Two years ago Teslas were cool. Superchargers were free, they didn't have any real competition, and the Model S cars were very high quality. But now superchargers are expensive to use, competition in the long-range EV space is ramping up dramatically, and the Model 3 is much less reliable than the Model S was. Seems like they're responding to softening demand. I hope they can stay in business, but it doesn't look good.
$35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now
381–390 of 741 posts
Re: $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now
#382Earlier quoted context omitted.
Eligibility for tax credits is unaffected by witholding rates or how large your end-of-year refund or liability is. And anyone who can afford a Tesla is sure to be paying enough income tax to get the full value of the EV credit.
Exactly. If it's only an edge case where your customers can't benefit (some retirees might have insufficient taxable income, but that's about it), it's fair to include it.
If you're retired, you'll do a Traditional->Roth IRA conversion to generate a tax liability for your EV or rooftop solar install.
Re: $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now
#383Earlier quoted context omitted.
> "financing for a car" ... "ding your credit score" To my mind the mere fact that someone would borrow money at all to buy _a car_ is a huge red flag against their creditworthiness / financial responsibility. But I keep reading online that people who otherwise seem pretty sensible do this as a matter of course. Is it possible that living in a city with functioning public transport has sheltered me to the point of na…
I could have paid cash for my cars. I chose payments because the rate was literally less than the investments returns I get on that cash. It’s all about opportunity cost. If you have better things to do with the cash then it makes sense to finance.
The fact that credit scoring cannot take this into account is another failure of credit scoring models.
Re: $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now
#384Re: $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now
#385Earlier quoted context omitted.
The gas savings is definitely shady. But including the federal tax credits and destination fee is fair I think. As far as I'm aware, no auto maker includes the destination/docs/handling fee in the MSRP. The Tesla fee amount is comparable to other automakers also (it's on the high side at $1,200; but it's not too different from Toyota's $930 and Honda's $920). Presuming your location due to geolocation is a bit too fa…
Is there a destination charge if you pick it up from the factory?
Yes. Federal regulations require the destination fee be separate but equal -- listed separately, but the same regardless of where it's bought (and the actual shipping cost for that particular car). So if you buy from the factory, you subsidize a buyer in Hawaii or Alaska, etc.
Re: $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now
#386Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's annoying that they don't make it more clear that's what they are doing, but the gas saving is a real thing. I used to spent $120 a month on gas, that went to $45 a month of electricity, then I got on a Time of Use plan where electricity is cheaper at night and now my monthly "fuel" cost is $15.
Yup, I was spending $400/mo on gas which is now close to $50/mo before you figure in oil change costs. Quite a few cars/trucks run synthetic these days which can really start adding up.
Not really. Oil changes (in a car comparable in size to Model 3) cost me about 50 USD per 25000 km, or 15000 mi, indeed because the oil is synthetic and fulfills certain criteria. In any case it's a rather insignificant amount compared to fuel costs, especially with fuel taxes as they are. If oil change costs start to add up, there's a significant possibility of you doing something wrong (including the choice of vehicle).
Re: $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now
#387Earlier quoted context omitted.
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…
>I remember the “salesperson” talking about how quiet it was as wind noise whistled through the cabin like we were in a Corolla. One slightly weird thing is that because there is no engine noise (other than a slight whine on heavy acceleration) all those other road noises become more noticeable and it seems noisier. I agree with the luxury vehicle thing, especially on the S. Mine had the seal between the window and t…
Most luxury cars have almost zero engine noise inside the cabin. Also at speeds over 20mph, wind noise is louder than engine noise outside the vehicle, so electric cars aren’t really quieter than ICE except in parking lots.
Re: $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now
#388Earlier quoted context omitted.
“Courageous” If anyone has ever had to cancel a car sale you’ll realize how much of a hassle it truely is to “return a car” Your credit report will show a loan even after it’s been cancelled for weeks. I once cancelled financing for a car due to it not being as described. Started looking for a new car and found it. Got denied for a loan because my score showed a 60k loan with 0 payments made. It took almost 2 months…
> "financing for a car" ... "ding your credit score" To my mind the mere fact that someone would borrow money at all to buy _a car_ is a huge red flag against their creditworthiness / financial responsibility. But I keep reading online that people who otherwise seem pretty sensible do this as a matter of course. Is it possible that living in a city with functioning public transport has sheltered me to the point of na…
The Auto Loan industry is huge. I would be surprised if more that 20% of the population could pay 35000 cash. Most people less that 40 barely have a liquid cash of 50K. To pull out 35K and regrow that remaining 15K back to 50K would take a year for someone making 100K. Instead you could take a loan which typically go for 3% for good credit, and keep that 50K in a high interest bank account (2% or more) and pay essentially a few hundred dollars over four years to make sure you have cash available for a true emergency. Why risk that. Obviously you could argue that someone with only 50K liquid cash shouldn't buy a 35K but that is not how our economy works. A few hundred bucks so you aren't broke is not crazy. Additionally in most of the country a car is essential to live, especially in suburbs and small communities. Everyone could buy a 15K corolla but everyone wants the cooler thing
Re: $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now
#389Earlier quoted context omitted.
“Courageous” If anyone has ever had to cancel a car sale you’ll realize how much of a hassle it truely is to “return a car” Your credit report will show a loan even after it’s been cancelled for weeks. I once cancelled financing for a car due to it not being as described. Started looking for a new car and found it. Got denied for a loan because my score showed a 60k loan with 0 payments made. It took almost 2 months…
if you are financing an (entry level) luxury car, you are doing something wrong.
See my comment above. I get better returns investing the cash than the interest that I pay.