One Year Later: Am I Happy With My 2023 Tesla Model 3?

These are my favorite videos of yours ---- real life experience is always more important than hype. Thank you!

I appreciated your honest review of cars; it would be great if professional channels could be as straightforward. As a loyal Tesla fan, I hope to buy one within the next couple of years.

Appreciate your honest opinion. At 73 yrs old my wife bought a new 2022 like yours but paid 10,000 more than you did. We take a lot of trips once going 4000 mi.s to the Grand Canyon and back. We had no problems charging since we would stop every three hours to charge and use a restroom or eat or get a motel room. We did the entire trip in a little less than 7 days.

I never have range anxiety with out model Yp. I do notice however when my wife drives the Tesla down to our favorite beach place with the kids, (about a 120nm) she uses a lot less energy than I do going the same distance. How weird? Not really she has the patience to drive on chill mode and I don’t. We have not had to have the transfer case fluid, the differentials, 10 speed 10R80 transmission, engine air filter, engine oil, engine oil filter as we had to do in the past. We have not had to make arrangements to drop the car off at the ford dealer for a day and half to get the service work done. This has been such a relief ! But I just remembered typing this that I need to replace the windshield wipers as it is coming into the rainy season. Although we do use rainx, the Service intervals of the Ford used to be a reminder to do other things. The problem we have with owning a Tesla is that I would feel guilty about going to the gas station to use their free air compressor to top off the tires. So we bought a roll around compressor. That’s it. Owning a Tesla is so simple.

Much older than you, we enjoy the brief break to walk around for 20 minutes, no need to attend charging. I requested in my settings for the automatic trip charge planner about 2 hours, although with a 300-mile range, it could be much less frequent. Our speed limits are 55 and 70 which produce the Tesla range prediction. Our normal home charging, at 80% of the time, eliminated ICE car gas station trips and stops, and no oil changes, it really adds up the time savings.

Those socks though... Killed me 🤣

"Is this in the right hole?", you do know the humor level of your audience so well 🤣

Cadillacs routinely held more than a gallon of washer fluid. That way when the reservoir was down to a quart, you could still add the whole new gallon of fluid. And didn't have to do it often.

Thanks for posting this. You have to want one. There’s no need for anyone to hate on EV or ICE. Get what works for you and stop judging others. You are you. Good job.

My nephew who has a "lead foot" and typically goes 80 in a 55 zone complains of reduced range on road trips. It is a lifestyle and social pressure thing that fast is cool. Since Teslas are so quick it is hard for him to resist punching it. I've shown him how I can get to the same 279 mile destination without stopping to charge for only 5 more minutes total. Maintaining his driving style is too important for him.

Ellie, You have a metallic blue wrap on your car. Metallic paint is the highest end paint the automakers use, and to think it comes from a plastic wrap is something that blows the mind. What a great job they did. Also, thanks for your honest review! 🙂

This is the best, most honest report I've ever seen. Mahalo nui loa Ellie!

Thanks for the honest review Ellie. Your Model 3 is great branding for your channel.

I'm using an old electric dryer outlet to get level 2 charging from my mobile connector. Charges great. I did have to buy a $35 adapter to fit the older outlet (which also sets the amps appropriately) and $95 extension cable so I could charge from my driveway. Super convenient. Note: I was lucky my dryer outlet wasn't being used since I have a gas dryer. If it was being used their are smart adapters which allow the dryer to take priority when in use and allow the Tesla to use when the not dryer is not in use.

I have the standard range 2023 M3. Picked it up in January 2024. Have over 20k miles on it. Drove it from East Coast to AZ. 2 round trips. Plus a trip to Star Base for #4 launch. So lots of long distance. Charging every 2-3 hours. Getting used to letting it get to 20 % or less and only charging enough to get to the next charger... After that charging was something I looked forward to. Taking frequent breaks makes driving 850 to 900 miles a day back to back for 3 days much easier. The breaks make it a much more enjoyable drive. Vs with an ICE car trying to drive 6-8 hours without a break. Tesla trip planning software works very well. I could see having to charge going from Austin to Boca Chica could feel a little annoying. So serious road trips are better with the more frequent stops. Also helps to realize that when supercharging at hotels, the hotels expect you to come inside to use the lobby restrooms. I prefer charging at a well stocked convenience store/ gas station or truck stop. Vs a restaurant, or hotel. Typical charge times on the trip 15-30 minutes. Time for a restroom break, cold drink and maybe a sandwich. Shout out to Buc-ees, awesome brisket. Also charging at a gas station means there's support for things like washing windows. Check tire pressure (?) No need to check oil.(LOL) Often car was done charging before i was done with the stop. So don't let range scare you compared to ice car. Let the Tesla software take care of you.

I’ve had my model Y for two and a half years and it’s been parked outside as I don’t have a garage. I got permission from my landlord to install a NEMA 1450 plug on the side of the house and it charges in about 3 to 6 hours depending on SOC. I never had range anxiety and I have taken a few long road trips with it. I will never buy an ICE car again.

Entertaining and Informative. You hit the 2 most important points.

Daisy Dukes

In europe, a lot of research has shown that, for people that do not drive long distances regularly/professionally ( ie more than twice a week), the max attention span for driving safely is about 2 hours. Statistics show that accidents happen more frequently when people drive longer periods. So most national road safety and car associations advise people to take a break every two hours when going on a road trip. Aside from that I need a restroom break and a drink or something to eat after 2 hours of driving, even when I was driving longer distances for work. And most EVs should be able to make a 2,5-3 hour trip, assuming charging stations are available (range 200-240 miles, speed 80 mph).

This is one of your best videos yet. Thank you 🙏