[Poll] Model 3 reservation holders: Would you get the S/X instead if you could?

[WhiskySTL]

Lately I have spent some time considering getting the S instead of the 3. Spending that kind of money on a car feels extravagant to me, but I was beginning to move past that. Then I started encountering mentions of how large the S is, and how it can be challenging to navigate parking garages, tight parking spaces, etc.

I am used to driving a small midsize car (not actually sure whether it's technically midsize or compact), and I generally refuse to drive my husband's Nissan Murano (SUV) unless I know it'll only be in very open terrain. Where I live, it is an important consideration, and I prefer the flexibility, ease, and generally lower stress of the smaller car. So this was kind of the nail in the coffin for my interest in the S over the 3.

I also love the 3's interior. But regarding my own poll, my primary reason, ultimately, is definitely the size.

Long story short, I am curious how many others are choosing the 3 over the S for other reasons besides the obvious factor of price.

 

[jelloslug]

We have a Model S and the Model 3 will be for my wife. She does like the X but she is much more frugal that me and would never spend that much on a car.

 

[Smokkelaar]

I can get an X, but why spend more many than neccesary.
When The Tow-hitch on the 3 is not good enough I buy that day a X.


So I prefer the 3 over a X because of the price, (while i can afford a X).
If the 3 isn't good enough i still buy the X.

 

[Flying Drummer]

I reserved a Model 3, then foolishly began researching Tesla like crazy and ended up leasing an S. Wifey gets the Model 3.

 

[BluestarE3]

Since this isn't a binary poll (S/X vs. 3), it should allow multiple selections since there may be more than one reason a person would opt for a 3 rather than S/X or vice versa. That's certainly the case for me.

 

[ThSneak]

Six people in our family, so something with a third row would be ideal, but I can't justifying that kind of money on a car. I'd say I couldn't justify it even at 2x my salary, but I've justified so much in the past...

 

[BerTX]

Vehicle size (at least in the range you are talking about) is mostly something you get used to with a little experience. I was used to smaller cars, and the size of the MS, coupled with the price of the hunk of metal I was trying to navigate through tight spaces, definitely was intimidating at first. But I got used to it.

I still try to avoid parking garages, but more because of the "other" idiots driving through there...

 

[gregincal]

When I was first looking at the S I was very concerned about the size, because I had never owned a car nearly that big. I really wanted to get a Model 3, but wasn't going to wait that long. Almost 5 years later, and I want to get a new car with autopilot. I've become use to the size of the S, but I would say it's a combination of preferring a smaller car and just not seeing anything worth all the extra money in getting a new S.

 

[roblab]

We have a Model S and the Model 3 will be for my wife. She does like the X but she is much more frugal that me and would never spend that much on a car.

We have had the top of the line S for 5 years now (one upgrade) after driving "small to mid-sized" Toyotas for decades, trying to keep costs down. Toyota helped us buy Tesla stock, and that stock bought our cars for us, so I can't complain about the price of an Electric Tesla compared to any other kind of "car". There is no comparison, other than maybe four wheels.

The Model 3 will be our second car. The S has been our only car for years, and it will be nice to have flexibility. The 3 will be almost as big as the S, but far closer to Toyota than Tesla in what you get. I suspect the S will continue to be our primary car. We will go slumming (it's where we live) in the 3.

 

[roblab]

I can get an X, but why spend more many than neccesary.
When The Tow-hitch on the 3 is not good enough I buy that day a X.

You can put a hitch on the S. Many do. I had one on my Prius, too.

 

[gambit48]

Still adjusting to the price of the 3. With the expense of kids, never could get into the mindset to buy such expensive cars even though at one point, daycare for 2 was near $2,000/mo which has to be high end model S/X payments.

 

[DriveMe]

I am a Model 3 reservation holder, but made a mistake of test-driving a Model S... should be here before the end of the month!

 

[run-the-joules]

I can afford an S, and have done a few test drives including a several-day extended test drive, and came to the conclusion that most of the things I dislike about it will be addressed with the 3. There are a hell of a lot of factors that made me not want to buy an S, but here's a summary of my gripes:

1. I don't mind spending that kind of money on a car, HOWEVER, I do not think the S is a good value for what you get *because of the 3 as a point of comparison*. That said, if the 3 weren't coming, I'd probably have bought an S by now to be honest.

2. It's a big damned car. I'd have to park my motorcycle outside of the garage and there are a hell of a lot of other downsides that come with that sort of size, and almost zero upsides for me.

3. Interior storage is garbage on the S.

4. I intensely dislike the design of the interior door pull and to a lesser extent the armrest on the S.

5. During some times of day when going certain directions, the center display on the S reflects the sun coming in through the rear glass and blinds me. Might the 3 have this issue? Sure, but it's a smaller display in the vertical dimension so it's a smaller chance.

6. The sun visors are useless.

7. Rear view mirror also fairly useless HOWEVER the camera more than makes up for it.

8. Premium sound was "fine", but the basic sound system was appalling and I'm not even a person who normally notices things like that.



So really when I look at the S, I compare to the 3 LR-Premium that I intend to buy and go "Ok, what do I have to spend on the S to get the features that are important to me?", and the answer is a minimum of $83,800 for an S75 Premium with a acceptable color, upgraded interior and autopilot.

What does the $28,800 difference over "my" config of the 3 get me?

1. Power liftgate. This is nice, but I'll live.

2. Fancy door handles. Don't care.

3. Fancy air filter. I'll live.

4. Unconfirmed due to vagueness on 3 info: Heated steering wheel, wiper jets and blades. Jets are actually kinda important to me but we don't know for sure if the 3 *doesn't* have heated jets. This is annoying.

5. An instrumentation display. Don't care.

6. Substantially decreased range, which will cause me to have to use superchargers or charging to 100% much more frequently.

7. Free supercharging, I guess with the referral. That's good for like $50/yr with the way I use my car.

So I don't think the S is a bad car, but with the 3 in play it's what I would consider a bad comparative value.

 

[dreamwave6]

I placed a reservation for the Model 3 back in March of this year. In early June, after the new referral program, I "jumped ship"--canceled my Model 3 reservation and bought a Model X 90D. I haven't looked back ever since. I decided to do this for a number of reasons, some of which are unique to my situation and some that are not:

1) I like the looks of the Model X over the Model 3.
2) The Model X has a lot more cargo room, more versatility and utility as compared with the Model 3.
3) The Model has several advanced features which aren't available on the Model 3.
4) With the kind referral of my friend, I got $1,000 off and free Supercharging for life. I can't get either of these with a Model 3.
5) By purchasing my Model X in June, I got the full $7,500 Federal rebate. Given my relatively late Model 3 reservation, I was unlikely to get any Federal rebate at all.
6) By purchasing my Model X in June, I got the full $2,500 California state rebate. I have been planning to move out of state in the next 6 months or so to a state which does not offer any type of EV incentives.

Anyone who is interested in "jumping ship" like I did, please PM me. I can offer you an "Overnight with Tesla" invitation which entitles you to an extended test drive of a Model S or Model X. All I ask in return is that you use my referral code when purchasing your Model S or Model X.

Andrew

 

[jelloslug]

We have had the top of the line S for 5 years now (one upgrade) after driving "small to mid-sized" Toyotas for decades, trying to keep costs down. Toyota helped us buy Tesla stock, and that stock bought our cars for us, so I can't complain about the price of an Electric Tesla compared to any other kind of "car". There is no comparison, other than maybe four wheels.

The Model 3 will be our second car. The S has been our only car for years, and it will be nice to have flexibility. The 3 will be almost as big as the S, but far closer to Toyota than Tesla in what you get. I suspect the S will continue to be our primary car. We will go slumming (it's where we live) in the 3.

We have put 29k miles on our S since last August. I suspect that we will trade out the cars for some trip to keep the mileage more even.

 

[206er]

Would really like an X, but can't fit it into our budget or garage.

 

[MassModel3]

I am a Model 3 reservation holder, but made a mistake of test-driving a Model S... should be here before the end of the month!

The wife and I wanted to wait for the 3, but we also wanted to test drive an S just to know what driving electric feels like. Mistake! We were proud owners of a used Model S 10 days later (saved 1/3 the original price and only gave up 10K miles by buying used).

Still have 2 reservations for the 3, though. As amazing as the S is, it'll be 5 year old tech (an eternity in Tesla time) next year when our second 3 reservation comes due. Next year we decide whether to keep Zoey or trade her on the 3... I dread making that choice.

 

[insaneoctane]

My initial reason would have been due to expense. But, now that CPO options are roughly on par with the M3 configuration I've settled on, it's changed to be more about size. I'll admit, I never saw the MS as a big car, but after reading about it on this site, I started to examine it more and now realize it's a lot of vehicle (width and length). I'm more comfortable with the 3's dimensions and have chosen to stay my original course.

 

[lirandy]

Simply can't afford the X. I can get a brand new Odyssey for people hauling purpose and a M3 for daily commute and still not enough for a X...... =(

 

[trm2]

I'm considering getting the S because of the 3 interior.