At $31,100, Could You Get A Charge Out Of This 2020 Tesla Model 3 Long Range?

When it comes to driving electric, people aren’t just buying the vehicle but also the charging infrastructure. Of those, Tesla’s is inarguably the best. Let’s see if today’s Nice Price or No Dice Model 3 is priced well enough to jump on board.

I have to say, I think that the vote on yesterday’s 1989 BMW M3 convertible was a bit of a protest. Not a “Paris is burning” sort of protest, mind you. Instead it was a quieter, more civil, dissent against the crazy turn E30 M3 prices have taken in general. Being a drop-top, our car was one of the rarest of the breed, and that naturally engenders a premium—supply and demand, and all that—but its $127,500 asking proved too great a premium for most of you, ending up in a massive 92 percent No Dice loss.

Expensive or not, yesterday’s M3 recalled a simpler time. Back then cars were unapologetically analog with only a mere inkling of the overwhelming electronics revolution to come in the rudimentary trip computers and simplistic engine controls available at the time. Back then electric cars were only driven by weirdos and the uber-environmentally conscious who were willing to adapt to the platform’s many shortcomings.

Today things are vastly different. Even the cheapest and simplest of cars has multiple computers and lots of high-tech gadgetry. At the same time, fully-electric cars have been thrust into the mainstream. Much of that thrusting is due to Elon Musk (sorry for that visual) and his car company, Tesla. In less than a decade and a half, the burgeoning automaker has gone from a stumbling start-up to one of the most heavily capitalized and productive companies on the planet. Its two mainstream models, the Y and 3 are, respectively, the number one and number two best-selling cars in California. Globally, the Y outsold all other cars in the first quarter of this year.

Part of the reason behind Tesla’s recent surge in sales is owed to the deep price reductions the company has offered on its two best sellers. That has driven sales of both new and used models owing to those market adjustments. Today we’re going to take a look at one of those used cars and see if its price is low enough to make it a deal or a dud.

This 2020 Tesla Model 3 is a Long Range model which means it has a motor at each end and a 75kWh battery pack under the floor. Combined, the rear permanent magnet motor and front induction motor offer a stout 393 horsepower and 307 lb-ft of torque. And, being electric, that torque is all available from basically zero rpm. It can do that for a quite while too as the Long Range’ 355 volt Lithium ion battery can conceivably provide more than 300 miles range between charges. The EPA gives it a fantastical rating of 333, but take that with a grain of sodium chloride. Add in the ability to trickle at home or fast-fill on Tesla’s reliable Supercharger network and this becomes not just a viable replacement for an ICE car, but a pretty compelling option on its own.

Now, being a 2020 edition means this car lacks some of the niceties of the latest Model 3s. Tesla refreshed the Model 3 with the 2021 models, imbuing the newer cars with a heat pump HVAC in place of the resistive heater and some welcome trim and spec changes in the cabin. These first-generation cars also have bright trim while the newer ones feature all black.

Other noteworthy aspects of this car are its red paint, which was a $2K option on the car when new, and the 19-inch Sport wheels. Those eat into the overall mileage due to their less efficient nature but are a lot better looking than the plastic-capped 18-inch Aero wheels.

While the exterior is stock, the basic black cabin is not. Add-ons include a carbon fiber overlay on the dash matched with similar caps on the steering wheel stalks. The big news, however, is the matching aftermarket yoke that has replaced the 3’s traditional wheel. That’s a matter of personal taste, but it does tart up the interior a good bit. The factory elements—the “Vegan Leather” upholstery and piano black center console cover—look to be in great shape. Heavy-duty rubber floor mats protect the tissue paper on the floor that masquerades as carpet.

Per the ad, the car has done 47,100 miles or a little over 15K a year. That’s pretty standard and bodes well for the future that a full-electric car can run with the ICE dogs in annual mileage. That mileage does, however, mean that the basic warranty will soon expire. The drive unit and battery warranties extend to eight years or 120,000 miles so the major stuff will still be covered. The car comes with a title and an asking price of $31,100.

Now, that’s even below the $35K that Elon promised us we’d see in the Model 3 but has never been realized until now. A lightly used version, however, might be just as good as new and here, it’s even cheaper than that.