General Car

New Car Delivered

Wait, thats not red!

Finance woes

So, it turns out that in order to take advantage of the 2.99% deal that Tesla was doing with UDC Finance, I had to purchase from inventory.

That put a bit of a kibosh on my plans. The transaction also had to be completed and I had to have taken delivery of the vehicle by 31st of December 2024.

As it happens, no Model 3 Performance in stock, so our choices were limited. Decisions had to be made.

My wife and I sat down with the salesmen from Tesla and took a look through all the available inventory.

Inventory options (Model 3 Highland):

  • Standard Range RWD (Rear Wheel Drive)
    • Pearl White Multi-Coat
    • Solid Black
    • Stealth Grey
  • Long Range AWD (All Wheel Drive)
    • Pearl White Multi-Coat
    • Solid Black
    • Stealth Grey
    • Deep Blue Metallic

I really liked the Stealth Grey and my wife did not. We both likes the Deep Blue Metallic

There was one problem though. The interior, was white. I had never owned a white interior and was worried about the cleanliness of it. However, after talking to Hagan at The Wrap Shop and some research online, we were confident that the Ceramic Protection (along with regular cleaning and maintenence) would keep them looking good.

Finance woes #2

Originally when I spoke to UDC, they said they would be able to add any 3rd party items to the finance deal e.g. PPF (Paint Protection Film), Tints etc.

However, as we closed in on completing the deal, they went back on that statement. It turns out that Tesla NZ lost money on all inventory sold when offereing 2.99% and their deal with UDC is such that they will not budge and add anything else to the loan that may cost them more money.

Shit…

This has really put a dent in my plans and I was going to have to do some quick juggling of things.

We put though the car sale, and traded in the Skoda. Taking collection on Friday 27th December at 3:30pm

Tesla Model 3 Highland LR AWD - Blue

  • Tesla Model 3 Long Range Dual Motor All-Wheel Drive
  • Deep Blue Metallic Paint
  • 18" Photon Wheels
  • White Premium Interior
  • Autopilot
  • Enhanced Auto Pilot
  • Full Self-Driving Capability

So, what are the real world differenced between the originally ordered M3P and the actually delivered M3LR?

Feature Model 3 Performance Model 3 Long Range AWD
Acceleration (0–100 km/h) 3.1 seconds 4.2 seconds
Top Speed 261 km/h 233 km/h
Range (WLTP) ~528 km ~629 km
Power Output ~343 kW ~366 kW
Wheels 20-inch forged wheels with performance tires 18-inch (optional 19-inch) wheels
Brakes Larger brakes for enhanced stopping power Standard brakes
Suspension Adaptive suspension with performance tuning Standard suspension
Seats Ventilated/heated sport seats with enhanced bolstering Ventilated/heated sport seats
Interior Trim Carbon fiber trim Standard premium interior
Driving Modes Track Mode for customizable dynamics Standard driving modes
Audio System Premium 17-speaker system Premium 17-speaker system
Spoiler Carbon fiber spoiler None

So key take-aways are that we gained 101kms of WLTP range and lost a little top speed and acceleration.

Additionally, what that table does not show is that the tires are much larger on the M3P and much more expensive (~ NZD$ 700 per tire, vs NZD$ 400 for the M3LR)

Next steps

Next steps are getting some upgrades done on the car.

Professionally Installed

  • Installing my Genevo Pro II (which was removed from the skoda)
  • Front PPF
    • Bumper
    • Bonnet
    • Headlights
    • Front Fenders
    • Wing Mirrors
  • Full Car Exterior Ceramic Coating
  • Tints
    • Ceramic Tints
    • Blocks 99% of UV
    • 2x the heat reduction over normal tints
  • Interior fabric hydrophobic treatment
    • Seats
    • Door cards
    • Dash
    • (all ‘leather’ trims)
  • Badge Blackout
    • Front Tesla Logo
    • Rear Tesla Letters

Personally Installed

End of month

Come back soon to see updated pictures of the car once all the work is done!