One Year with a Model 3

[AllDigital]

We just celebrated one year with our Model 3. It is still the favorite car in our family (used the most) and my other Tesla is a P100D. There were a few kinks in the first few months (all good now), but the car has proven to be a delight. It is only the rear-wheel drive model, but it is fast, it is light, and zippy around the city. The elegance and simplicity of the design is first class. Also, the fast MCU (primary display computer) experience forced me to upgrade the other Tesla, as it is so smooth.

There will always be questions and a few gripes on the forums, but if you are on the fence about buying a Model 3 it is a no brainer. Any other ICE car is like driving a Blackberry or old feature phone after you have driven an iPhone. I've only gone to a gas station four times in six years -- there is nothing I miss about going to a gas station or getting ripped off for an oil change or a radiator flush or a transmission service or a brake job or any of those other maintenance nightmares of other cars.

With every firmware update the car gets better and better with more fun features. I never got that from any other manufacture.

 

[boriszima]

Congrats. How many miles did you put on your Model 3?

 

[Sparky]

Congrats!
1 year and almost 18k miles here. Efficient, quick, planted and elegant.
I gave a lot of test drives in the past year. My favorite response was a co-worker and long-time Mercedes owner, who got into every crevice of the car, then sat in the driver's seat for 10 mins playing with the screen. I said "so, wanna take it for a drive"? His reply, "no need. I'm gonna order one tonight. Amazing. This is clearly the future."

 

[Dan_LA]

Agree with it, having driven i3, M3 LR RWD 10k miles and now 1k miles on P3D, just love the car, insanely fast. Just wished range was more realistic when advertised on P3D.

 

[AllDigital]

15K miles and we get a real 330 miles out of the rear wheel model.

 

[ninpb]

Do you notice any loss of the solid, engineered, tight feeling of the wheel, doors, interior, etc?

 

[AllDigital]

Do you notice any loss of the solid, engineered, tight feeling of the wheel, doors, interior, etc?

No, no issues. solid. I think that Tesla's experience going from high performance first (Roadster/Model S) and "affordable" (Model 3) second gave it a lot of experience in solid engineering and manufacturing. If your engineering/manufacturing can withstand ludicrous mode then it will likely be fine for a mid-range luxury car. I know a lot of the early vehicles were rushed off the line, but ours has been solid in terms of the build. The Model 3 exceeded my expectation in terms of performance. I expected it to be slower and perform more like a Mercedes C or E class, but even the rear wheel model is fast -- like it can beat most american muscle cars off the line and hold it's own. I miss the air suspension I get in the Model S, but the coil suspension is tight and performs well, as does the steering. I would imagine the dual motor and the performance model even better.

 

[atrain382]

Congrats!
1 year and almost 18k miles here. Efficient, quick, planted and elegant.
I gave a lot of test drives in the past year. My favorite response was a co-worker and long-time Mercedes owner, who got into every crevice of the car, then sat in the driver's seat for 10 mins playing with the screen. I said "so, wanna take it for a drive"? His reply, "no need. I'm gonna order one tonight. Amazing. This is clearly the future."

UNREAL ELON IS THE MAN

 

[trunks13]

Any other ICE car is like driving a Blackberry or old feature phone after you have driven an iPhone.
With every firmware update the car gets better and better with more fun features. I never got that from any other manufacture.

That's exactly how I feel after 6 months with my Model 3. Even when I got the S as the loaner while it was in service, I thought the interior was a bit dated and couldn't help thinking "why are there so many damn buttons everywhere?!"

 

[JetFalcon]

I just got one on the last day for the $7500 tax credit.

I like it much better than my BMW M3. And I feel it can accelerate faster and more precisely than the M3. And I have the mid level car, the dual motor AWD w/ 310 miles.

Like when those people on the freeway speed up to you just because they saw your left blinker come on, you can easily out accelerate them and get in front of them no big deal. I don't even know why these type of people try to not let you go in front of them when their gas cars take forever to pass you.

And in stop and go situations with traffic lights or stop signs, this car is much better because you can use regenerative braking and not have to slam on the brakes each time for every little stop.

Eventually I'll have a super charger closer to my home which will be nice. And also another one on my path to work.

 

[AllDigital]

[QUOTE="JetFalcon, post: 3318457, member: 93777”]
And in stop and go situations with traffic lights or stop signs, this car is much better because you can use regenerative braking and not have to slam on the brakes each time for every little stop.[/QUOTE]

I use autopilot in stop and go. Let the car do all the stressing or if I’m not that lazy I’ll just use adaptive cruise. Autopilot loves traffic, as it is slow and has so many data points around it.

wrt regenerative braking... I have had a Tesla over six years. I’ve got two and an ICE SUV for going deep into the desert with my son. Whenever I drive an ICE vehicle now I get resentful every time I hit the brakes. Like I’m using Stone Age technology. The resentment is twofold. 1) It is a total waste of energy - there is no recapture of the lost energy and 2) it is just burning up very expensive brake pads. All that wasted energy is going to cost me money, out of service time, and a huge hassle. Next time you drive an ICE car think about that when you hit the brakes. (btw - over 200K miles on all my Tesla’s and not one brake job)