First EV, 2020 M3P, good idea?

[ldn_mx5]

We have 3 cars in our family, one of those is girlfriend’s city / schoolrun car which generally doesn’t get used outside M25 ever.
I always tried to steer her towards something with a bit of performance, she is happy to as long as she likes the car otherwise, mostly based on looks. So we’ve had an MX5 and now Audi S1.

We’ll now (finally) have access to our own charger at home so I thought one of the 3 cars could be an EV. i3s seemed perfect as (1) good reviews (2) small footprint similar to MX5 and S1 (3) 4 doors needed to get kids in and out.

But it “looks ugly” (I disagree). Honda e - same. Id.3 she liked but reviews and feedback on here aren’t great. Ideally we’d buy an electric hothatch but those things don’t exist yet.

Model 3 Performance is what we can settle on. She likes it, I like the reviews. Not the same small footprint as S1 or i3 but she’s fine with it.

I can buy a 2020 car for £32,000 or so which looks a decent deal.

I’ve read the buying guide on here and numerous reviews.

Anything to look out for?
Can I have full peace of mind Tesla warranty with it? Do they do extended warranties at all?

[ldn_mx5]

Greag feedback. Thanks. Booking a test drive soon

[ldn_mx5]

SWoll said:

Had a 2019 M3P for 2 years and 20k miles. My advice, for a daily car, would be buy a 2021 LR instead. With the performance boost it's every bit as quick, will ride better, be more efficient and also have the 2021MY improvements (new centre console, heated steering wheel, heat pump, auto boot opening etc.)

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202305097...

Edited by SWoll on Sunday 28th May 12:42

Tough call between LR and M3P. If I get 2021 M3P will I have the improvements you mention?

[ldn_mx5]

Thanks all,
isn‘t P 3.1 0-60 and LR 4.2? I know you‘ll say „irrelevant in daily use“ and for my gf it will probably be true, but for the occassional spirited drive the difference in performance seems substantial?

[ldn_mx5]

lizardbrain said:

This is true, the main difference is felt 0-30. That’s where I want the boost, personally.

I would be wary of letting other people dictate to you what kind of driving you find fun to drive.

You‘re saying 0-30 LR + boost wins over P?

And can I purchase the boost for a used car which doesn’t have it at the moment? Only 1/5th of the cars on AT have the boost advertised

Edited by ldn_mx5 on Monday 29th May 09:42

[ldn_mx5]

So apart from the P vs LR question; when buying used, any specific tips on what to look out for? Look out fot creaks/rattles, uneven panel gaps, poor quality interior finish, assume everything else will be covered by warranty if needed?

[ldn_mx5]

When buying used, can I easily verify what % of brand new battery capacity remains?

[ldn_mx5]

What‘s the deal with USB ports - do older models and/or Performance model don‘t come with those?! Apple CarPlay and connectivity via USB port were things I was taking for granted…