Why restrict your choice to buying from Tesla? I used Autotrader and bought from a specialist EV retailer, 2020, White/White M3P with FSD, 6 months old and 5K miles. With a 4 year warranty from Tesla plus 8 years on the battery and drivetrain what is there to be gained from purchasing direct from Tesla?
-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Would you buy this? Second hand vs new Model 3
- Thread starter Acrobaticlama
- Start date
Although I agree with most of the comments, I do think it's more of a personal decision. For example, I like the "old" centre console (once it's been wrapped of course) and I really dislike the new door cards for example. I had hardly any build issues with my 2020 Fremont car - I had a few paint specs that were easily resolved. As others have pointed out the only significant feature I missed out on was the heat pump. I drove the car as normal during winter and as they say, ignorance is bliss. I know no difference between the two and was absolutely fine without it. Not much of a kicker as I thought it would be tbh. There'll always be one feature or another that comes out or removed, timing and waiting was and is the hardest part of the process in buying a Tesla. Are the new batteries any better than the old? only time will answer that one.
I used eap during the trial and really glad I didn't shell out on the extra like I was going to. Again this is a personal preference and some like it and some don't. I don't like to brace myself every time I pass a truck for example so tend to drive the car myself. On quieter stretches tend to use AP which is fine, apart from when needing to overtake. I can live with it and use my £3,400 saving on something else. Summon might have been the only thing I liked about it. Only for when i'm cleaning the car and can move it backwards and forwards.
It all really boils down to what you want/value. If your situation allows then the general advice would be to wait for the MIC builds. I wouldn't say these are "better" but they do have a few "upgrades". If you can live without the heat pump and the extra mileage doesn't bother you, then buying the used to save a little is defo something to consider not to mention getting into it sooner is priceless imo. Also, you won't need to visit a service centre to fix any delivery issues you get from buying new as the previous owner most probably did this already. You could argue you will appreciate it more once you've learnt how to track ships and the continuous refreshing to see if there's been any change to the account. - totally different buying experience. A bit like marmite
I used eap during the trial and really glad I didn't shell out on the extra like I was going to. Again this is a personal preference and some like it and some don't. I don't like to brace myself every time I pass a truck for example so tend to drive the car myself. On quieter stretches tend to use AP which is fine, apart from when needing to overtake. I can live with it and use my £3,400 saving on something else. Summon might have been the only thing I liked about it. Only for when i'm cleaning the car and can move it backwards and forwards.
It all really boils down to what you want/value. If your situation allows then the general advice would be to wait for the MIC builds. I wouldn't say these are "better" but they do have a few "upgrades". If you can live without the heat pump and the extra mileage doesn't bother you, then buying the used to save a little is defo something to consider not to mention getting into it sooner is priceless imo. Also, you won't need to visit a service centre to fix any delivery issues you get from buying new as the previous owner most probably did this already. You could argue you will appreciate it more once you've learnt how to track ships and the continuous refreshing to see if there's been any change to the account. - totally different buying experience. A bit like marmite
bryand
Member
When you buy a used car some of the warranty has already been used. Teslas can get very expensive once out of warranty.
Buy new.
Buy new.
I wasn’t really.
The benefit, at least at the moment, buying used from Tesla is that all their used 3s come with EAP and the additional year of warranty. Also, Tesla loan (how I’m paying for the car). Most of the 3s on autotrader around the 37k range don’t have EAP (though it seems it may not be worth getting).
The particular one I’ve ordered is new old stock, which I wouldn’t be able to do from another seller. So new warranty and 1st keeper at 36k.
Last edited:
I was in a similar quandary, nearly new or new. There is something rather nice about being the first owner, and for about £6k more I thought it was worth it. So I went new, don't regret it.
M3s do seem to be holding their value, if Autotrader is anything to go by.
M3s do seem to be holding their value, if Autotrader is anything to go by.
Gatsojon
Member
I think all used cars are at the moment.
I’m trading in a Golf. I bought it at 15.5k and now, 2.5 years and 20k miles later, I’m being quoted ~12.5-13.5k by various trade in sites. Pre-pandemic i was getting ~10k.
I’ll be honest I’m being very irresponsible buying this car - I’m punching a little high at the moment. I have a secure job that has good salary increases (50k this year, ~60k next year, ~80-100k after) but I really shouldn’t be buying the car as it is at 36k. So even though I want a new one the 5k does make a big difference.
Last edited:
Tesla did remove FSD etc from cars that went through their used approved network then they can resell the same software to the new owner - not sure if that's still the case. On the flip side the Tesla warranty may be extended - or not! - worth checking that one out.
Buying private or third party dealer you'd get to keep upgrades. Tesla won't remove it if the car's in for service etc when owned by the second owner either - I checked!
I therefore have FSD (came with the car - 2018 MS) but I wouldn't bother paying extra for it.
Overtaking works ok with a flick of the indicator stalk if the roads aren't too busy. Easily confused/extra-safe compared to the driver manually overtaking, and it can just 'fail' to move over leaving you with a long indicator flashing session with no actual lane change.
Navigate on AP - it'll tell you to change lanes and when to make an exit.
Never used summon or the parking thing.
I'd definitely go for a heat pump car - had two EVs with heat pumps and they're way better than the element the older Teslas use, although they're more complex. Better temp regulation, still fast to warm up, and more efficient too.
If you can get a brand new heat pump car for a small premium over a used 'element' car I'd go for the new one and forget about the software.
Buying private or third party dealer you'd get to keep upgrades. Tesla won't remove it if the car's in for service etc when owned by the second owner either - I checked!
I therefore have FSD (came with the car - 2018 MS) but I wouldn't bother paying extra for it.
Overtaking works ok with a flick of the indicator stalk if the roads aren't too busy. Easily confused/extra-safe compared to the driver manually overtaking, and it can just 'fail' to move over leaving you with a long indicator flashing session with no actual lane change.
Navigate on AP - it'll tell you to change lanes and when to make an exit.
Never used summon or the parking thing.
I'd definitely go for a heat pump car - had two EVs with heat pumps and they're way better than the element the older Teslas use, although they're more complex. Better temp regulation, still fast to warm up, and more efficient too.
If you can get a brand new heat pump car for a small premium over a used 'element' car I'd go for the new one and forget about the software.
Thinking it over since starting this post I think, really, my options are:
1. New old stock - 2019 demo, 5k miles @36k using Tesla loan
2. Be responsible, wait a bit longer, save up a bit more and grab a 3 with a heat pump in 6 months to a year. Maybe by then Berlin would have opened and prices drop a bit.
Blimey, I've never seen a high 315Wh/mile overall average in my (2019 non heatpump) SR+! Were you mostly driving motorways in the winter in that car? The SR+ should be a touch more efficient than the LR all other things being equal and though the heat pump should make a small difference I would be very surprised indeed if your two figures are entirely down to the heat pump. My last couple of 100 mile return trips to Edinburgh each came in at 210Wh/mile ... admittedly only a short section of dual carriageway, the rest being either country roads or city driving. I haven't looked at the overall lifetime average lately but I expect it will be around 260ish.
It was actually 305, typo!! Colder winter might have contributed a bit but generally I found the SR+ a lot thirstier than I expected. I have never got anything close to 220wh/mi, a few decent runs and getting 270 would leave me happy. Getting around 250/260 at the moment in the refresh LR. Maybe I had a duff the first time round. New one great!
Rustybkts
Member
Similar threads
