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Should I Be Concerned Buying A New 2018 Model 3
- Thread starter Makulit
- Start date
That's a pretty incredible deal. Off the top of my head here are the differences between 2018s and 2020s:
Pros for 2018:
Mine was also made some time early-mid November with 119xxx vin and fit and finish were mostly as good as 2020 models. One paint issue I noticed were a lot of clearcoat blotches all over the car which were only visible at night when light hits at an angle. Service compounded/polished everything down and the paint looked perfect after.
As others have mentioned, I'd also want to know how the hell it could have been unnoticed for so long. What issues they might've had with the car. If the battery was left at 0% or 100% for months on end, etc.
Pros for 2018:
- Homelink
- Dimming side mirrors
- Leather steering wheel
- Interior carpets and full set of charging adapters (or is this only missing on SR models?)
- Potentially better fit and finish
- Slightly better noise insulation
Mine was also made some time early-mid November with 119xxx vin and fit and finish were mostly as good as 2020 models. One paint issue I noticed were a lot of clearcoat blotches all over the car which were only visible at night when light hits at an angle. Service compounded/polished everything down and the paint looked perfect after.
As others have mentioned, I'd also want to know how the hell it could have been unnoticed for so long. What issues they might've had with the car. If the battery was left at 0% or 100% for months on end, etc.
I think the car they are considering is a late 2018 production, so this wouldn't matter, but there were a lot of changes DURING 2018. Tesla doesn't stick to model years for changes. They change things as they go during the year.
Early 2018 cars could be different with things like:
* Different door hinges
* Different steering wheel airbag cover
* Less comfortable seats
* Different coating material on the glass roof
* More spot welds
* "fluff" material between battery tray and rear floor
Also, if you go back further into 2017, there were some suspension changes, but those were primarily during initial RWD only production. Very early cars had the "ultraseude"/"alcantata" type headliner which they stopped offering later.
One possible big benefit to this older AWD car is it likely has the stronger rear motor which makes it eligible for "acceleration boost" upgrade.
More recent AWDs started using a cheaper rear motor because it didn't need to be able to make the power of the "P" cars.
Early AWDs had most (all?) of the P drivetrain hardware but were software limited.
Early 2018 cars could be different with things like:
* Different door hinges
* Different steering wheel airbag cover
* Less comfortable seats
* Different coating material on the glass roof
* More spot welds
* "fluff" material between battery tray and rear floor
Also, if you go back further into 2017, there were some suspension changes, but those were primarily during initial RWD only production. Very early cars had the "ultraseude"/"alcantata" type headliner which they stopped offering later.
One possible big benefit to this older AWD car is it likely has the stronger rear motor which makes it eligible for "acceleration boost" upgrade.
More recent AWDs started using a cheaper rear motor because it didn't need to be able to make the power of the "P" cars.
Early AWDs had most (all?) of the P drivetrain hardware but were software limited.
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TX_M3P+
Member
I would say you found a great deal. In March I bought a used 2019 M3P+ with 10k miles on it and it drives like a dream. I've called service a few times but not for anything major and I also purchased the FSD upgrade. My car feels solid as a rock and I think it will last me a solid 10yrs. Heck, I drove a KIA Soul for 8yrs with only 2 very minor issues, and I'd say this car is a WAY better car all the way around.
ElectricIAC
Good-Natured Rascal
ElectricIAC
Good-Natured Rascal
Watts_Up
Well-Known Member
Update:
I went to see the car and found a few things. Still can justify the $7k savings.
- Wheels are a bit scuffed
- Scratches on the paint
- Interior has a few scratches on the head rest and panel
- Silicon on the driver windshield was loose. I assume it became loose due to the car sitting out in the lot for a while
- Bugs (literally) in the car. They didn't vacuum it well
- Exterior was pretty dirty
- Bumper guard was loose
A rep came out to help us and I pointed out my concerns. He said that most of the items are normal. As for the other items he said that he'll have the service department replace or fix it.
All in all, the things I found are minor. I can't expect my car to be in prestine condition with the $7k price adjustment.
I went to see the car and found a few things. Still can justify the $7k savings.
- Wheels are a bit scuffed
- Scratches on the paint
- Interior has a few scratches on the head rest and panel
- Silicon on the driver windshield was loose. I assume it became loose due to the car sitting out in the lot for a while
- Bugs (literally) in the car. They didn't vacuum it well
- Exterior was pretty dirty
- Bumper guard was loose
A rep came out to help us and I pointed out my concerns. He said that most of the items are normal. As for the other items he said that he'll have the service department replace or fix it.
All in all, the things I found are minor. I can't expect my car to be in prestine condition with the $7k price adjustment.
SomeJoe7777
Marginally-Known Member
SInce it's a 2018 build, you'll get 2018 hardware in the car that 2020's don't come with. They were mentioned above:
- Homelink module installed (and since it's an LR, will have Homelink software included)
- Dimming side mirrors
- Leather steering wheel
- All charging adapters
The VIN is late enough (13xxxx) that you will NOT have the items some of the early models had like the harder seats, the older glass roof coating, stiffer suspension, etc.
What you do need to keep in mind and check carefully is that it also sounds like the software and option package will be packaged like a 2020:
- Pay-per-use supercharging (if this car had been sold in 2018, it could have had lifetime free supercharging)
- Pay monthly for premium connectivity after the 1st year, which includes real-time traffic, TuneIn, etc. (If sold in 2018, this would have been free for lifetime).
- Standard AP, or you might add FSD at the $8K price. (If sold in 2018, would have had no AP, EAP for $4K, or FSD for $7K).
One further item to keep in mind that cannot be changed is that the battery has 2 years of time on it, even though it has almost no cycles on it. Normally the battery warranty is 8 years or 120,000 miles, but at your 8-year ownership point, the battery will be 10 years old. I do not know exactly how the additional 2 years will affect the battery retention that far out, but it's something to keep in mind. If the car was indeed a showroom car, then it was kept in a climate-controlled area and temperature aging effects on the battery should be minimal.
Assuming the car is sold as "New" in the legal sense and you have full warranty that applies from the date of purchase, then I think it's a great deal.
- Homelink module installed (and since it's an LR, will have Homelink software included)
- Dimming side mirrors
- Leather steering wheel
- All charging adapters
The VIN is late enough (13xxxx) that you will NOT have the items some of the early models had like the harder seats, the older glass roof coating, stiffer suspension, etc.
What you do need to keep in mind and check carefully is that it also sounds like the software and option package will be packaged like a 2020:
- Pay-per-use supercharging (if this car had been sold in 2018, it could have had lifetime free supercharging)
- Pay monthly for premium connectivity after the 1st year, which includes real-time traffic, TuneIn, etc. (If sold in 2018, this would have been free for lifetime).
- Standard AP, or you might add FSD at the $8K price. (If sold in 2018, would have had no AP, EAP for $4K, or FSD for $7K).
One further item to keep in mind that cannot be changed is that the battery has 2 years of time on it, even though it has almost no cycles on it. Normally the battery warranty is 8 years or 120,000 miles, but at your 8-year ownership point, the battery will be 10 years old. I do not know exactly how the additional 2 years will affect the battery retention that far out, but it's something to keep in mind. If the car was indeed a showroom car, then it was kept in a climate-controlled area and temperature aging effects on the battery should be minimal.
Assuming the car is sold as "New" in the legal sense and you have full warranty that applies from the date of purchase, then I think it's a great deal.
Watts_Up
Well-Known Member
If the sales person would let you connect an ODB2 device to use the Scan My Tesla App,
you would be able to get additional battery information such as:
- Nominal Capacity Value
- Battery Degradation
- DC (Supercharger) Total Charge
- AC Total Charge
- Regen Total Charge
ElectricIAC
Good-Natured Rascal
ElectricIAC
Good-Natured Rascal
I think it’s a stellar deal. After you own the car for a couple weeks, it’ll have some small scratches in the paint and a scuff here and there in the interior anyway. One good wash and detail and the car will look like brand new. All still a heck of a lot less $$ than the $7k in savings.
My gut says jump on it before someone else does. Best of luck!!
Actually lifetime free Supercharging was only with performance models and that for a short period. Mine has that feature, only for as long as I own the car, it is not transferrable. It is possible that there were other limited promotions for lifetime free Supercharging on Model 3 of which I am not aware. FWIW, mine did not have free supercharging when I took delivery on 5th September 2018, but it was grandfathered shortly afterwards when all P3D had it for a while.
FWIW, I drove mine 5500 miles during the first week I had it. I never was charged for Supercharger use although the 'free for lifetime's added a few weeks later.
I think the 2018 'new' is probably a good deal, but I'd check to make certain that 100% charge yields ~rated range (it's not commonly precise, except by coincidence). That is a bit of a red herring though, because the SOC algorithm are inferences about probable range, nothing more. It's impossible to be precise because conditions never are likely to be identical wit the algorithm assumptions. Showing SOC percentage is less fraught that is calculated range. (some will argue with this paragraph they should not, it's a matter of definition)
Enjoy your car!
DeanP
Member
I don't have dimming mirrors nor free supercharging (just missed that one). Still love he car!!!
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