# Advice on Buying



## Darkmann (11 mo ago)

I finally drove a Model 3 (Dual Motors, xtended range) today. I think I’ll buy but would like to know what to watch out for, or what options (if any) to just add now. I’m not an auto-pilot fan, so I’m not adding that option. To be honest, the design has never been my taste, but it’s hard to ignore the meaning and impact of this car. Earlier versions I looked at (maybe 4+ yrs ago) seem to have fit issues - the one I drove today was very well put together. Obviously there’s been improvements over the years. The interior is very simplistic, but functional. Legroom is limited on the driver’s side (especially for tall people), on one I drove. I do a lot of highway, interstate driving. I intend to use the Model 3 for short - medium driving (under 200 miles, one way). So, tell me what I am missing. Thanks.


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## BrianC (Aug 14, 2021)

I'm sure others will chime in here but the waiting, oh the waiting... your estimated delivery date will wander back and forth like a drunk on a bender. As to the legroom, I'm 6 feet tall and had no issue with that when test driving the Model 3. If you're taller, could be an issue but I can't speak to it. Fit and finish on my new Model Y is great. I had read all of the same concerns and was worried, but no issues with that for me. Some terminology clarifications... Autopilot comes standard now, FSD is the extra $12,000. Lots of discussion about that on here, but I didn't order it. I don't see a product worth 12k there, even if it was within my budget. As to which version, I would go with the long range option. With your 200 mile one way trip, having more of a buffer is desirable (yes, 267 on the standard model reads like it is enough but its nice to have the spare range so you have more options if you want to take a side track on the way). Plus EPA rated miles and real miles are not the same. Also, shaving that 1.6 seconds off of the 0-60 time... much more fun.  And if you like the go pedal even more there's the Performance option which shaves another 1.1 seconds, gets you some sexier wheels and loses about 20 miles of range. Its really all about your preferences.


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## FRC (Aug 4, 2018)

Fitment doesn't seem to be an issue much any more. Occasionally paint issues still pop up and with new eastern US deliveries soon coming out of Austin, fitment could become an issue to watch out for again. Obviously your most appropriate charging solution should be addressed. The car comes with a Mobile Charging Connector, a 115v adapter, and a J1772 adapter. If you own a home, at-home charging is one of the bigger reasons to own a Tesla. The cost of electricity at home can be as little as 1/4 of the equivalent cost of Gas. And the convenience of leaving home with a full "tank" every morning is hard to beat.

Generally, I suggest that buyers wait a bit to install any potentially expensive charging solution. For most people, plugging into a regular wall outlet, which produces 4-5 miles per hour of charge will do. But it sounds like you expect to make routine longer trips, so a beefier charging solution might be needed. For most people a 50 amp outlet is relatively easy and inexpensive to install and produces about 30 MPH of charge. The 14/50 adapter is available for $35 from Tesla. You can also invest in a Tesla wall charger for $500-600, but I think it's unnecessary (many here will disagree).

Keep in mind, your 400 mile round trip will require at least one charging stop. The current advertised range (335?) is not usually attainable in normal driving conditions. Speed, weather, altitude, and interior comfort can all adversely affect your range. You can achieve rated range, but you likely won't. Expect about 80% conservatively. Also you'll never use 100% of battery capacity. Most of the time you'll operate somewhere in the 10%-90% range. So that rated range drops quite a bit when you convert it to effective range. 335 x .8 x .8 = 215. Luckily a stop to top up rarely takes more than 15 minutes, so range is a small issue.

Driving a Tesla can be intimidating at first, but you'll quickly get the hang of it and you'll love the experience. Welcome to the family.

[edit] You're the first I've heard mention leg room issues up front. I'm just over 6' and like to sit way back. I have 3 extra inches back I could go, but then I can't reach the steering wheel. I wonder if your test drive was in a car with mis-calibrated seats. Re-calibration is a cinch.


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## SalisburySam (Jun 6, 2018)

Darkmann said:


> Legroom is limited on the driver's side


6'2" here, no issues with legroom for me in the seat position I have set. Works for both local and long trips. This is of course a personal preference.


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## Brenkj (Sep 2, 2021)

Do it! It's my favorite purchase, of any type, I've ever made. I wasn't crazy about the body style at first either, but I've warmed up to it. Plus, the performance far outweighs any qualms I have about the appearance. 

One option re. the wait time is to lurk on the website. Occasionally someone orders a car, but then once it arrives, they can't buy it for some reason. Those cars go into the new inventory (and are generally snatched up within minutes of hitting the web). I put down a deposit and got a 3-month wait time. So I went online and figured out the zip codes for several of the Tesla dealerships. 3 or 4 times a day, I spent 5 minutes searching on the Tesla site for new Model 3's in those zip codes. After about 3 days of doing this, I found the exact car I ordered at a Tesla dealership about 1,000 miles away. I had to pay a $500 transport fee, but I got my car in about 10 days rather than 3 months. One word of advice - call your Tesla advisor and ask to transfer to that new car, which will save you your deposit you placed on your original order. I didn't know about that and I wasn't able to get my deposit back on the one I ordered, which was a bit disappointing.


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## Darkmann (11 mo ago)

Thanks all, very helpful hints. I agree that the legroom thing may have been from a seat not being correctly recalibrated.

FRC, I like the way you breakdown the charging solutions. Very helpful.

A couple more questions I forgot to ask in my original post:

Are the seats leather or "leatherette?" The one I drove looked like leather, but felt like simulated leather
I don't recall whether or not the one I drove had black outside door trimming (rain gutter). Most of the ones I see are silver. I like the black trim. Is black trim a special option for the M3?


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## Darkmann (11 mo ago)

Brenkj said:


> Do it! It's my favorite purchase, of any type, I've ever made. I wasn't crazy about the body style at first either, but I've warmed up to it. Plus, the performance far outweighs any qualms I have about the appearance.
> 
> One option re. the wait time is to lurk on the website. Occasionally someone orders a car, but then once it arrives, they can't buy it for some reason. Those cars go into the new inventory (and are generally snatched up within minutes of hitting the web). I put down a deposit and got a 3-month wait time. So I went online and figured out the zip codes for several of the Tesla dealerships. 3 or 4 times a day, I spent 5 minutes searching on the Tesla site for new Model 3's in those zip codes. After about 3 days of doing this, I found the exact car I ordered at a Tesla dealership about 1,000 miles away. I had to pay a $500 transport fee, but I got my car in about 10 days rather than 3 months. One word of advice - call your Tesla advisor and ask to transfer to that new car, which will save you your deposit you placed on your original order. I didn't know about that and I wasn't able to get my deposit back on the one I ordered, which was a bit disappointing.


Neat trick! Thanks.


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

Darkmann said:


> Are the seats leather or "leatherette?" The one I drove looked like leather, but felt like simulated leather


It's fake leather.


Darkmann said:


> I don't recall whether or not the one I drove had black outside door trimming (rain gutter). Most of the ones I see are silver. I like the black trim. Is black trim a special option for the M3?


The Model 3 originally came with chrome (aluminum?) trim.
At some point, they switched over to black trim.
So if you're ordering a new car, it will have black trim.


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## FRC (Aug 4, 2018)

Darkmann said:


> Thanks all, very helpful hints. I agree that the legroom thing may have been from a seat not being correctly recalibrated.
> 
> FRC, I like the way you breakdown the charging solutions. Very helpful.
> 
> ...


1- Leatherette (maybe they call it Pleather?). I think it performs better than leather, and I've been a leather man all my adult life. I have almost 110K miles on my white seats with nary an issue, No stains, no creases, no cracks. But I hear that jeans can cause stains, I don't wear jeans.

2- The black trim is not an option. Silver was standard early on and changed to black being standard with the 20 or 21?? model year.

edit- I said almost the same thing as @garsh, he types faster than me!


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## Darkmann (11 mo ago)

One more question - Are heated seats, front and back, standard?


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## TrevP (Oct 20, 2015)

I have my third Tesla on order right now. The cars are amazing but the worst part is the *WAITING*. Demand is insane right now and made worse by the pandemic and supply chain pressures. If you're on the fence I'd highly suggest you order ASAP otherwise you could be waiting even longer. Gas prices have skyrocketed and there's mounting evidence that Tesla demand is going to go even higher with so many people getting fed up with literally burning money in their cars. Gas at $6-7 a gallon is finally pushing people to smarten up and finally make the switch


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## Darkmann (11 mo ago)

Just to say thanks to all. I ordered a M3 last week, xtended, 4WD. ETA is sometime in May 2022. Your suggestions and responses to my questions were extremely valuable to this purchase.


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## Darkmann (11 mo ago)

Again, thanks to all for your help. I pick up my M3 tomorrow, almost exactly 4 months after I put my order in.

Lately I have been reading about Tesla factory issues. So, what should I look out for when I pick up the car. The pick-up/service location is 2.5 hrs from me, so it would be in my interest to catch any QA issues and arrange to fix at pick-up.

I probably should have posted this a couple days ago, but I’ll read your responses during my 2.5 hrs drive to pick up the car.

Thanks and have a wonderful weekend.


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## Bigriver (Jan 26, 2018)

Darkmann said:


> The pick-up/service location is 2.5 hrs from me, so it would be in my interest to catch any QA issues and arrange to fix at pick-up.


Oh that would make so much sense, but I’ve never heard of Tesla ever fixing anything at time of delivery. They just seem to expect a subsequent service appointment to deal with any punch list. Hopefully you won’t have any items, or hopefully there is a mobile ranger who would be able to deal with them.

The only item that I immediately think of is to make sure it has a mobile charger, since I think you ordered before the cutoff when they said they wouldn’t include it. Oh, and also the USB in the glove box. 

There used to be a lot of delivery checklists that people made. Off-hand I’ve not seen any of those updated lately, but I’ve not gone looking.

Good luck and wishing you a great delivery experience.


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

The main things to check for would be anything that could happen after you leave the lot (and therefore, blamed on you if you don't catch it at delivery). So look for damage and scratches to the paint, and any tears in the interior.


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## Darkmann (11 mo ago)

Got the car yesterday - nice little ride, a bit noisy on highway. It does have 2 USB-C in the center console, 2 USB-C for backseat passengers at the rear of the center console and x1 USB 2.0 in the glove box. The car feels solid and well put together. Unfortunately, I can see some misalignment at the waistline where the doors meet and the fabric looking thing where the A-pillar meets the rest of the dash doesn’t seem to have been well trimmed. Bigriver, what is the mobile charger? Mine comes with a charger I can use at home (110V) and an adapter for interfacing with non-Tesla chargers.


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## FRC (Aug 4, 2018)

Darkmann said:


> Mine comes with a charger I can use at home (110V) and an adapter for interfacing with non-Tesla chargers.


That is your mobile charger. You can also get other heads in addition to the 110v head in order to charge faster at home. In addition to the 110v, I have a 20 amp, a 30 amp, and a 50 amp. My wife uses the 50 amp exclusively. It provides about 30 miles per hour of charge. The adapter you refer to is the J1772 and is does allow you to charge at non-tesla level2 chargers.


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## Darkmann (11 mo ago)

FRC said:


> That is your mobile charger. You can also get other heads in addition to the 110v head in order to charge faster at home. In addition to the 110v, I have a 20 amp, a 30 amp, and a 50 amp. My wife uses the 50 amp exclusively. It provides about 30 miles per hour of charge. The adapter you refer to is the J1772 and is does allow you to charge at non-tesla level2 chargers.


Thanks so much. Where do I get the additional heads?
Another question: Can I link my garage opener to the car?

Again, Thanks.


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## Bigriver (Jan 26, 2018)

Darkmann said:


> Thanks so much. Where do I get the additional heads?
> Another question: Can I link my garage opener to the car?
> 
> Again, Thanks.


In the Tesla app, tap the sillouette in the upper right, go to Tesla shop, and there you have a selection of Nema adapters.

For your garage door, you will need to purchase the Homelink at the Tesla shop. The price there includes Tesla’s installation.


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## Darkmann (11 mo ago)

Another Question - any cautions about running the car through a car wash?


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## FRC (Aug 4, 2018)

Darkmann said:


> Another Question - any cautions about running the car through a car wash?


This one's personal; many decry the drive thru/touch washes (especially black cars) because they can cause swirl marks in the paint. I personally don't find my Tesla paint any more susceptible than any other car I've owned. I use the "touch" car wash weekly and have for almost 4 years now.


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## Darkmann (11 mo ago)

FRC said:


> This one's personal; many decry the drive thru/touch washes (especially black cars) because they can cause swirl marks in the paint. I personally don't find my Tesla paint any more susceptible than any other car I've owned. I use the "touch" car wash weekly and have for almost 4 years now.


Thanks. I should have been more clear - I was concerned about high pressure water sprayed under the car. 

By the way, I am one of those with black cars. I don't use brushes on any of my vehicles - just the high pressure hand spray or hand wash.. My M3 is grey.


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## SalisburySam (Jun 6, 2018)

Darkmann said:


> Another Question - any cautions about running the car through a car wash?


Some owners view going through a car wash as a crime against nature, others, like me, do it all the time. I did the manual one- or two-bucket ONR/microfibers/waffle cloths/foam cannon tricks for about a year then decided that’s just ridiculous. For the last three years I’ve used a converyor/rotating brushes car wash with no noticeable ill effect, and roughly twice a month. YMMV. Do what you feel comfortable doing. As to cautions: turn off windshield wipers, set your side mirrors to geocode auto retract at the car wash location, and either use Car Wash Mode or as is the case locally, the manager of the car wash rides in the car through the conveyor to keep the vehicle in Neutral. They’ve done this for Teslas for years now and are aware of how this works.


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## Darkmann (11 mo ago)

Thanks so much everyone for really helpful ideas for living with my M3, picked up 07/24/22. This is not a review of the car, just questions so I can use the car to its full potential.

Pick-Up - Not impressed. Attendant left me and my wife hanging to attend to other customer. She asked us to go look at the car and that she'd meet us to go over everything. When I saw her attending another customer, I grabbed a tech and finished the deal, including having a full charge for my 2.5 Hrs home. This is likely a local thing. But, overall the pick-up process at this MD location is way simpler than I have experienced.
Issues - I have some, but that's another discussion.
What I'd like to know today is how to disable the driver' side mirror tilt function (in R) without disabling the passenger side as well. The mirror tilt function in R is more effective for the passenger side. In my M3, changing the tilt for one side changes for both. That's a safety concern. What am I missing?


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