At $32,900, Is This 2018 Telsa Model 3 A Grand Performance?

Tesla’s Model 3 was the second best-selling car in California last year, losing out only its sister, the Model Y. Today’s Nice Price or No Dice Performance Model might be a good way to see what all the hubbub is about. That is, if its price proves palatable.

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Our discussion surrounding yesterday’s 1989 Volvo 780 Bertone Turbo made note of both its combined Swedish and Italian heritage, as well as the fact that the car’s $10,000 price tag didn’t seem to live up to that wonder-twinning power. The result was a hefty 82 percent No Dice loss to welcome us back in the game.

These days, Volvo’s international partnering has migrated all the way to China, where an agreement with Geely has infused the Swedish company with cash and resources. This partnership has also seen the Polestar nameplate shift from simply denoting Volvo’s performance models to an emergence as a stand-alone electric car brand. Volvo is seemingly cutting ties with Geely on the Polestar partnership, which will give the Chinese company exclusive control over the brand and will allow Volvo the freedom to market its electric cars without the onus of internal competition.

Electric cars are seemingly all the rage these days. Tesla is leading the pack in electric adoption with surprising success. The company’s Model Y was recently crowned as the world’s best-selling car. In California, the take rate for new electric car sales is almost 25 percent, with Tesla’s Model Y and Model 3 taking the two top spots in sales in the state last year.

See also A Warning to Hurricane Ian Policyholders About Loss Mitigation Versus Loss Prevention—A Sue and Labor Clause Analysis Can an insured recover costs to prevent a loss under a property insurance policy? If a loss occurs, can an insured recover the costs to reduce or mitigate damage from further damage? The answer is to read the full policy terms to make this determination. Generally, property insurance policies have terms which follow maritime and inland marine forms which require the policyholder to take steps to reduce or mitigate a previous loss and usually pay costs to do so. It is much less likely that a policy will reimburse fully for the costs to prevent a loss from occurring—but read the policy carefully. This issue involving a sue and labor provision was discussed by the Florida Supreme Court. Following prior case precedent interpreting the sue and labor clause, the court explained that: “An insured has the duty to exercise the care of a prudent, uninsured owner to protect insured property so as to minimize or prevent the loss for which the insurer would be liable. The purpose of the sue and labor clause is to reimburse the insured for those expenditures which are made primarily for the benefit of the insurer to reduce or eliminate a covered loss.” Did the sue and labor also pay for costs to prevent a loss? Not in that policy: “…Zurich correctly contends that the Sue and Labor clause in the Swire-Zurich policy is specifically applicable only after an actual loss has occurred or is occurring. Because Swire was acting to prevent a potential collapse of the building, and no actual loss had occurred, the $ 4.5 million expended by Swire is not recoverable under the policy’s Sue and Labor clause. …the policy’s Sue and Labor clause applies only in the case of an actual, covered loss. Any other conclusion would result in the Sue and Labor clause becoming the primary coverage provision of this contract without regard to the content of the contract or the coverage it was designed to provide. The reasoning suggested by Swire is certainly logical, to the effect that the preventive measures may have conferred a benefit upon the insurance company. If the Sue and Labor clause had been worded differently or if it had included language concerning the prevention of loss, the conclusion may have been different.” Hurricane Ian victims should be aware of property insurance provisions which require a policyholder to repair and take action to prevent further loss or damage. With soon to be Hurricane Nicole about to strike Florida, these provisions are important duties. Policies may also provide benefits to take these emergency and temporary repairs before the winds and rains of Hurricane Nicole cause further damage. Thought For The Day “You can never protect yourself 100%. What you do is protect yourself as much as possible and mitigate risk to an acceptable degree. You can never remove all risk.” Kevin Mitnick

That means there are a lot of Teslas on the used car market, and price fluctuations and uncertain tax break availability have roiled that market to no end. That makes for a good opportunity to take a look at this 2018 Tesla Model 3 Performance and see if it’s priced for the market or for the seller’s hopes and dreams.

There’s a lot to like about this Model 3, not the least of which is its Silver Metallic paint. This was one of the introductory colors on the car upon its 2017 release. The color went away with the mid-cycle refresh in late 2020 and hasn’t been seen since. This is also the dual-motor Performance model. That means it has a reported zero to sixty time of just a hair over three seconds and offers bigger brake rotors and Brembo squeezers to keep all that crazy acceleration under control.

Below the floor resides a 75 kWh battery pack that, according to the seller, still allows the car to do a healthy 280 miles under normal circumstances. The car has a mere 52,000 on the clock, or a very reasonable 8,700 miles a year. As such, it looks to be in super shape both inside and out. There are no apparent issues with either the cool paint or the vegan leather upholstery. And remarkably, for a Tesla, the wheels show no sign of curb rashing.

Other plusses include the Enhanced Autopilot option, Track Mode, and Home Link. Aftermarket options include a carbon fiber front splitter, a hidden hitch in the back for a bike rack, and blackout trim for the brightwork, which makes the car look a bit more like its more recent brethren. Reasonably new Pirelli tires are mounted to the 20-inch factory wheels.

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Per the seller, the car has been trouble-free the entire time they have owned it, with only a rearview camera problem requiring a free fix. The reason given for the sale is the recent purchase of a Model Y to better cart bicycles around. The title is clean, and the asking price is $32,900.

Now, as noted, prices for Teslas in general, and the Model 3 in particular, have been rising and falling over the past year as tax breaks come and go and Tesla tries to soft land in a market of increasing competition. That’s not good for sellers or buyers of used Teslas, so we’ll have to really give this seemingly very desirable edition special consideration in judging its value.

What do you think? Is this Model 3 Performance a deal at that $32,900 asking? Or is that just too much to ask in such a volatile a market, regardless of color or quickness?

You decide!

Los Angeles, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

H/T to Don R. for the hookup!

Help me out with NPOND. Hit me up at remslie@kinja.com and send me a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your Kinja handle.

At $32,900, Is This 2018 Telsa Model 3 A Grand Performance?

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