What is the best value Model 3?

[SageBrush]

I agree that sorting out destination charging either at home or at work makes Model 3 ownership a dream car; without it an EV is a compromise.
That said, even a 12 Amp, 240 Volt outlet would be enough since it would supply about 12 hours per day * 2.5 kW * 4 miles per kWh * 7 days per week = 840 miles a week.

That should be do-able and not expensive, even if it means re-purposing a circuit already in place.

 

[buyer123456]

Best value Model 3....a USED Model 3 that's been adjusted for current pricing, tax rebates and of course depreciation.

The original owner probably would have had work done at the SC....which is a good thing cuz the warranty work is done...and you dont have to wait...just enjoy the ride. Have someone else take the depreciation hits as well as time waiting for warranty work to be completed....all you have to do is enjoy the ride.

One strategy a friend is considering is that, given Tesla's new 7-day/1k mile return policy, it is likely there will be Model 3 with less than 1k miles at steep discounts from Tesla in a few months.

That sounds quite plausible, so we are waiting a bit to see how that plays out.

 

[Zaxxon]

When you say no home charging, do you really mean that, or do you mean no fancy 240V outlet? Even a 'normal' 120V 15A outlet will get you 50-60 miles back each night, and if your garage is a separate circuit you can often easily swap that out for 120V 20A. In either case, it'd at least stop you from needing to seek out public charging every day.

That said, I agree with others that if you can get any level of 240V outlet installed under your 125A service, that's far and away the ideal.

Regarding the value question, the SR+ is a steal. For $2k, you add 20 miles of range, cut 0-60 down, raise max speed, and get a much nicer interior/audio experience.

That said, I love my LR RWD. If you plan to road trip much, the extra range is nice.

 

[happyzod]

The best value is honestly the cheapest one, 35K black with no frills.

 

[buyer123456]

When you say no home charging, do you really mean that, or do you mean no fancy 240V outlet? Even a 'normal' 120V 15A outlet will get you 50-60 miles back each night, and if your garage is a separate circuit you can often easily swap that out for 120V 20A. In either case, it'd at least stop you from needing to seek out public charging every day.

That said, I agree with others that if you can get any level of 240V outlet installed under your 125A service, that's far and away the ideal.

Regarding the value question, the SR+ is a steal. For $2k, you add 20 miles of range, cut 0-60 down, raise max speed, and get a much nicer interior/audio experience.

That said, I love my LR RWD. If you plan to road trip much, the extra range is nice.

My dryer is electric with 240V 30A(tandem 15A*2), and AC is 120V 30A, so I guess if either EV charging or electric dryer but not both then it will work, right?

 

[happyzod]

My dryer is electric with 240V 30A(tandem 15A*2), and AC is 120V 30A, so I guess if either EV charging or electric dryer but not both then it will work, right?

Ya you need to limit your charging to 24 Amps.

 

[Zaxxon]

My dryer is electric with 240V 30A(tandem 15A*2), and AC is 120V 30A, so I guess if either EV charging or electric dryer but not both then it will work, right?

I'm not an electrician, but with your other major appliances being gas I don't know that you're as overloaded as you think. Maybe you can't get 50A, but you should be able to do something decent. Where is your electrical panel in relation to your garage? Do you have open breaker space?

 

[Thomas Edison]

My dryer is electric with 240V 30A(tandem 15A*2), and AC is 120V 30A, so I guess if either EV charging or electric dryer but not both then it will work, right?

Have you looked into these?
Dryer Buddy™

 

[buyer123456]

Have you looked into these?
Dryer Buddy™

That may work, thanks!

 

[buyer123456]

I'm not an electrician, but with your other major appliances being gas I don't know that you're as overloaded as you think. Maybe you can't get 50A, but you should be able to do something decent. Where is your electrical panel in relation to your garage? Do you have open breaker space?

My main panel is 20 feet from garage, and there is no open breaker space. The 30A 240V electric dryer outlet is in garage, so maybe the dryer buddy will work.

 

[Zaxxon]

My main panel is 20 feet from garage, and there is no open breaker space. The 30A 240V electric dryer outlet is in garage, so maybe the dryer buddy will work.

That'll get you 22 mph. Sounds good to me.

 

[lolder]

My main panel is 20 feet from garage, and there is no open breaker space. The 30A 240V electric dryer outlet is in garage, so maybe the dryer buddy will work.

Sometimes you can replace some of the breakers with half-width breakers to free up space in the box. See this to calculate allowable load on your service: https://www.menlopark.org/DocumentC...ential-Electric-Vehicle-EV-Charger-Guidelines
The Dryer Buddy is probably the best idea.

 

[OCR1]

Here's an opinion from C&D: Tesla Model 3 Pricing – This Is the Model We Would Choose

I don’t agree with their conclusion that the MR is the best value.

I like the SR+ at $37K because you get most of the interior upgrades, 240 miles of range, and it’s only an extra $2K from the cheapest model.

If that’s not enough range, the LR RWD is an extra $6K but it bumps you all the way up to 325 miles. The MR only bumps you up to 264 miles. If you are already going to spend the extra $3K, go another $3K and get the LR RWD. At 325 miles of range you will eliminate range anxiety. Peace of mind is worth it.

BTW, I saw someone post on another thread that they ordered the SR+ with AP/FSD, so they paid $45K for a car that only goes 240 miles. That seems crazy to me. Spend the extra money on range, not FSD. You’ll benefit from the range every day, but who knows if and when FSD will ever be a reality.

 

[Uncle Paul]

Even the least expensive Tesla still gives you all the main Tesla experience. The options only add to the goodness, but the basic car has all the driving on sunshine experience.

You can buy more range, fancy interior, stereo, wheels, performance or automation, but the base purchase gets you pretty much a great car.

 

[SageBrush]

My dryer is electric with 240V 30A(tandem 15A*2), and AC is 120V 30A, so I guess if either EV charging or electric dryer but not both then it will work, right?

Is your dryer in the garage ? If you are talking about one outlet then yes. You don't want to be changing the plug from EVSE to dryer though. Not only is it a pain, it is a fire hazard as the outlet becomes loose from repetitive use and strain is put on the plug.

You can buy this thingy or something similar so that you do not pull too much current. No electrician bills for you !

You can also think about buying this in conjunction with a heat pump electric dryer.

 

[MrMassTransit]

BTW, I saw someone post on another thread that they ordered the SR+ with AP/FSD, so they paid $45K for a car that only goes 240 miles. That seems crazy to me. Spend the extra money on range, not FSD. You’ll benefit from the range every day, but who knows if and when FSD will ever be a reality.

Completely agree. I added EAP to my SR+ (its a feature I can use today), but there's no way I'd prepay for something that has an ambiguous release date. What is included now is not worth $5k. Money would be much better spent on range IMO. I'm banking on the fact in a few years that Tesla will offer a sale and sell me FSD at the $5k it cost on ordering. The incentive to pull additional money in from existing owners will be too tempting. Other than a need to upgrade to v3 hardware, there's essentially no incremental cost to sell the feature to an existing driver. The marginal profit on a transaction like that has to be huge for Tesla and I'm sure at some point they will take advantage of it.

 

[SageBrush]

I added EAP to my SR+

Are you sure ? I thought you have a choice of AP, and FSD on top if desired.

I didn't think that EAP is an option anymore.

 

[Webeevdrivers]

Yeah unfortunately our main panel is only 125A, and to upgrade to 200A+ will require city permit and $$$$$ ....

If Model 3/EV does not work out our backup plan will be a plug-in hybrid like BMW 330e.

You will have no problem with 125 amp. We are in a townhouse with 100 amp service. We had a 14-50 installed in our garage by an electrician for 300 bucks. (Short run). All our appliances are gas except the oven. Just don’t use bigger than the supplied 32 amp mobile charge cord. (EVSE).

 

[Garlan Garner]

I am looking to purchase a Model 3, and would like to see what forum members see as the best bang for the buck among the various Model 3 configurations,

I have been looking since last fall when the federal credit was still $7500. There have been so much changes in the last 3 months in pricing and configurations, it feels like all previous research needs to be reset.

Also I am cross shopping with entry level German ICE cars like C-class/A4/3-series, as my current car is a 6-year old 3-series. I test drove Performance and RWD LR, but haven't tried the MR, and the upcoming SR is not yet available.

My leaning is 300 miles of range, but SR price is right in my budget. On the other hand, 200 miles of range, with 50-mile 1-way commute, with no home charging, can be painful too.

Any thoughts?

What is the best value Model 3?

Answer: The one you buy.

Everyone's situation is different.

 

[mbman81]

Yeah unfortunately our main panel is only 125A, and to upgrade to 200A+ will require city permit and $$$$$ ....

If Model 3/EV does not work out our backup plan will be a plug-in hybrid like BMW 330e.

Where in Cali are you? If in the northern Los Angeles area I can recommend a few folks. Just send me a message.

I only have 125amps in townhome. I had to have my panel swapped out because I ran out of slots (and all breakers were already half width). Then they ran 6# through wall about 10-15 feet, with industrial hubbel 14-50. They also pulled all city permits. All total was only $1,250 total and they did great work.

Unless you need to cut concrete, run under ground, run extremely long distance, etc. this should not be super expensive.