Advice needed on which Model 3P to buy
Discussion
Hi, looking for advice on which model 3 Performance to buy
Which year do you recommend?
I prefer the alloys on the 2018 to 2020 but prefer the dechromed look on the 2021+
Which years are best for spec, Is it best to pay extra for a heat pump one? what about self drive and others options I have read about?
Should I get a Chinese built or a US built one.
Like to get one for less than 20k but happy to pay more if its worthwhile.
Anything else I should be looking out for, any common faults etc
Thanks
Which year do you recommend?
I prefer the alloys on the 2018 to 2020 but prefer the dechromed look on the 2021+
Which years are best for spec, Is it best to pay extra for a heat pump one? what about self drive and others options I have read about?
Should I get a Chinese built or a US built one.
Like to get one for less than 20k but happy to pay more if its worthwhile.
Anything else I should be looking out for, any common faults etc
Thanks
2022 onwards. Ideally get one with Ryzen screen for the latest features although the older Intel screen still gets pretty much anything but may not inthe future.
The prefacelift, chrome ones are generally out of warranty now except for the battery and motor, and were never brilliant'y built back then. You'll get some who will claim they've never had an issue, but it's a game of odds and the odds are stacked against hte older cars. You have to remember the Model 3 was the first volume car they built to a price and some of the early cars were assembed in tents. They fixed a lot of design issues with facelift as well as feature updates, not to mention continuous changes to parts as they went along.
The heatpump makes a useful difference to range in winter. Tesla have also increased the size of the battery slightly over time, and while IIRC the latest cars have a slight smaller battery than the best of the US cars, the degradation of the larger battery pretty much after a year they'd have similar useable capacity. I've done a series of youtube videos comparing the degradation levels from thousands of cars which confirms the point.
The price difference from year to year can be seen here:
https://tesla-info.com/tesla-depreciation/UK/M3/Pe...
You'll pay about 3k more for a 2021 car over a 2020, and 3k again for a 2022 car over a 2021 which is where I'd start, and then a further 6k for a 2023 because of the increasing warranty and the Ryzen screen.
As a lateral thought, a newer Long Range is likely to be a better car than an older Performance and will be virtually as quick, but nobody wants to hear that.
The prefacelift, chrome ones are generally out of warranty now except for the battery and motor, and were never brilliant'y built back then. You'll get some who will claim they've never had an issue, but it's a game of odds and the odds are stacked against hte older cars. You have to remember the Model 3 was the first volume car they built to a price and some of the early cars were assembed in tents. They fixed a lot of design issues with facelift as well as feature updates, not to mention continuous changes to parts as they went along.
The heatpump makes a useful difference to range in winter. Tesla have also increased the size of the battery slightly over time, and while IIRC the latest cars have a slight smaller battery than the best of the US cars, the degradation of the larger battery pretty much after a year they'd have similar useable capacity. I've done a series of youtube videos comparing the degradation levels from thousands of cars which confirms the point.
The price difference from year to year can be seen here:
https://tesla-info.com/tesla-depreciation/UK/M3/Pe...
You'll pay about 3k more for a 2021 car over a 2020, and 3k again for a 2022 car over a 2021 which is where I'd start, and then a further 6k for a 2023 because of the increasing warranty and the Ryzen screen.
As a lateral thought, a newer Long Range is likely to be a better car than an older Performance and will be virtually as quick, but nobody wants to hear that.
Thanks for the info.
Bit torn what to go for, as don't mind spending extra but also, its going to be a second car for nipping about in and also a bit of fun. We have a main family car for long journeys.
Am I right in thinking its best to get one from the China factory and how do you tell which factory it has come from?
I viewed one yesterday but couldn't agree on price, but he couldn't work out how to show me on the app the battery degradation. Any ideas?
Also there was a really bad stone chip starting to crack very slightly, I have since been told you cant get hold of windscreen for them as no supply at the minute is this true?
Bit torn what to go for, as don't mind spending extra but also, its going to be a second car for nipping about in and also a bit of fun. We have a main family car for long journeys.
Am I right in thinking its best to get one from the China factory and how do you tell which factory it has come from?
I viewed one yesterday but couldn't agree on price, but he couldn't work out how to show me on the app the battery degradation. Any ideas?
Also there was a really bad stone chip starting to crack very slightly, I have since been told you cant get hold of windscreen for them as no supply at the minute is this true?
Model 3s with the black handles and exterior trim are from China.
You can also tell by the VIN - https://tesla-info.com/vin-decoder.php
You can also tell by the VIN - https://tesla-info.com/vin-decoder.php
Yes, the VIN is the easy way to double check the trim.
You can’t easily see battery degradation, primarily because the calibration of the Battery Mgmt system can drift, something you can help correct but it might lead to a false impression. A quick and dirty check can be done here, it will tell you the capacity and so long as it’s not something daft into the low 70s the battery will be fine, degradation isn’t a notable concern and it will still be in warranty if it’s anything catastrophic
https://tesla-info.com/blog/battery-degradation.ph...
You’ll also find other useful resources on that website including how to find what options a car has, so I’d take a read and check any car you’re looking at. You won’t get Autopilot HW4 on any M3 except the very latest facelift, but if you can double check the heat pump and screen processor etc fairly easily if you know the displays to call up
You can’t easily see battery degradation, primarily because the calibration of the Battery Mgmt system can drift, something you can help correct but it might lead to a false impression. A quick and dirty check can be done here, it will tell you the capacity and so long as it’s not something daft into the low 70s the battery will be fine, degradation isn’t a notable concern and it will still be in warranty if it’s anything catastrophic
https://tesla-info.com/blog/battery-degradation.ph...
You’ll also find other useful resources on that website including how to find what options a car has, so I’d take a read and check any car you’re looking at. You won’t get Autopilot HW4 on any M3 except the very latest facelift, but if you can double check the heat pump and screen processor etc fairly easily if you know the displays to call up
Having a look at one this week. Going with intention of buying it and driving away there and then. Wasn't sure what to go for but decided to go for a cheaper one as it wont be our main car. Will be used for a bit of fun and driving locally, also prefer alloys on the earlier ones. It is a private sale, 69 plate with 70000 miles in grey (best colour imo). Seen loads of photos, chatted with guy a couple of times and he says will take £16000 on it.
Anything I should be looking out for?
Bought loads of cars in my time, but is there anything different I need to do buying a Tesla? Do I need to get him to transfer the app to me?
Thanks for all your help.
Anything I should be looking out for?
Bought loads of cars in my time, but is there anything different I need to do buying a Tesla? Do I need to get him to transfer the app to me?
Thanks for all your help.
ajs12345 said:
Having a look at one this week. Going with intention of buying it and driving away there and then. Wasn't sure what to go for but decided to go for a cheaper one as it wont be our main car. Will be used for a bit of fun and driving locally, also prefer alloys on the earlier ones. It is a private sale, 69 plate with 70000 miles in grey (best colour imo). Seen loads of photos, chatted with guy a couple of times and he says will take £16000 on it.
Anything I should be looking out for?
Bought loads of cars in my time, but is there anything different I need to do buying a Tesla? Do I need to get him to transfer the app to me?
Thanks for all your help.
Yes, the owner will have to transfer the car to you via his app.Anything I should be looking out for?
Bought loads of cars in my time, but is there anything different I need to do buying a Tesla? Do I need to get him to transfer the app to me?
Thanks for all your help.
Listen for sounds from the front suspension (possible worn control arms that "creak").
Visual check of the brake pads and discs, since they don't get much use.
Good luck!
I bought the 69 plate a couple of days ago.
What a car absolutely love it
I get the impression that Tesla can track everything, should I be concerned if I of course accidently go over the speed limit, should I turn the camera off etc
Anything else I need to know or you would recommend I do.
Its like nothing I have ever driven before
What a car absolutely love it
I get the impression that Tesla can track everything, should I be concerned if I of course accidently go over the speed limit, should I turn the camera off etc
Anything else I need to know or you would recommend I do.
Its like nothing I have ever driven before
No need to do anything. It’s also far from unusual for cars to stream back data to the manufacturer in use. And before that they’d often log data which can be recovered forensically if the worst happens.
You may be considering sentry mode. The warning I would give over that is it’s very heavy on energy consumption so probably best only used if you’re leaving your car somewhere dodgy.
You may be considering sentry mode. The warning I would give over that is it’s very heavy on energy consumption so probably best only used if you’re leaving your car somewhere dodgy.
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