Looking to buy a used Model 3 LR, what do I not know?

[QuartzDad]

Always been an ICE driver. Looking at 2019-23, £13k-£17k.

Were there any major improvements in that period that mean I should prioritise a newer one? 6 of the 20 I've shortlisted so far are Chinese built, are they significantly better/different?

TIA.

[Pixelpeep Electric]

CON: Insurance seems to be higher with tesla than any other similarly powered EV

PRO: Charging network is the best in the world. By a country mile.

[Pixelpeep Electric]

QuartzDad said:

Always been an ICE driver. Looking at 2019-23, £13k-£17k.

Were there any major improvements in that period that mean I should prioritise a newer one? 6 of the 20 I've shortlisted so far are Chinese built, are they significantly better/different?

TIA.

Sorry, to answer your actual question.2023 and above is where i'd look - here's a summary of changes (AI summary of wiki)

Tesla Model 3 "Highland" Refresh (2023) Summary

In September 2023, Tesla launched a major refresh of the Model 3, known internally as Project Highland. The update focused on improving range, efficiency, comfort, technology, and production costs.

Key improvements:

~10% increase in range thanks to better aerodynamics, redesigned wheels, improved tyres, and a more streamlined front and rear design.
New exterior styling, including redesigned headlights and tail lights.
Improved ride comfort with upgraded suspension featuring Frequency Selective Damping.
HW4 hardware added, providing better cameras, processing power, and improved Autopilot safety features.

Interior upgrades:

Rear passenger 8-inch touchscreen.
Ventilated front seats.
Upgraded sound system with up to 17 speakers (previously 14).
Customisable ambient lighting.
Improved cabin refinement and noise insulation.

Controversial change:

Tesla removed the traditional indicator and gear selector stalks, replacing them with steering wheel buttons and touchscreen controls. This was criticised by some reviewers and Tesla later reintroduced indicator stalks in certain markets and future model years.

Production and availability:

Production began first at Gigafactory Shanghai, with deliveries to China, Europe, Australia, Japan, and other export markets.
North American orders opened in January 2024, with production at the Fremont factory.

[QuartzDad]

Thanks for that Pixel. 73 reg look to be £23k+ so out of budget.

So I assume there is no great difference between a 2019 and a 2022 in terms of hardware, capabilities etc.?

[ghibbett]

There are lots of differences.

Tesla make many incremental updates.

This is a good source of info:
https://ev-inventory.com/guide/tesla-model-3-buyer...

[Whataguy]

I bought a late 22 (23 model year) LR AWD - there was a refresh around 22 so ones after that are worth getting.

Mine was also Chinese built.

Main difference is a better main computer, so you have more functions. Plus various other small improvements as Tesla is always improving their cars over time.

I believe an easy way to tell is the door handles, pre-facelift are chrome and facelift are black. But I may be mistaken. Mine has the black door handles.

[limpsfield]

I've had a 70 plate 3 LR from new and around 70k miles.

There was a refresh towards the end of 2020 I think which de-chromed window surrounds and added a heat pump.

Suspension components seem to wear - I had my front and rear replaced at around 65k miles, out of warranty.

Otherwise, happy owner here. First EV for me, keep thinking about changing due to boredom but still with it as it does what it does very well in my opinion.

[CMTMB]

Whataguy said:

I believe an easy way to tell is the door handles, pre-facelift are chrome and facelift are black. But I may be mistaken. Mine has the black door handles.

That's what I was told when considering one - ideally avoid the earlier chromed cars.

[AyBee]

The general consensus seems to be that these cars are always being incrementally updated so buy the newest car you can with your budget.

[nordboy]

very late 21 or early 22 onwards, just make sure it had the Ryzen chip upgrade, apparently it's much better than the original AMD one.

[WildThing]

I've no idea what chip we have but we do have a heat pump. Model 3 standard range plus from December 2021. Best car we've ever owned with regards to reliability and ease of ownership.

Was the wifes company car and we were so enamoured with it we bought it at the end of the 3 year lease. Cost us 19k. It's now worth 16k as a trade in on a new one apparently. Battery still has around 94% capacity after 35000 miles. Original tyres still on the front with over 3mm left.

[PaulWoof]

22+ is what you want.

21+ is chinese built identifiable by the wood trims around the dark/door cards. the main downside for 21 plate is they have the intel processor. Software updates are already split where the intel processor cars are missing out on features. Grok, FSD light (not really useful currently anyway), various other things.

22+ is the same car with no real physical changes but with a ryzen processor. These have been getting all the latest software updates. Visually hard to tell the difference. To confirm Ryzen processor you need to go to software tab in menu which shows you.

To make it confusing. some late 21 cars got the ryzen processor and early 22 cars could have intel processors. So worth double checking.

Highland would imagine be out of budget currently

[QuartzDad]

Many thanks all, very helpful.