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$35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now

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251–260 of 741 posts

Re: $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now

#251
post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think they both deserve credit, in reality returning a 30 thousand dollar object is never going to be smooth. The finance has already written you a check, they’ve already done all this leg work. You’ve already driven it, if you’re purchasing it in earnest you might have already invested in charging infrastructure for your home, a whole laundry list of friction. Then there’s what happens to the car you returned. I w…

Once you drive it, you are not going to want to return it, so all this is moot for most people.

I drove a Model S. None of my cars is a Model S.

I remember the “salesperson” talking about how quiet it was as wind noise whistled through the cabin like we were in a Corolla. The A4 I was driving at the time was immensely quieter at highway speeds but I nodded and played along.

I’m convinced the aspirational status of Teslas means people who haven’t experienced actual luxury vechicles are buying into the hype that Tesla is somehow peak luxury, or even deserves to be called luxury outside of pricing (especially when you compare a Model S to it's price-mates)

Which leads to hyperbolic statements like this one.

Re: $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now

#252
post #207
post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>It can be somewhat misleading at times but I get the rationale. “Somewhat misleading”? Acting as though money saved on gas reduces your purchase price somehow is just straight up lying. The car still costs $35k when you sign on the dotted line, gas costs don’t factor into that at all. If you want to talk how much it’ll cost you after n years of ownership, talking about gas costs is perfectly valid. Purchase price th…

Disagree. Electric vehicles have a very different cost structure than gas vehicles. For vast majority of buyers this will be their first electric vehicle and market education needs to be done. There's 90+ years of gas vehicle culture education to un-do here. Total Cost of Ownership is a legit (and even preferred) way to represent cost in most industries. It's just not common in consumer purchasing. This is a variant…

The price of the car is X.

You don't get to SUBTRACT the cost of gas from X.

You can compare X to some other car's (Y + Gas).

Re: $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now

#253
post #208
post #30

Tesla had to do this. They've filled the order backlog of customers who were willing to pay more than $35K. They still have many on the list who are only willing to pay the original $35K. So it's sell at $35K, cut production, or park the unsold cars in a lot. Happens all the time in automotive. Big question is, does Tesla make a profit at that price? $8K more for 50% more battery. Or $24K for an entire large battery.…

I don't think they currently had to do this, they have just started delivery in Europe and China and there is significant demand for the higher priced models so that they could continue to do this. I see it more as them wanting to show again that they could build up a huge order backlog as that something that pretty much no other car company can do. That would help them with the market and potential future loans.

Demand has collapsed in the US for model 3 and looks incredibly weak in Europe and China at this point. There is no reason for this across the board price cut other than weak demand.

Re: $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now

#254
post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Errr what? The base Tesla comes with almost no features at all.

Re: $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now

#255
post #244

This is kind of infuriating. I just took delivery of my AWD Long Range end of December and $3000 less even when you take into consideration my tax credit. And to top it off, the RWD Long Range and Performance are getting firmware updates that give them extra speed (in the case of Performance) or range (in the case of RWD) but mine is getting... "about a 5% increase in power" whatever that means. I get paying extra to…

If you wait for everything to get cheaper or better, you'll never get anything, cuz likely there's always something better coming next year. I think when making purchases, it's helpful to be able to ask "is this a fair trade for me right now?" If it's no, don't get it. If it's yes, then when you complain to yourself or feel that you've been treated unfairly, the 2nd voice in your head should be saying "this was a fai…

I understand that but we're talking three months here and a 20% drop in price for an identical product. This is not like a new iPhone.

I owe the bank more than the car is worth NEW. Or close to it.[0]

So effectively, Tesla has tanked the resale value of the asset. So the $3000 isn't even the half of it. I am now also depreciated by that much more.

[0] I haven't done the math, I may be be slightly bellow by a few hundred bucks.

Edit: Removed the use of the word "underwater". Per sokolof's correct statement, it's a car, you're pretty much under water the second you drive off the lot.

Re: $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now

#256

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> buying a $35,000 Tesla has the equivalent cost of ownership of buying a $26,950 ICE car. It's not a massive amount of mental gymnastics. But only if you arbitrarily include the difference in fuel costs, which makes Tesla look cheaper, and exclude the differences in insurance and maintenance costs, which make Tesla look more expensive.

My experience is that insurance is the same and maintenance is cheaper with an electric vehicle.

But insurance is cheaper for a $26k car than a $35k car.

Re: $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now

#257

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People like to abuse and overuse the cliche about “drinking the Kool-Aid,” but this right here is a great example of when it is warranted. This feeling you’re having is the result of not having taken “crazy pills” in the first place; it’s the feeling of looking at a cult from the outside. To be clear, I like the Model S and appreciate what Tesla has done to popularize EVs in some circles, but that’s not a ticket to b…

I'm in the "cult" and still have those "feelings" you refer to. This pricing needs to go. It does not line up with Tesla's overall brand and image.

For many people (myself included), misleading communications practices seem to line up perfectly with Tesla's and Musk's overall image.

I love what they've accomplished in the field; the cars are genuinely very good; the exaggerations and outright lies are unnecessary and therefore infuriating to watch...

Re: $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now

#258
post #9

Interesting to point out that the $35k is the full price, which goes down when additional discounts are applied. If you get the short range model with no options, it starts out at $35k, then goes down all the way to $24,950 after including the $3,750 Federal tax credit, $2,000 New York EV rebate (clearly it's geolocating by IP address here), and "$4,300 estimated 6 year gas savings". OK, so that last bit is BS, and i…

For the record, the federal tax credit becomes $1,875 on July 1st, and $0 on January 1st 2020.

Re: $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now

#259
post #221
post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does it matter to the victim who is at fault? ...also, there's a $1,200 delivery fee. Is this the new "restock fee"? it is conveniently left out of the marketing materials.

Cars have always had delivery fees. Delivering something that weighs several tons is not cheap.

It has wheels.

Re: $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now

#260
post #221
post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does it matter to the victim who is at fault? ...also, there's a $1,200 delivery fee. Is this the new "restock fee"? it is conveniently left out of the marketing materials.

Cars have always had delivery fees. Delivering something that weighs several tons is not cheap.

I have never once paid a delivery fee for a new car. I do not know anyone who has bought a non-luxury car that has paid a delivery fee for a car.

OTOH, I do know many people who paid delivery fees for customized luxury cars. The $35k Model 3, however, is not a luxury car and is barely customizable, even to the extent of available add-on packages.

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