Would owners consider a M3 (probably SR+) a worthy purchase from a value perspective, even with declining spec (no sensors, for example)? I know a lot of build quality issues are now sorted, but there still seems to be a background stigma of even the MIC models being of poor build quality vs the price.
Or more accurately, is the "ecosystem" in the integrated charging network and much better mobile app worth it over the competition and any remaining shortcomings in the car?.
Short answer is yes, the slightly longer is…
I own a late 71 plate SR with the 60kwh battery and it’s more car than most people need (ignoring the form factor). It charges very quickly and it’s efficiency is class leading.
When you talk about shortcomings, it’s worth putting it in perspective and looking BEV to BEV. It’s late 2022 price was too high for what’s on offer but at its current price, it’s about right. You have to spend a lot more money to get something materially better (E.g. BMW i4).
Mine has parking sensors so I can’t really comment on if that is a deal breaker. Allegedly the update for park assist is coming in the next few weeks but whether it’s as good as dedicated parking sensors is up for debate. The camera is decent but it does get dirty in winter, I’ve not found it to be a huge issue personally.
‘Hardware 4’ is due soon but what benefit that will bring is anyone’s guess. There are loads of conflicting rumours about extra cameras but the latest seems to be it’s just new cameras in the same locations. Allegedly hardware 3 is good for FSD but I wouldn’t buy it. Standard auto pilot that comes with the car is more than good enough.
If you buy an SR, I wouldn’t bother with the wheel or white interior upgrades, at that point you are almost at long range money.
I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another in the current market if it was written off tomorrow.
Edit: I’d probably actually get a model Y but it’s basically the same car….
Was chatting to someone who works at Peugeot the other day. He mentioned they're struggling to get rid of electric at the moment, but hybrids/petrol are doing well. Most people reference the cost of electric being the primary reason.
I’m not surprised at all. Most people don’t know about things like octopus go. Sure it comes with a higher day rate but you really don’t need to be doing many miles to off set that (circa 3000 for fairly standard house electric usage).