So my new car day was actually Election Day. I haven’t posted about this as I really like my new car and I don’t want to get bashed for buying an EV. There are some other reasons I didn’t post this right away that I’ll share in a different post, one for another day. I didn’t buy it to save the planet. I bought it because it’s a lot of fun to drive, and it’s quite quick.

I also like that my electricity is very affordable and so driving it is pretty cheap compared to a gas powered car.
I was looking at other cars in the same price range (as this ended up being), and it was kind of an easy choice. I took advantage of the $7500 tax credit. I also bought a 2024 at the end of 2024, so Tesla was offering $4000 off, and because I had a referral code from a Tesla owner, it saved me an additional $500. So I picked this up with a $12k discount. Hard to beat. With the promotional interest rate of 1.99% it’s a deal I can’t beat.

The car buying experience was pleasantly odd. I ordered it with a $250 deposit. I applied for credit and was approved within a minute. I skipped scheduling a pickup date and just went to Phoenix and picked it up. No pushy salesman, no back and forth, no F&I guy trying to upsell me warranties and other shit I don’t need. It was about as easy as placing an Amazon order. Bought a charger when I was there and it wired in quickly as I already had 220 in the garage for a welder. I just swapped the plug.

Anyways, I’m quite happy with it. It’s the Model 3 Dual Motor Long Range. It has awesome acceleration, and the handling is pretty good. It’s no Ferrari, but it sure is fun to drive. It has a killer audio system, 17 speakers total, one being a healthy subwoofer. Heated seats front and rear, and the front seats are also cooled, which I use a lot, and will probably use even more when the weather gets hot again. I was a little disappointed in not buying nicer wheels… then I found an Easter Egg. The ugly “wheels” are just hubcaps to increase mileage. Yes, I lose around 8% of my range, but it actually has some nice wheels beneath those un-stylish hubcaps. I hope to get some window tint soon. It’s pretty bright here and it definitely needs some tint. I figure at this point I should shut up and just post this.

If any member of SIG Forum is seriously looking at getting a Tesla, email me and I’ll share a referral code with you to save you some $$$.

quote:

Originally posted by Beancooker:

...The ugly “wheels” are just hubcaps to increase mileage. Yes, I lose around 8% of my range...

You lose 8% of your range because of some hubcaps??? Seriously???

Congratulations from a fellow EV Owner.

Love it, congratulations. I will get one eventually, just been buying the stock instead. Today was a milestone, hitting 1000 shares. Have already installed the wall connector. The future is here.

quote:

Originally posted by newtoSig765:

You lose 8% of your range because of some hubcaps??? Seriously???

Yes. It’s not just this car. I was interested in why the car with nice wheels had a much lower range than my car. So I did some research. It turns out that having a hubcap that covers the wheel and keeps air from entering the wheel area, and creating vortices makes a significant impact on mileage. Doesn’t matter what fuel you are using, be it electricity, gas, diesel… the aerodynamics and coefficient drag are all changed,and not for the better.

That said, if I go on a long ass roadtrip, I might throw the caps on. Aside of that, I’ll cruise around town with nice looking wheels and enjoy looking cool.

quote:

Originally posted by Beancooker:

quote:

Originally posted by newtoSig765:

You lose 8% of your range because of some hubcaps??? Seriously???

Yes. It’s not just this car. I was interested in why the car with nice wheels had a much lower range than my car. So I did some research. It turns out that having a hubcap that covers the wheel and keeps air from entering the wheel area, and creating vortices makes a significant impact on mileage. Doesn’t matter what fuel you are using, be it electricity, gas, diesel… the aerodynamics and coefficient drag are all changed,and not for the better.

That said, if I go on a long ass roadtrip, I might throw the caps on. Aside of that, I’ll cruise around town with nice looking wheels and enjoy looking cool.

Well, as cool as you can look in an EV!

J/K-if you’re happy, who cares what others think?

Congratulations!

Nice ride! I'd choose better looking wheels over efficient any day.

I was surprised by the handles well part. How much does it weigh?

Yeah, the wheels are cool and all, but how many cup holders does it have??

So, I guess those full-moons on Bonneville cars did more than I thought they did.

Congratulations. I'm waiting on the 2025 Y. Hopefully they will get to a close 400 range.
Hope you got all your goodie already, Floormats trays etc.
Enjoy it, I test drove the Model 3 and like it.

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
Nice ride! I'd choose better looking wheels over efficient any day.

I was surprised by the handles well part. How much does it weigh?

Thanks! Agreed on the wheels. I was also surprised at the handling. Quite happily surprised.

It weighs in at just under 4100 lbs without me in it. A few hundred pounds less than my wife’s RAV4.

quote:

Originally posted by FEV:
Yeah, the wheels are cool and all, but how many cup holders does it have?? Smile

If you include the bottle holders in the doors… 8. Without the bottle holders, 4.

quote:

Thanks!

It weighs in at just under 4100 lbs without me in it. A few hundred pounds less than my wife’s RAV4

Exactly same as my RS 5, but lower center of gravity.

Yeah, a 50/50 weight distribution, all the weight is under the floor, and the structural foam used to secure all the battery cells makes the base of the car very stiff and has very little flex. That probably explains some of the the good handling.

Enjoy! I've been in my Model 3 for right at 3 years.

It's a fun car do drive in a different way.

Buy the “acceleration boost” program, It brings the fun factor real close to a model 3 performance and SUPER SCARY fast

I used some bonus money from work and did so. If I want to get out of something and leave everything behind quickly, I’ll enable. All the driving parameters can be adjusted on the fly

Have fun!! Not too much, or you will go through tires fast

Buy a spare to put in the back. I’ll se which I have when I get home

Nice ride, enjoy!

My IT Director has a Y, and after a run-in with road debris that broke a wheel he left the black hubcaps off. He too had found estimates of 5-8% impact on range which seemed bonkers at first blush. Then again, Elon's not wasting the money or looks of putting those on there if no impact.

The wheels underneath did look surprisingly nice, which was a surprise.

I have to say, it's pretty cool to sit and wait for a business to open, and browse SIG Forum from the browser and screen in my car. I'm not complaining.

I also have YouTube built in. It's as much a computer on wheels as it is a car.

I like it, could see myself in one someday.
Congratulations on the new car!

I really like it (other than the dark color, but that's just me), and have been tossing around buying one.
For an 8% increase in range I'd never take those hubcaps off!

What's insurance cost per year compared to say the Rav4? I guess it's every 6 months now actually.

GORGEOUS CAR! CONGRATS!

I'm in Orlando and I have a few friends that steered us away from the Model 3 for my wife. They insisted that the range would be nowhere near what it lists at because of the heat and humidity here. Evidently extreme cold or extreme heat makes a giant difference in the actual range. I guess this makes sense because it is a battery. I would think that Tesla would have sealed the battery in a way to prevent this but??? I stopped the research and moved on. We bought a Lexus for her.

Did your research give you any concern about this? There is extreme heat in AZ but not the humidity we have.