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Ordering Model 3 after Model Y
- Thread starter ruthlessauto
- Start date
Perhaps you should take possession of the first one and see if you both like it first? They are basically the same experience, except model Y has higher seating position, more cargo space, but drives like what it is (a mini utility type vehicle) while the model 3 drives more like a sedan.
Gauss Guzzler
Safety Score = 42
I'd say 2 Tesla's is the most practical and logical option. You can consolidate charging infrastructure, mitigate the hassles of going back and forth between fossil and modern cars, and share keys/chargers/settings/discoveries with each other.
Plus, you don't realize how stupid and ridiculous gas stations are until you go a few weeks without one and you'll quickly come to hate the old fashioned car.
Plus, you don't realize how stupid and ridiculous gas stations are until you go a few weeks without one and you'll quickly come to hate the old fashioned car.
It seems like the only consideration would be making a plan to charge each vehicle. Controversial as it is, I charge my Model 3 on a 120v but if I had two EVs that needed charging, I’d probably upgrade my electrical to have a 240v or two so I could trade charging vehicles as needed or charge both at the same time.
I thought it would be a good idea to have nothing but Teslas, but last month we made a road trip from Houston to Brownsville to see relatives and SpaceX. Was going to take a Tesla, but then decided to take the ICE. For the entire trip, we stopped only once for 4-5 mins for gas in Brownsville. The route planner showed charging of our LR Model 3 would have added 4 hours and 5-6 stops to the trip for driving to chargers, and waiting for charging.
That's really does stink because we don't find any excitement from charging stops. Just something to consider.
That's really does stink because we don't find any excitement from charging stops. Just something to consider.
There is zero chance I could drive for hours and only stop "once 4-5 minutes for gas" even though its just my wife and I. We have never (ever ever ever) been able to drive more than approximately 2 hours before she will request a stop to use the facilities. We have been married since we were 18, and we are in our 50s, and this has been a constant since we first were dating, at 17, so its not an age thing.
So, for us, it wouldnt add much time at all. With that being said, we still also have a gas powered vehicle (but the road trip situation would be almost exactly the same).
We are in our 50's too, and brought the mother in law with us back from Brownsville to Houston without stopping, which was 5 hours. It was so nice not to have to stop and get where we needed to get quickly. It would have been 2 mandatory stops in the Tesla, if not 3 at the speeds we were going. Having to slow down to make it to the next charger, lol.
Plus it's nice to just stop where you want to stop, and not have to stop where there is a charger.
Some people just are thrilled beyond belief with stopping at a supercharger, we're just not those people. If you're not, don't think you are going to like roadtripping in an EV.
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@ruthlessauto Which Model 3 trim would you be ordering? I'm seeing M3P ETA of February, M3LR March, and M3RWD (formerly SR+) of June. For M3P or M3LR that's a pretty short wait as custom ordered cars go. If you're not in a rush, you could reasonably live with your Model Y for a few weeks first and see how you'd really feel about having two Tesla EVs.
If you need a 2nd car urgently then placing an order now seems reasonable, at worst you're out $250 which would be very annoying, but not really that much in the context of buying a car in today's market.
Or maybe a better option, to minimize wait without risking the order deposit, is to first live with the Y for a bit to make sure you want 2 Teslas, then snag a 3 from inventory. That works best if you're somewhat flexible on the exact options. Note FSD can be removed or added to any inventory car, it doesn't really matter whether the listing includes FSD or not, just tell your sales rep to remove/add it if needed when they assign you the car.
Model 3s pop up in inventory regularly, many are demos but new ones show up frequently too. Demos typically have under 1000 miles, though I've seen at least one with around 1500 miles. Personally I started my 2021 M3P purchase by placing a build order, then a few days later I checked inventory, saw a matching new car (non-demo) in local inventory, and got my local sales center to assigned to my order. It was listed with FSD, they removed FSD at my request and I was never charged for it.
If you need a 2nd car urgently then placing an order now seems reasonable, at worst you're out $250 which would be very annoying, but not really that much in the context of buying a car in today's market.
Or maybe a better option, to minimize wait without risking the order deposit, is to first live with the Y for a bit to make sure you want 2 Teslas, then snag a 3 from inventory. That works best if you're somewhat flexible on the exact options. Note FSD can be removed or added to any inventory car, it doesn't really matter whether the listing includes FSD or not, just tell your sales rep to remove/add it if needed when they assign you the car.
Model 3s pop up in inventory regularly, many are demos but new ones show up frequently too. Demos typically have under 1000 miles, though I've seen at least one with around 1500 miles. Personally I started my 2021 M3P purchase by placing a build order, then a few days later I checked inventory, saw a matching new car (non-demo) in local inventory, and got my local sales center to assigned to my order. It was listed with FSD, they removed FSD at my request and I was never charged for it.
As far as two Teslas being a good idea, that all depends on your situation and preferences. For my wife and I having two Teslas has been good so far!
Our 2013 Model S was our only car for many years. Recently we needed a 2nd car, we considered and test drove several ICE and non-Tesla EVs in addition to the Model 3 and Y. Ultimately we settled on the Model 3, and our 2nd choice was also an EV (not a Tesla), if that tells you anything! When push came to shove neither of us wanted to go back to ICE.
Our 2013 Model S was our only car for many years. Recently we needed a 2nd car, we considered and test drove several ICE and non-Tesla EVs in addition to the Model 3 and Y. Ultimately we settled on the Model 3, and our 2nd choice was also an EV (not a Tesla), if that tells you anything! When push came to shove neither of us wanted to go back to ICE.
Last thing, with multiple EVs (Tesla or otherwise) it's important to consider how you'll charge them at home, since charging at home is one of the best parts of the EV experience. Do you have multiple off-street parking spots? Can you install multiple charging outlets/connectors? If not, would you be okay with the hassle of juggling cars around to give both a charge when needed? (Personally I wouldn't.)
For us, we have a 1 car garage, and a short 1 car driveway in front of it. When we got our S we put a 240V 50A circuit in the garage for charging, works great, can go from empty to full overnight. With the 2nd Tesla so far we've been charging whichever ends up in the driveway using an existing 120V 15A outdoor outlet. That's very slow, but for our use it's actually been fine, it adds some useful miles overnight which is much better than losing them in the cold. Typically within a few days we'll naturally end up with the cars swapped. Occasionally we spend a few extra minutes to deliberately swap cars to top one off on the faster charging, but mostly we don't need to bother, even the 120V 15A is enough to keep our normal daily usage going (aside from pre road trip).
If at some point we find 120V 15A for the driveway spot is a problem, I'll replace our NEMA 14-50 in the garage with a Tesla Wall Connector, and put a 2nd Tesla Wall Connector outside, configured to share the 240V 50A circuit via a subpanel. We don't have enough power for a 2nd dedicated 240V 50A circuit, but the Tesla Wall Connector can be configured to share power intelligently. In that setup it would split the 40A charge rate two ways when both cars are plugged in (20A for each), and would give the full 40A to one car if no other car is plugged in. (40A is the max EV charge rate for a 50A circuit, due to the sustained load.) I'm quite certain that even split two ways the single 50A circuit is enough for us.
I'm sure your situation is a bit different. What I wrote above is just an example of what to consider with multiple EVs in the household!
For us, we have a 1 car garage, and a short 1 car driveway in front of it. When we got our S we put a 240V 50A circuit in the garage for charging, works great, can go from empty to full overnight. With the 2nd Tesla so far we've been charging whichever ends up in the driveway using an existing 120V 15A outdoor outlet. That's very slow, but for our use it's actually been fine, it adds some useful miles overnight which is much better than losing them in the cold. Typically within a few days we'll naturally end up with the cars swapped. Occasionally we spend a few extra minutes to deliberately swap cars to top one off on the faster charging, but mostly we don't need to bother, even the 120V 15A is enough to keep our normal daily usage going (aside from pre road trip).
If at some point we find 120V 15A for the driveway spot is a problem, I'll replace our NEMA 14-50 in the garage with a Tesla Wall Connector, and put a 2nd Tesla Wall Connector outside, configured to share the 240V 50A circuit via a subpanel. We don't have enough power for a 2nd dedicated 240V 50A circuit, but the Tesla Wall Connector can be configured to share power intelligently. In that setup it would split the 40A charge rate two ways when both cars are plugged in (20A for each), and would give the full 40A to one car if no other car is plugged in. (40A is the max EV charge rate for a 50A circuit, due to the sustained load.) I'm quite certain that even split two ways the single 50A circuit is enough for us.
I'm sure your situation is a bit different. What I wrote above is just an example of what to consider with multiple EVs in the household!
Strange, your experience doesn't sound like mine, so I punched your trip into ABRP, I get 4h31m driving, 355miles, and 28mins charging total, for 5hrs. I don't know how it would have added 4hrs and 5-6 stops.
Plus on trips comparing ICE to EV, you have to add time spent filling up before and after the trip, cause that's what everyone does driving an ICE, right?
And, as you surely know, the strategy for driving a Tesla is to drive fast, and charge often at low SOC, to have the shortest trip times; not to drive slow and stretch out driving legs. That's the slowest trip strategy.
I don't agree with that as a blanket statement. It really depends on the route, the gap between chargers, how much charge you need at arrival, etc. When slowing down a bit lets you skip an entire charging stop, that is usually quicker.
If the number of charging stops would stay the same within a reasonable speed range, then yes, driving faster should actually be quicker, especially with newer Teslas that can precondition and charge very quickly.
Gauss Guzzler
Safety Score = 42
Well, he said he really doesn't like charging, so maybe 28 minutes just feels like 4 hours to him?
You're a funny man. But did you remember to think that Super Chargers aren't that plentiful down in South Texas and you have to add time to drive to the charging station? And did you think that we might want to drive around that area once we arrive, so that adds more charging time and driving to the chargers.
Didn't think so, funny man.
Theadonnan
Member
We don’t take massive road trips often and have short daily commutes, but I love the convenience of not visiting gas stations to refuel. And a lot less maintenance to stress out over. We keep a third car for nostalgia two seater rear wheel joy rides.
rpiotro
Active Member
Also, compared to a model Y an M3 SR+ is almost 700 lbs. lighter. It is most definitely a drivers car while the Y is better for road trips. If your second car is primarily for city commuting the M3 SR+ (now the RWD) is the best choice.
We bought our second Tesla 4 months after our first.
We have had two Teslas for over 8 years now. It has been extremely convenient and pleasant two be a two-Tesla family.
For us, this includes road trips, both regional and halfway across the country.
However, unless you must buy a second car now, I would agree with the advice about spending some time with the first one before ordering the second.
We have had two Teslas for over 8 years now. It has been extremely convenient and pleasant two be a two-Tesla family.
For us, this includes road trips, both regional and halfway across the country.
However, unless you must buy a second car now, I would agree with the advice about spending some time with the first one before ordering the second.
My experience might be helpful. I kept my Mercedes...because Merceds after taking delivery of my X. Thought it would be convenient to have in case of inconventient trips, power outages, lower range etc.
Reality is that the Mercedes just sat there in the garage for 6 Months. Every time a decision came up which car to drive, I could not give up the EV experience and take the ICE.
The World is moving to all EV personal transportation, with Diesel being used for the heavy work stuff.
99% of the time, EV will work out for most trips.
You can rent a gasser for those 1% of the times.
Gassers are bringing top $ right now on the used market (so are EVs), In the future you will not want to be stuck driving the last of the gassers and with no market to sell them in. Good time to go all EV. Sell the gassers when the selling is good.
Reality is that the Mercedes just sat there in the garage for 6 Months. Every time a decision came up which car to drive, I could not give up the EV experience and take the ICE.
The World is moving to all EV personal transportation, with Diesel being used for the heavy work stuff.
99% of the time, EV will work out for most trips.
You can rent a gasser for those 1% of the times.
Gassers are bringing top $ right now on the used market (so are EVs), In the future you will not want to be stuck driving the last of the gassers and with no market to sell them in. Good time to go all EV. Sell the gassers when the selling is good.
Carolina Karl
Member
As to the replies commenting on "wasted" time at Superchargers, after 21 months of Model 3 ownership, I crave the "downtime" at Superchargers. I can stretch, respond to emails, or just lay back and do nothing for 15-20 minutes.
Two years ago, if I could save one minute on a trip by taking a different route, I would. Now, I've come to find quiet time, such as on-the-road Supercharging, to be a welcome respite from an otherwise hectic life.
Two years ago, if I could save one minute on a trip by taking a different route, I would. Now, I've come to find quiet time, such as on-the-road Supercharging, to be a welcome respite from an otherwise hectic life.
JeffreyC
Member
I don't get the logic here. I also plugged your trip into A Better Route Planner and see that the Superchargers for the trip are right next to the highway, so getting to them from the highway would not take long at all. Stating you would want to drive around the area near the Superchargers and that adds to your calculation of the charging time does not seem right.
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