The Tesla Model 3 completely blew me away

[Bumbo]

Welp... I did it. And thus the adventure into EV motoring begins.

Congrats, I think you made an awesome purchase.

You should stop by and give me a test drive haha... ill probably run out and do the same thing as you. Id really like to get one.

Just wait until you catch the DIY Tesla Powerwall bug...

 

[AKmoney]

Congrats, I think you made an awesome purchase.

You should stop by and give me a test drive haha... ill probably run out and do the same thing as you. Id really like to get one.

Just wait until you catch the DIY Tesla Powerwall bug...

Anyone who test drives one will want one. The instant response of the electric motor is addictive.

No Powerwall for me.. I live in a condo. Between my HOA, my city building department and the electrician, you have no idea what I have to go through just to get a 240V circuit installed in my garage for home charging In fact I'd say this is the one potential gotcha to EV ownership. Think very seriously about buying one if you don't have an easy method of adding at least a 240V/30A circuit to your garage. And if you live in an apartment complex.. forget it. Stick with ICE.

 

[tv4184]

I've been contemplating the past couple weeks on maybe buying one. I still have my deposit I haven't claimed yet. My thoughts turned mainly because I keep running low on fuel at inopportune times. Sometimes I figure the convenience might be worth giving up a slot in the garage to an electric car. The other day I was trying to be proactive and the cc reader at the gas station wouldn't cooperate. I just left the gas station since I didn't want to walk back and forth between running my card and then getting a refund afterwards. I just don't know if I want to give up my CTR for a Tesla Model 3 though.

 

[msp]

Anyone who test drives one will want one. The instant response of the electric motor is addictive.

No Powerwall for me.. I live in a condo. Between my HOA, my city building department and the electrician, you have no idea what I have to go through just to get a 240V circuit installed in my garage for home charging In fact I'd say this is the one potential gotcha to EV ownership. Think very seriously about buying one if you don't have an easy method of adding at least a 240V/30A circuit to your garage. And if you live in an apartment complex.. forget it. Stick with ICE.

Please report back in a couple of months. I test drove one and the whole center console thing drove me nuts. Too many years with gauges in front of me I guess. And for $65K, I'd rather just spend another $10K, buy a Land Cruiser, and call it good. My go-fast days are behind me.... Congratulations on your new ride!

 

[AKmoney]

I've been contemplating the past couple weeks on maybe buying one. I still have my deposit I haven't claimed yet. My thoughts turned mainly because I keep running low on fuel at inopportune times. Sometimes I figure the convenience might be worth giving up a slot in the garage to an electric car. The other day I was trying to be proactive and the cc reader at the gas station wouldn't cooperate. I just left the gas station since I didn't want to walk back and forth between running my card and then getting a refund afterwards. I just don't know if I want to give up my CTR for a Tesla Model 3 though.

If you're the type who's constantly running out of gas then I'm not sure if an EV is for you. If you run out of gas in an ICE car, you find a gas station and bring a couple gallons back. If you run out of juice in an EV, you're calling a tow truck.

One thing I've noticed about the Tesla: Climbing hills *really* eats into the expected range. It burns "miles" at least 2:1. On the other hand, descending hills puts energy back into the battery (regeneration). The two don't completely balance each other out, however.

 

[AKmoney]

Please report back in a couple of months. I test drove one and the whole center console thing drove me nuts. Too many years with gauges in front of me I guess. And for $65K, I'd rather just spend another $10K, buy a Land Cruiser, and call it good. My go-fast days are behind me.... Congratulations on your new ride!

I'm not really sure how or why you would compare a Model 3 sedan with a Land Cruiser.

I've had the car for two weeks now and it's exceeded expectations. Last week, Tesla remote-enabled a free 30-day trial of Autopilot. I've tried it a few times and I'm still not convinced it's ready - or it's for me. Still, it's an interesting preview of where we're all probably headed.

The rest of the car has been awesome. I've only driven my 4Runner twice since getting the Tesla.

 

[tv4184]

If you're the type who's constantly running out of gas then I'm not sure if an EV is for you. If you run out of gas in an ICE car, you find a gas station and bring a couple gallons back. If you run out of juice in an EV, you're calling a tow truck.

One thing I've noticed about the Tesla: Climbing hills *really* eats into the expected range. It burns "miles" at least 2:1. On the other hand, descending hills puts energy back into the battery (regeneration). The two don't completely balance each other out, however.

Haha well I might not have been clear about it but I have a unique set of problems. First thing is that I work 7-8 nights straight on a work week and then I'm off for a similar period of time. Secondly, I'm bad at filling up when its an opportune time to do it. At the start of my work week my 3 car rotation will either be half way or 2/3 full. So usually if I start to run out of fuel in one car, I'll switch to another and then sometimes by mid or 2/3 into the week, 2 or 3 of my cars would be out of gas. After working a 12 hour graveyard shift, I usually just want to get home as quickly as possible and usually I'm running late on the way to work. Yeah I know I just have to get my s*** together but life just happens sometimes.

The reasoning for an EV car for my daily commute is mainly because I can keep it charged up in the garage so I won't have to worry about fueling up during the work week. I only have a 34 mile round trip and 20% of the time I'm usually okay on fuel but sometimes I'll have to fuel up once or twice during the work week depending on how much rain there is (driving the 4runner all time) or if its sunny (driving the IS300 all the time) and then the CTR if its the weekend. Obviously the first two being my sub 20 mpg cars so they will need fueling up more frequently. Hope that clears it up.

I pretty much also like the concept of the EV car because of being able to keep it plugged in at home and then for short trips (IE: grocery store thats 1 minute away). Those short trips aren't as good for ICE cars for the usual reasons. Sorry for the long winded response.

 

[AKmoney]

The reasoning for an EV car for my daily commute is mainly because I can keep it charged up in the garage so I won't have to worry about fueling up during the work week. I only have a 34 mile round trip

Ahh... Yep, an EV would work for this. Even if you only had 120V to charge at home, it'd still be enough juice to add about ~40 miles of range overnight. I'm finding it pretty easy to plug the car in once I get home. It becomes habitual.

It's funny, I'm even thinking about changing up my assortment of credit cards. I don't need any that pay back a high reward/points value on gas anymore...

 

[msp]

I'm not really sure how or why you would compare a Model 3 sedan with a Land Cruiser.

I've had the car for two weeks now and it's exceeded expectations. Last week, Tesla remote-enabled a free 30-day trial of Autopilot. I've tried it a few times and I'm still not convinced it's ready - or it's for me. Still, it's an interesting preview of where we're all probably headed.

The rest of the car has been awesome. I've only driven my 4Runner twice since getting the Tesla.

Strictly on price...

 

[tv4184]

Strictly on price...

That is exactly why I got a CTR over a 5th gen :lol:

Ahh... Yep, an EV would work for this. Even if you only had 120V to charge at home, it'd still be enough juice to add about ~40 miles of range overnight. I'm finding it pretty easy to plug the car in once I get home. It becomes habitual.

It's funny, I'm even thinking about changing up my assortment of credit cards. I don't need any that pay back a high reward/points value on gas anymore...

Yeah I'm still juggling the idea of trading in the CTR for the Model 3. I scheduled a test drive for Wednesday though so I guess I'll see how I feel after that.

Edit: Just saw that they added a mid-range model towards the end of last month with a 260 mile range for 7k less. That might be a consideration too since I'm only going to employ it around town and even if I went out of town, theres plenty of supercharging stations to top off along to way to the major cities I'd be going to.

 

[AKmoney]

Edit: Just saw that they added a mid-range model towards the end of last month with a 260 mile range for 7k less. That might be a consideration too since I'm only going to employ it around town and even if I went out of town, theres plenty of supercharging stations to top off along to way to the major cities I'd be going to.

They're gonna put you behind the wheel of the 450hp dual motor Performance version. Be prepared to be blown away.

When you decide to place your order, send me a PM and I'll give you my referral code which will be good for 6 months of free Supercharger access

 

[2nd91turbo]

Been driving my Model S 100 miles a day for 2 years now. Love it. In AZ you get free HOV access and it makes it so worth it.
Never have to worry about any maintenance, always full and ready to go, makes it an amazing daily driver.
It's quite, comfortable, always at the right temp (thanks to awesome app) and looks great.
Customer service and service center is above average if not excellent.
I highly recommend it.

 

[tv4184]

They're gonna put you behind the wheel of the 450hp dual motor Performance version. Be prepared to be blown away.

When you decide to place your order, send me a PM and I'll give you my referral code which will be good for 6 months of free Supercharger access

Haha I'm sure it will blow me away. My drive of a Model S a few years ago is what made me put down a day one deposit in the first place. It was just because I had already bought the CTR prior to my place in line coming up that I decided to ignore the deposit I had put on the Model 3.

The thing I'm wrestling with is which car(s) I'll have to decide to give up to get the Model 3. The 3rd gen is already on the chopping block, I just have to clean her up for the sale ad. Next would either be, trade in the CTR or sell the IS300. The FD and 4th gen are pretty much anchors. FD is a long term project that I hope to build into a 500+ hp car. The IS300 though has always been something I wanted but ended up with the TSX at the time. Long story short, it might be something I have to consider because theres only so much space for tuner/car modding.

The other thing I was thinking is if I get the Model 3, I'll end up driving the Model 3 probably 95% of the time. That's the feeling I get from reading accounts of other Tesla owners. I guess I should be lucky that I'm considering these things at all. Most people only have 1-2 vehicles...

 

[AKmoney]

Haha I'm sure it will blow me away. My drive of a Model S a few years ago is what made me put down a day one deposit in the first place. It was just because I had already bought the CTR prior to my place in line coming up that I decided to ignore the deposit I had put on the Model 3.

The thing I'm wrestling with is which car(s) I'll have to decide to give up to get the Model 3. The 3rd gen is already on the chopping block, I just have to clean her up for the sale ad. Next would either be, trade in the CTR or sell the IS300. The FD and 4th gen are pretty much anchors. FD is a long term project that I hope to build into a 500+ hp car. The IS300 though has always been something I wanted but ended up with the TSX at the time. Long story short, it might be something I have to consider because theres only so much space for tuner/car modding.

The other thing I was thinking is if I get the Model 3, I'll end up driving the Model 3 probably 95% of the time. That's the feeling I get from reading accounts of other Tesla owners. I guess I should be lucky that I'm considering these things at all. Most people only have 1-2 vehicles...

CTR is Civic Type R? Those are pretty hard to come by out in these parts.. Honda dealers suddenly have the balls to mark a car up from sticker. I haven't driven a Civic Type R but I know it's gotten awesome reviews. Not really a direct comparison to a Model 3, however...

I've had the Tesla for a little over two weeks now. I've only driven my 4Runner twice since then. I'm even thinking of putting it up for sale since I live in a condo, parking space is at a premium 'round these parts and it just doesn't see much use anymore. The Tesla doesn't go offroad but it does carry my mountain bike inside (with the rear seats folded) which covers like 95%+ of my vehicle requirements. And my S.O. has an Audi Q5 that can be used for Home Depot runs... hmm..

 

[tv4184]

CTR is Civic Type R? Those are pretty hard to come by out in these parts.. Honda dealers suddenly have the balls to mark a car up from sticker. I haven't driven a Civic Type R but I know it's gotten awesome reviews. Not really a direct comparison to a Model 3, however...

I've had the Tesla for a little over two weeks now. I've only driven my 4Runner twice since then. I'm even thinking of putting it up for sale since I live in a condo, parking space is at a premium 'round these parts and it just doesn't see much use anymore. The Tesla doesn't go offroad but it does carry my mountain bike inside (with the rear seats folded) which covers like 95%+ of my vehicle requirements. And my S.O. has an Audi Q5 that can be used for Home Depot runs... hmm..

Yeah nothing I have is a direct comparison save for the rwd IS300 compared to the rwd MR model 3. I don't really go off road in the 4Runner but it is useful in transporting my puppy dogs. I almost bought a CTS-V wagon for that purpose a year ago. Settled for the V8 4Runner instead. I guess I'm lucky I have a 3 bay garage plus a 6 slotted driveway. I'm the only one that lives in my place but neighbors probably think theres like 4 people that live here. I'll report back after my test drive. I just drove the CTR around today and it reminded me of how fun Hondas are.

 

[tv4184]

CTR is Civic Type R? Those are pretty hard to come by out in these parts.. Honda dealers suddenly have the balls to mark a car up from sticker. I haven't driven a Civic Type R but I know it's gotten awesome reviews. Not really a direct comparison to a Model 3, however...

I've had the Tesla for a little over two weeks now. I've only driven my 4Runner twice since then. I'm even thinking of putting it up for sale since I live in a condo, parking space is at a premium 'round these parts and it just doesn't see much use anymore. The Tesla doesn't go offroad but it does carry my mountain bike inside (with the rear seats folded) which covers like 95%+ of my vehicle requirements. And my S.O. has an Audi Q5 that can be used for Home Depot runs... hmm..

The test drive sold my mom more on a Model 3 than it should have...lol. I still like everything about it. Except for the fact I'd be giving up my Type R but I guess it's not all bad, getting the safety features and ability to charge up in my own garage would a good trade off. I was talking to my friend and he even said the Model 3 would make more sense than keeping the R. I just hate taking a hit on it after just having it 8 months but that's just how it goes when you make these quick decisions for "fun" cars.

Edit: Just pulled the trigger :lol: Good bye CTR

 

[AKmoney]

The test drive sold my mom more on a Model 3 than it should have...lol. I still like everything about it. Except for the fact I'd be giving up my Type R but I guess it's not all bad, getting the safety features and ability to charge up in my own garage would a good trade off. I was talking to my friend and he even said the Model 3 would make more sense than keeping the R. I just hate taking a hit on it after just having it 8 months but that's just how it goes when you make these quick decisions for "fun" cars.

Edit: Just pulled the trigger :lol: Good bye CTR

Awesome! Congrats!!

 

[tv4184]

Guess til I sell / trade in the CTR I'll be driving it on the daily for sure. What charging solution are you using? 3rd party or Tesla home charger?

 

[AKmoney]

Guess til I sell / trade in the CTR I'll be driving it on the daily for sure. What charging solution are you using? 3rd party or Tesla home charger?

My home charging situation is complicated because I live in a condo and the main circuit breaker feeding my unit is only 70A (I have all gas appliances). I'm working around this by buying a (rather expensive) load management box that will supply 240V/30A to a Tesla Wall connector. The box monitors the current going into the rest of my condo and if it exceeds a certain limit, it will automatically cut off the EV charger. Basically what it means is if I run the central AC (and maybe turn on a few other big consumers of juice), I can't charge the car. It shouldn't be a problem because I plan to charge overnight and I rarely use the AC at that time.

A 240V/30A circuit breaker allows the Tesla Wall charger to provide 24A continuous current. This will be enough to charge the car at the rate of 22 miles range/hour, or 220 miles of range added from 10pm-8am.

If you live in a detached home there's a good chance your main breaker is 150A or 200A. In that case, you could run a wall charger on a 60A breaker with 48A continuous current. That'll go twice as fast as my setup (44mi/hr).

The cheapest solution would be to add a NEMA 14-50 outlet on a 50A breaker. These are the same types of outlets used by electric ranges. You can plug the included Tesla mobile cable into this and get a 32A charge rate.

 

[Bumbo]

I also live in a condo with a low amp service breaker panel, but my solution was to build my own “Powerwall” which will serve multiple purposes.

I basically have a whole home UPS / power backup system which alone is capable of running my entire home for 2-3 days.

Though the right inverter (Victron) will allow for load management where I could feed the car charger with both the panel and battery to deal with much higher output loads. I will have a separate sub panel for the EV charger off the inverter.

Even without solar, I can charge at night, and run the home during the day for a lower cost per kWh. Allows for day charging at a lower rate too.

Sooner or later our complex is going solar, when special assessments for the roof happens, and we have plans on adding solar to the complex, and at that point I will pretty much be off-grid and be able to charge and drive or off solar only.

I don’t necessary have to do any of this, but it’s a hobby, and I got the batteries for a great price. Capacity wise it’s the equivalent of 3 Tesla power walls and at a fraction of the price.

It basically started as a home power project, but ill be getting a Model 3 as an accessory.

My 36 kWh of EV car batteries… came out of a Fiat 500e

Project partially inspired by this video...
https://youtu.be/9kXTqNqxK3s