Seeking advise on possible used Model 3 purchase.

[Nailbiter]

Hello,

New to the forum here. I have been on the lookout for a used Tesla to get for a few months now but that market has been so overpriced, my budget is mid 30s. I've noticed recently noticed the market has gone down quite a bit.

My goal was a 2021 Model 3 RWD because that was the last big refresh but recently I think I found a possible steal. Found a 2020 Model 3 Long Range AND dual motors, mileage is 29k. Carfax shows one owner and that it was a lease, clean history. It's being priced for 36k right now. This looks like it's quite below average market value from what I've seen. This is also at a highly reputable 3rd party dealership (based on online reviews) if I may add. It also has autopilot which is the basic package from what U understand.

I'd appreciate any advise and if I should wait or pursue this. I have not physically gone to look at the car yet, it's quite a drive.

 

[KYVolsfan]

I just went through the same process and decided I wanted a 2021 model 3 due to the changes made from the 2020 to 2021. You’ll have to decide if those changes are important. The update I wanted most was the heat pump. I believe tesla put heat pumps on some 2020s and made it standard in 2021. Do you know if the car you’re looking at has a heat pump? If you don’t live in an area that it’s cold, this would not be as big a consideration.

 

[Nailbiter]

I just went through the same process and decided I wanted a 2021 model 3 due to the changes made from the 2020 to 2021. You’ll have to decide if those changes are important. The update I wanted most was the heat pump. I believe tesla put heat pumps on some 2020s and made it standard in 2021. Do you know if the car you’re looking at has a heat pump? If you don’t live in an area that it’s cold, this would not be as big a consideration.

Additional Vehicle Information shows "cabin heater: resistive", so I guess not. Does lack of heat pump trump AWD and Long Range? Oh and if my research is correct it has 250kw fast charging instead of the 150kw on the RWD model as well.

 

[srs5694]

If it's a lease return, then presumably it's passed through Tesla's hands after the initial sale (which would have been a sale from Tesla to Tesla, I guess....? I'm not sure precisely how that works, from a business/legal perspective). This is relevant because Tesla has a habit of stripping cars of their software upgrades (mainly Enhanced Autopilot (EAP) and Flaky Student Driver (FSD)) when they pass through their hands as second-hand vehicles. Autopilot was made standard sometime in 2019, IIRC, so the car should have that, at least; but IIRC, EAP wasn't even a separate option at that time, and if the car ever had FSD you might not get it. Tesla will, of course, happily sell you these options after you buy the car, but you'll have to pay extra for them. The tricky part of this is that the car might actually have EAP or FSD active when you take delivery, but it might then disappear shortly thereafter. This has actually happened to people, and pissed them off, so be aware of it and research it if these features are important to you. If it's being sold through a third-party dealership, then they're likely clueless about this aspect of the car.

Does lack of heat pump trump AWD and Long Range? Oh and if my research is correct it has 250kw fast charging instead of the 150kw on the RWD model as well.

Age and mileage aside, I'd take an AWD LR with resistive heating over a RWD SR with a heat pump. The heat pump will be more energy-efficient in cold weather, but not enough so to negate the extra range in the LR battery pack. Also, the heat pump will be an advantage only in cold-weather months; it will provide no advantage in the summer or in most of the autumn or spring. As you say, the LR variants have faster fast charging than the SR versions, although in the real world, that difference is less extreme than the 250kW vs. 150kW figures suggest, since a Model 3 LR will achieve 150-250kW charging speeds for a very brief period at a low battery state of charge. It's enough to shave a few minutes off, say, a 10-80% charge (I'd guess no more than 5 minutes, but I could be wrong about that), but even an SR Model 3 will gain range pretty quickly. This also assumes you're using a V3 Supercharger; V2 Superchargers (plenty still exist) top out at 150kW on either type of car.

 

[srs5694]

Oh, one more thing: In October of 2020, Tesla changed its charge port ECU to one that can "talk" the CCS protocol. (There was at least one brief period after that when this ability was removed because of chip shortages.) If a Tesla is CCS-enabled, then you can buy the Tesla CCS1 adapter (or similar third-party adapters) and fast-charge the car at CCS DC fast chargers. These tend not to be as reliable as Superchargers, but having more options is always better. Tesla has said that retrofits will be available for older cars, and a hackish DIY approach is possible now (if you can buy the appropriate part from Tesla; the last I heard, it was hard to obtain), but that'll cost money. Given the cutoff date, I assume that few or no model year 2020 Teslas have CCS support but most model year 2021 Teslas do. Personally, I wouldn't consider this a deal-breaker, since upgrades are possible; but it's worth throwing into your mix of factors for consideration.

 

[Nailbiter]

If it's a lease return, then presumably it's passed through Tesla's hands after the initial sale (which would have been a sale from Tesla to Tesla, I guess....? I'm not sure precisely how that works, from a business/legal perspective). This is relevant because Tesla has a habit of stripping cars of their software upgrades (mainly Enhanced Autopilot (EAP) and Flaky Student Driver (FSD)) when they pass through their hands as second-hand vehicles. Autopilot was made standard sometime in 2019, IIRC, so the car should have that, at least; but IIRC, EAP wasn't even a separate option at that time, and if the car ever had FSD you might not get it. Tesla will, of course, happily sell you these options after you buy the car, but you'll have to pay extra for them. The tricky part of this is that the car might actually have EAP or FSD active when you take delivery, but it might then disappear shortly thereafter. This has actually happened to people, and pissed them off, so be aware of it and research it if these features are important to you. If it's being sold through a third-party dealership, then they're likely clueless about this aspect of the car.

Age and mileage aside, I'd take an AWD LR with resistive heating over a RWD SR with a heat pump. The heat pump will be more energy-efficient in cold weather, but not enough so to negate the extra range in the LR battery pack. Also, the heat pump will be an advantage only in cold-weather months; it will provide no advantage in the summer or in most of the autumn or spring. As you say, the LR variants have faster fast charging than the SR versions, although in the real world, that difference is less extreme than the 250kW vs. 150kW figures suggest, since a Model 3 LR will achieve 150-250kW charging speeds for a very brief period at a low battery state of charge. It's enough to shave a few minutes off, say, a 10-80% charge (I'd guess no more than 5 minutes, but I could be wrong about that), but even an SR Model 3 will gain range pretty quickly. This also assumes you're using a V3 Supercharger; V2 Superchargers (plenty still exist) top out at 150kW on either type of car.

Here's pictures of the software screen.

 

[mtmra70]

Keep in mind its the older Intel computer....

 

[srs5694]

Here's pictures of the software screen.

It definitely does not include CCS support. I'd have to go check my own car for a comparison, but it looks like the one you're considering is equipped with Autopilot but not with EAP or FSD. If my recollection that Autopilot became standard sometime in 2019 is correct, then you can expect that to stick around; but it could be my memory is faulty about that, and that functionality will disappear and you'll have to pay Tesla to get it back.

 

[Nailbiter]

It definitely does not include CCS support. I'd have to go check my own car for a comparison, but it looks like the one you're considering is equipped with Autopilot but not with EAP or FSD. If my recollection that Autopilot became standard sometime in 2019 is correct, then you can expect that to stick around; but it could be my memory is faulty about that, and that functionality will disappear and you'll have to pay Tesla to get it back.

Is it having the intel chipset a big deal? Thing is it’s low mileage, awd and long range. Carfax shows a median price of like 44k for this vehicle too

 

[turns2stone]

Here's pictures of the software screen.

Keep in mind its the older Intel computer....

It won't bother many (most?) people, but that Intel Atom processor means using the screen can be occasionally laggy. Might want to try-before-you-buy, as there's no way to make it go any faster, i.e. if it annoys you now you'll be annoyed with it forever.

 

[davewill]

Seems like a nice car, and it has a decent amount of warranty left. I think I'd pull the trigger if I were looking.

 

[jjrandorin]

Is it having the intel chipset a big deal? Thing is it’s low mileage, awd and long range. Carfax shows a median price of like 44k for this vehicle too

It depends on how much you plan to do things like watch netflix / media etc. My own model 3 is a 2018 model year (thus intel) and my wifes 2022 model Y has the ryzen processor. I can tell the difference if I drive both cars back to back, and if I was buying a new car I would want one with the ryzen processor, but its not a deal breaker by any means.

Things in my model 3 work perfectly fine, including watching netflix / youtube while parked, etc.

The car seems like a decent deal to me, but it does have some of the older technology pieces in it (that my car has), like resistive heating, lack of native CCS support (although in the tesla app for my car this says it might be able to be retrofitted by tesla sometime in 2023) and no heat pump.

I'd have to go check my own car for a comparison, but it looks like the one you're considering is equipped with Autopilot but not with EAP or FSD. If my recollection that Autopilot became standard sometime in 2019 is correct, then you can expect that to stick around;

Autopilot should be standard on any 2020 model year model 3. Tesla made that switch around april of 2019 if I remember.

The car looks like a decent deal to me, provided the 100% charge number shows 10% or less degradation.

 

[RayK]

Here's pictures of the software screen.

Also note that the car only has Premium Connectivity until the end of this month.

 

[Greg63]

Hands down the LR. The difference in range negates the heat pump. The LR is quicker and AWD. If you live in an area where you’d want the heat pump then you’re probably in an area where AWD would be highly preferred over RWD. If you need CCS it can be added but most people probably won’t need it.

 

[Nailbiter]

I think I’m gonna do it. I still need to see it in person and what they’ll give me for trade in. Problem is I’m on call this week so won’t be able to go down until next weekend. Hope it remains untouched

 

[boriszima]

seems like a solid buy for that price. check out what others are selling their Teslas here in the market place.

 

[Nailbiter]

seems like a solid buy for that price. check out what others are selling their Teslas here in the market place.

Oh I’ve been looking at auto tempest and etc. there are cheaper Tesla’s but this is like the best overall deal I’ve seen. Decent mileage, AWD, long range. I’d love one with a LFP battery but I think those are only in 2022 and no way those are gonna be in mid 30s, I’d be fine with RWD if it meant getting a LFP battery one but that’s prob not gonna happen

 

[srs5694]

Oh I’ve been looking at auto tempest and etc. there are cheaper Tesla’s but this is like the best overall deal I’ve seen. Decent mileage, AWD, long range. I’d love one with a LFP battery but I think those are only in 2022 and no way those are gonna be in mid 30s, I’d be fine with RWD if it meant getting a LFP battery one but that’s prob not gonna happen

Be aware that the LFP batteries are used only in standard range (SR) Model 3s, AFAIK. LFP has its advantages, but also disadvantages -- it's less energy-dense and so is heavier per kWh, for instance. As it's SR-only (in the Model 3), you also get less range and slower DC fast charging speeds.

 

[GSFLOU]

I think I’m gonna do it. I still need to see it in person and what they’ll give me for trade in. Problem is I’m on call this week so won’t be able to go down until next weekend. Hope it remains untouched

Where you located. I bought a 2019 3 Performance w/49k and FSD and a few cool extras installed from previous owner for $39.5k. No regrets, I love it

 

[Nailbiter]

Where you located. I bought a 2019 3 Performance w/49k and FSD and a few cool extras installed from previous owner for $39.5k. No regrets, I love it

PA. I just found 2020 awd long range white with black interior on teslas site. It has 61k miles and is a thousand more than the one I was looking at. The diffence is that Tesla says it comes with enhanced autopilot and acceleration boost. I’m wondering if that is worth it over the other one from a 3rd party with less miles but doesn’t have those features