Model 3 for college kid?

Model 3 for college kid?

Hey guys,

What do you guys think of having a tesla model 3 as a first car going into college in a year or two? Any concerns etc?

Rocky_H | July 31, 2015

I suppose I don't get the question. How does the person's age or being in college relate? It's a car. The concerns are the same concerns that would apply to anyone, e.g. is there charging available where the person lives or parks? What kind of distances does the person normally drive?

Teslaguy | July 31, 2015

What does a young college kids learn about life when someone hands Him a brand-new Tesla?

jlasker999 | July 31, 2015

I'd be leery of my college age kid doing 0-60 in 2.8 seconds on the way home from a bar one night.

Vishal382 | July 31, 2015

I mean, I have a job so Im paying for part of the car, Im in the top 5% of my class so Im academically sound and Im never gonna drink or smoke. Im looking at it from a charging standpoint. They have 4 free level 2 J1772 chargepoints at the university im looking to get into. Im wondering how efficient would it be if I used those to charge my car on a weekly basis or so.

Tstolz | July 31, 2015

In another 2-3 years when M3 is out, charging will be everywhere. That sad, I would not own a BEV without at least a 35 amp 240 volt plug at home though. Unless of course there is a Supercharger close.

Teslas are incredible ... will not regret it!

PhillyGal | July 31, 2015

@Teslaguy - absolutely nothing, I'd assume.

Then again, I'm just an old curmudgeon that still has a Model 3 worth of loans from undergrad after 9 years of payments...

vperl | August 1, 2015

Heard Harry Reid is sending a Bill forward for a free Tesla with each New Welfare individual from a foreign country.

Ankit Mishra | August 2, 2015

I don't know the social protocol of USA but I doubt that a college student would require a car. My opinion would be to spend money on studies, girlfriend, parents and quality of life. When you graduate and get a permanent job, then you buy a Tesla. This is my opinion and I might be wrong.

vperl | August 2, 2015

Sorry, in the USA, a great education is down on the list.

The kids want a check, and do not necessarily care to work. Many kids do not know or understand Democracy, and the reasons the U.S. has millions, millions of folks from other countries flocking across the border. The kids, smoke dope, live off their parents till the parents die, or kick the kiddies out.

The U.S. by decree by the present POTUS is not concerned with the children not being able to speak, read or write a definitive sentence. The U.S. spends more on education than any country, and we get kids that are clueless, and do not care.

Cars, booze, drugs, and protesting against the "MAN " burning cities and complaining as the cash Welfare chcks, food stamps, and get Section 8 housing from the government, while getting free healthcare.

Yep, the kids here are different.

Vishal382 | August 2, 2015

@vperl I wouldn't say I fall into that category. With aspirations to become a doctor, I take education seriously and am looking into a tesla because I have the financial side of college figured out. ALso, the number of people you described that drink booze, do drugs, and don't care for college is relatively small to the large number of young adults working hard to earn their lifestyle and make a decent living in college.

Ankit Mishra | August 2, 2015

Somebody hacked vperl's account. Hope he gets back soon.

Teslaguy | August 2, 2015

If you are capable enough to have college covered, then I would buy a good dependable 2 year old car.......take the Tesla money and put it into a condo or house after college and the job is secured.....then think about the Tesla. Buy the Tesla now and you watch it depreciate, pay mucho insurance, and suddenly there is nothing left for the down payment on the condo.

grega | August 2, 2015

Hi @Vishal382. If you've got your money sorted, and you'll shortly be going to college, and trying to decide what car you'd like to spend about $40k on - then the Model III will be well worth considering.

Naturally the decision will depend on many things, but in the case of the Model III it'll be your ability to charge easily, driving habits and for long distance the supercharger availability on the routes you'll be driving. I think generally you'll get positive attention for the Model III and it will make a statement (for now).

If you're asking whether to buy a $15k second hand car or a $40k Model III the decision isn't so clear. The savings of an EV aren't big if your mileage is low, but apart from that it's mostly the regular questions people ask about new vs second hand.

I personally think that EVs will have an growing resale value as more people switch away from ICEs.
Good luck.

grega | August 2, 2015


Sorry I slipped into the wrong thought process above. @Tstolz is right, in 2-3 years the charging landscape will have changed significantly. And it should hopefully relate to how many EVs are needing the chargers too.

The current J1772 chargers would be an overnight charge, required every time your battery gets very low. You could find out if the chargers are usually available now but that'll still be a different story in a couple of years. The upgraded chargers in a few years may not be free either.

All up, I'd consider the Model III when the time comes, when you know more about the Model III and your charging options at that time, and not worry now :)

vperl | August 2, 2015

Look at the statistics of idiot college students that cannot answer simple questions about the U.S. or Democracy.

There are exceptions, but most grads owe tens of thousands of dollars on loans after university. Most never pay the loan. Now, these same idiots know for a fact they are entitled to a EV, probably on the government dole, like welfare, food stamps, and section 8 housing.

Go entitled heard, put down your protest sign, pull up your panties and get a job.

Red Sage ca us | August 3, 2015

vperl: I'm pretty sure the misnamed 'No Child Left Behind' policy structure of moving kids to the next grade level no matter their demonstrated scholastic ability or educational aptitude was instigated during the most recent Bush Administration.

vperl | August 3, 2015

And the present occupier of WH has these almost seven years corrected your complaint.

The U.S. spends more per student than any country, still the idiots graduate from college, and live in parents basement, using Bamma care till they are 26 years old.

Pitty the idiots, and the degree they got in Feminine Studies, Gender Allocation, Pull up Your Panties and wave your Hands Protest.

A brave new world of Education, that includes how to apply for food stamps, welfare, and unemployment Degree's .

Be Proud.

adoh2010 | August 3, 2015

If by that time gas cars are demonized in your country like they are in Northern Europe currently "high gas prices, ridiculous taxes and fees" then buy it. If not then stick to a used beater for college, it's always the best financial decision in college to skip on one extra monthely bill.

adoh2010 | August 3, 2015

To put that into prespective: Leave making an enviromental statement through a brand new car to people who have a secure good paying job, buy whatever has the cheapest overall cost for getting you through college.

If we can convince everyone who buys high-end BMWs, MBs, Audis and Jags to buy the faster and less expensive to run Model S we would be able to go gas-free by 2030. Unfortunately we can't, people love exhaust notes and prestegious emblems and many still have range anxiety even with Tesla.

Red Sage ca us | August 3, 2015

Thirty years since I graduated from high school.

Still astounded that anyone younger than I am is a habitual smoker. Most don't actually smoke. They practice the 'Art of Smoking without Smoking'. They light cigarettes and sit there with them smoldering. Then, fifteen minutes later, they light another. I still don't understand how anyone is convinced to smoke to begin with... Too many people I have known, who were smokers, have died or contracted Cancer. Three pack a day habit? Can you think of anything else you do sixty times a day?

So, yeah... People who have been conditioned, trained, compelled to want BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche will continue to buy them for some time. Addiction to petroleum will continue unabated even when it only infests the minority.

johnse | August 3, 2015

@vperl Most never pay the loan.

As of September 2014 the default rate was 13.7%, down from 14.7%

vperl | August 3, 2015

Hundreds of millions of the loans went into default years ago and are not listed, believe what you will about non payment of student loans.

Obviously, no one cares if the loans are paid or not.

vperl | August 4, 2015

Entitled children, having mommies paying for a Tesla and getting student loans sounds great to me. However, I wish not to be party to the entitled, living in mommies basement till the parent die, kick them out, or reach 26-40.

Those that work while in school like many have done. Get jobs, whatever these jobs are till the new graduate has a job in their realm is a idea some reject out of hand.

However, start your own private fund to buy slackers what ever they wish straight out of college. Not a problem.

Rocky_H | August 4, 2015

And here it is. I promised I would flag anyone using the "mommies[sic] basement" insult. Congratulations, you are a winner!

vperl | August 4, 2015

You ought to move out, you have been flagged for a direct micro-agressive remark to me personally. A nasty habit of some folks.

Flag away, ships passing going opposite direction.

Some are so self important they flag, others just sail.

I forgive the transgressor of ones that have not moved out.

Shame on the micro-agressive basement folk. Shame.

jimglas | May 31, 2019

troll flagged

SCCRENDO | May 31, 2019

@jimglas. Van Perley disappeared from these boards a few years ago. He was a white supremacist from Oregon. We also had another piece of work called Remnant. We used to call him the Brain Remnant. Those 2 made Mitch look a genius.

jimglas | June 1, 2019

@SCC: Thank for the history lesson. I guess I should be happy mitch is just a idiot

Gabriella Lithgow | June 3, 2019

Tesla is quite an expensive car and donating it to a college student is wrong. Many students are on the verge of poverty and this can cause a negative public reaction. I wrote a small essay on this site In this article, I write about what such inequality can lead to. I recommend buying a middle-class car. Like some kind of Japanese brand. I hope these tips really help you.

Rachel McGeorge | June 3, 2019

@Gabriella Lithgow I absolutely agree with you. Students must have an equal social level.

tolab | October 2, 2019