If you own a Tesla Model 3, tell us about your experience.
Any regrets? How's depreciation? Bought new/secondhand? Any issues?
Also.. just wondering for the general ozBargainer.. is a Tesla Model 3 something you'd ever consider, not over a Camry of course, but do you think it's worth it?
I'm going through my half yearly phase where I really want a new car and going down the rabbit hole, this time its for the Model 3. Just want to know what everyone's thought on it is.
Needs time to get use to EV, plenty of torque and acceleration is insane. BUT… Just not the same.
Personally wouldn't go for one… Yet… Otherwise get an EV as shopping trolley and the manual ICE as toy/s.
VW/SEAT Born is coming to Aus late next year
https://www.cupraofficial.com.au/cars/cupra-range/born.html
Aimed at the polo gti crowd
wow this is new to me - I've never heard of Cupra. It definitely looks interesting. 7.3s to 100kph seems a little slow for electric.
The Leon's side profile gives me Mazda 3 2018 vibes.
I'll continue holding out - pretty fun to watch the development of the cars to come.
But.. s'ugly..
edit: at least the Born is.. the Ateca side profile looks very Audi-esqe and Formentor very Mazda..
No, I do not have one, because I can not afford one.
Yes, you should buy one, if you can comfortably afford one.
If you can afford it: no, you should not wait a decade like commenters are saying. Get it, and enjoy the decade.
Yes.
If you are not living in QLD, and want to buy a new car.
I would definitely recommend.
If you are not living in QLD
?
I've own a 2021 SR+ since June, so it's the MiC LFP model. I think the reviews from other owners have been pretty fair as to the pros and cons, the reviews from owners of MiC (Shanghai made) cars are probably going to be indicative of the experience. There's a lot of left over concerns from the old MiUSA models with regards to panel gaps etc, but all the reviews I've seen for the MiC models have been great in the build quality area where ppl have had issues in the past.
For my own review so far after about 8000km.
Things I (kind of) don't like:
* The bonnet flexes like someone else mentions, when closing it there's a specific place you're supposed to place your hands to close it and you can definitely feel it flex if you press down on the middle of it. A bit daft but I assume it was a weight saving measure and it's not too big a deal. Biggest issue is leaving hand prints all over the thing. Would've been nice if they made this a powered lift as well (it's possible as an aftermarket install)
* The pure touch screen definitely does make it a little harder to interact with sometimes, I just avoid doing anything too complicated or requiring too much attention until I'm stopped or I'm on autopilot
* The view out the rear window is pretty terrible, but that's probably because my last 2 cars were a Golf GTI and a X3. The rear camera is pretty good and could solve this, but there's no way to run both the map + rear view camera in the software
* The updated UI design they implemented (I think) in like Dec 2020 looks worse than it used to be, esp with regards to showing the P/R/D state and speed more prominently
* Wipers get water onto the sides when you use them
Things I thought I wouldn't like but don't really care now:
* The whole lack of a dash or HUD. You adapt pretty quickly, and quite frankly even in a car with a dash it's not like I'm staring at the speedo. The position of the speedo/info is fine. It's not really that far from your usual line of sight
* Having the park/drive/reverse on the stalk, it felt weird but wasn't a big deal. Though I have a couple of times hit the stalks instinctually out of some other habit and been in the wrong gear
Things I like:
* Charging at home like it's a mobile phone… We're suburban drivers and honestly, that's probably the best market for an EV atm. We do about 200km a week normally (typical school runs, errands, shopping etc) and even trips we don't go beyond like Lorne/Mornington. Longer trips just require more planning, eg. mapping out the trip and seeing where your charge stops need to be. I think EVs as they currently are in a 2nd wave, early adopter phase where you kind of need to be a little into it and willing to invest a little learning. It's not like having an ICE car and knowing there's going to be a gas station somewhere…
* The acceleration is fun, even though I only have the SR+ it's got a real kick
* Good space for a medium sedan. We came from an X3 and have 2 child seats and have found the transition fine. I've found the cabin space not much different from the X3, maybe a little less overall height/headroom but otherwise length wise it's not much different. The lack of the centre "bump" for the drive train creates a bunch of floor space in the back too. Boot space is decent for front and back, not as easy to load/unload as a SUV but pretty good. My preference was for the Model Y, but who knows when that's landing
* Frunk is great for take away, no smells in the car!
* No servicing in sight! Even with a 'servicing plan' previously, the X3 could still cost like 1-2k for servicing in a year esp towards the end when you've got consumables to replace
* Sentry mode and built in dash cam. Although dunno why they don't operate the dashcam like others where it's a continuous video loop, instead it only saves the last 'drive' and any specific videos you tell it to save & sentry videos
* I didn't mind the no frills sales/pick up. Tesla Chadstone basically just gave me a walkthrough about the car, gave me the key card and said cya in 30 mins. Pickup was verifying who I was and handing me the key cards and some paper work. I think they can get away with this now as most buyers at this point have probably done a decent deal of research etc and are fine without a lot of hand holding
Thanks for the writeup.
Really interesting to hear from actual owners!
Other than the visibility out of rear windows, the cons doesn't seem to be deal breaking.
I think it can make sense but I also think it’s still pretty much an early adopter kinda thing. So it does have the early adopter tax still.
But I like the EV rebate so i think if not now, when?
Yes.
Salary Sacrifice, no regrets. 2021 SR+ in ozbargainer white
achew
'scuse me
May I ask with your salary sacrifice what % and how many years? I got a quote it was a massive 9% rate and they added luxury tax, roadside, redundancy insurance, yearly service and tyre rotation which turned out more than the 3.5-4% APR Tesla offers. I don't think I get much return with the tax difference too. For the LR model it was 110k+ over 5 years and 23k ish pay out …Hard to believe tax savings will be that much for me
$560/ftnt for 5 yrs $0 depost w' 30% balloon
keep initial amount under the 70K limit and you'll avoid the LCT bumps
LR etc are pricey and dicey, those options eat into the margins you're supposed to be saving on now while early adoption is still a thing.
Plan trips (eg. with a better route planner) and you won't have any justification for the range anxiety
There's a nice car comparison chart if you want to see what lives up to your expectations
https://abetterrouteplanner.com/compare/cars/
I went with NLC.com.au through work, didn't have much choice for a reputable offer due to location
achew
'scuse me
Thanks mate, just was asking since work offered it but I'm only interested in LR for dual motor otherwise I'm on the market for other enthusiast cars. Might switch EV in the future when they are cheaper though.
Interested in the salary sacrifice component your not paying for fuel or much servicing so does this work out well from a tax perspective
Noting car finance is record low genuinely curious
sure does - it all goes into the pot and results in a lower endgame balloon. Could be wrong, that's how it was explained to me
Ignore the naysayers who don’t own one. I recently bought a model 3 and loving it.
It’s easy and fun to drive and it will save you heaps on petrol. I drove about 1200km and spent about $62 in charging from superchargers. In my Mazda 3 2010 model, I would spent $160, filling up 3 times.
Also read the reviews and you’ll see why they all love the car.
Do you live in an apartment which forces you to use the superchargers?
I live in a house and have a garage where I charge.
SR+ with white leather seats.
Another friend of mine has the same with black seats and regrets not paying the extra for white.
Phantom power is an issue, it drains a few % each day so factor that into your running costs.
I'm curious - what's so good about the white seats compared to black?
Dang it! I wanted white seats too
Apart from those who own one and gave a review which was good to read. The rest of comments are WOFTAM are from those need to get a life……
Yep. Nothing better than to get a balanced view from the converted /s
Do you think any review from motoring journalist is balanced……
I would trust a review from a owner more than motoring journalist anyday
Of course owners are going be bias if they happy.
Means the product tick all their boxes….
But to deny opinions of people who have chosen not to buy one is a bias too.
I like the look of the MG ZS EV and at $44k it's affordable. But it lacks range, towing capacity and all the extra features that the Tesla can provide.
Don't know why you were downvoted, everything you said is true.
I'd also like to add that the Model 3 feels like a spaceship to drive but the ZS EV feels like a regular car.
The next gen ZS EV would be an interesting proposition though.
not supporting MG but it seems kind of entitled to expect something that is $44k to have the same range, 'tow capability and all the extra features of a $60k Model 3….
it is true
but expected
SR+ Owner here purchased in Feb/March this year.
Any regrets?
For the car itself no, but I wouldn't mind having a long range next time.
How's depreciation?
You can purchase it now for $7k less than what I paid so I'd call that pretty bad depreciation in less than 12 months, but otherwise with the way that car prices are at the moment I'm not worried at all about further depreciation, and of course no they're not a appreciating asset.
Bought new/secondhand?
New.
Any issues?
Yes, first problem I had was the driver side seat was making a super annoying squeak, fixed after 1 visit to Tesla.
Second problem just happened the other month, on a hard lock right turn the front was making a ticking noise. Tesla knew about this issue from other customers and again fixed after 1 visit.
As far as is it a good financial decision? No. No car is a good financial decision (generally), from my perspective I had my heart set on a BMW 330e or equivalent C class hybrid. So I was already looking at spending ~$80k for a partially electric vehicle and in the end I chose the Tesla mainly because it was a full electric for the same sort of price and I knew I could charge it at home using my solar panels and cut out fuel completely.
Thanks for the input.
Has range ever been an issue for you? Since you said you wouldnt mind a long range.
Personally.. At most, my commute to work would be 50km a day so I don't imagine the range would be a problem as I'd probably plug it in everyday.
The reason I say I would go the long range is because it now costs just a bit more than what I paid for the SR+ has more range and is faster everything I want. Of course this is a personal preference and makes no sense for someone who isn’t spending $70k anyway for the SR+.
As for range I think I average around 400km to a full charge with the way I drive (fairly spirited).
If your commute is motorway you’ll find the EV isn’t at its most efficient, if your city driving this is where it shines.
You can purchase it now for $7k less than what I paid so I'd call that pretty bad depreciation in less than 12 months…
I'd call that pretty normal depreciation. Over eight months you've lost ~10-15% on a brand new car. Thats about right.
No I dislike Elon musk
I dunno about the cars but that people that own them are insufferable.
Have had a model 3 for over 2 years now, love it, has depreciated far less than any other motor vehicle that costs over $25,000. Has saved me a fortune in running costs and fuels. Which was checked up front in a spreadsheet I put together.
I've moved house in it 3 times, I've been camping up and down the east coast many many times, with surfbaords, eskys, 6 man tent. Driven from Melbourne to Brisbance a handful of times.
This car is a beast, reliable, fast, fun and capable, I'd buy another one (or a model S) happily. I treat it mean, and it comes back for more.
Roadster please
is a Tesla Model 3 something you'd ever consider
at my current pay grade (and tightness) - nope, don't see myself dropping $60k on a car any time soon.
I am one of those people who usually buys $10k second cars and drive it into the ground, so it will take a long time for me to break even with the "savings" on fuel and maintenance.
What pay grade do you personally feel would be appropriate for a $60k car?
That's something I'm struggling to justify as well.
TBH I am probably outlier when it comes to income/car spend, as I have been made redundant a few times in the past so I am very conservative with my money (and just tight in general :))
FWIW right now, according to the ABS, I am just a touch above the average (not median) earning for an full-time adult, while I am certainly not struggling to pay the bills, but I still don't feel comfortable going for an expensive brand new car unless I am earning at least 50% more, and that I know my job is reasonably secure.
But who knows, plenty of people in my team drives brand spanking new cars (not the $60k variety though) while I am driving a 20 years old ruck bucket, so maybe I am just too tight lol.
Anyway, if my beloved Integra dies tomorrow, I will probably look for something a bit newer/better, maybe up my budget to $20k, but definitely not $60k. I spend maybe $50 to $60 in petrol a week, a few hundred bucks to maybe $1k a year on service/maintenance, even if you round it to $5k a year it will still take a long time to recoup the extra $40k for a Tesla.
I have had a red model 3 SR+ for about 3 months now and so far going great, 8,000+kms in and still feels like I'm driving it for the first time every time.
Sometimes have regrets, but that's more to do with buying a brand new car - nothing to do with the Tesla brand itself. I could/would never justify buying a new ICE car, never mind spending $70k on one. Yes a Tesla is expensive but you are definitely getting your money's worth, in my opinion. Can't comment on depreciation yet personally, but I have seen people/dealers selling hardly used ones for several thousand more than the price of a new one. In terms of QC issues I've had none. Panel gaps are flawless (thanks to Shanghai gigafactory), paint is immaculate, stitching/seams in seats, etc. can't fault anything, honestly. The build quality is impeccable. This is my first Tesla so I can't compare to previous iterations or models.
Not specific to Tesla or the model 3, but living in WA (the Wait A-while state), charging options on longer trips are very limited. Driving north of the Perth metro area is difficult, however, driving south or south-east is fine. I don't think it is currently possible to drive interstate yet (I could be wrong though). From what I can tell the eastern states have it good with several different networks making it super easy to travel. The state gov is investing in a state wide network that'll connect Broome, Kalgoorlie, and I think Esperance, to Perth which will be great. Living north-east edge of the metro area we have a couple chargers and thankfully one that is fast AND free, although they are upgrading it next year so it will no longer be free. For the most part we charge at home, it is slow but can get away with only plugging in overnight twice a week (which is plenty for 400-500km/week of driving).
Again, not the car's fault, but there's no incentives in WA. No rebate, no reduced rego, nada. Also, my partner's workplace had a corporate Tesla service plan that started after we took delivery of the car which we found out about after (and no, they did not want to honour it retroactively unfortunately). WA is definitely behind the times but what's new.
Let's start with the bad, so here are some things I dislike about the car in terms of design/implementation:
- Firstly is the indicator stalk. Maybe it's just me but the angle of it I would trigger the high beams which is frustrating. Took me a couple of weeks to get used to it. (Indicator is on the left stalk by the way, but easy to learn with a bit of driving. High beam is forwards/backwards, and window wipers is the button on the end).
Auto high beam is useless in my opinion, I turned that off after 2 minutes of driving at night. Hopefully it'll be fixed with a software update, but I'm not worried as I'm fine with using high beams manually.
Auto window wipers are a joke too. Basically it's either: not raining = off, OR, raining = full wiper speed even if its barely drizzling. Again, hopefully fixed with a software update but it doesn't bother me in everyday driving as I turned option off. Having the auto option there and it being useless is annoying though. Also, the way the wipers are designed the water spray nozzles are actually on the wipers arms themselves, only a very minor gripe but you can't squirt water without activating the wipers first so you have to wait until it rains or hand wash the windscreen to clean off the squished bugs lol.
No spare tyre. I really wish there was room for a spare in the boot's compartment underneath but it's just not quite big enough. The Tesla sales person responded to my concern with "but how often do you get a flat?" Well, for me? About once a year because I'm lucky apparently. Nails, tech screws, industrial staples, I've had it all. Luckily never had a flat on a long trip yet, but Murphy's law…
Very minor, but the frunk. While it's cool, interesting and fairly spacious, I don't use it to be honest. I would if it would automatically open/close like the boot. As others have mentioned it's awkward to use because you need both hands free to firmly press the bonnet either side to the badge. However, having extra space when you might needed is never a bad thing. Most other EVs have a tiny frunk that's not worth ever opening because they're a fraction of the size.
Wireless phone charging pads. I'm going to get killed for this, but I don't use it and I wish I could turn them off. I know people wanted them for years so Tesla finally put them in as stock but I don't need/want it. I have an iPhone 12 mini with the Apple wireless charging case and lining up the phone with the Tesla wireless charging pad is way too difficult. I'm one to always make sure I have a charged phone before I got out so I very rarely need to charge again when I'm out. If I do need to, I'd rather plug it in because USB C charges faster. I use the cup holder as a phone holder, in case you're wondering.
These are very much a first world problems, and I get that. I'd still buy a Tesla model 3 over any other car any day of the week.
Things I love:
- The exterior style is just nice. It really makes even current year model cars by other manufactures look decades old. It is looking like Kia/Hyundai are getting there though with the Ioniq, EV6 and Niro.
The simplicity of the dash. Totally understand it is subjective, but I like the lack of buttons, switch etc. Yes, (almost) everything is accessed through the screen, but rememeber: volume, skip, play/pause, music controls are on the left side steering wheel, and cruise control speed, and voice commands are on the other side of the steering wheel.
If I need directions I set it up before driving, and generally the only thing I actually touch the screen for during my trip is to adjust A/C which is super easy. I'll admit when I first got the car I would only adjust the A/C stopped at a set of lights or when I had autopilot enabled, but now I'm comfortable with it. There's a knack with using your fingers under the screen to steady your hand while using your thumb to tap the bottom row of controls such as, A/C temp, window defog, music, cameras, etc. Hopefully that makes some sense.
Driver profiles. I get that other cars have this, so it's not unique to Tesla here, but it is included and I rely on it. My partner and I share this car and we have about a foot in height difference, so it's great having our particular setting saves to our liking, such as seat position, side mirrors, dash screen brightness, etc etc etc. You get in and you drive.
It's quiet. It's so damn quiet I don't hear my partner come home until I hear the garage door opening even if I'm in the front room of the house, which is adjacent to the garage. Yes, you get some road/wind/tyre noise at high speeds inside the car while you're driving, but it's not louder than ICE cars (perhaps it just feels louder because there's no engine noise to drown it out). Some say the suspension is too stiff on the model 3 which makes for a bumpy ride. For me I don't care, I understand that higher tyre pressure gets better range/economy so I'm happy with that trade off.
-Auto Pilot. It really is a godsend in stop/start traffic, as well as long highway trips. I'll confess I was nervous with it initially even though I was excited to use it. But once you get a feel for it you're fine. My partner doesn't use it at all as he's a car enthusiast and insists on needing to drive the car. I just want to get from point A to B. In saying this, it is super fun to drive on windy/hilly roads so I'll skip using Auto Pilot on this occasions. We haven't purchased FSD and don't plan to in the near future. I see it is more as an investment towards the R&D for the company.
Sentry mode. By owning a much more expensive car than I'd like to I'm much more cautious about where/how I park, however, that only goes so far. I dread the day someone hits my model 3 with their car door or something, but the peace of mind in knowing it'll be recorded in full is such as relief. The downside is that checking sentry mode can be get obsessive. Like if you had the option to watch every recording of someone even just looking at your car, you're going to watch it aren't you? lol (I recommend watching Wham Bam Tesla Cam so you get an idea of the types of stations it helps out with, eg. insurance claims, police reports).
The boot. It's super spacious and I'd compare it to say a Toyota Aurion. It's got a smaller opening/entry height because it's a sedan but it's much deeper than it looks and pretty wide too. It also has a second compartment underneath which is great for storing charging cables, first aid kit, shopping bags etc. The back row isn't the most spacious, but it is great for what it is (tallest rides shotgun is our rule). The A/C vents in the back of the centre console are great plus having 2 extra USB C points there is a bonus.
I could honestly go on and on but I've spent 2 hours writing this and I have done nothing productive today. Happy to answer questions though :)
your thoughts about the lack of a full size spare is a common though…
i drive an SUV that comes with a skinny donut tyre… that has the room to hold a full size spare
and i get a flat tyre maybe once every 2-3yrs and i just avoid needing to change a tyre, i dragged the car limping home on a deflating tyre rather than change it on the side of the road
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience!
Always appreciate hearing from owners.
How much are replacement batteries, and can they be recycled?
I think as a Model 3 owner for 5 months, we should setup a group AMA session so people who have ask and receive direct answers from owner(s).
Do you live in a house or have home charging provisions? (ie. access to a powerpoint to charge the car overnight).
If so, I 100% recommend the Model 3, you won't regret it.
If not, I would still recommend it. But, do some thorough research and due dilligence on whether public charging can work for your lifestyle/weekly kms. I am in this situation and its worked out so far. Of course its not ideal, but still no regrets.
I test drove an Audi RS4, BMW M3 (auto) and Tesla Model 3 Performance and ended up buying the Tesla. It was much quicker and 60k cheaper than the Audi and 45k cheaper than the BMW. People who say Tesla’s are expensive don't understand what market they're competing in.
I have solar at home and charge it over night. It feels weird using my ICE cars and going to a petrol station, cause it’s just dead time. I wake up and the Tesla is ready for the day ahead - fully charged, pre-navigated to my destination and warmed up / cooled down already. EVs aren't for everyone, right now - especially those with no access to overnight charging. But having a Tesla has really changed my life.
All of the salient points regarding the infotainment, UI, charging, range, performance and build quality have been covered by others so I’ll stick to a review of the handling, which is in a word - sublime. Body roll is basically non-existent, no ICE I’ve ever been in compares. The ones that try to minimise body roll use super stiff springs which results in horrid ride quality.
Not so the Model 3, the 450kg battery under the floor and motors on the axles means the centre of gravity is kept very low, so Tesla were able to fit pretty compliant springs and eased up on the damping. The only thing that spoils the ride is the 20 inch wheels on the Performance variant, the 19’s on my LR are fine, and I’ve gone the extra step and fitted the 18’s from the SR+ for even more comfort.
The front suspension is a double wishbone arrangement - far superior to the basic McPherson strut setup on most cars, even many so called sports cars. The rear is a similarly sophisticated multi link arrangement. The result? Negative camber is developed when cornering, maximising the tyres contact patch relative to the road. I often travel on good quality, high speed country roads with sweeping bends and long sight distances and am able to enter corners carrying truly outrageous speed, yet I seem unable to run out of grip before I run out of courage.
Mid corner bumps don’t unsettle the car, and the damping on long undulations common on country roads (and some our highways) are damped perfectly. Also, unless it was a fluke, Tesla seem to have have resurrected the lost art of matching the frequency of the seat cushion deflection with the suspension deflection. Citroen worked this one out many decades ago, and it basically means that the seat padding compresses and rebounds in time with the suspension when hitting big bumps or undulations. Pretty much everybody has forgotten about this concept, which results in your body rebounding up after a bump before the suspension has, then you start descending again while the suspension is rebounding upwards. This greatly increases the force on your body as your spine and the seat impact with the force of a small asteroid ( perhaps a minor exaggeration, but you get the picture).
The seats are nice and soft but still pretty supportive, so this combined with the aforementioned frequency matching is very forgiving on my rather bony frame.
Steering is not up to the standard of, say, a Porsche Boxster (the only Porsche I’ve ever driven) but it’s absolutely competent and easy to place on the road once you’re used to it. I use the standard setting btw.
It ain’t a luxury car, but make no mistake, there is no combination of ride quality, grip, body roll, stability, progressiveness, performance and sheer fun for the price.
Thanks for the write up. Not going to pretend I understood everything, but it sounds like you know a hell of a lot more than me about driving, so I’ll take your word for it.
Still yet to go in for a test drive, but definitely will soon after reading through the comments on this thread.
No worries, glad to share my experiences. You only really need to understand that Tesla have spent money where it counts - the fundamental 'bones' of the car are sophisticated and highly competent, and you get that basic competence whether you buy the SR+, LR or Performance. The other manufacturers are still stuck on their old tricks of ripping cost out of the expensive bits like suspension, driveline and chassis, and throwing a few cheap blingy trinkets at you in the hope that you wont notice the low grip levels, understeer, and body roll that results from such cost cutting.
That being said, you may not notice these differences if you only do low speed city driving, so YMMV.
Test drove yesterday. Deposit placed. Pickup in around 3months.
Good on you!
I reckon most people would do the same if they only test drove the car beforehand.
Getting the long range, white with white interior. Dual motor, AWD 4.4sec to 100. However, after I pay around 2K for a software update, it will do the same as the Performance model… 3.3sec to 100! The sales Rep chic was great and basically said don't over pay for the performance model as the Long Range is best of both worlds, has the better ride with the 19" wheels as opposed to the harder 20", has same motors and after a software update will have the same eye watering acceleration, plus the longer range over the performance model!
Just FYI, the Acceleration Boost is not yet available for any LR fitted with the new 82kWh battery which yours (and mine) has. I’ve spoken to Tesla Support and they are aware of the issue but don’t know when or if it will be available.
Also AB costs $3k, not $2k and decreases 0-100km/h to 3.8s, not 3.3. The LR has a less powerful rear motor than the Performance that no software update can change.
Your SA is very ill informed.
@Dogsrule: Thank you for the update. I appreciate it. Just so happened that yesterday I emailed the Rep requesting further details and when I can have it done, ideally prior to taking possession! I also noted that she told me $2K. Will be interesting to see her reply! I also viewed some YouTube videos yesterday about the "boost' software update and you are correct… The video showed they achieved 3.79s.
@Logical: No worries, welcome to the Club!
$2k is the US price, maybe that’s what she’s thinking of. My SA was similarly misinformed, when I heard rumours of the new battery being fitted, I asked her and she said that I definitely wasn’t getting the new battery. Guess what - I got the new battery.
So yeah, take everything they say with a grain of salt. Still an awesome car though, you’re gonna love it!
@Dogsrule: Do you have the option of chill and standard or chill and sport? I can't recall exactly but I thought I saw a chill and sport option on the LR that I test drove. They told me I test drove the LR..Also I thought I read on forums that if you have the sport option then it has the boost upgrade?
@Logical: I only have Chill and Standard modes available for my LR, with no option to buy Acceleration Boost through the Tesla App in the Upgrades section, the only option available is Full Self Driving.
You are correct that Sport mode becomes available to select in the driving options on the main screen when you buy AB. The LR you test drove would have been an older model with the 75kW/h battery, and AB is definitely available for those models.
Tesla started fitting the 82kW/h batteries in October (mine was built 15/10) and haven’t offered AB for cars fitted with this battery, all of the new owners in the Model 3 Owners thread over at Whirlpool have confirmed.
Maybe they are waiting to receive enough telemetry data from owners to determine how the new battery performs in the real world before they offer AB, but nobody knows for sure yet.
We're looking at the Model 3 as our next car and am starting to look into the do's and don'ts.
We've settled on the Model 3 because:
- I personally feel like Tesla have the best reputation with battery technology given they have been in the game the longest
- Their FSD mode is the most advanced and continuously updated
- Better resale value given their popularity
I'm after the opinions of people who have bought one recently and have found out things they didn't realise until after they purchased it.
I know there was a thread recently asking if people owned a model 3, which I read through but it got clogged with people who have never had an ev and other irrelevant stuff.
So far my concerns are:
- Charging anxiety. Is the in car system easy to calculate and judge how far you can go and how long you need to charge for to get somewhere?
- FSD mode. The website advertises things like auto lane changing, autonomous driving etc. But last time I checked, in Australia these modes are illegal? Has that changed? What do the Aus models have access to?
- What are the ongoing costs? Are there service intervals?
- What does the premium service give you access to? Is it phone app connectivity?
- Is there anything you regret not knowing before purchasing?
I'm sure all this info is available online, however I am at the start of my journey and this is literally my first step so I thought I'd ask the opinions of people who have had experience with them.
If anyone knows of any videos worth watching that are specific to the Australian models, that would be great.
Thanks for the help.
I know there was a thread recently asking if people owned a model 3, which I read through but it got clogged with people who have never had an ev and other irrelevant stuff.
It's probably not seen as a bargain. OzBargain, not OzTesla.
not OzTesla
Oh, don't worry, it's OzTesla around here, alright.
/grabs popcorn ready to see why $70K+ high yield investment car made in China is cost effective.
I'm hoping it doesn't turn into that.
I've done the math and research on which model is best for me and landed on this.
I'm genuinely after the opinions of current owners and what I need to know short to long term.
It always does…
I really looked into model 3 awhile ago. Couldn't justify the costs of it as a daily vs a cheap hatchback. Running cost of electricity is 1/5th of petrol however depreciation and insurance costs reversed any saving. Adding repair costs, downtime if there is a failure, gets to be rather expensive pretty fast. Then add the opportunity cost of using that money elsewhere it gets to be even more expensive.
Problem is that random updates will devalue the car suddenly, oh FSD doesn't work fully yet, oh next hardware in 2023 Model 3 till fix that….
Tesla make a car in China "Best car in the world"
Anyone else makes a car in China "AbSoLuTe sHiTbOx. cHiNa qUaLiTy BaD!"
The cognitive dissonance is impressive.
Yeah its worth 4x of my current car which works fine but Jones have a new car so its time to upgrade to a iCar. I have to take a large loan for it thats $1K+ a month plus insurance on a $70K car, but saving in petrol are worth it…
Things made in china with someone overlooking quality control can be done very well. Things made in china with no one giving two hoots about quality control, generally ends badly.
It's worth joining the Tesla Model 3 & Y Australia FB group, lots of info there from actual owners (or future owners).
From my experience:
– Charging anxiety: Not an issue for my trips around Victoria, enough superchargers and fast chargers (see ABRP or plugshare apps). The in car navigation only has superchargers though and will prepare the battery for faster charging. We've done 50kkm in it.
– FSD: If you really want to buy don't buy with the car (you'll get slugged extra LCT). Just buy it via the app later, if you feel that need. The general consensus is that it isn't worth it in Oz. The standard "autopilot/autosteer" system does adaptive cruise control and lane keep. FSD in Oz does auto lane change on freeways (navigate on autopilot), stopping at traffic lights/signs, auto park and what not, with more functionality available "in two weeks time"…
– No service intervals. You'll need to rotate & change tyres, cabin filters, wipers but that's about it. No oil changes, inspections, etc.
– Premium connectivity gives you access to Spotify (no need to have your own account), live traffic view, satellite view and access to Netflix (you'll need your own account) via the in-car 3G/4G and (soon, "in two weeks") live sentry view. Phone app connectivity is included with the car.
– That I would be fighting who gets to drive the car…
Good luck!
This is beautiful information. Thank you very much
I did not know you could buy FSD after purchasing the car? I assumed the cameras and sensors needed for it are Not on the car?? Am I wrong about that?
All cameras and sensors are included in all Model 3s and you can just buy FSD whenever you want. Even heated rear seats were included in what used to be the base model (SR+) even though they weren't enabled.
@Mikeee: That's insane. I've never heard of a manufacturer including the hardware and having it able to paid for and be activated after purchase.
@Herbse: Welcome to the new micro transaction/DLC/expansion payment system for cars. Soon, you won’t have anything in your car that you can use without a subscription.
@pegaxs: Yes I'm slowly seeing that turning into the case. Like the recent Toyota debacle regarding remote start through a subscription.
Will be interesting to see how far it goes.
@Herbse: BMW have done this for years with the indicator app. Didn't advertise it sufficiently, so there was very limited uptake. Hardware was actually installed during build.
Charging anxiety. Is the in car system easy to calculate and judge how far you can go and how long you need to charge for to get somewhere?
I had a model 3 for about 18 months. Never had any issues with charge anxiety, drove about 40k km in that time. SA/NSW/ACT etc, charged at home (got lucky at the apartments we own in the city and had free charging courtesy of an unmetered electrical supply but don't count on that lol)
Speaking of ACT if you have a company or business there worthwhile registering there due to tax advantaged (no stamp duty etc) and also now no VIC per km fee which you get charged even if the majority of your driving is out of state. Ridiculous.
Australian version has all of that as of year before last. Also navigate on autopilot on highway etc. I think it's reasonable if it came with the vehicle but not sure how much I would miss it to pay 10 grand again.
Tires will be your biggest issue if you had a P3 like me (performance) but I got the 18' wheels from tsportline letting me downgrade from 20s to Pilot Sport 4s in 18" big difference in road noise etc.
What does the premium service give you access to? Is it phone app connectivity?
Spotify and streaming netflix not off wifi etc. If you buy a vehicle made I believe before mid-2019 it's grandfathered. Otherwise about 9 dollars a month?
The phone app is included no matter what.
Is there anything you regret not knowing before purchasing?
I would have told myself to stop buying useless accessories and obsessing about the car before its arrival. I swear I had a full room of just accessories for a car that hadn't even arrived.
I liked the performance but I am taller and being a sedan it's obv smaller. I got the white interior which was fun and no complaints there. Now knowing what I know I might have just got a base model but once you test the performance it's addictive.
Feel free to ask any other questions.
Thanks heaps mate. This is good info.
When you get the car, do you get the charging cables and power outlets the car needs for the house? Or are these things seperate?
Can I take this with me to charge at a holiday house or friends house?
You get a portable charger but no longer get a wall charger.
The portable charger will do 10 or 15A and I used an RV 10A to 15A adapter as most PowerPoints will do slightly more than 10.
The home charger is either single phase or 3 phase max appx 7kw charge on single. Given it will accept ccs2 you can use any brand.
Note when I say charger it’s really just a simple way of saying EVSE and triggers the EV Nuts as for AC Charging the actual charger is built in to the car.
Their FSD mode
Just drive the fu@$ing car. Why keep your hands on the wheel continuously second quessing what the car may or may not do and be prepared to intervene at anytime?
You are the licensed driver. Drive it. It will actually take less brain power to exercise your license and use pre-existing skills. If you can't do that then got off the bloody road.
When all cars are self driving and communicating with each other then that's a different story. Commercial airlines are effectively like this today once airborne and accidents mostly happen when humans intervene.
I have performance cars to enjoy driving and for track and skid pan days.
For my daily drive, long drives and with the family. I love tech and learning and sewing how they work and what they're capable off.
I currently have lane centering and Radar cruise in my car and love what it can do. I use them 90% of the time.
I'm super fascinated by what the fsd capabilities are, so it's more like a hobby and interest to me.
In the US you can get an FSD subscription: https://www.tesla.com/support/full-self-driving-subscription…
Not in Oz at the moment though.
If you like tech, you'll like that the car gets better with free software updates every 2-4 weeks. My 2019 model is a better car with 5% more horsepower now thanks to software updates.
@Mikeee: That's amazing. I love the tesla model of the car getting continuous updates ratehr than the buyer being forced to buy a brand new car because the next model has a slightly better software features
Charging anxiety
If you put a destination into the map, it will automatically calculate based on your current battery level, whether you need to charge to get there or not, and will include a supercharger stop in the routing if necessary. It will also tell you how long it expects you will need to stop for. If you are using more than the car expects (e.g. going faster or higher vehicle weight) it will divert you if necessary.
Caveat: It doesn't do this with non-Tesla fast chargers (of which there are quite a few) - that's normally not an issue unless you go out of supercharger coverage.
FSD
The important thing to remember is that at the moment, you are still driving the car and legally responsible, the tech is assisting you. So it's all legal.
Everything listed on the website is what the car currently has access to (so that includes auto lane change, etc). Some features are included without FSD (e.g. Autopilot, which keeps the car within the lane on highways) but FSD is needed for most of the fancier stuff.
If you pay for FSD now, you're buying a lot of these fancy features, and the ability to get full-self driving later. A lot of people opt not to get it initially and wait until it is actually available (you can buy it as a software upgrade later).
Servicing
There is no scheduled servicing. The car can be remotely diagnosed if necessary. You'll get alerts on the screen if there is anything detected for which you may need a service appointment.
Premium service
It gives you access to use the data connection for high-traffic things like satellite maps, streaming music services, YouTube/Netflix etc.
Other basic stuff (normal maps, software updates, access via Tesla phone app etc.) will still work without it.
Also when you are at home or otherwise connected to wifi, all the "premium" services will then work, through that wifi connection. You can set up your mobile phone as a wifi hotspot and connect the car to that, and it will work when you're driving. Of course then the data used comes off your mobile plan, but I think apart from that it's identical to the premium connectivity, except when you are away from the car the passengers can't watch Netflix :)
Is there anything you regret not knowing before purchasing?
I don't know yet :) But I have been absorbing info about the car and the order process for a while now so I hope I haven't missed anything obvious!
Thanks mate. Great info.
Been meaning to ask, since there is zero petrol bill, how much does the electricity bill go up by? If comparing vehicle petrol bill vs vehicle electricity bill, which would be cheaper per month? Thx
Talking to someone who has had their M3 for a little longer than I have, they did 2200 KM of driving in December. Their electricity cost for charging the car for December was $81. That $81 figure does not include when the car is charged during the day and solar is being generated at home, it gets a little difficult to calculate that.
I did some calcs based on $1.50/L petrol, car getting 9L/100km, electric car using 0.18 kWh/km.
@ 32c/kWh, it is 42% the cost of petrol
@ 15c/kWh it is 20% the cost of petrol
@ 8.5c/kWh it is 11% the cost of petrol
Those electricity prices are my peak, off-peak, and solar feed-in rates.
Almost all of my charging is at a mix of 2nd and 3rd rate (solar or off-peak).
I've just recalculated it to use $1.80/L petrol and electric car using 0.15 kWh/km (Tesla Model 3 is more efficient than the car I was comparing to)
The comparison is now:
@ 32c/kWh, it is 30% the cost of petrol
@ 15c/kWh it is 14% the cost of petrol
@ 8.5c/kWh it is 8% the cost of petrol
This deal is getting better all the time!
[EDIT: just realised I was using last years power prices, mine have now dropped!]
@ 30c/kWh, it is 27.5% the cost of petrol
@ 14c/kWh it is 13% the cost of petrol
@ 6.5c/kWh it is 6% the cost of petrol
Yes, I got the Ozbargain version of the Model 3 on Christmas Eve last year (ex demo SR+, white with aero wheel covers) I love it.
What to look out for before buying a Tesla Model 3
Uhmm… panel gaps?
and uhmm… paying for every other worthwhile feature?
If you own a Tesla Model 3, tell us about your experience.
Maybe the person on the front page of the news today can share…
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/woman-in-critica…
she was driving her white Tesla Model 3 on autopilot at the time of the collision.
.
Ms Agrawal’s partner, who returned with her to the scene, told Nine News the collision was “just a normal accident, it happens every day”.
Worth reading up on the build quality and the experiences some people have had with that.
Has anyone gone from a sporty manual car to an EV? Any regrets?
I'm like one of the commenters above where I've held off buying a car for over a decade now (mostly shared or test driven). I really enjoy driving manual hot hatches or sport cars, but can't logically justify getting one, especially if it is going to cost an arm and a leg to run.
I've driven the Model 3 performance and that is good fun, even in the twisties - but less exhilarating than in a manual car.