I'm curious if anyone here is planning on spending the extra $3k for "fully autonomous driving (once available)"
I've spoken to several people in the industry (at Waymo) who say it's literally impossible for Tesla to deliver on this with the hardware built into the Model 3 and I've seen several articles now suggesting the same. Seems like a lot of money to loan Tesla for an unknown time period on a hope and a prayer when likely best case scenario is they refund the money and deliver some sort of "Enhanced Autopilot +"... or worse, they don't refund it.

I know we've all loaned Tesla $1k already for the reservation spot, but that's fully refundable so I see it as different.

I bought TSLA at $230 last Jan. When it hit $365 in August it just seemed too good to be true and I sold it. If it gets back to $230, I would think about buying it again but alas, didn't go much below $250 this week.

Out of curiosity, when did you reserve and was it in person or online?
I reserved online on 3/31 (but late in the day) and my estimator says May-July. Curious for people getting them now, where they are at in the queue.

If Tesla hits 200k in early Q3 (say July 1st), that means the full credit is actually still available to all through the end of 2018.
Even after that, half credit ($3,750) is still available for the first 6 months of 2019 and quarter credit ($1,875) through the end of 2019

I configured over 3 weeks ago but haven't heard anything since. Still no VIN, no delivery date.
Hoping they speed things up a bit

I've had my 3 for a few months now and have been loving it.
Before purchase, I did the math comparing it to Toyota Camry/Honda Accord and the cost of ownership was actually significantly cheaper for the 3.
I get free charging from my employer which isn't the case for everyone so I understand that my math may be slightly different, but not only is the 3 way nicer than a Camry/Accord, also being cheaper for me made it a no-brainer. I agree people are definitely moving away from the traditionally popular ICE sedans in favor of the model 3.

Easy: The accord was actually more and the model 3 was actually less.

I wasn't looking at the base model with no options Accord. The Accord Touring, with minimal options is already over $30k.
My Model 3 was $50K, but then take away the $7,500 tax credit is really only $42,500.

Over 7 years, the difference in fuel costs is about $12,500 (I spent ~$1,800 on gas per year). Also save a few grand on maintenance as no oil changes or brakes etc.

No I am not. See original message:

I think your mischaracterizing how people charge their cars. Most people just plug it in at home at the end of the day and it's charged for when they leave the next morning. This takes 0 additional time for fueling compared to the 10 min per fill up for gas.
Personally, I plug it in when I get to work and it charges during the day while I'm working (about once per week).

As for cost: Tesla charges 26 cents per kWh. 300 miles would need ~75kWh so that's $19.50
Gas near me is $3.90/gallon (I'm in CA so it's way more expensive) so at 30 miles per gallon, that same 300 miles in gas would cost $39
If I were to charge at home, electricity is cheaper than at a supercharger at 15.6 cents per kWh so the 300 mile charge would be $11.70

Without the tax credit, a Camry or Accord would have been cheaper.
Would I have spent the extra money and bought the Model 3 anyway? I'm really not sure.
I definitely like the acceleration, that I no longer have to ever stop for gas, integrated google maps etc... but is it worth 20% more than a comparable ICE car?
Maybe. Very hard to say what I would have done.

I also don't think of the Model 3 as a super premium car though. It's nice, but so is a higher end Camry or Accord.
The Model S or Model X are more luxury cars in my mind. So while you can get a loaded SUV for $45k, it wouldn't be a Porsche Cayenne or BMW X5 so I personally wouldn't compare a $45K SUV to the X... that's all personal perception though.

Driving an electric car like a maniac does decrease efficiency, but not as much as you might think. In an ICE car, you're using tons of gas accelerating then wasting that kinetic energy braking, then repeating... in an electric car, you waste energy accelerating, but then recoup a portion of it through the regenerative brakes. You'll still see a decrease in range, but not nearly as much as in an ICE vehicle (also you won't need to change the brakes and rotors more frequently like you would in an ICE car)

They do need air intake.
It's not to cool an engine, but it does need to cool the battery and electronics.

I've had my 3 for about 7 months and I was given a Model S for 2 weeks while my 3 was in the shop. I would recommend driving both to figure out which one you prefer.

TLDR: If I were given the choice between a 3 (LR) and an S (70D) for the same price, I would still get the 3. A lot of this is personal preference and circumstance so your situation may be (and likely is) different.

I'll try to go over the differences that mattered to me and why I like or dislike each:

Suspension: S has an air ride system that allows you to adjust car height, 3 has traditional coil suspension. Very early 3 production had some complaints, I know they changed their seats since then to make a better feeling ride. I couldn't tell the difference and thought they both felt good. I'm sure others can notice the difference, I just didn't

Size: The S is noticeably wider than the 3 by ~6 inches, also nearly a foot longer. If you're planning on carrying multiple adults, maybe this is a good thing. Here in the bay area where parking spots are super tiny, I found it much easier to park in the 3 and didn't have to worry as much about people opening their door into my car.

Screens: The S has the dash cluster screen which is definitely nice. The maps implementation there could be better, but if I had the choice, I would rather have this screen behind the dash and the 3 doesn't. The main screen is a different story. The S has a terrible tile/split screen system compared to the 3 which allows for sliding apps like music up or down to increase the size or get rid of it entirely. much more intuitive, much more fluid, way more options, and looks better too. The main screen is a clear win for the 3

Center Console: The 3 has one large well with lid plus a decent size bucket under the arm rest. I use the larger space for storage including charging adapter. I use the space under the arm rest for electronics and battery for a dashcam. The S has a large customizable divider system taking up most of the center that is not hidden. The 3 is my clear preference but it's very specific to my personal use case.

Door Handles: The 3 handles look neat, they work fine, they do attract too many finger prints on and around them. I like them... but the Model S door handles that pop out are just way cooler.

Phone vs car fob: The 3 uses your phone (via bluetooth) to unlock your car and allow it to start (or you can use the credit-card rfid tags) while the S uses a fob in the shape of a model S that you carry on your keys. I definitely like using my phone much better. I always have my phone on me so I don't have to carry anything extra. I usually don't carry any keys so I found the S fob to be kind of annoying. There is now a car fob option for the 3 as well I believe for $150

Range: My extended range 3 gets 310 miles to the charge. I only charge it to 90% so that's 279 miles. The S 70D I drove had a range of 259 miles. charged to 90% is only 233 miles. I get nervous getting below about 50 miles (and so I don't) which really gives my model 3 an effective 229 miles/charge compared to the S 178 miles/charge. I found that 25% less miles/charge to be a huge difference. Sure you can get a longer range S, but that's a lot more money. Also I don't have a charger at home. I charge at work about once per week. If you charge the car every day at home, this might not matter to you at all.

Trunk/cargo: The trunk on the S closes with the push of a button, the 3 is manual. That's just an extra feature for the S that the 3 doesn't have and I wish it did. Both cars have very large trunks (as well as smaller frunks). They both also have a large tub below a hatch in the trunk which is nice to hold groceries etc. While both cars have a ton of storage, the S somehow has TWICE as much. I've seen a pinball machine loaded in the back of an S which you definitely can't do with a 3. the S is a hatchback which helps with this. Bottom line: both have crazy storage, but if you for some reason need even more or the larger opening of a hatchback, the S is the way to go.

Additional Notes: I don't have the Performance version of the 3 and had a 70D model S, don't know how the performance versions compare. The air filter in the 3 works well, the S is supposed to have a crazy large HEPA filter which works better. Never tested it. I have tried EAP and thought it was terrifying. It missed objects in the road and drifted a bit too much for my comfort. I did NOT pay for EAP nor Full auto. In my opinion, full auto will never be viable for current S or 3 models. It will be at a minimum years away and certainly require additional hardware (and that's IF it ever comes which I think it won't) so I have taken all self-driving concerns out of my decision process, but if you disagree, obviously that could change your preferences.

My Model 3 gets 325 miles. The current long range Model S gets 370.
People do want more range, it's just expensive/difficult to get more into a production car.
I do think it says something that tesla offers 100mi more range than any other manufacturer

One thing I didn't really appreciate before owning an EV was what "range" really means and why range anxiety is a thing.

To keep the battery in better condition, you only charge it to ~80% normally (only charging to 100% for long trips). If you try to charge whenever it gets down to 20% in fear of running out of charge, that means you're really only using 60% of the battery capacity. This is good for the battery life, but if your car only has a 250 mile "range" that means you're actually charging it every 150 miles. If you have a home charger and plug it in every night maybe not a big deal, but if you rely on outside charging that's 150 miles between fillups is a LOT. My Model 3 gets almost 200 Mi between charges which is better, but if I could buy a car that went significantly farther, I would appreciate that.

Definitely true. I never believe anything Elon or Tesla Marketing say.

I have the LR and can confirm it's stupid fast.
After the latest software update, the regular LR can go 0 to 60 in under 4 sec while the performance can do it in just under 3 sec.
Other than acceleration/torque etc, are there any real differences between the LR and Performance? I believe you can customize the wheels and interior etc of LR so I don't see any reason to get the performance other than the difference in power output... but if you do want the extra acceleration, sure go performance model.

Is there really a big difference? My model 3 is the fastest car I've ever driven. 0 to 60 is still faster than a BMW M3 or Z4.
Now I'm curious to try a performance model to compare.

Some features it depends on exactly what model and what hardware it has (does it have AP1.0? 2.0? 2.5?),
some features it depends what options were purchased (was FSD added?),
and other features were rolled out to all cars. I do believe Camp Mode was rolled out to everyone.

Agreed on this. 2 in the front and 2 in the back fits just fine, but it would not be comfortable for 5 adults. Because they're kids, you can just tell them to cram in and it likely won't be bad when they're that young, but they will get older and bigger and the back seat isn't very large.

I was just at that stop yesterday coming back north from LA to SF area.
half the superchargers have been upgraded to the V3 250kw units (20 V3 and 20 V2)
At the end of a holiday weekend at 5pm, it was only half full (curious enough, half the V2 chargers were used and half the V3 chargers were used. Not sure if people just didn't notice that both were available?)

I do think a lot of people are charging for longer either because their battery is almost dead and so it starts charging at a slower rate or they are charging it nearer to full and the last 10% takes a longer time (and sometimes both).
still there's no way people average over 40 min (and I think that's a gross overestimate)
I pulled in yesterday with 11 miles left on the battery and probably charged about 40 min but that's pretty much the maximum possible and I don't think that's at all normal

I do have a long range 3.
Didn't think about that aspect though, you're right that some other models are capped at lower charging rated due to size of battery and the older components can't handle the power. I thought the newer S and X could take full advantage though, is that not the case?