Spec me a car, £20k - £40k. Tesla Model 3?

Associate
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I'm currently driving a 2012 Jaguar XF. I've owned it since November 2018 and it's let me down a few times, costing a few hundred in repairs every year. I believe everything is fixed now, but I've just lost faith in it. It's comfortable, but the sat nav is extremely out of date and it's missing some modern features.

I've been eyeing up a Tesla Model 3 and wanting to buy one since half way through 2019. I love the gadgets, technology and features, but I'm not sure I want to spend £41k on a car, so I'm open to alternatives. Bonus points for features like radar/adaptive cruise control, parking sensors all around, AirPlay etc

I'm not a car enthusiast, so I honestly don't know what other cars to consider. I'd prefer a more comfortable ride, rather than something sporty or a hot hatch. Hopefully you wise lot have a few alternatives for me to consider, or shall I just stick to the model 3 which I've been eyeing up for approaching 2 years?
 
Associate
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You're still going to want a Tesla no matter what you end up with.

I'm also worried about that.

What's your mileage and general use case?

I work from home and my situation has changed recently, I'm not sure if my life and hobbies will return to normal once life is back to normal. Previous years it was ~10k but I estimate it'll be closer to 5k now, if that.
 
Soldato
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I'm also worried about that.



I work from home and my situation has changed recently, I'm not sure if my life and hobbies will return to normal once life is back to normal. Previous years it was ~10k but I estimate it'll be closer to 5k now, if that.
Just need to check depreciation on the Model 3 to see if it is acceptable. At 5k/yr I'd be renting/Taxi'ing.
 
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Just need to check depreciation on the Model 3 to see if it is acceptable. At 5k/yr I'd be renting/Taxi'ing.

I did a little of this...

Standard range Model 3 brand new is £40,990.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202104101194910

Price £37,380

Vehicle registered: 12/11/2019

18 months old, lost £3,610 in value. 8.8% in 18 months.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202104211642214

Registered 10/03/2020, so just under 2 months old and lost £2265 in value. 5.5% in 2 months.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202104191556693

Registered 27/09/2019. 19 months old, lost £4055. 10% in 19 months.
 
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Soldato
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I've also been looking with a mind to the next car and quite like the model 3 but can't make the numbers work yet.

At 25k miles a year the idea of a car which will probably do that sort of mileage for many years and still be worth something appeals. Read about one company running tesla's as shuttles between airports and nudging 500k miles with very little problems. They do seem to depreciate slowly.

I can just about get the maths in the ball park and equate running a PCP M240 with fuel to buying a model 3 and running it but i'd need to have it for 5 years during which i'd likely do 130k miles. For me to enjoy that car for that sort of time it needs to really appeal to me. Something to ponder for me between now and early next year when the time I can change approaches, if I can enjoy the car for 5 years it will spring me out of the pcp trap and give me a car that is nice and not worthless when i'm done with it.
 
Associate
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The budget parameters are unhelpful. Which is it, 20k or 40k?

Basically up to 40k if it ticks all the boxes. For example a Mercedes S350L AMG Line 2018 might have everything I'm looking for, and it's "only" £28k. I think the Mercedes might be a bit big though.
 

TS7

TS7

Soldato
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I'm currently driving a 2012 Jaguar XF. I've owned it since November 2018 and it's let me down a few times, costing a few hundred in repairs every year. I believe everything is fixed now, but I've just lost faith in it. It's comfortable, but the sat nav is extremely out of date and it's missing some modern features.

I've been eyeing up a Tesla Model 3 and wanting to buy one since half way through 2019. I love the gadgets, technology and features, but I'm not sure I want to spend £41k on a car, so I'm open to alternatives. Bonus points for features like radar/adaptive cruise control, parking sensors all around, AirPlay etc

I'm not a car enthusiast, so I honestly don't know what other cars to consider. I'd prefer a more comfortable ride, rather than something sporty or a hot hatch. Hopefully you wise lot have a few alternatives for me to consider, or shall I just stick to the model 3 which I've been eyeing up for approaching 2 years?

Out of curiosity, what went wrong with the XF?
 
Associate
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Out of curiosity, what went wrong with the XF?

Camshaft sensor, EGR, rear light assembly because one LED went the whole lot assembly wouldn't work, leaking cam cover which caused smoke to pour out the engine bay at one point. It still has electrical issues where the battery doesn't always charge.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head
 
Associate
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If had a budget like that I can think of lots of cars I would rather have over a Tesla model 3, if I was after a EV I would seriously consider a P2. Better build quality than the Tesla.
 
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