP, 100% charging is recommended. So that’s worth the time.
OK need some expertise from other owners here.
Now I am planning to sell my current SUV - 2017 Audi Q5. Received an appraisal from CarMax 2 weeks ago. And it was lower than what I was expecting so I just ignored it. They are selling the same model/mileage 12k more than what they offered me on their inventory.
I was thinking I will wait until I get my mobile charger before getting rid of the current suv.
But if I wait until next week/year, will the price go down again? What are my options now?
Get another appraisal from couple of dealerships as well or just take it back to Carmax to avoid further hassle. I didn’t really wash my suv last time when I took it to CarMax, so the wheels were kind of dirty. I am planning to stop by a car wash before I take it to the dealership for another appraisal. There are like three of them near the interstate.
Also, the Q5 came with roof racks which I never used or installed and still in the package in my garage. Didn’t take it with me last time I took it to Carmax. So I may have to include that on my appraisal this time as well. Not sure if it makes much of a difference.
So should I wait until next year or get rid of it before end of this month? Once it drops the price there is no going back. That’s my concern.
Now I am planning to sell my current SUV - 2017 Audi Q5. Received an appraisal from CarMax 2 weeks ago. And it was lower than what I was expecting so I just ignored it. They are selling the same model/mileage 12k more than what they offered me on their inventory.
I was thinking I will wait until I get my mobile charger before getting rid of the current suv.
But if I wait until next week/year, will the price go down again? What are my options now?
Get another appraisal from couple of dealerships as well or just take it back to Carmax to avoid further hassle. I didn’t really wash my suv last time when I took it to CarMax, so the wheels were kind of dirty. I am planning to stop by a car wash before I take it to the dealership for another appraisal. There are like three of them near the interstate.
Also, the Q5 came with roof racks which I never used or installed and still in the package in my garage. Didn’t take it with me last time I took it to Carmax. So I may have to include that on my appraisal this time as well. Not sure if it makes much of a difference.
So should I wait until next year or get rid of it before end of this month? Once it drops the price there is no going back. That’s my concern.
Used car market is finicky at best. Have you tried other avenues such as KBB instant cash to see how much they are offering in comparison to Carmax? We used them a couple of weeks ago to sell our 2016 Lexus RX350. A couple of dealerships reached out to us and we were communicating via text. Your mileage may vary BUT on the text I told them that I'm holding out and still deciding between selling private or selling to a dealership and leave some $ on the table for them. The point is, you can still go back/forth with a dealership even after they give you an instant cash offer via KBB. I think Cargurus does something similar where they pair you with local dealerships.
The reason why I like this method versus going directly to a dealership without any offer is that I know what the bottom line is. Unless the car's condition is worse than what you input in the quoting tool. Speaking of the car's condition, you definitely want to do some showmanship. The nicer the car looks visually, the easier it is for the dealers to imagine selling it to the next owner. I told them that I got new tires within 1000 miles ago and brought my Costco receipt for them to keep (warranty purposes) also had my registration paid. I also hand washed and performed a quick detailing of the car so it was pretty much gleaming by the time I drove it down to them.
Regarding the roof racks, you can always bring it in but do mention that during your sales "pitch". Remember, you are basically trying to sell your car to them. Once you both agree on a selling price, it was pretty straightforward. They cut me a check for about $1700 more compared to the KBB instant offer and the entire process took a total of 30 mins. I know money was left on the table but you're swapping convenience and speed for less cash. I've sold about 10+ of my personal cars throughout my life via private party and honestly getting too old to deal with tire kickers, hagglers and meeting folks at random safe locations for them to test drive, lol.
DocHolliday
Member
To add to the above, definitely try other services like Vroom and givemethevin to see what kind of quotes you get, and spend a little time or money detailing so it looks as good as possible. Unless you're selling to a wholesaler, you want the vehicle to present as like-new as possible.
Thanks for the pointer kokukenji. I do know the base price from Carmax. 17k. But I was hoping somewhere around 20 K. Atleast 18500. I don’t want to go after private party because that would be a hassle. Most likely I will end up going back to CarMax itself. I just wanted to know if it’s safe to wait another two more weeks or if that’s going to affect the price starting 1 Jan.
That's realistic, you already have a number in mind. I would KBB/Carguru/vroom/etc. a comparable quote. When they start emailing/calling/texting you. Just tell them where you're at and what you're looking for. If they can budge up to meet you, start dealing.
Good luck!
Rohhee
Member
I would just be aware that the used car market bubble is pretty much bursting right now and all used cars will be dipping every week (also the price of gas has gone down a lot). Before I sold my 2020 Prius Prime, it was around 32k in July, 30k in September and in December it went down to 24k from car max. I got offers from Tesla, kbb, autonation, shift, vroom and Carvana. All of the offers were around 24. But Tesla was second with 26.2k and Autonation offered 28.5k! Like mentioned above, it’s worth it to do all the “instant cash offers”. (Beware you will get spam calls from dealerships. It’s normal. I don’t pick up unless they leave a voicemail or text.)
Again, the question is: Do new Tesla vehicles being delivered NOT include the charging cables?
mgs333
Member
TesslaBull
Member
Unless you want to drive a car in the most expensive way possible, never lease. Also, outside of the crazy overpriced used car bubble we are now coming out of, selling your used car to a dealer is a good way to get the least amount of money possible for your car, as they need to leave lots of room to mark up. Just sell your car private party if you want to get the most for it. You'll have to take less than what a dealer can sell it for, but should be a lot more than what a dealer will pay you; probably somewhere in between. When we bought our first EV back in March, the most the dealer would offer for my car was $10.5k. Retail was around $16k for similar cars and I got $14k or $14.5 for it quickly and easily with a private party sale. Carvana is on the verge of bankruptcy now in large part due to paying exorbitantly high prices for used cars that aren't selling quite as high now.
I agree that selling your car to a dealer was VERY lucrative in the past couple years due to the crazy market. But in normal times its a terrible idea, just like trading in is a good way to almost give your car away.
Was glad to see the OP got the $7500 credit!
I agree that selling your car to a dealer was VERY lucrative in the past couple years due to the crazy market. But in normal times its a terrible idea, just like trading in is a good way to almost give your car away.
Was glad to see the OP got the $7500 credit!
Last edited:
An update: Have good and bad news.
Stopped by two dealership yesterday. First guy did an appraisal and ask me what my expectations were. I said atleast 20k, but I will consider 18k+.
KBB and Carmax offered 17k, so I knew 20k was a push. Later I got a response from the first dealer that realistically they are looking around 16k, but he can talk to his boss for 18k, but that's very unlikely to get approved. He even showed me numbers for their recent sales and it was around 19k after dealer profit.
I stopped by the second dealer, same story, 17k offer, but I told them about the new tires, roof rack and other stuff. The appraiser turned out to be a newbie/inexperienced person, so took up the matter to the big boss, he wanted to do a test drive. He loved the suv and came back with 18.5k. Even Offered zelle payment as well once offer accepted. Didn't wanted anymore hassle and so I cancelled the third dealership visit and chose to close the deal. Everything good so far.
Now the bad news. Came back couple hours later with the title to close the deal. Finished all the paperwork, handed over the keys. The payment can be through Zelle, BUT they don't have accounting dept locally, so paperwork needs to be sent over to head office in Houston, once they process it, I get the Zelle payment. I am like WHAT? I was under the impression once the paperwork is signed, I get paid right away.
Again, the newbie appraiser dont have a clue and talked to some other big shot sales manager, he showed up, I told him the concern, hes like we will pay you once the paperwork is processed. I said that clause is no where in the written contract. Once I walk out of the building, there is nothing that states I didn't get paid. He was like he didn't know what to say either. So I told him I need something in writing saying the payment will be processed in certain amount of time. for proof. Then he said write up whatever makes you comfortable and I will sign it for you.
So I added a line stating at the bottom of the statement they provided that the payment will be processed in 24-48hrs and send to the provided zelle account. He signed it right below. I am not sure if I used the right phrase or if it's even legally binding, as I clearly didn't see this coming when they told me Zelle payment was an option.
I did some research from home later last night, turns out its not unlikely that it takes few days for the payment to be processed. I am really hoping thats the case and they didn't pull any tricks. Normally when you trade in, the amount gets deducted from the new loan. Maybe that's why they didn't include that clause in the paperwork. But I am sure, I am not the first person doing this. So they could have added that to the sales contract, but now I am totally at their mercy I guess.
Stopped by two dealership yesterday. First guy did an appraisal and ask me what my expectations were. I said atleast 20k, but I will consider 18k+.
KBB and Carmax offered 17k, so I knew 20k was a push. Later I got a response from the first dealer that realistically they are looking around 16k, but he can talk to his boss for 18k, but that's very unlikely to get approved. He even showed me numbers for their recent sales and it was around 19k after dealer profit.
I stopped by the second dealer, same story, 17k offer, but I told them about the new tires, roof rack and other stuff. The appraiser turned out to be a newbie/inexperienced person, so took up the matter to the big boss, he wanted to do a test drive. He loved the suv and came back with 18.5k. Even Offered zelle payment as well once offer accepted. Didn't wanted anymore hassle and so I cancelled the third dealership visit and chose to close the deal. Everything good so far.
Now the bad news. Came back couple hours later with the title to close the deal. Finished all the paperwork, handed over the keys. The payment can be through Zelle, BUT they don't have accounting dept locally, so paperwork needs to be sent over to head office in Houston, once they process it, I get the Zelle payment. I am like WHAT? I was under the impression once the paperwork is signed, I get paid right away.
Again, the newbie appraiser dont have a clue and talked to some other big shot sales manager, he showed up, I told him the concern, hes like we will pay you once the paperwork is processed. I said that clause is no where in the written contract. Once I walk out of the building, there is nothing that states I didn't get paid. He was like he didn't know what to say either. So I told him I need something in writing saying the payment will be processed in certain amount of time. for proof. Then he said write up whatever makes you comfortable and I will sign it for you.
So I added a line stating at the bottom of the statement they provided that the payment will be processed in 24-48hrs and send to the provided zelle account. He signed it right below. I am not sure if I used the right phrase or if it's even legally binding, as I clearly didn't see this coming when they told me Zelle payment was an option.
I did some research from home later last night, turns out its not unlikely that it takes few days for the payment to be processed. I am really hoping thats the case and they didn't pull any tricks. Normally when you trade in, the amount gets deducted from the new loan. Maybe that's why they didn't include that clause in the paperwork. But I am sure, I am not the first person doing this. So they could have added that to the sales contract, but now I am totally at their mercy I guess.
TesslaBull
Member
How close did that end up being to what you could have sold the car for, as in, what are cars like yours actually selling for vs what the dealer gave you? Curious if things are still a bit wonky or coming down to normal. Normally you get WAY less for a car selling it to a dealer who has to then markup a bunch.
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