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Pricing of options, I hope the Model 3 is reasonable.

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Some people in this thread seem to forget that $35k is a heck of a lot of money and the base model of the BMW 3 series falls well under that. The cheapest Mercedes C-class on-the-road price is £29k, which is around $35k, and that is a Mercedes.

$35k is a lot of money for most people, you're already at a par or above other executive-level sedans.
Hmmm... Those of us who post here do have a tendency to forget this is a rather international community. Please forgive us from taking a rather U.S.-Centric point of view from time-to-time.

That said... The majority of vehicles sold in the U.S. each year are used/preowned cars and trucks. Something like 38,000,000 of them were sold in 2015 here. Those averaged over $18,000 each, and over ten years of age. Meanwhile, new car sales were around 17,000,000 vehicles, with an average sale price of over $33,000. Thus, within the realm of 'new car sales' a $35,000 price point for a base Model ☰ is right in line with affordability for most who are looking to buy new.

Perhaps some cars cost less in Britain? But in the U.S., the base price for a Mercedes-Benz C-Class is currently $39,500. That is the car the Tesla Model ☰ will compete against. Meanwhile, Mercedes' introductory vehicle, the CLA-Class 4-Door Coupe, has a base price of $32,400. Today, £29,000 comes to $35,900. And, $39,500 is around £31,906 -- not £29,000.

So, yeah, it is 'a lot of money for most people' but as I've already pointed out, 'most people' buy used cars, not new ones. Tesla doesn't even have any vehicles that are ten years old. That will take a while to achieve. And the only 'used' cars they sell these days are typically less than five years old.

You know what though? You have to sell new cars first, before they can someday be used cars that 'most people' can afford to buy. Also, people who are in the market to buy a new car, don't buy 'cheap' new cars. They'd rather by 'cheaper' than new cars that are 'new to them', instead. Funny how that works, ain't it?

Ultimately, the notion that a $35,000 new car is not for 'most people' can be rather easily filed under 'DUH' for future reference.
 
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I'm curious to find out what options will be available on the Model 3, aside from the obvious ones like bigger batteries, The D, autopilot, etc.

I'm mainly thinking of the smaller things, like paint and wheel choices, and interior options.

I have my "My Tesla" page activated so I can spec out a Model S, and when I play around with the options, I have to question the pricing a little bit.

For example, paint. The black and white solid colors are free, but any metallic is $1000 or more. I am hoping the Model 3 comes with more choices in the low cost solid colors, like blue and orange and green and yellow, not just black and white. If people want metallic versions of the colors that is up to them.

Then the wheels and tires. The base 19" wheel and tire looks fine, but the optional 19" is $2500. $2500 FOR WHAT?!?!?! A slightly different pattern wheel? Then the 21 inch wheels and tires. I know bigger tires are more expensive, but $4,500 ? And they aren't even all season tires!

Now for the interior. I never cared about leather so the base seats that look like some sort of cloth (is it?) will be fine with me. The leather seats have lighter colors that will brighten up the interior, but for $2500, I will survive with the standard seats.

And then my biggest gripe, the interior Décor choices. A piece of plastic trim on the center console, a piece going across the dashboard, and the surroundings of the instrument panel. You get the base black one for free, but having a pattern molded into it is $750 to $1000 for the one that looks like carbon fiber? Nah. I think I can go to the local auto parts store and get a roll of woodgrain tape and stick it on and have the same net effect for $5.99 .

I don't mind paying for options, but let the price fit the actual item being installed.

From my experience the options are indeed over priced. The customoer service is also pretty bad too. They don't seem to have any loyalty to their customers. Arrogance is starting to seep through their dealings with their customers. I had to wait 3 days to get my tires changed.
 
From my experience the options are indeed over priced. The customoer service is also pretty bad too. They don't seem to have any loyalty to their customers. Arrogance is starting to seep through their dealings with their customers. I had to wait 3 days to get my tires changed.

I got a tire changed in 2 hours. And Tesla recommended I go to a chain that specializes in tires in the future.

Tesla's fall into the hot/crazy matrix. I'm willing to put up with the intracacies of ownership.

I believe they do try, at least in my experiences as in the example above.

Complaining about the price of options on a Tesla is like complaining about the $2.50 soda that cost 10 cents worth of paper and syrup.

Don't like the price of options? Don't buy them.
 
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I had to wait 3 days to get my tires changed.
Lol, expectations. I recently bought a used LEAF as my commuter car until I can get a 3. They need to replace the telematics module so that I can use the phone app... original expectations were set at a week, and it's been over three weeks with not even a peep from the dealership. On the flip side, anytime I've gone in to Tesla on the family's Model X, they've been super helpful and proactive with communication. And haven't missed their dates for getting any parts in - usually beating them.

So yes, I understand that for something routine like swapping tires, you can usually go to a local tire shop and expect to get in within an hour, if not immediately. You can still do that--take it to a local tire shop--with a Tesla. But their "dealership" service experience is much much better than any other dealership I've ever been to. The only thing I've ever been able to get done at a dealership in the past without an appointment is an oil change. And I don't need to do one of those ever again!

The reports of poor service in California of early X's with serious alignment problems that were without a car for months while they sat at service is what scare me far more than waiting 3 days to get a tire change. In comparison, 3 days is trivial.
 
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