Should I keep or trade in my 2018 Tesla P3D for either a Model S (or when available a Highland Model 3)?

[ODWms]

Sounds like what would have been a similar situation for myself. Never been into large cars (my first car, a 1975 Chrysler Córdoba taught me early on), and, while I can deal with them in short bursts, I can’t see one as a daily.

 

[SS_M3]

OK, regrets.

After a couple months, I never bonded with the Model S. It's a very capable car--fast and holds the road like crazy. BUT, it's really big (I've always been a fan of smaller cars) and the steering is completely dead feeling. Giant steering wheel, slow steering ratio. Hustling up a canyon felt a little bit like driving a school bus sawing at the wheel. The interior layout of the 2020 S is also really impractical. A car that size should have more interior storage, not less. Cupholders live where your elbow goes, no door pockets, etc. I carry a lot of work-related stuff with me everywhere, so that was a bit of a nuisance.

So after admitting defeat, I ordered up a Highland 3 LR. I could have actually gotten the performance for the exact same price due to tax incentives, but decided the LR was really a better match for my purposes. The model S was an impulse decision and turned out to be a bad one as I lost quite a bit of money on trade-in after just two months. But I'm happy in the highland now. The 3 just feels more "right" to me. And yes, 2 weeks in, I still think the turn signal buttons are stupid.

Hate to tell you this, but the LR now qualifies for tax incentives. On the other hand, maybe yours will be grandfathered in? When I bought my 2023 I was expecting only half of the credit, but Tesla somehow worked a loophole to be eligible for the full amount. I don’t imagine they’ve since shifted the LR packs from 75 kWh LG (China) back to 82 kWh Panasonic (Fremont)?