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$35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now

tesla.com

141–150 of 741 posts

Re: $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now

#141

I wish they would hire the interior controls engineer that worked on the 8th gen. Mazda Protege. Simple, elegant, and ergonomic. That giant iPhone in the middle of the Tesla 3 puts a crick in my neck just from looking at the pictures.

But buy one and you will actually love it every day, says this TM3 owner.

Re: $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now

#142

It currently costs about $2.50 to manufacture a battery cell. There are 7,700 cells in a standard battery pack. That’s $19,250 in cells before battery pack assembly. I don’t know how they are making money on this. I’m inclined to believe they’re losing money, or someone is somewhere in the line. Maybe they expect those battery costs to decline rapidly in the near future? What do you think?

> There are 7,700 cells in a standard battery pack.

Wikipedia[1] says there are 2,976 in the mid-range pack and 4,416 cells in the long range pack.

If the short range has perhaps 2500, that's $6250

[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Model_3

Re: $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now

#144

I wish they would hire the interior controls engineer that worked on the 8th gen. Mazda Protege. Simple, elegant, and ergonomic. That giant iPhone in the middle of the Tesla 3 puts a crick in my neck just from looking at the pictures.

I am sure there will be other brands that will stick to the classic interior design for their EV's.

Re: $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now

#145
post #7

It's so shady that their advertised price includes some hypothetical "potential gas savings", and the actual price is behind a tiny "learn more" link.

I agree that it is unnecessary and borderline misleading. They will display the amount you actually have to pay, though. On the flip side: you don't have to deal with dealerships, which are _much worse_ You just configure the car, give your credit card information, and done. This is unlike most other manufacturers which, even if they do give you a quote, will then hand you off to shady salespeople.

I feel like I’m taking crazy pills now, who is paying for their car using a credit card?

I must just be out of touch.

Re: $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now

#147

"To achieve these prices while remaining financially sustainable, Tesla is shifting sales worldwide to online only. You can now buy a Tesla in North America via your phone in about 1 minute, and that capability will soon be extended worldwide. We are also making it much easier to try out and return a Tesla, so that a test drive prior to purchase isn’t needed. You can now return a car within 7 days or 1,000 miles for…

I would never buy something without a test drive. No level of return policy will be good enough.

Re: $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now

#148
post #7

It's so shady that their advertised price includes some hypothetical "potential gas savings", and the actual price is behind a tiny "learn more" link.

The real price is at the bottom of the page without having to click through, but yes, it's still really shady. No other car OEM does this.

Try buying a BMW with the $328/mo lease that they advertise every day. Tesla is waaaay less shady than any car maker. Their base model comes in with a LOT of features that other car makers will nickel and dime you to death. Example, LED lights.

Re: $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now

#149
post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Its shady, but its not hypothetical, having owned a Model S for 4 years, I’ve saved a ton on fuel.

By that standard, they should also incorporate an amortized cost of battery replacement in the price.

Over the timespan in which you'd have to replace it, and given future cost reductions in battery production, it's probably the same as the total cost of maintenance for a petrol car. The cost of getting a petrol car to 100k or the 10 year mark isn't cheap. Even a Toyota is going to run you like $5k. A BMW or Benz, probably closer to $15k. If you buy a used BMW 3 series for $20k today and keep it for 10 years the cost of maintenance + gas will be well over $20k. A lot of people greatly underestimate the total cost of ownership for a petrol vehicle. Best case scenario is you have to replace every moving part that isn't the engine itself. Worst case scenario is you have the replace the engine too.

Re: $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now

#150
post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Its shady, but its not hypothetical, having owned a Model S for 4 years, I’ve saved a ton on fuel.

If its your first car it makes absolutely no sense.

It is still a savings as you would have bought an ICE otherwise
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