Would you swap M3LR RWD for Performance Version if you could?

[lencap]

My M3 LR RWD was delivered on 11/19. I love the car, but when I placed the original order the Performance version was priced significantly higher, and no non Performance AWD was available. Now Tesla lists the current AWD Performance version available for $64,000 - $13.5K more than I paid for my RWD (excluding fees/transport/etc). If the Performance version was available for that price when I bought my car, I would have bought the performance version.

Since TESLA wants to sell as many M3 cars as they car by yearend, if I go to my local Tesla sales office and propose selling them back my M3 and taking delivery of the Performance version of my car for $14K above what I paid for it, I'd get what I consider a wonderful performance car for not much more than I paid for my RWD LR.

My question is - If Tesla will agree to this (or something close - I realize the tax credit issue, and I'm willing to take a Performance demo instead of a new car) would you do it? Would you upgrade from the RWD to the Performance? If so, at what price difference, and for those who have driven both, is it "worth it"? I don't mind the mileage penalty of the Performance version, but I don't know how significant the ride quality, etc. is between the difference versions of the M3.

Any comments are welcome and appreciated. The window to make this change is very small given the expiring tax credits.

 

[JeffK]

You are probably going to take a loss to sell it at this point...

That said, I love my performance version. Test drive one first though to make sure the difference is worth all the hassle. The premium interior is going to be identical.

 

[SoCalDude]

Yes I would swap and pay the uplift for the performance version. I would like performance with the 19 inch wheels.

 

[SD_Engnr]

I basically swapped the "M3LR RWD" for the P3D+ by not buying the 3 until the details and price of the P3D+ were available. Yes, I missed out on 4 months of driving the 3, but the last 4 months of owning and driving it have all been worth the wait.

You'll take a loss on your 3 at this point, so it's up to you if you think that loss is worth it.

 

[SamT]

I sold my LR RWD on EBay in less than a week, then I ordered a P3D+. I didn't lose any on selling my LR RWD and I got to drive it for 3 months and 4500 miles. You can try to sell it privately instead of trading it in to cut your loss. I love the P3D+, it's a fantastic car.

 

[jbcarioca]

Although I bought the P3D+ and love it, I’ll probably buy aftermarket 18” wheels and change out the 20”. Why? At 5200 miles my rear tires are already wearing enough to make me think I’ll soon need to replace them. I have had a couple of cars with 35 profile and every one has had at least two tire replacements due to road hazards, and two have had wheel replacements too.

FWIW, I had 19” on my P85DL and had still 4/32 left at 35,000 miles when I changed them.

Frankly, the only reasons for any P3D+ concern I can think of are tire life and energy usage. 18” can improve both very significantly.

Caution: long history makes me very aware that using the extra performance does use more energy. Using it injudiciously can cause high expense and inconvenience due to “gendarmic activity”.

My caution reflects long-ago consequences for me; thus far zero infractions while driving a Tesla.Other things remains equal a very brand color helps (my only infractionless Ferrari was ‘defacation brown’, thus largely invisible. ‘Course my Tesla’s have been MCR so I don’t always take my own advice.

Moral: if you can afford it definitely go for the Performance version! Since P85’s arrived I have yet to meet any owner who regretted paying extra for “P”.

 

[CCIE]

Nope. I’m sure it would fun to have that acceleration at times. But, it’s rare that I floor my accelerator. And the LR RWD with Aeros is so much more efficient than the P. Given the option I’d still take the EV with the best balance of power and efficiency.

 

[Knightshade]

If they'd do what you ask (take your RWD and $14,000 cash and give you a P3D) then sure, that's a no brainer (assuming you have enough tax liability to get a second $7500 credit) so you'd be looking at a net cost of $6500 to upgrade from RWD to P+

But I think there's roughly a 0% chance they'll agree to anything close to that.

 

[HeatproofGenie]

Something else to consider is what else you could do with that price differential.

I thought long and hard about getting the performance 3 and sometimes I wish I did but that's rare and more of a fear of missing out thing. I am 100% happy with my car.

Going back to my first statement, what else can you do with your money? For me I decided to forgo the performance car and EAP because that is right around the cost after rebates of a solar system. To me it's infinitely more cooler to have a car and home powered by the sun via a PV system than it is a car whose performance I can only realistically use maybe 5% of the time. As it is the AWD car is too fast or is faster than traffic or driving conditions allow for a large majority of my driving situations.

 

[ChadS]

I did what OP suggests, and I am very happy.

Whether or not the upgrade is "worth it" is of course a personal question that nobody else can answer for you. The 3 rwd is an awfully nice car, and nobody needs the extra performance, and many fewer people need the awd than think they do. But OP said it is worth it to him, as long as he can get a good price for his rwd.

I lucked out - Tesla's trade-in offer for my rwd, when you add in my state's sales tax waiver and federal tax credit, very nearly covered my costs for the rwd. What I sold the car for privately DID cover every penny I paid Tesla and sales tax for the car initially. I think I was lucky and you shouldn't count on doing that well, but it is possible.

Do note that the cars are awfully similar. Unless you are really pushing the acceleration or cornering hard (or snow driving), you will not notice what you got for your money. The p3d has a slightly rougher ride and more noise too; but it is really slight.

My only real annoyance with the p3d was getting summer tires in November, with extremely few known options for winter replacements available. But I got a winter set from Tire Rack and am loving the car now.

 

[ℬête Noire]

Although I bought the P3D+ and love it, I’ll probably buy aftermarket 18” wheels and change out the 20”.

Yeah, I like the peace of mind of lots of rubber to cushion between the rims and the road. Fearing potholes will bend or crack my rims is not for me.

The better efficiency of the aeros is gravy that you can't fully get on the P, but there are indeed a few options out there to mount 18" rims, with weight similar to stock, over the P's calipers that will allow you to get same tires at least and that'll get you a lot of the efficiency.

 

[lencap]

Thanks for the helpful info and suggestions. A question: On the Tesla website the Dual Motor Performance AWD 3.3 second acceleration M3 shows a price of $64,000 without EAP and only standard features (black, Deluxe interior). Is that the same configuration of the older order page M3P+ M3? I recall reading a review by Dan Neil for the M3 Performance version that listed at $78,000. It seems hard to believe that the car Dan Neil reviewed at $78K (including EAP and FSD) is now available for $64K. That is my major attraction to upgrading right now before the tax rebate changes. I don't need/want EAP or FSD (no longer offered), so getting the performance of the M3 at a discounted price seems like a great deal.

I was also thinking that I could sell my car for $46K or so (about what I paid for it net of the tax credit), and just order a new M3 Performance for delivery this year. I would get two $7500 rebates, and maybe fall a bit short of applying both fully, but that would still likely be less than the loss of trading it to Tesla. I believe you can apply two EV rebates, according to the government website, so I'm just trying to be sure that if I do move ahead I fully understand the economics of the decision, as well as confirming that the Performance car currently available on the Tesla website at $64K is indeed the current version of the Performance M3 Dan Neil reviewed without EAP and FSD capability.

In terms of driving, I fully appreciate that the Performance car is overkill for daily driving, and there is indeed a difference in running costs and potentially driver comfort, but at $15K or so in upgrade cost that is a lot more car for not a lot more money. I hope that clarifies my logic - what there is of it in considering reselling a one month old car.

 

[ℬête Noire]

...and many fewer people need the awd than think they do.

Oh it wasn't need that was the basis for my decision on that.

Thanks for the helpful info and suggestions. A question: On the Tesla website the Dual Motor Performance AWD 3.3 second acceleration M3 shows a price of $64,000 without EAP and only standard features (black, Deluxe interior). Is that the same configuration of the older order page M3P+ M3? I recall reading a review by Dan Neil for the M3 Performance version that listed at $78,000. It seems hard to believe that the car Dan Neil reviewed at $78K (including EAP and FSD) is now available for $64K. That is my major attraction to upgrading right now before the tax rebate changes. I don't need/want EAP or FSD (no longer offered), so getting the performance of the M3 at a discounted price seems like a great deal.

I was also thinking that I could sell my car for $46K or so (about what I paid for it net of the tax credit), and just order a new M3 Performance for delivery this year. I would get two $7500 rebates, and maybe fall a bit short of applying both fully, but that would still likely be less than the loss of trading it to Tesla. I believe you can apply two EV rebates, according to the government website, so I'm just trying to be sure that if I do move ahead I fully understand the economics of the decision, as well as confirming that the Performance car currently available on the Tesla website at $64K is indeed the current version of the Performance M3 Dan Neil reviewed without EAP and FSD capability.

In terms of driving, I fully appreciate that the Performance car is overkill for daily driving, and there is indeed a difference in running costs and potentially driver comfort, but at $15K or so in upgrade cost that is a lot more car for not a lot more money. I hope that clarifies my logic - what there is of it in considering reselling a one month old car.

Tesla did indeed chop $5000 off the price (and prior orders were offered rebates for that, if they gave up the free Supercharging). It has the brake/lowering/spoiler goodies and Track Mode enabled in the software (well, you'll get the spoiler Some Day(tm) ). However I think that review was with the non-Solid Black paint option? The paint prices have gone up a good amount (I'm not even sure of the details on that), no more $1000 paint.

It may be tight on time now to take delivery of a Model 3 P by Dec 31st all the way over in NC? So you may end up at the $3750 Fed Tax credit level.

 

[ChadS]

Following up on "needs" and AWD...

Discussions about "needs" (in quotes) usually center on performance - nobody needs it, but everybody wants it. That's true, but for me AWD fell in to that category too. My wife has an AWD Model X with winter tires and chains, and I work from home, so we really didn't need a second AWD car. But I really find the AWD cars to handle better. I mean more than the extra traction from having another set of drive wheels.

I think part of it is programming. I think Tesla makes their RWD intentionally slip a bit so people can have "fun" sliding the rear end around. (At least in the S and 3. The RWD Roadster was pretty controlled). Me, I'd rather have fun by accelerating rapidly through a corner, and have the car go where I'm pointing it. The AWD 3 does still slip some in corners (more than my AWD S did), but a lot less than my RWD 3 did. Of course, tires can be part of the equation too. And my AWD 3 is still pretty new, so I am still learning the parameters.

I think another part is the "pull" of the front wheels in a corner. Maybe I'm kidding myself and this is really a suspension or tire difference or something, but if you accelerate hard in a big sweeper, the lead corner of my RWD would lift quite a bit. (Not so much that it's a problem unless you are going a lot faster than you should on public roads. But enough that I noticed it when I was going...well, still probably faster than I should have). It is not nearly so pronounced in the AWD. My theory is that the front axle is helping to pull the car, not just being pushed by the rear, so that's why it doesn't rise so much. Again, this could be partly due to programming.

But regardless of the reasons, I like how the AWD handles turns better. And as much as I enjoy the acceleration...I enjoy good handling more.

 

[lencap]

Just returned from local Tesla store. My trade value is about $43K. That level isn't unreasonable, net of rebate, but makes it difficult to decide. They located three M3 Performance cars that I can definitely get by the end of the year. Still debating what to do. Frankly, it made me appreciate again the fun that the standard LR RWD provides. Yes, the value of the Performance version is very high, but the question for me is whether or not I'll use that extra performance. Unfortunately there isn't a demo car available to compare to my RWD.

 

[jbcarioca]

Yeah, I like the peace of mind of lots of rubber to cushion between the rims and the road. Fearing potholes will bend or crack my rims is not for me.

The better efficiency of the aeros is gravy that you can't fully get on the P, but there are indeed a few options out there to mount 18" rims, with weight similar to stock, over the P's calipers that will allow you to get same tires at least and that'll get you a lot of the efficiency.

Yes indeed! I have not yet ordered them myself but will be doing so soon, I just have not yet decided which wheels to choose. I'm leaning towards the TST 18" flow forged.

 

[NoPetrolDream]

Nope. I’m sure it would fun to have that acceleration at times. But, it’s rare that I floor my accelerator. And the LR RWD with Aeros is so much more efficient than the P. Given the option I’d still take the EV with the best balance of power and efficiency.

My LR RWD is the zippiest, peppiest, quickest, fastest, most blastest fun car I’ve ever owned! Think I’ll put the $14k diff toward solar panels for the house. Fun car, resilient power system for the house. Win.

 

[Drizzle]

Something else to consider is what else you could do with that price differential.

I thought long and hard about getting the performance 3 and sometimes I wish I did but that's rare and more of a fear of missing out thing. I am 100% happy with my car.

Going back to my first statement, what else can you do with your money? For me I decided to forgo the performance car and EAP because that is right around the cost after rebates of a solar system. To me it's infinitely more cooler to have a car and home powered by the sun via a PV system than it is a car whose performance I can only realistically use maybe 5% of the time. As it is the AWD car is too fast or is faster than traffic or driving conditions allow for a large majority of my driving situations.

If you're going with that logic, you shouldn't be buying a new Tesla in the first place imo. Put a down payment on a rental property instead.

 

[HeatproofGenie]

If you're going with that logic, you shouldn't be buying a new Tesla in the first place imo. Put a down payment on a rental property instead.

Already own four, but that's not the point nor is it humblebrag thread.

The price differential and utility of money was my point. Only so much to go around, needs to be applied to meet all goals.

For my point in life I deemed my proposed M3D and PV array combination to be a better use of *my* 72k than "just" a P3D.

 

[bryan995]

If they'd do what you ask (take your RWD and $14,000 cash and give you a P3D) then sure, that's a no brainer (assuming you have enough tax liability to get a second $7500 credit) so you'd be looking at a net cost of $6500 to upgrade from RWD to P+

But I think there's roughly a 0% chance they'll agree to anything close to that.

Yes I would do this instantly. $6500 extra to go from a LR RWD to a brand new AWD P+? Yes please.