[earthian]

I am posting this on behalf of my son who stays and works in New Jersey. He has a Wrangler and is looking for buying another car for his daily commute of about 50 miles and has been looking at the Tesla model Y.

He wants advice whether buying this car makes sense and considerations that would influence the decision? The car would cost US$ 60,000/- on road. The second point he would like advice is whether he should buy it on lease or pay for the full amount upfront.

Thank you in advance for your advice and help.

[McLaren Rulez]

Without more context on what he wants, it's a bit hard to say.

Any vehicle will do a 50 mile commute, even the most basic electric cars have enough range for that.

[earthian]

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

Any vehicle will do a 50 mile commute, even the most basic electric cars have enough range for that.

Yes, that is clear.

From a maintenance perspective? From a reliability perspective? And lastly about the hassles, if any, of an electric vehicle. If any.

[carthick1000]

For his use case of 50 mile commute (and occasional long trips if needed), he is well served by a Tesla model 3 which starts from ~45000USD onroad for standard range. If he needs better range he can choose a long range model 3 at ~51000USD. A premium of 7000USD for model Y according to me is absolutely not necessary, unless your son wants a tall boy design with hatch opening for loading big things. Model Y (LR) will be inherently less efficient than model 3 (LR) due to a bit increased air drag.





New jersey has adequate amount of superchargers and if he has a home with driveway, it would be even more comfortable as he can daily charge at home. If he lives in an apartment which does not promote EV charging or any place where he could not have a home charger, I would sincerely recommend him to stick to his current ride or buy an ICE car.



Btw, why does he want to change and what are his requirements? A bit more input means a lot of bhp-ians living in USA can provide suggestions on the thread.

Regarding purchasing/leasing, it might be worth checking out Ford mach E or polestar 2 as options as they qualify for Federal tax credits (Unfortunately Tesla is discriminated by US politics due to lobbying I guess). But still when it comes to charging infrastructure, technology on offer and the battery longevity, Tesla is much ahead of Ford or polestar. In this day and age in USA, an EV is the way to go unless he is living in a certain states where the charging infrastructure still did not catch up.

[earthian]

Thank you for the advise. Shall pass it on. He is a rescue diver and has to lug quite a bit of equipment. I guess he was looking at the model Y from that perspective.
But thanks again and I shall revert.

[gvarma9989]

Originally Posted by earthian

The second point he would like advice is whether he should buy it on lease or pay for the full amount upfront.

The biggest single detractor to leasing a Model Y is Tesla’s unique elimination of your right to purchase.

Resale value of a Tesla is pretty high.
He will eventually loose money on leasing.

Taking a loan from Tesla is the most economical approach.
Interest rates are close to 2.5% for a good credit score.

It is pretty rare to lease a Tesla, unless there is a business incentive.

Current waiting period is close to 10 months.

[landcruiser123]

If it is only commute (with a predictable route) with some luggage, why not the Nissan Leaf or Chevy Bolt? Californians use these two or an e-Golf.

Folding the backseat can open up a lot of room (unless he carries humongous gear)

[VW2010]

If in the USA, resale value is not a concern always take a loan where interest rates are dirt cheap or lease. If resale value is a concern always buy a Honda and if possible an Accord.

Tesla is the fad and that may be pushing him towards that. If I were in the USA with a 60K budget I will have so many options that Tesla would be way below in the list. From Corvette, Charger, Hellcat to regular sedans aka luxury focused.

So the recommendation is to take a loan and also see if he can pick a pre-owned to kill that depreciation loss as well.

[earthian]

Originally Posted by gvarma9989

Current waiting period is close to 10 months.

Correct. He booked one yesterday and was told that he could expect it in June/July 2022.

Originally Posted by carthick1000

New jersey has adequate amount of superchargers and if he has a home with driveway, it would be even more comfortable as he can daily charge at home.

Yes, he has a driveway and charging at his house would not be an issue.

But still when it comes to charging infrastructure, technology on offer and the battery longevity, Tesla is much ahead of Ford or polestar. In this day and age in USA, an EV is the way to go unless he is living in a certain states where the charging infrastructure still did not catch up.

Yes, he has set his sights on the Tesla and i don't think any other contender would stand a chance. As far as lease/loan vs cash upfront decision, there is still enough time since he would have tp fork out the money only after 8 months or so. But if car finance is available at 2.5 % then that is the way to go and invest your surplus in ETFs- you would make a cool 7-8% arbitrage on interest rates.

My son thanks all here at T-BHP who helped him arrive at a decision- though i suspect his mind was already made up.

[earthian]

Sorry for the back to back posts. Thank you for your help.

Car has been booked:

[Harshal.Bhosale]

Congratulations to your son on his purchase!

Although I'm a sedan person myself, increasingly of late I've been finding myself drawn towards the Model Y because a) I guess I've had my fun with the sportier Model 3, and b) I guess I'm at a point in my life where family considerations etc make a crossover a more practical decision. The Model Y definitely is by far the best vehicle we currently make, if I do say so myself (disclaimer: I work for Tesla) - all the latest design and manufacturing efficiencies have been/will be poured into it.

Here's my review of the best sedan in the world by far - this was penned before I was employed with Tesla so no conflict of interest in the content - hopefully there's some useful information in there for you/your son:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/electric-cars/210391-journeying-into-electric-future-my-tesla-model-3-dual-motor-review.html

[earthian]

Originally Posted by Harshal.Bhosale

Here's my review of the best sedan in the world by far - this was penned before I was employed with Tesla so no conflict of interest in the content - hopefully there's some useful information in there for you/your son:

Thank you for taking the trouble. Much obliged, but unfortunately the link mentioned in your post is not working.

[Harshal.Bhosale]

Originally Posted by earthian

Thank you for taking the trouble. Much obliged, but unfortunately the link mentioned in your post is not working.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/elect...or-review.html (Journeying into the electric future – My Tesla Model 3 Dual Motor Review)

Hopefully copy pasting the above works? Alternatively you could just click on my profile name on the left, View Public Profile, and then click on "All Threads Started by..." That should take you to the same page.

[SedatedDrive]

Ford F-150 Lightening would suit his line of work perfectly.

[ariendj]

Congratulations on the booking.

I am a Tesla Y owner myself and it would be better to finance it since you do not have a Lease buyout option.
Also the current loan rates are quite low.

Your son will likely have the 4680 battery cells.
If you have any questions regarding the vehicle. Feel free to PM me.