Any Tesla 3 Owners around here?

[pool888]

Looking into purchasing a Tesla 3 with the upcoming tax incentives. Just wondered if anyone had real life experience of owning one or if anyone else is looking into it? I have looked on the Tesla forums but I wonder if much of it is "Elon fanboys" points of view just like how some Apple owners cant see past their phones and dismiss anything else. All looks good apart from the initial large outlay. Quite a different purchase experience from normal car buying, order online, very few choices to make, choose your paint colour, black or white interior, and if you want to pay for full auto driving (which seems a waste at the moment) and that's about it no huge lists of extras at inflated prices which are worthless at resale so likely a good thing. No discount apparently in UK??, although I believe some managed in USA but demand is likely high enough they don't need to discount. I'm fine if everyone is paying the same price, better than haggling for days at a normal dealership and still wondering if you got a good deal or not. EV with Model 3 range in theory should be perfect for me, 30-40 miles per day, charge every second night or so and get the Octopus EV tarriff so 5p per kwh to charge while sleeping. A handful of long trips every year where I would need to recharge but Superchargers seem to be on the main routes so I don't see a problem. Interior is very different, not sure if I will like not having a console in front of the driver, no speedo in line of sight etc. Big worry is the nearest service centre is a long distance from me and only one in Scotland so if there are problems it could be a big hassle. Any experiences or help appreciated, thanks.

 

[Tashyboy]

You are probably aware that you according to the Gov website you are allowed up to 35% or a max £3,500 off the price of a new electric car. The Tesla 3 is on that list. I was gobsmacked when I stumbled across a Tesla showroom in a shopping centre in Cambridge. Thought they looked very nice. But totally different from any other car re layout in side etc. My first thought was “ I wonder how they drive”. I would have to try before I buy.
good luck me man.

 

[KenL]

Pal of mine has one, the high powered version. He has nothing negative to say about it.
I've been in it for a quick spin, the performance is incredible.

 

[bobmac]

Have you looked into the referral voucher system?

 

[pool888]

Yes, I know there is a referral for 1000 miles free supercharging for both parties if you use a referral link. Doubt I would ever use them though as nearest supercharger is 100 miles away but there is one planned for around 35 miles away but not sure when it will be operational but I think the free charging has to be used within 6 months. Quite a lot of free charging locations in Scotland at the moment but not sure how long this will last either, and they are fairly slow chargers compared to superchargers so if the bays are full you could have a long wait, and with the increasing demand getting a charger could become more difficult. Although shouldn't be an issue for me as I will charge at home 99% of the time.

 

[bobmac]

Most of the stuff I know is from this guy...........
Apologies if you've seen it all before

 

[Mudball]

Very interersted but cant afford the Telsa. There are a few things that need to change
1) I need to dispose off my existing XC60. I hear Tesla dont do part exchange. So thats a bit of a challenge
2) 3 series is in my range (no puns)...if i can part exchange
3) Would LOVE an X, but will need to sell the house
4) There are a couple of 2014-16 S coming up for resale. So could work (except need to get rid of the Volvo)

 

[pool888]

Tesla do take trade in's, you supply the details online and they will give you a price or go to a showroom. Prices are not great apparently, in the region of WBAC prices, but sometimes prices are not that great at other franchises too. Tesla don't have large forecourts of used cars I assume they must put them to auction so give fairly low values. 3 Series is what I have at the moment, F30 335D had it for almost 5 years but I still really like it and it's going perfectly well so still a bit apprehensive about swapping it. X is way out of my budget too but I wouldn't want anything that big anyway, I think the S is the best looking Tesla (apart from the roadster) but still a bit big for my needs. The tax incentives make it very appealing though, and I have yet to see a bad review on the Model 3, not saying nobody has had issues you will get that with all cars but the vast majority of online reviews are glowing with many saying they would never go back to a normal petrol/diesel car.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Very interersted but cant afford the Telsa. There are a few things that need to change
1) I need to dispose off my existing XC60. I hear Tesla dont do part exchange. So thats a bit of a challenge
2) 3 series is in my range (no puns)...if i can part exchange
3) Would LOVE an X, but will need to sell the house
4) There are a couple of 2014-16 S coming up for resale. So could work (except need to get rid of the Volvo)

Don't tie yourself to trading in. I know a few people who have used We Buy Any Cars and they have been very happy with the prices offered and the service. Much better, in their words, than trading in. Others are available of course.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

Tesla do take trade in's, you supply the details online and they will give you a price or go to a showroom. Prices are not great apparently, in the region of WBAC prices, but sometimes prices are not that great at other franchises too. Tesla don't have large forecourts of used cars I assume they must put them to auction so give fairly low values. 3 Series is what I have at the moment, F30 335D had it for almost 5 years but I still really like it and it's going perfectly well so still a bit apprehensive about swapping it. X is way out of my budget too but I wouldn't want anything that big anyway, I think the S is the best looking Tesla (apart from the roadster) but still a bit big for my needs. The tax incentives make it very appealing though, and I have yet to see a bad review on the Model 3, not saying nobody has had issues you will get that with all cars but the vast majority of online reviews are glowing with many saying they would never go back to a normal petrol/diesel car.

In my house, we have found WBAC to give better prices for trade in's than any dealer, by as much as £1k over Toyota with my wifes last car she traded in.

 

[Mudball]

In my house, we have found WBAC to give better prices for trade in's than any dealer, by as much as £1k over Toyota with my wifes last car she traded in.

I would never trade my wife in... even for an X..: though the Roadster Is tempting

 

[pool888]

Private sale will probably get the best price but you have hassle of people coming round kicking tyres, insurance for test drives, worry about payment and scammers. We did sell a car to WBAC and it was easy, but they do try to knock the price down further for any small defects they can find. Franchise dealers sometimes give better prices than WBAC if it's a car they know they will sell quickly.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

Private sale will probably get the best price but you have hassle of people coming round kicking tyres, insurance for test drives, worry about payment and scammers. We did sell a car to WBAC and it was easy, but they do try to knock the price down further for any small defects they can find. Franchise dealers sometimes give better prices than WBAC if it's a car they know they will sell quickly.

A franchise dealer will also do that, but in a more general sense. It does depend a lot on whether the franchise youre trying to trade in wants your car to sell on.

 

[harpo_72]

What about other EVs ? Or are they not what you like?

 

[pool888]

There's not a huge choice of full EV's, the Tesla 3 is by far the closest style to what I currently drive. The iPace is very nice but out of my budget as it has to be new for the tax incentives, the Tesla is already pushing it to the max (I'm trying to figure out if that's an iPace in your profile picture), if I was going second hand I would definitely look at the iPace as they look good value used cars. VW ID3 looks interesting but I don't think they will be available to the end of the year without a reservation. As electric car are all Tesla do they seem to be ahead of the other manufacturers at the moment. Demand for the 3 is high even with no discount available so they must be doing something right.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I started a thread recently about plug in options. What that and this thread shows is that the options are still not really there. We are being pushed away from our previous choices but with no real alternative available if you travel more than 15 miles a day or do not have a bottomless budget. Maybe in a year or two it will be better but right now is is not ideal.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

I have read in various places that rapid/supercharging a car battery shortens the battery life, and slow charging is best. If this genuinely is the case what is the point of buying something that doesn't have the range you need for a "there and back" journey if you're considerate of the long life of those batteries?
You might as well say that in 200 fill ups of the petrol tank you will need a new engine and gearbox....you wouldnt buy that car would you?

 

[PJ87]

I started a thread recently about plug in options. What that and this thread shows is that the options are still not really there. We are being pushed away from our previous choices but with no real alternative available if you travel more than 15 miles a day or do not have a bottomless budget. Maybe in a year or two it will be better but right now is is not ideal.

I think the leaf have the market well cornered about

2 year lease 260pm 10,000 miles a year £260 down up front

That's a bargain

 

[harpo_72]

There's not a huge choice of full EV's, the Tesla 3 is by far the closest style to what I currently drive. The iPace is very nice but out of my budget as it has to be new for the tax incentives, the Tesla is already pushing it to the max (I'm trying to figure out if that's an iPace in your profile picture), if I was going second hand I would definitely look at the iPace as they look good value used cars. VW ID3 looks interesting but I don't think they will be available to the end of the year without a reservation. As electric car are all Tesla do they seem to be ahead of the other manufacturers at the moment. Demand for the 3 is high even with no discount available so they must be doing something right.

No the pic is of an F Pace which was my previous car.
I worked on I Pace resolving the range and handling issues the first JLR EV had.
I really wasn't allowed to drive them that much as I was a component owner and not a dynamics attribute owner. However I did get a few opportunities, and the car itself was very impressive. The actual real world range was lower and got lower with bigger wheels and tyres with only a few exceptions. Would I buy one, yes I would but it would be conditional. I don't really have a high opinion of the dynamics team as the were just bunch of "bolt wangers"

I cannot remember doing any competitor test drives in a Tesla, but I am aware of their tyre sizing policy and EV mass distribution .. basically just drive it in a point and shoot manner and it will be plenty good enough. They also have a tendency to change software and one particular issue was speed lowering. This changes the geometry significantly if done in a certain manner as it changes the camber of the wheels (angle top to bottom) which then creates tyre wear issues. I have heard people having to change tyres around 8000 miles and at £250+ a pop that's not very cost friendly and has an environmental impact. Also look carefully at the wheels, if your a last minute breaker (this will change when you know the benefits of regen) then the heat build up will be significant. It is also worthwhile doing some big "stops" to maintain the disc and pad surfaces, which was another one of the issues I saw when I was a Braking performance attribute team leader. I used to have all the senior managers complaining about their hybrids and being scared that the car would not stop. I used to give it a few gentle full pressure stops so the foundation brake was engaged and when that started to feel okay I would then drive it in a manner that would allow me to ramp up the stopping forces..the pads and discs cleaned up and the car was returned in peak performance.

When I was talking about other EVs I was thinking of the Korean offerings, VW group and BMW etc..

 

[harpo_72]

I think the leaf have the market well cornered about

2 year lease 260pm 10,000 miles a year £260 down up front

That's a bargain

But the leaf is pretty offensive to look at ... I don't understand why normal and Tesla have opted for normal styling cannot suffice ..