That is an excellent question, and you have arrived at the correct location. You did, however, miss a step. There are three critical questions you need to ask yourself before searching for the cheapest Tesla for you. This is gonna be a long read so get cozy.
The first thing to ask oneself is, "What do I require from a car?" What is your family lifelike, which is a topic I spoke about extensively? You should question yourself whether you are single, married, have children, and so on.
The next question is, "What does my professional life seem like?" Do you work for yourself, for someone else, or are you unemployed? The next thing to ask yourself is, "How does my social life look?" Are you a gregarious butterfly who constantly ends up as the designated driver, or an introvert?
Once you've made an honest attempt to answer these questions, it's time to move on to the primary question: What is the cheapest Tesla for me? Not for who I want to be or strive to be someday, but for who I am right now.
Once you've determined which of the first three scenarios best suits your actual lifestyle, you can better assess the numerous lifestyle combinations and which Tesla model will best fit each iteration.
The Tesla Model 3 is currently the cheapest Tesla model available for purchase without any add-ons or upgrades, with a cash-out-the-door price of $39,640, minus taxes and fees, depending on your state and city of residence. What you receive for that price is the base model without any bells and whistles (according to Tesla's already high standards).
Single Self-Employed Social Butterfly
You are probably more concerned with comfort than utility as a single professional who is self-employed and has more friends than most individuals. Not that utility isn't important, but all Teslas, in general, provide rather consistently high utility across all models. The Model 3 Standard is the most affordable Tesla available, yet it has all of the distinctive and amazing features that can only be found in a Tesla.
For $39,990, you get the black engineered leather upholstery, which isn't as spectacular or eye-catching as a premium real leather interior. As a social butterfly, you would need to pay an additional $1000 ($40,460 total) for the all-white luxury interior.
If you're like that type of thing, it will undoubtedly get you considerably more brownie points than the black interior. In other words, impressing others. The white interior also oozes elegance and refinement, which your guests will undoubtedly enjoy and look forward to experiencing again and again.
As a single and self-employed social butterfly, you won't have to worry about kids ruining your white leather inside, albeit you will have to deal with intoxicated pals and their antics.
All Teslas now include a base-level autopilot, which is astounding in and of itself. I wouldn't spring for the 'Full Self-Driving Capability' as it costs $12,000 extra and I wouldn't call that a justifiable business expense unless you travel long hours on the road for work. So, with that in mind, here's what you get:
PRICE: $39,640 |
PRICE: $51,640 |
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Single Self-Employed Introvert
In this case, an introvert would rarely have people in such close quarters as in a car and hence would not require an interior that impresses others. That's not to say you can't splurge for the premium cabin if you prefer a more luxurious driving experience.
However, in my opinion, that $1000 may be spent elsewhere, such as on your couch or bed. Then there's the matter of whether or not to go for 'Full Self-Driving.' As an introvert, I would argue that you prefer autonomy and complete control over 'Full Self-Driving' and the resulting loss of control. You also don't have anybody to impress with this amazing function, which will get boring to you after a while.
You also don't have anybody to impress with this amazing function, which will bore you after a few weeks. As in the previous example, if your job needs you to travel by car a lot, I would absolutely choose 'Full Self-Driving' because it would make your long hours on the road much more comfortable and efficient. So, at $39,640, I recommend going with the basic Model 3. Here's what you get:
PRICE: $39,640 |
PRICE: $51,640 |
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Single Employed Social Butterfly
As an employee, the cheapest Tesla you can purchase is the Model 3 Standard with no upgrades, unless you acquired it that way and enjoy spending your money on good things. As an employee, all of your cars are totally depreciating assets, thus the more money you spend on them, the more money you waste or squander.
A Tesla, in my opinion, is already better than any other automobile now on the road. So any more will be frosting on top of the icing that already came with the Tesla cake. Furthermore, being a social butterfly, you must consider the comfort of your numerous friends who will invariably wind up in your company.
Furthermore, being a social butterfly, you must think about the comfort of your numerous friends who will definitely wind up in your automobile at some time.
However, keep in mind that every cent you spend on your Tesla as an employee cannot be deducted as a business expenditure, so consider twice before adding $7000 to your bill or $100 to your monthly auto loan installments. My advice is to be economically responsible and purchase the basic Model 3 with the following features:
PRICE: $39,640 |
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Single Employed Introvert
If you are a Single Employed Introvert, the cheapest Tesla to purchase will be the same as if you were a Single Employed Social Butterfly. All of the reasonings and reasons remain, with the most crucial being that your Model 3 costs cannot be deducted from your taxes. So, if you're concerned about the price, the Model 3 Standard with the features below will be the cheapest Tesla for you to buy:
PRICE: $39,640 |
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Single Unemployed Social Butterfly
If you are jobless, I would not advocate incurring the financial and emotional pain of acquiring a new (or old Tesla), regardless of whether you are a social butterfly or an introvert. Without a source of income, the burden of adding even the base Model 3 to your monthly expenses may not be worth it unless you have enough resources to cover the entire cost of the car.
Even in that instance, there are numerous more financially savvy and advantageous ways to spend that $39,990, none of which involve a brand new Tesla. So, my advice would be to wait until you have a recurring stream of money or income before making your Tesla purchase.
Single Unemployed Introvert
My suggestion is the same as it was previously. As an unemployed such and such, your first objective is to locate work or a new source of income while ruthlessly saving the money you still have because you don't know how long you'll be unemployed. As a single jobless introvert, the cheapest Tesla for you to buy is to NOT buy a Tesla or incur any significant/long-term expenditure.
Married Self-Employed Social Butterfly
The Model 3 with the luxury interior but NOT the 'Full Self-Driving Capability' would be the cheapest Tesla for you to buy as a married self-employed individual. This is because women are less trusting of Tesla's 'Full Self-Driving' capability than men are.
I speak from personal experience as someone whose wife recoils whenever I enable autopilot. Women dislike entrusting their lives (and the life of their children) to a machine, no matter how capable it is. This statement is also true for same-sex couples. It is uncommon for both couples to feel the same way about technological autonomy.
PRICE: $39,640 |
PRICE: $51,640 |
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Married Self-Employed Introvert
As a married self-employed introvert, the economics of owning a vehicle as a company cost continues to hold true. So the question here is if you want to do something nice for yourself and your partner by investing in a premium interior. It all relies on your and your spouse's personalities.
If luxury is something you desire, go ahead and splurge for the $1000 premium inside. However, if you are more cautious in your life and do not seek luxury, the Model 3 Standard without any add-ons is the most affordable Tesla. So, as previously said, my advice is as follows:
PRICE: $39,640 |
PRICE: $51,640 |
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Married Employed Social Butterfly
As an employee rather than a business owner, it is always financially sensible to limit your personal costs to the required and avoid superfluous expenses as much as possible. Again, if you're looking for the cheapest Tesla to purchase, you've already stated that you're price sensitive and don't like needless costs.
So I'll recommend the Model 3 Standard, and you may add the $1000 luxury interior update if it fits your budget, as long as you don't have any children who would undoubtedly destroy the white inside. So, once again, my advice is the same as before:
PRICE: $39,640 |
PRICE: $51,640 |
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Married Employed Introvert
The Model 3 Standard will be the most affordable Tesla for a married working introvert who isn't concerned with entertaining friends or fancy items. Because introverts prefer to attract other introverts, chances are your spouse is also an introvert.
So upgrading to a Model 3 with a more luxurious cabin will not be a major consideration in your choice to buy the cheapest Tesla. I consider myself an introvert since I am very comfortable being alone for extended periods of time, and I prefer to put my needs before my wants.
So, when I bought my Tesla, I chose the basic interior option, which has served me well thus far. Furthermore, as an employee seeking the cheapest Tesla possible, an extra $1000 on your final bill is not something you want to see. So, to spare yourself the trouble, I propose going with the Model 3 Standard, which has the following features:
PRICE: $39,640 |
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Married unemployed Social Butterfly
Again, as a jobless person, your first goal is to find work or a new source of income while saving the money you have since you don't know how long you'll be unemployed. Add in the significance of being economically cautious for you and your spouse, and the need to avoid any new large-ticket item purchase becomes considerably more pressing and serious.
So, if you're searching for the cheapest Tesla to purchase as an unemployed person, I'd recommend going for a considerably less costly car, such as a used Toyota Prius, if you don't already have one. However, if you currently possess a car, I would urge that you wait on buying the cheapest Tesla until your financial situation improves.
Married unemployed Introvert
My suggestion is the same as it was previously. It's preferable to put off buying a Tesla (even if it's the cheapest Tesla available) until you're in a more secure financial condition, which can only come through working or running a profitable business.
Married With Kids Self-Employed Social Butterfly
This is when things start to become interesting since you are now living for your children as a parent. However, you can't deny the fact that your kids will ultimately spoil everything wonderful you own, even the gorgeous white leather luxury interior of your Tesla.
The regular black partial quality inside, on the other hand, will resist practically everything your kids can throw at it. It is built to resist the daily abuse that your children will undoubtedly inflict on the interior of your Tesla. Most significantly, they do not appear cheap, as most base interiors in other automobiles do.
This all-black partial premium interior is made up of a combination of leather (for comfort) and breathable mesh fabric (for durability), giving you the best of both worlds. Yes, it isn't as eye-catching as the all-white luxury inside, but it is considerably more realistic and suited for your present family lifestyle.
Unless you never intend to have your children in your Tesla (since one spill might destroy your interior for good), you will be saving yourself a lot of headaches and fussing at your children. Also, with children in the picture, you must be much more frugal with your money than you were when it was just you and your spouse since, last time I looked, college funds do not pay for themselves.
So, unless your Tesla is going to be off-bounds to your children, which is a difficult task, I recommend sticking with the 'All Black Partial Premium Interior.' Furthermore, if your business requires you to often transport things from one location to another, you will want an interior that is designed to handle this sort of activity. If you expect to take frequent long journeys in your Tesla for business, the 'Full Self-Driving' capability option is worth serious consideration.
Tesla's 'Full Self-Driving' capability is orders of magnitude safer than a human driver, making the road safer for everyone. Despite the $12,000 difference, I believe it is worth the expense if you can afford it. This is what you will be getting in the above two configurations:
PRICE: $39,640 |
PRICE: $51,640 |
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Married With Kids Self-Employed Introvert
Remember, your goal is to locate the cheapest Tesla feasible. As an introvert, you are unlikely to get any points from friends who happen to ride in your car any time soon because it is unlikely to occur frequently enough to justify the additional $1000 expenditure. However, as a business owner, your spending should be based on your company's demands, which should determine if you need to pay for any extras.
The only optional feature that may be justified as an investment is 'Full Self-Driving Capability.' Because I am neither a tax expert nor a CPA, this should not be regarded as financial advice. Before making any large financial decisions, you should always contact a tax specialist especially when it comes to EVs as there might be tax incentives that you can qualify for. Having said that, my recommendation will be the same as above which is:
PRICE: $39,640 |
PRICE: $51,640 |
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Married With Kids Employed Social Butterfly
If you are married with children and a social butterfly, the $1000 premium interior upgrade should be your sole genuine consideration when it comes to add-ons. Anything else, in my opinion, is a waste of money, especially if you are not acquiring it for business purposes. Furthermore, you will have to justify the additional cost to your spouse, and I don't see a compelling case for 'Full Self-Driving Capability' and 19" Sport Wheels. As a result, I propose the following options:
PRICE: $39,640 |
PRICE: $51,640 |
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Married With Kids Employed Introvert
If you have children, you should avoid the premium interior upgrade unless you are okay with having to spot clean the leather every time your children depart the vehicle. So, if you're searching for the cheapest Tesla to buy, there's just one actual option: the base offering, which is listed below:
PRICE: $39,640 |
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Married With Kids Unemployed Social Butterfly
As I indicated previously for all other jobless cases, getting the cheapest Tesla should not be your priority until you have a job or a stable source of income.
Married With Kids Unemployed Introvert
The preceding advice is still valid for those who fall into this category. This is the time to conserve money and be exceedingly conservative with what you have since you now have other mouths to feed, and no matter how inexpensive a Tesla is, they can't eat it for dinner.
Married With Kids Self-Employed Social Butterfly
When it comes to purchasing a vehicle, being self-employed gives you additional financial possibilities. However, you must be realistic about your requirements and avoid overspending on items you like but don't truly need. For a company automobile, the Tesla Model 3 Standard would do. However, if lengthy road trips are part of your business, adding the 'Full Self-Driving Capability' will actually save your life. As a result, my advice to you is as follows:
PRICE: $39,640 |
PRICE: $51,640 |
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Married With Kids Self-Employed Introvert
The premium interior package is the sole criteria in this scenario for acquiring the cheapest Tesla that differs from the previous scenario and subsequent suggestions.
Again, if you are willing to always clean up after your children, guarantee that they never eat in the car, and basically ensure that they do nothing except sit still for the whole length of the drive each time they are in your Tesla, then go ahead and get the premium interior add-on. However, every parent I know who has the premium white inside in their Tesla either dreads having children in the vehicle or becomes a tidy freak if anyone is in the vehicle.
So, if I were you and seeking to upgrade my Tesla Model 3, I would forego the trouble of constantly cleaning the premium white inside and instead go for the feature that would surely make me more productive and effective in my business, which is the 'Full Self-Driving Capability.' As a result, my advice remains the same as before:
PRICE: $39,640 |
PRICE: $51,640 |
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