Model 3 while I wait for cybertruck

Amongunz

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OK, so I am looking for honest opinions. I am trying to patiently wait for the cybertruck, but it will be a while as we all know. Thinking about depreciation of teslas and specifically, model 3.

Does it make sense to buy a model 3 to get in the game and simply sell when it's time for buying the cybertruck? I literally drive maybe 3k miles per year. 5k max, so I suspect, maybe I lose 5k due to depreciation.

Anyone else thinking the same?
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Diehard

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OK, so I am looking for honest opinions. I am trying to patiently wait for the cybertruck, but it will be a while as we all know. Thinking about depreciation of teslas and specifically, model 3.

Does it make sense to buy a model 3 to get in the game and simply sell when it's time for buying the cybertruck? I literally drive maybe 3k miles per year. 5k max, so I suspect, maybe I lose 5k due to depreciation.

Anyone else thinking the same?
I drive very little at the time and having a hard time to justify getting a between car but I did and still do think about it like you do. For some reason buying stuff always seem to be the solution to the problem, even if I am not sure what the problem is or if there is one at all.

If you have a good answer to the “why” question, you may have an answer to the question of if you should. Ok sit on the couch and tell me how these questions make you feel:

Are you itching to get a Tesla? Because they are cool? Because they are fast? Because they are green?

Are you itching to get an EV because you think you are killing the planet with every ICE mile? Or because you don’t want to be left behind? You don’t want to go to a gas station or change oil?

Does your current car have 300K on it and is about to blow up?

In short is it a need or just to put a smile on your face? Can you you cover the smile with something else?
 
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Amongunz

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I drive very little at the time and having a hard time to justify getting a between car but I did and still do think about it like you do. For some reason buying stuff always seem to be the solution to the problem, even if I am not sure what the problem is or if there is one at all.

If you have a good answer to the “why” question, you may have an answer to the question of if you should. Ok sit on the couch and tell me how these questions make you feel:

Are you itching to get a Tesla? Because they are cool? Because they are fast? Because they are green?

Are you itching to get an EV because you think you are killing the planet with every ICE mile? Or because you don’t want to be left behind? You don’t want to go to a gas station or change oil?

Does your current car have 300K on it and is about to blow up?

In short is it a need or just to put a smile on your face? Can you you cover the smile with something else?

Thanks for the reply and honesty. Honest answer.. There is no problem. This is purely a desire buy, although I am trying to minimize the loss understanding there will be some. I simply want a tesla.. No sugar coating that. I am not sure what will happen when the cybertruck becomes available. Maybe I simply stick to the model 3. Maybe I sell it.

My current vehicle has crazy resell value, so I am thinking about taking advantage of that now vs letting it depreciate more over the next 1.5 2 years while we wait for CT.
 

Crissa

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If you want to, do it. It doesn't make financial sense, no, but Tesla cars are some of the least depreciating on the market right now.

You can do the math, see what a two-year-old Model 3 is selling for now, and what it sold for new.

If you want to experience EV, Tesla is the cushiest way to do it ^-^

-Crissa
 

HaulingAss

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OK, so I am looking for honest opinions. I am trying to patiently wait for the cybertruck, but it will be a while as we all know. Thinking about depreciation of teslas and specifically, model 3.

Does it make sense to buy a model 3 to get in the game and simply sell when it's time for buying the cybertruck? I literally drive maybe 3k miles per year. 5k max, so I suspect, maybe I lose 5k due to depreciation.

Anyone else thinking the same?
If you drive that little the only way it makes sense to buy a Model 3 is because it's more fun. All bets are off if FSD happens before the Cybertruck because, if that happens (and you purchased the $10K FSD), your Model 3 will likely appreciate in value. But I would not gamble on that unless I was buying a Model 3 anyway, for other reasons.

Generally, a car is not an investment in anything except your transportation. I wouldn't buy it for environmental reasons either, because if you don't buy it, someone else will. And they will probably drive more miles than you. A low-mileage driver would do more good for the environment by wearing out a gas guzzler by letting it age and rust away while barely driving it much at all. That's the best way to retire old, dirty tech, use it in a low impact way until it's worthless.

edit: Having read your most recent addition, financially it might make sense to sell a high-worth gas car to buy a Model 3 for a couple of years. Because you will take depreciation either way.
 


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Amongunz

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If you drive that little the only way it makes sense to buy a Model 3 is because it's more fun. All bets are off if FSD happens before the Cybertruck because, if that happens (and you purchased the $10K FSD), your Model 3 will likely appreciate in value. But I would not gamble on that unless I was buying a Model 3 anyway, for other reasons.

Generally, a car is not an investment in anything except your transportation. I wouldn't buy it for environmental reasons either, because if you don't buy it, someone else will. And they will probably drive more miles than you. A low-mileage driver would do more good for the environment by wearing out a gas guzzler by letting it age and rust away while barely driving it much at all. That's the best way to retire old, dirty tech, use it in a low impact way until it's worthless.

edit: Having read your most recent addition, financially it might make sense to sell a high-worth gas car to buy a Model 3 for a couple of years. Because you will take depreciation either way.
If you want to, do it. It doesn't make financial sense, no, but Tesla cars are some of the least depreciating on the market right now.

You can do the math, see what a two-year-old Model 3 is selling for now, and what it sold for new.

If you want to experience EV, Tesla is the cushiest way to do it ^-^

-Crissa
I did it! I did it! Now, delivery obsession time.
 

CyberT

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I did it! I did it! Now, delivery obsession time.
Welcome to the family! It's your money and life. You should feel happiness whether you drive 100 miles a month or in a day.

As long as you know that you will not get what you paid for when it is time to trade in for your CT and if you have the financial freedom to make that call then enjoy the Tesla smile my friend!
 

CyberT

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Just to answer your original question with my experience.

I received my Model 3 in July 2018
- Long Range (310 miles then and after OTA update now 326)
- Single Motor
- Black color (free color)
- 19" Sport Wheels
- Free Premium Connectivity for life
- NO Autopilot or FSD
$50,500 before tax and rebates.
-$7,500 federal tax credit
-$2500 rebate from California
-$500 rebate from SoCal Edison
Net Price of $40,000 before taxes.

Today nearly 3 year years later on the Model 3 configurator
- Long Range (356 mile)
- Dual Motor
- White color (A better free paint)
- 19" Sport Wheels
- NO free Premium Connectivity
- Autopilot included
- Heat Pump
$48,490 before taxes
-$2000 California Rebate
-$1000 SoCal Edison rebate (last time I checked)
Net price of $45,490 before taxes


So today a new Model 3 is a better vehicle than when I bought mine but at a slightly higher cost. The big question is what my vehicle is worth nearly 3 years later and 26k miles.

KBB lists my trade-in value of $35,377-$39,892. Private Party is about $2k higher.
 


JJ_Tex

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I would love it if Tesla had creative lease options for those with CT pre-orders. They could let you lease a model 3/Y, with a clause that you can terminate your lease when you take delivery of your CT.

That will help people like me who were late to the pre-orders, and patience with the existing car running thin.
 

beeeasybro

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I drive very little at the time and having a hard time to justify getting a between car but I did and still do think about it like you do. For some reason buying stuff always seem to be the solution to the problem, even if I am not sure what the problem is or if there is one at all.

If you have a good answer to the “why” question, you may have an answer to the question of if you should. Ok sit on the couch and tell me how these questions make you feel:

Are you itching to get a Tesla? Because they are cool? Because they are fast? Because they are green?

Are you itching to get an EV because you think you are killing the planet with every ICE mile? Or because you don’t want to be left behind? You don’t want to go to a gas station or change oil?

Does your current car have 300K on it and is about to blow up?

In short is it a need or just to put a smile on your face? Can you you cover the smile with something else?
Just to put a smile on my face ? ? honestly, we don’t NEED anything... we just live in a physical ‘consumer’ world where having things is cool.
and that’s cool ? I like the best of the bestproducts and will continue to attract them just like the CT!
 

Diehard

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Just to put a smile on my face ? ? honestly, we don’t NEED anything... we just live in a physical ‘consumer’ world where having things is cool.
and that’s cool ? I like the best of the bestproducts and will continue to attract them just like the CT!
Living just to cover our basic needs of food and shelter is not human. We all need "more". It gets tricky when we can't tell if the definition of more in our heads is something we came up with on our own or someone else put it there to get their "more". If you get 800 units of grin from owning a CT but 8000 units of frowns from the meetings you have to sit through to pay for it, you may want to consider another source of grins. On the other hand if you expect a heart attack coming soon, it makes sense to get as much grins in as many ways as you can now, damn the torpedoes.
 
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beeeasybro

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Living just to cover our basic needs of food and shelter is not human. We all need "more". It gets tricky when we can't tell if the definition of more in our heads is something we came up with on our own or someone else put it there to get their "more". If you get 800 units of grin from owning a CT but 8000 units of frowns from the meetings you have to sit through to pay for it, you may want to consider another source of grins. On the other hand if you expect a heart attack coming soon, it makes sense to get as much grins in as many ways as you can now, damn the torpedoes.
Lol! I am in total agreement! I would go as far to say, the meaning of life = grins
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