Surprise find - a new 2018 Mid-Range

[blkatx]

I walked into my local showroom yesterday anticipating I'd order a stock SR+ at $39500. We were looking up inventory and stunned to find a 2019 Mid-Range (vin 178xxx, 6 miles) available w/ 19"s, white int., midnight silver, and autopilot for about $43000, a discount of about $3500. The catch was it was supposed to have been a showroom model sold as-is. I asked to be sent some photos, and the rep ended up finding out it was apparently not a showroom model, and was actually in a different location (AZ) than the website said it was in. Which I guess means it's not sold as-is - I need to follow up. I put down a deposit.

I'm now having some second thoughts because I didn't actually want the 19s or white int., so the discounts are a bit of a wash for me. And now I'm concerned that given the incredible odds a MR would still be available at this point, something has to be wrong with it.

Can anyone speculate on how or why a 2018 MR could popup now? Am I right to have some concerns that what I may be getting could be flawed in some substantial way, or should I just take the deal?

 

[doenutt]

If I were you I would make sure it really only has 6 miles on it first before anything else. As far as I know they got rid of their inventory near end of Q1 (at least all performance models) so most of the price adjusted vehicles are hard to find now. I would have the rep double check the mile to make sure it wasn't driven at all, and send over some pictures before pulling the trigger. Hope this helps

 

[SoCalMom]

If it helps, you can also ask if it was a reject from a previous owner. They should have the entire car history and they should be able to tell you. When we were in the process of getting ours, they were able to tell assure us it was not a reject. They could see that the car was matched to someone else for a minute, but then that person decided to go for another car that was closer to them.

 

[jbrady3324]

Definitely verify the miles. I was in a similar spot and my car did not have the advertised miles. Eventually they told me the car was matched to someone else, HOWEVER they will not disclose if it was actually picked up by that person or not. In Tesla's world, reject cars are still new

 

[blkatx]

Thanks so much for the advice thus far - I'll be following up on all those points!

Related question - can anyone confirm whether there have been any substantial (battery, drivetrain, etc) improvements between the 2018 MR and 2019 SR+ productions? I'm not sure which source is definitive since there's no longer any official MR info on Tesla's site, but apparently according to Wikipedia & Tesla Model 3 0 To 60 MPH: How Quick Is It Compared To Other Teslas? :

SR+ 0-60 5.3s, 25 kWh per 100 miles (134 MPGe)
MR 0-60 5.6s*, 27 kWh per 100 miles (123 MPGe)

*wikipedia says 5.2s, but source is no longer valid tesla.com link. So not sure.

Whether or not I can get some assurance that this MR is what they said it is, I'm trying to ensure I understand what other pros/cons there may be between the MR a newer SR+. Am I missing anything?

 

[Hometheatremaven]

At the end of March 2019, I purchased a new 2018 mid range in midnight silver with the white interior. I was going to purchase the standard plus 2019 model but it did not come with homelink and there were a few other things that were missing. So the delivery Center found me a 2018 and I was able to get an over $4,800 discount because technically the car was a 2018, even though it was manufactured in the middle of December of 2018. Most other car companies would call that a 2019 but Tesla maintains the 2018 designation until January 1st of 2019. The car had 50 miles on it and to me it was brand new. Saving the over $4,800 off of the price was a great deal and I have never regretted buying this car. It has the full premium interior as opposed to the partial premium interior of a standard plus and it has more range than the standard plus by about 20 or 25 miles.

 

[blkatx]

Nice @Hometheatremaven ! How do you like the white interior, and in particular the dash piece? I like that it looks like a spaceship, but that's where my affection stops. I'd never pay extra for white seats, and don't like the idea of having to clean them (and I have kids). And the dash piece seems distracting (I know I could wrap it, if so). The extra range for me is also negated by the 19"s because in my case the alternative would have been an SR+ with aero wheels.

Anyway - I did reach out to my rep and they verified it definitely was not a showroom model and really does have just 6 miles, so looks like this is legit. They have not addressed my question on whether it was ever a delivery rejection; not sure I have hopes there.

 

[Bleu]

Nice @Hometheatremaven ! How do you like the white interior, and in particular the dash piece? I like that it looks like a spaceship, but that's where my affection stops. I'd never pay extra for white seats, and don't like the idea of having to clean them (and I have kids). And the dash piece seems distracting (I know I could wrap it, if so). The extra range for me is also negated by the 19"s because in my case the alternative would have been an SR+ with aero wheels.

Anyway - I did reach out to my rep and they verified it definitely was not a showroom model and really does have just 6 miles, so looks like this is legit. They have not addressed my question on whether it was ever a delivery rejection; not sure I have hopes there.

6 miles on the odometer and a full warranty, I wouldn't worry too much about whether it was rejected. Inspect carefully yourself before accepting.

I was kind of rushed into a MR purchase on 3/17 but in hindsight I'm glad I did it because the MR hits a sweet spot for me (premium interior +AP for $43k) that doesn't exist right now: $49.5k is the cheapest config you can custom order that includes a premium interior.

 

[OCR1]

The MR was priced at $40K before it was eliminated. Adding $3K for AP brings it to $43K. So the discount they are giving you comps the wheels, paint and white interior. In return you agree to take a 2018 model. Whether this is a good deal for you depends on how much you value the upgrades and whether you are concerned about resale value down the road. Even though there were no changes between 2018 and 2019, you will need to list the car as a 2018 when you put it up for sale, and it will sell for less than a 2019 model comparably equipped.

I got comped a set of 19” wheels with my LR RWD but when it came time to take delivery of them I decided not to install them on my car. I didn’t see any reason to give up the range personally. I think the white interior looks nice but I would not want to have to figure out how to keep it clean. Paint color is just personal preference.

Personally I think the SR at $35K is a better value at this point, but again it depends on what your requirements are for range and options. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[Hometheatremaven]

Nice @Hometheatremaven ! How do you like the white interior, and in particular the dash piece? I like that it looks like a spaceship, but that's where my affection stops. I'd never pay extra for white seats, and don't like the idea of having to clean them (and I have kids). And the dash piece seems distracting (I know I could wrap it, if so). The extra range for me is also negated by the 19"s because in my case the alternative would have been an SR+ with aero wheels.

Anyway - I did reach out to my rep and they verified it definitely was not a showroom model and really does have just 6 miles, so looks like this is legit. They have not addressed my question on whether it was ever a delivery rejection; not sure I have hopes there.

I like the looks of the white interior with the midnight silver. HOWEVER, I got the windows tinted 20% (quite dark) and the reflection of the white dashboard onto the side-view mirrors when it's sunny is a killer, I ended up putting a matte black piece of paper (easily removable) on the outer 6" or so of the dash. I also love the white seats but I've only had the car for 3 weeks or so, so can't say about keeping them clean. My mid-range came with 18" aero wheels, not 19". Don't know if that's better or worse. But I like the aero wheel because they exactly match the midnight silver paint.

 

[Hometheatremaven]

The MR was priced at $40K before it was eliminated. Adding $3K for AP brings it to $43K. So the discount they are giving you comps the wheels, paint and white interior. In return you agree to take a 2018 model. Whether this is a good deal for you depends on how much you value the upgrades and whether you are concerned about resale value down the road. Even though there were no changes between 2018 and 2019, you will need to list the car as a 2018 when you put it up for sale, and it will sell for less than a 2019 model comparably equipped.

I got comped a set of 19” wheels with my LR RWD but when it came time to take delivery of them I decided not to install them on my car. I didn’t see any reason to give up the range personally. I think the white interior looks nice but I would not want to have to figure out how to keep it clean. Paint color is just personal preference.

Personally I think the SR at $35K is a better value at this point, but again it depends on what your requirements are for range and options. Good luck with whatever you decide.

For mine, the 18" aero wheels were standard, so they comped me the paint, the white interior and all but $670 of the autopilot. Since I don't plan on selling the car anytime soon, I'm okay with getting a 2018 because there is absolutely no difference in the car other than some lost resale value down the road.

 

[Jedi2155]

Thanks so much for the advice thus far - I'll be following up on all those points!

Related question - can anyone confirm whether there have been any substantial (battery, drivetrain, etc) improvements between the 2018 MR and 2019 SR+ productions? I'm not sure which source is definitive since there's no longer any official MR info on Tesla's site, but apparently according to Wikipedia & Tesla Model 3 0 To 60 MPH: How Quick Is It Compared To Other Teslas? :

AFAIK there hasn't been any substantial changes to a Model 3 since December when they added the license plate frame unless someone else can confirm?

 

[srs5694]

Nice @Hometheatremaven ! How do you like the white interior, and in particular the dash piece? I like that it looks like a spaceship, but that's where my affection stops. I'd never pay extra for white seats, and don't like the idea of having to clean them (and I have kids). And the dash piece seems distracting (I know I could wrap it, if so).

I'm not @Hometheatremaven, but I do have a car with the white interior. I bought that because most of the cars I've owned have had dark grey or black interiors, and I wanted a change. IMHO, the Tesla white interior is a little too high in contrast, but I decided that was better than yet another completely dark interior. The aspect of the black interior that I really liked was the wood strip on the dash. Now that I have the car, though, the white strip in that location is growing on me. I've seen comments about it causing bad reflections, but it doesn't seem so bad to me. (Yes, it does reflect in the dash, but not so much as to be a distraction or to limit visibility.) I don't have kids or pets, so I'm not too worried about stains or cleaning. My biggest concern on that score is stains from blue jeans, but I can always run new jeans through the wash once or twice, and find a cleaning product to handle it if stains build up over time nonetheless. (I've had my car for a bit under a month, and so far I've seen no stains on the driver's seat.)

 

[Leafdriver333]

AFAIK there hasn't been any substantial changes to a Model 3 since December when they added the license plate frame unless someone else can confirm?

I tossed the frame in the garbage. Lol.


To op, if you really wanted a black car with black interior, you are spending $3000 unnecessarily. So the discount almost washes out like OCR1 said.
The extra range is nice to have for occasional long drives.
Floor mats and trunk mats are nice to have . $250 value.
If it was a reject, there has to be some cosmetic flaw. It might have been rejected by a real anal person.

 

[PhaseWhite]

Thanks so much for the advice thus far - I'll be following up on all those points!

Related question - can anyone confirm whether there have been any substantial (battery, drivetrain, etc) improvements between the 2018 MR and 2019 SR+ productions? I'm not sure which source is definitive since there's no longer any official MR info on Tesla's site, but apparently according to Wikipedia & Tesla Model 3 0 To 60 MPH: How Quick Is It Compared To Other Teslas? :

SR+ 0-60 5.3s, 25 kWh per 100 miles (134 MPGe)
MR 0-60 5.6s*, 27 kWh per 100 miles (123 MPGe)

*wikipedia says 5.2s, but source is no longer valid tesla.com link. So not sure.

Whether or not I can get some assurance that this MR is what they said it is, I'm trying to ensure I understand what other pros/cons there may be between the MR a newer SR+. Am I missing anything?

When Tesla released the SR and SR+ they also bumped the MR performance up a notch to make it fit in the market segmentation they wanted so indeed the MR has 0-60 of 5.2s on any firmware >= 2019.8.3

There's probably no reason the MR can't do 5.0 so it's always possible it could get faster in the future.