Thinking about a Model 3 Performance

[Hated]

My wife and I are thinking about getting a Model 3 Performance. When I first looked they were $69,500 and now with AutoPilot included the price is only $66,000. That, plus the tax credit expiring, makes it seem like a good time to buy. So I have a couple of questions and I would appreciate any feedback anyone would be willing to provide.

(1) It's my understanding I need to take delivery before June 1st, 2019 to get the current tax credit. Is it even possible to get an M3 Performance delivered by June 1st or does the rebate work differently? I ask because I notice other posts that seemed to suggest the wait time is far more than 2 weeks as stated on Tesla's website.

(2) I was told by Tesla that since I live more than 160 miles from the nearest showroom/service center they would deliver the car to my home for free. Does this sound right?

(3) I've heard that Tesla has some quality control issues, are these serious or minor?

(4) The P3D+ is rated at a 310 mile range, on an 80% charge with reasonable driving, what's it's actual range? For example, on 80% charge, could I commute two days, 84 miles round trip w/o a charge.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Thomas Edison]

Do it

1. You should still easily make the current credit cutoff.
2. That’s what others have reported.
E. Very minor at this point compared to a year ago.
4. Probably 220 at 80% (all things considered).

 

[acpTLA]

do it. do not wait.

 

[focher]

(4) The P3D+ is rated at a 310 mile range, on an 80% charge with reasonable driving, what's it's actual range? For example, on 80% charge, could I commute two days, 84 miles round trip w/o a charge.

It’s rated at 310 at 100%, not 80%. I charge at 90% and am 273/274 miles. But a 84 mile RT - do you really mean RT or each way? - is fine on the P3D. By the way, there is no + or - anymore.

I love mine every single day. The range you get will depend on the trip, and whether you drive it like a bat-outta-hell like it can. I’d guess you at least need to account for over consumption at the on-ramps!

 

[TMThree]

(4) The P3D+ is rated at a 310 mile range, on an 80% charge with reasonable driving, what's it's actual range? For example, on 80% charge, could I commute two days, 84 miles round trip w/o a charge.

Thanks for your help.

Tesla Range Table - Teslike.com

Range loss is substantial with the 20" rims on the P (273 miles) compared to RWD LR (332 miles) if the EPA numbers correctly reflected each individual configuration. Tesla is within their right to downgrade the LR RWD and represent the P with 310 even though it doesn't qualify for that rating.

If you can make an 84 mile round trip within a given battery SoC is something no one here can tell you. It depends completely on how fast you drive, how hard you accelerate, what the weather conditions are, and elevation changes. For example, if you were able to drive at 10 mph, you could likely go over 400 miles on 80% charge.

That's why the range table above is nice - it lets you see the differences in range based on configuration and speed across the lineup, based on the exact same operation conditions.

 

[RandomX]

1. My P3D+ was ordered on a Friday recently and was ready for pickup on Sunday. I had to call to postpone pickup.
2. I drove to another state to pick mine up. It was a fun trip. It was <180 miles.
3. The car was in great shape, I'm happy with the quality.
4. In short the range is a non issue for me and I assume would be for most. Just did a 9 hour drive time trip with mountains en route. 3 fairly quick charges (avg 40 min).... it was great. Fine for commuting unless u have a >1.5 hour commute in a cold weather region.
5. No regrets...pure joy.

 

[Hated]

It’s rated at 310 at 100%, not 80%. I charge at 90% and am 273/274 miles. But a 84 mile RT - do you really mean RT or each way? - is fine on the P3D. By the way, there is no + or - anymore.

Yes, it's 84 miles round trip per day to my workplace and back home. So ~170 miles every two days, so shouldn't be a problem on an 80% charge from what I'm hearing. I understand there is no P3D+ anymore, or they are all P3D+ now, but I just saw them noted that way other places, getting use to the abbreviations.

I love mine every single day. The range you get will depend on the trip, and whether you drive it like a bat-outta-hell like it can. I’d guess you at least need to account for over consumption at the on-ramps!

No on-ramps, I live in the sticks. But I do have mountains, these are Oklahoma mountains, so 1000 foot climbs, not the Rockies or anything. I imagine I would regen like crazy coming off the other side though.

Thanks for the info.

 

[Lhshockey24]

My Performance arrives tomorrow. Home delivery, and I live 20 miles from the Fremont HQ and factory. Charging will never be an issue for you with that commute. Only charge to what you need. Welcome to the community!

 

[focher]

One idea is to see if you can rent one and see how it goes for a couple of days. Unfortunately, your location doesn’t sound like that’s gonna be an option.

One thing you probably will want- maybe even need - is to use the 220V+ charging. You can plug into a NEMA compatible plug, get an adapter to a standard electric dryer plug, or have a proper EVSE installed.

 

[Hated]

One idea is to see if you can rent one and see how it goes for a couple of days. Unfortunately, your location doesn’t sound like that’s gonna be an option.

One thing you probably will want- maybe even need - is to use the 220V+ charging. You can plug into a NEMA compatible plug, get an adapter to a standard electric dryer plug, or have a proper EVSE installed.

Luckily there is an electric pole 2 feet from my car shed. I've been meaning to get the electric company to move my meter onto that pole so I could bury the wire from my house to the pole instead of going overhead. Installing a box below the meter should allow me to put a NEMA 14-50 under the car shed w/o issues. I know enough about electrical wiring to be dangerous, so I should be able to get it done on my own. I think I'll wire it with 6/3 w/GRD so I have some future proofing.

 

[RandomX]

For the length of your commute you might enjoy FSD. Specifically for lane changes during the long stretches... to keep you moving effortlessly.
Also, I think if you charged to 80% you would arrive home with at least >60 miles left most days on your commute. You would have room to drive hard and you could always charge to 90.

 

[turok3000]

(4) The P3D+ is rated at a 310 mile range, on an 80% charge with reasonable driving, what's it's actual range? For example, on 80% charge, could I commute two days, 84 miles round trip w/o a charge.

I think the responses so far on this have been a little generous, to be honest. Let's ignore rims for a minute and suppose that you can do 310 with 100% charge. At 80% charge, that of course is 248 miles. However, the 310 range /assumes/ good driving conditions (no wind, no hills, no rain and not cold enough to impact battery) AND that you drive extremely gingerly. I would factor in at least another 20% hit to allow for inclement driving conditions and, further, another 10% to allow you to actually exercise your P3D capability when overtaking etc. So take that 248 and knock it down to 70% and now we're 173 miles. And this is before the impact of rims. In summary, I would suggest you assume that you should charge every day.

 

[ggnykk]

My wife and I are thinking about getting a Model 3 Performance. When I first looked they were $69,500 and now with AutoPilot included the price is only $66,000. That, plus the tax credit expiring, makes it seem like a good time to buy. So I have a couple of questions and I would appreciate any feedback anyone would be willing to provide.

(1) It's my understanding I need to take delivery before June 1st, 2019 to get the current tax credit. Is it even possible to get an M3 Performance delivered by June 1st or does the rebate work differently? I ask because I notice other posts that seemed to suggest the wait time is far more than 2 weeks as stated on Tesla's website.

(2) I was told by Tesla that since I live more than 160 miles from the nearest showroom/service center they would deliver the car to my home for free. Does this sound right?

(3) I've heard that Tesla has some quality control issues, are these serious or minor?

(4) The P3D+ is rated at a 310 mile range, on an 80% charge with reasonable driving, what's it's actual range? For example, on 80% charge, could I commute two days, 84 miles round trip w/o a charge.

Thanks for your help.

1) the tax cut off is the end of June, Not early June. Starting on July 1st, tax credit will go down to 1875 dollars.

4) EPA range is meant for a mixed of city and highway driving. So if vast majority of your driving is on highway, then you will get less than 310 miles (more like 200 miles in real world). And if vast majority of your driving is on city street, then you would get slightly more than 310 miles. Also, winter temperature would hit the range significantly.
By the way, you really need to setup a charger at home for EV to work. Essentially, the EV would have a full tank of "gas" every morning because it has been charging at home overnight while you sleep. You should just charge your EV every single day at home as much as possible, not every 2 days or every 3 days.

 

[MXWing]

If you can afford it - get it.

It’s that simple glancing at your op.

 

[lozza]

I debated the AWD and the P3D. If this was my one shot at getting a dream fast car, I knew I would regret it if I went 80% of the way there with AWD. So I've had the P3D for 6 months. I had a rocky start of ownership, but that's all in the past now. Honestly this is the best car on the planet right now. Honestly. Amazing to drive, unbelievable power that is well tamed, amazing minimalist interior, incredibly efficient, constant updates, comfortable, spacious, no range anxiety AT ALL. It's also faster than essentially every other car you come across on your drive... How many times do you pull up next to a hypercar? Plus it's as fast as an S with ludicrous... Because how often is an S driver going to stop, put the car in ludicrous, wait for the battery to warm up etc. You will have already won the traffic light grand prix!

I still look forward to driving it every single time I get into the car.

 

[Kilotango74]

I think the responses so far on this have been a little generous, to be honest. Let's ignore rims for a minute and suppose that you can do 310 with 100% charge. At 80% charge, that of course is 248 miles. However, the 310 range /assumes/ good driving conditions (no wind, no hills, no rain and not cold enough to impact battery) AND that you drive extremely gingerly. I would factor in at least another 20% hit to allow for inclement driving conditions and, further, another 10% to allow you to actually exercise your P3D capability when overtaking etc. So take that 248 and knock it down to 70% and now we're 173 miles. And this is before the impact of rims. In summary, I would suggest you assume that you should charge every day.

Regardless of that, if you have a charger in your garage, which the OP said he would work on getting, why wouldn't you charge everyday. Tesla recommends having it plugged in whenever you are not driving. That's what most ICE owners who have issues with EV range don't understand. Every day a full tank of electrons...or 80-90%.

Yes!!! 100 posts....ok can stop for tonight.

 

[Wennfred]

Call the Fremont sales office to Look for one that’s already out and sitting on a lot, get some savings as they want to offloaded it. 2k - 6k off the sticker price and they will take more off if it has some mileage, demo etc. if you order it online you will pay full retail.

Fred

 

[DIYDanCars]

My dad's M3 has been flawless so far and he has almost 7k miles on his already. If I were you I would pull the trigger now to make sure you get the tax credit. A performance model is stupid fast!

 

[Tommy Bahama]

Just wanted to mention that there shouldn’t be a problem charging all the way up to 100% if needed. Might be a good idea the first few times you make your commute to feel out the range.

Prevailing wisdom is that harm to the battery comes from charging to 100, then leaving it there for long periods of time. Charging overnight to 90, then topping off to 100 in the morning before driving shouldn’t have any noticeable negative effects on the battery if done occasionally.

If you are really worried about range, even a 110v outlet can give that extra margin for comfort. In normal climates you will see 3-5 miles per hour charge on 110v (15A), so an 8 hour workday would net +25 miles or so. Also might want to leave sentry mode off as it eats a good amount of miles.

 

[jkoya]

Go for it and get the Model 3 Performance !!! The longer wait will be for the rear spoiler/badge unless it's already installed.