Sounds like I probably have the highest mileage Tesla so far, which is really only relevant as it relates to battery degradation. Mine is a 2023 Model 3 long range with 80k miles. I also abuse mine (from Tesla’s view point) because I charge it to 95%+ nearly every time because I need the range. When brand new, it had a 330 mile range. Now it maxes out at 300 miles.
If you get one, you definitely want a 40amp garage charger. That gets you from almost dead to full charge in about 6.5 hrs and it’s significantly cheaper than Supercharging (and better for battery health). The 110v chargers are a waste of time unless you drive very little and the 7ish amp chargers (off-brand chargers like the ChargePoint network) will work OK for overnight stays (think hotel parking lot). Just to give you a reference point, I drive about 3000-3200 miles per month. My monthly electricity bill for charging on the garage charger was around $110. Supercharging costs vary quite a lot, depending on where you are and even time of day. It takes about an hour to go from 10% to 95% on a supercharger, but you can get to 80% in probably 40 minutes. Here’s my supercharging history for the last handful of charges:
View attachment 459993
Maintenance is a breeze, just tires, cabin air filter (more on this in a sec), wipers, and washer fluid. I don’t think Tesla even calls for a brake pad check until 100k miles. That said, no shops will work on your Tesla outside of tires and washer fluid. Some, but not all, will replace wiper blades. Tesla’s app for requesting mobile service is surprisingly decent and their techs will drive a real long way to do something as simple as change the cabin air filter. Supposedly they’ll rotate tires too, but I just go to a local shop because it’s easier.
The thing about replacement body panels is real. I have a coworker who has been waiting for 5+ months for a replacement body panel where someone turned into him in a parking lot.
There is a subscription service to unlock full entertainment integration and internet on the car’s tablet. I opted out, but seem to remember it being around $100/year. In retrospect, it probably is worth the cost.
There is a surprising amount of trunk space and let it be known that the frunk is not 100% water tight.
Also, consider that on a used one there will be some app/control handover that HAS to happen through Tesla for you to take ‘control’ of the car and if this doesn’t happen correctly, it could be a frustrating experience. I had this problem when they delivered mine to my house and it was new. It took some effort to find the right guy at a Tesla dealership who could fix it. I said all that to say, you might want to give higher consideration to used models sold by Tesla.
The ONLY complaint I have is these cars drip condensation off the AC coils (like every car) but it stays wet and therefore gets funky. It sits in the heat and when you go for your next drive, you get a minute or two of mildew-smelling AC. Supposedly they’ve fixed it on the new ones with an anti-fungal coating. Supposedly you can pay $90 to have the coils sprayed on the older ones, but when I asked the mobile service tech about this, he kinda waived it off and told me to just replace the cabin air filter whenever it starts smelling funky again.
Alright, this is already too long but I’ll attempt to answer any other questions you may have.
