[mintee]

Idly looking at Autotrader looking for my 'next car' and saw these two ads together.

Got me thinking, which is 'better'? I'm looking to buy an EV, presumed an older Model S might be suitable, but is a newer Model 3 a 'better' buy? Why are old Model S's not dropping in price, are they that much better?

I'm not going to be a high mileage user and want a car to keep for some time, but would like to be able to chuck a bicycle in the back occasionally (think both will do it, expect it to be easier in a Model S). I'd discounted the 'standard range' Model 3 but suspect an old Model S isn't going to be going that much further between charges.

Which would you pay money for to own?

 

[cah197]

I don't think the real world range will be very different. Nor will the performance, but the M3 will handle better.

So unless you need the extra space of the Model S?

Green Model S is very rare and with the mileage it should go in a museum.

 

[Riz_Neo]

I own a Model 3 performance but have borrowed a Model S 85D on a couple of occasions and a Model 3 SR+.
I would always pick the Model 3 SR+, it just feels a much more modern car and the size is just right for me, the Model S is a bigger car.

 

[reserves]

For me it’s as simple as this:

- Do you need the space of the Model S?

- Is there something about that S you ‘have’ to have which the Model 3 doesn’t?

If the answers to both are ‘no’ then I can’t see many if any reasons to buy an out of warranty car compared to a brand new low depreciating model with all the latest tech.

 

[reserves]

To add, I certainly would not be buying a Green 2014 Model S without Autopilot at that price (it’s at least £6k over priced IMO) or a second hand car for £1,000 off list price.

 

[Jimbo]

The '14 car will be a good car, but will not have AP, will have the original "hard" seats, and will probably need a few (out of warranty) trips to the service centre.

It only has 2 years left of the "unlimited" battery & drivetrain warranty too.

 

[TKD]

Model 3 any day, most up to date tech and for £500 more, you get a brand spanking new one and if you use a referral code from this forum Referal Code Sharing for new model 3s you get 1,000 free supercharger miles. In money terms, that is probably about 300 kWh so worth about £75 at Supercharger prices.

 

[mintee]

- Is there something about that S you ‘have’ to have which the Model 3 doesn’t?

Only the hatch and the ability to chuck a bicycle in the back. But I think a Model 3 ought to be able to cope with that, albeit with the fixed parcel shelf?

 

[mintee]

Model 3 any day, most up to date tech and for £500 more, you get a brand spanking new one

Yes, I don't think I'd buy 'that' particular one, it's more the price similarities.

Are Model S's really holding value that well? That's a low mileage example, but there aren't that many 'bargains' out there.

 

[i-s]

Think about what a Model S offers - it's a 200+ mile, >50kW charging large EV. There's very little new competition, let alone other used cars so there's not much drive to push the price down.

Model 3 has more up to date tech (AP3, MCU2, newer motors, batteries), more efficient and faster charging. I prefer the drive of the 3, and the 3 is very practical for its size (eg I got some 3.1m long 2x4s in it - not many cars would). There are, of course, some circumstances where the hatch of the S makes all the difference.

However, I wouldn't buy that Model 3. You can buy a NEW model 3 of the exact same spec for £40490. £500 saving for a year-old car with 7k miles? No.

 

[cah197]

However, I wouldn't buy that Model 3. You can buy a NEW model 3 of the exact same spec for £40490. £500 saving for a year-old car with 7k miles? No.

Yeah, I don't get the second hand prices either.

I thought M3 sales were tanking, so there were plenty available piled up at the dealerships?

 

[i-s]

I thought M3 sales were tanking, so there were plenty available piled up at the dealerships?

Oh, the shorts weren't wrong about the demand cliff.

They were just wrong about being at the top of it.

 

[mintee]

Yeah, I don't get the second hand prices either.

I thought M3 sales were tanking, so there were plenty available piled up at the dealerships?

I might wait until the likely(?) 'recession' hits next year. If it does (I remember the 80's and 90's crashes) there will be quite a lot of folk in trouble with repayments and folk handing things back they can't afford any more......

 

[reserves]

Yeah, I don't get the second hand prices either.

I thought M3 sales were tanking, so there were plenty available piled up at the dealerships?

I’m seeing more and more ill informed post with little or no research.

Assuming these companies are targeting customers who still believe there’s a massive waiting list for the Model 3.

The private sale ones I’ve seen have been around £37. Still not bad depreciation for a year old car from new.

 

[reserves]

I might wait until the likely(?) 'recession' hits next year. If it does (I remember the 80's and 90's crashes) there will be quite a lot of folk in trouble with repayments and folk handing things back they can't afford any more......

Yeah, I’d wait, you might get one for a penny.

 

[i-s]

The private sale ones I’ve seen have been around £37. Still not bad depreciation for a year old car from new.

Exactly - especially given that it was cheaper last year and we paid £38290 for our SR+ in blue.

My Leaf also barely depreciated - not new, but we bought in a lull of used prices for £11k (from a main dealer). Doubled the mileage on the car over 19 months, then sold it to an EV dealer for £10650.

 

[mintee]

Yeah, I’d wait, you might get one for a penny.

That won't happen, but I wish I'd been able to get £7500 together from the bloke who was selling 'everything' just after black Wednesday for the 70's Porsche Carrera RS he 'needed' to get rid of. It might have been a 'replica' even back then, but was very nice. I bought his mint early 70's Honda CB450 Black Bomber for £400 and a mate bought his Guzzi Le Mans for less than a grand. I know someone else who couldn't pay their mortgage and decided to go to Australia and posted the keys back to the building society and went. A nice 1930's three bed flat in Crystal Palace. Wonder what he'd get for that now!

They won't be a penny, but if it hits it gets bad for a bit and folk panic. Traders need cashflow and prices slip. The price is only dictated by what the market will bear and are there many folk with £30+k to spend on a used car when the outlook is bleak? Yes, but fewer than when times are good.

 

[i-s]

I think you might be disappointed.

When crashes happen the things that people quickly want out of are those that are expensive to run.

In 2008 sales of BIG V8 SUVs (Chevy Tahoe, Ford Expedition) dropped in the USA, and sales of small econocars (Fiesta, Chevrolet Spark) went up. Back into the good times in 2019 and small cars are nowhere and fuel guzzlers are back up.

If another recession/depression occurs then people will be getting out of bigger petrol and diesel cars - 5 Series, E class, etc will flood the market. People will be looking for cheaper to run alternatives and even the most humble Fiesta won't touch a Leaf for low running costs. Meanwhile, if people can ditch a year-old 340i and get a 2 year old model 3 (talking about next year so there will be some) and basically do so at little cost to themselves (£35k for a year-old 340i to £35k for a 2-year old SR+, just guessing) then that will be attractive - they're not giving away the performance, the space or the company car park cachet, but the running costs are below a Fiesta.

So yes, I think that if a dip happens like you are expecting then there will be a lot of bailing-out of Audis, Mercs and BMWs, but that prices of ALL EVs will hold well because of the lower running costs. There will be some that need to bail out of EVs, but I think there will be a ready market of people trading into them too.

 

[ohit1]

S air suspension is fantastic over the 3.
S has a hatchback boot opening and basically huge space that is much more usable over the 3.
3's Hardware 3 for Autopilot is better than the previous versions.
3 is newer and therefore in warranty and Tesla's updates are going to be focused more on that than over previous models.
3 has faster charging at Superchargers.

 

[mintee]

3 has faster charging at Superchargers.

I hadn't thought of that! 👍