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$35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now

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Re: $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now

#681

Post by dkasper »

dwild wrote: post #663
londons_explore wrote: post #575

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder what an efficient car delivery service could cost? A car transporter carries 11 cars and can drive say 500 miles per day at a cost of $500 per day (including driver, fuel, and vehicle rental). If the average delivery distance from factory to customer is 1500 miles, then transport cost works out to $136. Add to that the 'last mile delivery' which is probably going to involve a $20 per hour employee driving to…

> A car transporter carries 11 cars and can drive say 500 miles per day at a cost of $500 per day (including driver, fuel, and vehicle rental). That feel to me awfully low. Can you be more specific on how you get to $500 for all that? Renting a car can cost me more than 100$ a day for similar distances. I can't imagine 11x that would cost less than half of it and on top of that include the wage of someone that have t…

Definitely seems low to me too. It could be almost $500 in fuel alone to drive 500 miles in a truck.

Re: $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now

#682

Post by olyjohn »

MPSimmons wrote: post #521
donarb wrote: post #404

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Middlemen help you buy a car from competing dealers. Buying only from Tesla means you can’t negotiate for a better price.

When you buy a laptop from HP, do you negotiate with the web form? If you went into an HP store (assuming there was one), would you negotiate with them there? This doesn't make sense to me.

When we make large purchases from HP, Dell, Microsoft, you're damn right we negotiate the rates and get discounts. If you're making a purchase that is a large percentage of your budget, you'd be stupid to not try.

When you're buying one laptop, of course not. You're talking a $3000 purchase vs a $40,000+ purchase. You negotiate on cars, because getting a thousand or two off is a huge deal for a lot of people.

The "No haggle" thing that Tesla is doing works fine for their $60,000-$120,000 cars. People spending that kind of cash on a car are probably not going to bat an eye at an extra thousand or two. Anybody spending that much money on a car isn't buying it because they have a limited budget, and are not trying to maximize their value.

I don't think it's going to work as well on their lower priced cars. People who don't have a $50-60k budget for a car don't have tons of money to throw around.

Re: $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now

#683

Post by webXL »

icelancer wrote: post #572
pembrook wrote: post #548

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know if you've heard, but the Chevrolet Bolt has been out for years now, and is also all-electric. MSRP has been about $30k after the federal tax credit. I'd say its more likely we aren't in awe because the Model 3 has been overpromised and the "mass-market EV" feat has already been accomplished by someone else. Of course, most people are like you in that they don't know that. Because GM is hilariously bad at…

The Bolt is not even close to the Model 3 in terms of power, looks, interior, ICE, etc. Model 3 sold nearly 40k cars through 2018 and the Bolt sold fewer than 9k. To call the Bolt a failure of marketing might be true but it ignores the fact that it is simply worse than the Model 3 in essentially 100% of the areas they overlap. If the Bolt is "mass-market EV" the definition of "mass-market" needs to be revisited.

The main reasons to drive a Bolt are environmental and convenience of charging vs. filling up. The Model 3 looks and drives a lot better than most cars and has the added benefit of OTA updates. The downside is service though. Hopefully that's fixed by the time I need to use it.

BTW, Tesla sold a lot more than 40k model 3s in 2018. It was over 130k. Bolt was about 20k.

Re: $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now

#684

Post by outworlder »

BoorishBears wrote: post #633
eatbitseveryday wrote: post #391

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pay in cash? I find it hard to argue for getting a car loan when the car's value is above a certain amount. Certainly if the car provides value greater than it is worth (i.e., ability to provide mobility to/from employment location) but a Tesla is more in the "luxury" category.

Sooo many people saying this not understanding that tying up 60 thousand dollars in a depreciating asset in one go when interest rates are hovering a little above 2% shows a certain level of financial illiteracy that is not conducive to getting good returns on your money.

If 'finantial literacy' is an issue, why would these people (or anyone else for that matter) buy a new car? They are taking the massive first year depreciation hit.

Re: $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now

#685

Post by nojvek »

> Tesla is committed to making not just the best electric cars, but the best cars, period. And our products are the reason we continue to rank #1 in Consumer Reports owner satisfaction survey and have every single year since Tesla was first eligible to be included in 2013

I am making a bold prediction. Tesla may or may not go under water, but when they are short on funds Apple will acquire them.

Apple’s whole brand is built on making the best hardware and software and weaving them to a great user experience.

With billions of dollars in the bank, Apple would be stupid to not do it.

Re: $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now

#686

Post by webXL »

tranchms wrote: post #419
nickik wrote: post #222

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is that the battery IP is owned by Tesla at least in part. So its not Panasonic producing Panasonic batteries in a Tesla building but rather its Panasonic building Tesla batteries in Tesla building. Panasonic could not just sell these same batteries to others.

That’s not correct. Panasonic owns the IP for these batteries. They have a contract with Tesla to produce for them, but Tesla’s demand is so high they can’t produce enough. Production is 24/7. Even if Panasonic wanted to they couldn’t sell to anyone else. I don’t know what kind of price negotiations they have, but current battery production is not profitable. This I know. Also, Panasonic just partnered with Toyota to…

Given that Tesla says they can deliver a $35k model 3 to you in 2 weeks, I'd say they better be able to produce enough. Perhaps we'll see that delivery window slowly increase.

Don't they just need to keep leasing them more space at the factory? What's the bottleneck there?

Re: $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now

#687

Post by sjm-yc-acct »

mikeash wrote: post #673
sjm-yc-acct wrote: post #670

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks, this is an interesting insight. Still, looking at aircraft with flat screen "glass cockpits" without HUD, they tend to follow the Model S pattern: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cessna_Citation_Mustang#/media... Critical displays and controls in front of the pilot, other controls readily accessible by feel/muscle memory. Aircraft designers tend to be very conservative due to safety, but cars involve safety con…

I’m not sure it’s comparable. There’s a lot of information you need to keep an eye on when flying. Speed, altitude, attitude, coordination, heading, position, etc. Lose track of any of those and you can get behind the airplane and crash. In a car, you sorta need to know your speed, and that’s it. Even speed is not entirely necessary. In an ICE car you also might want to keep an eye on engine RPM, oil temperature, and…

I have spent a little time flying in the left seat and right seat of real single engine aircraft (although I have never been in any Tesla.) I would say it's comparable, but a matter of degree. It is true that there is a much higher workload on the a/c pilot, especially on taxiing, takeoff, and landing. Pilots rely completely on their instruments during IFR.

I have the feeling safety would be an issue if I was fumbling around for the defroster menu item in the mountains rather than having it at hand when my windshield was rapidly fogging up--in any vehicle. (Ask me about my trip to Laramie, WY last week.) Driving off a cliff would be a bad day, too. What about the battery overheating indicator? I would rather that be in front of me too in an electric car. A chime could help in this situation, but what if people where honking at you while seeing smoke coming from your vehicle?

BTW, did you notice the redundant mechanical instrument cluster in the Cessna Mustang (located above the display with the map)--another design element that increases safety if you have a primary display failure...

Re: $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now

#688

Post by webXL »

gowld wrote: post #188
_s wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Absolutely - I made a comment a few years ago around the Model S pricing when they compared it to a E or S class Mercedes. The base price of a given vehicle is $35k, and then I'd spend either $1500/yr on fuel and maintenance o, or $500/yr on fuel and maintenance if it's - for example - electric, on top the of the base price. Spending $1000 less per year does not magically mean the car is now $34k. If anything, the pr…

The offical website Model S price built in a deduction for an estimate of billable income you could make by working instead of waiting next to your car while you fill the gas tank .

Time is money. This is why most companies pay out unused vacation time when your employment ends.

Re: $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now

#689

Post by crowdpleaser »

natch wrote: post #209
codeulike wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So presumably they are hoping many $35k buyers will be tempted by the $37k which presumably has a better margin for Tesla

At only $2,000 more I doubt it has a better margin. I think they just want more buyers to be happier with their purchase, while still providing the $35k option they promised for those who prefer to stick strictly to that price regardless of features.

It probably does have a larger margin, you'd be shocked at how little it costs automakers to add some features / content. IIRC, an Escalade's interior costs ~$1,000 more to manufacturer than a Suburban's interior. The rule of thumb in trucks is that interior upgrades usually carry a 75%-90% margin for the manufacturer - in some cases, the lower trims actually cost more to build because they're such low volume configurations that the complexity in the supply chain / manufacturing process costs more than the savings of cheaper goods.

Re: $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now

#690

Post by xedeon »

spectrum1234 wrote: post #595
steelframe wrote: post #485

Current Tesla Model X owner. Wanted to replace our other car (ICE) with an EV. Sat in the Model 3 for exactly 15 seconds before I said, "Nope!" Never warmed up to the whole "must hit GUI elements on an LCD with my finger while driving" thing Tesla has going on for almost anything you want to do: A/C, headlights, suspension height, whatever. Interior is still second-rate. Steering column adjustment was a joke. The int…

Wow I am amazed by this comment. For me its a none issue. How often do you adjust the steering column? I did it 4 months ago and just use my profile to drive now. Headlights are automatic..., A/C is one click to turn on and a long press to turn off.

This desire for a HUD frequently comes up. Yet, many of the owners I talked to both in person and in forums or have posted video reviews all say that it a non-issue.

After driving it for a few weeks, they said that they actually appreciated the overall spartan interior experience.

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