Tesla’s Model 3 was the second best-selling car in California last year, losing out only its sister, the Model Y. Today’s Nice Price or No Dice Performance Model might be a good way to see what all the hubbub is about. That is, if its price proves palatable.
Our discussion surrounding yesterday’s 1989 Volvo 780 Bertone Turbo made note of both its combined Swedish and Italian heritage, as well as the fact that the car’s $10,000 price tag didn’t seem to live up to that wonder-twinning power. The result was a hefty 82 percent No Dice loss to welcome us back in the game.
These days, Volvo’s international partnering has migrated all the way to China, where an agreement with Geely has infused the Swedish company with cash and resources. This partnership has also seen the Polestar nameplate shift from simply denoting Volvo’s performance models to an emergence as a stand-alone electric car brand. Volvo is seemingly cutting ties with Geely on the Polestar partnership, which will give the Chinese company exclusive control over the brand and will allow Volvo the freedom to market its electric cars without the onus of internal competition.
Electric cars are seemingly all the rage these days. Tesla is leading the pack in electric adoption with surprising success. The company’s Model Y was recently crowned as the world’s best-selling car. In California, the take rate for new electric car sales is almost 25 percent, with Tesla’s Model Y and Model 3 taking the two top spots in sales in the state last year.
That means there are a lot of Teslas on the used car market, and price fluctuations and uncertain tax break availability have roiled that market to no end. That makes for a good opportunity to take a look at this 2018 Tesla Model 3 Performance and see if it’s priced for the market or for the seller’s hopes and dreams.
There’s a lot to like about this Model 3, not the least of which is its Silver Metallic paint. This was one of the introductory colors on the car upon its 2017 release. The color went away with the mid-cycle refresh in late 2020 and hasn’t been seen since. This is also the dual-motor Performance model. That means it has a reported zero to sixty time of just a hair over three seconds and offers bigger brake rotors and Brembo squeezers to keep all that crazy acceleration under control.
Below the floor resides a 75 kWh battery pack that, according to the seller, still allows the car to do a healthy 280 miles under normal circumstances. The car has a mere 52,000 on the clock, or a very reasonable 8,700 miles a year. As such, it looks to be in super shape both inside and out. There are no apparent issues with either the cool paint or the vegan leather upholstery. And remarkably, for a Tesla, the wheels show no sign of curb rashing.
Other plusses include the Enhanced Autopilot option, Track Mode, and Home Link. Aftermarket options include a carbon fiber front splitter, a hidden hitch in the back for a bike rack, and blackout trim for the brightwork, which makes the car look a bit more like its more recent brethren. Reasonably new Pirelli tires are mounted to the 20-inch factory wheels.
Per the seller, the car has been trouble-free the entire time they have owned it, with only a rearview camera problem requiring a free fix. The reason given for the sale is the recent purchase of a Model Y to better cart bicycles around. The title is clean, and the asking price is $32,900.
Now, as noted, prices for Teslas in general, and the Model 3 in particular, have been rising and falling over the past year as tax breaks come and go and Tesla tries to soft land in a market of increasing competition. That’s not good for sellers or buyers of used Teslas, so we’ll have to really give this seemingly very desirable edition special consideration in judging its value.
What do you think? Is this Model 3 Performance a deal at that $32,900 asking? Or is that just too much to ask in such a volatile a market, regardless of color or quickness?
You decide!
Los Angeles, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Don R. for the hookup!
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