Model Y questions (potential owner)

[SlowV6]

Hi All,

I am considering a 2nd hand Model Y as our next car. My budget is about £20k, which puts me at the lower end of my2022 Long Range cars on AutoTrader. This is the model I want. I could up the budget a bit or wait a bit to see if prices fall a little.

I was wondering if there is noticeable difference on ride quality between 19" and 20" shod cars? Also in terms of overall ride quality how do they compare with say an e91 330d M sport, which is the harder riding of our two cars.

I spotted they don't have parcel shelves. Tesla sell one but it's £360!! Do people recommend any after market ones or are you all not bothering? My question is from a noise angle rather than security.

Finally, what sort of insurance premiums are people paying. I am 51, 20yrs+ NCB living in quiet Dorset town, with a drive and would probably need 9k miles a year
with business usage by my wife.

Any other ownership tips/reviews much appreciated.

If relevant my other leading candidate is a G31 530d.

Thanks

[Mr E]

My 72 plate model Y has a parcel shelf. It wasn’t up to much (didn’t move with the boot) and you couldn’t see into the boot because of the tint. I suspect you won’t care after a week.

Ride was poor with 19”. Worse with 20”.
Later cars are apparently improved

[SlowV6]

Thanks Mr E. Sadly I can't afford a Juniper for the very latest suspension revisions.

[Feetup]

There are a couple of Youtube channels that you might find interesting.

Rsymons - They are a dealer located quite near you however they have done a suspension update on an older car albeit a M3. Also they have a high mileage car they use a lot.

Jonathan Porterfield - He reviews the electric car stock at Shoreham car auctions regularly, they allow non-trade bidders. Bearing in mind all the cars you will are likely to be looking at are coming off a business lease that may be a way to get more for your money.

Peter

[therams]

Apparently the 23 plate onwards cars have better suspension. That s what the internet says anyway. Going to be 25k upwards though

[Gone fishing]

I've had many BMWs with firm suspension and lived with a 2022 Model Y for 2 years. The suspension is far from great especially the real axle which also transmits a lot of sound into the cabin. On a smooth road its fine, it's when things get jittery does it start to show its weakness. Lots of talk over improvements over the years but the noise ingress persists until the juniper model and many can't tell the difference between the supposedly softer later rear suspension on the 2023 model. It's liveable, the smaller alloys will help, some suggest running slightly under inflated tyres, but for me it seemed very sub-standard on a 50k car, however on a 20k used car then the equation may be different. Passengers also seem to notice it more than the driver, I had more people feeling travel sick in the Model Y (albeit still the minority) than any other car I've owned so if you regularily carry people susceptible to travel sickness then be mindful.

Rear parcel shelf isn't needed, the rear windows are tinted so heavily you can't see in anyway. The parcel shelf design is a bit marmite too, nothing like the types of things you get on BMWs and Audis. You can retrofit one and it might help cut down some of the rear axle noise, but I wouldn't bother and if the noise bugs you, then get some dynomat insulation or something like that and line a few panels in the rear which would probably help.

[AyBee]

therams said:

Apparently the 23 plate onwards cars have better suspension. That s what the internet says anyway. Going to be 25k upwards though

This - MY23 had a suspension update which was deemed to be much better. The bigger alloys seem to be a magnet for curbs so I'd stick to 19s personally (and did). Any reason you won't consider the RWD? The LFP battery copes much better with 100% charging regularly (and recommends at least once per week) whereas the LR seems to be 80%, so day-to-day, that reduces the range difference.

[SlowV6]

Thanks all for your help. Further reading fully agrees with the above - the my2023 with the Comfort suspension is worth seeking out. It seems you also get a parcel shelf with that revision, which should aid reducing the echo chamber effect.

Not ruled out the single motor Y, but the LR seems the sweet spot IMHO. I have a particular repeating use case that will be Poole to Birmingham Uni and then bounce back to Hook Norton in the Notswolds for refreshments and charging up overnight I think the LR will be able to do that on a cold day in the winter without needing to visit a Supercharger.

Thanks for your help

[FWIW]

I have a 22 YLR and a 23 YRWD, both on 20” wheels. While the ride is nicer on the ‘23 car I don’t find the ‘22 offensive, actually, I quite like the firmness of it (ymmv). Parcel shelf is a waste of space (unless you’re extremely sensitive to noise).
I’d 100% go for the LR any day of the week.

[Gone fishing]

SlowV6 said:

Thanks all for your help. Further reading fully agrees with the above - the my2023 with the Comfort suspension is worth seeking out. It seems you also get a parcel shelf with that revision, which should aid reducing the echo chamber effect.

Not ruled out the single motor Y, but the LR seems the sweet spot IMHO. I have a particular repeating use case that will be Poole to Birmingham Uni and then bounce back to Hook Norton in the Notswolds for refreshments and charging up overnight I think the LR will be able to do that on a cold day in the winter without needing to visit a Supercharger.

Thanks for your help

Hopwood services on the M42 south of Birmingham and not far from the m40 junction has enormous amounts of rapid chargers including Tesla so a splash and dash would be relatively simple.

One word against the 2023, they dropped regular parking sensors by then which the 2022 cars, at least the earlier ones, got. The Tesla vision approach is still a bit marmite, some love it, some don t, but if you often need to park close to things it s worth having the choice. I m also not convinced the 2023 suspension is that different, I had a loaner for 3 days and couldn t tell the difference, so if there is a difference it s pretty small.

[RayDonovan]

I have a 72 plate MYLR on 20" wheels and the ride is OK but it does depend on what you're used to.

I've had mine nearly 12 months and I've covered just under 17k and it's a fantastic car. Tons of room, super cheap to run day-to-day, plenty of range.

No parcel half (not that bothered)

Mine is currently used as my work car, but I'm handing this over to my Wife and ordering a Model 3 to take the work strain of 20k a year. No doubt the Y could do the mileage, but it makes more financial sense to swap cars around.

In terms of prices, I think you'll see the Y market firm up a little when people realise what good value they are.

[FWIW]

Gone fishing said:

I m also not convinced the 2023 suspension is that different, I had a loaner for 3 days and couldn t tell the difference, so if there is a difference it s pretty small.

Owning both, I would say the difference is significant when you drive them back to back. I don’t find the ‘22 as offensive as some would imply.

[Gone fishing]

FWIW said:

Gone fishing said:

I m also not convinced the 2023 suspension is that different, I had a loaner for 3 days and couldn t tell the difference, so if there is a difference it s pretty small.

Owning both, I would say the difference is significant when you drive them back to back. I don t find the 22 as offensive as some would imply.

Interesting.. I wonder if it’s something to do with the model difference and weight distribution as I couldn’t and I can normally spot a tyre that’s 3-4 psi under inflated so feel I’m relatively sensitive to these things

[FWIW]

Gone fishing said:

Interesting.. I wonder if it s something to do with the model difference and weight distribution as I couldn t and I can normally spot a tyre that s 3-4 psi under inflated so feel I m relatively sensitive to these things

Maybe. I am comparing LR to RWD to be fair.