did i make a mistake by placing an order for my first car?

I’d say it depends if the money matters. If you can afford the newer model, you’ll probably be happier. Especially with HW4 if you’re interested in self drive. And if you keep it longer than 3 years you’ll probably be happy you got the newer model. But if money is tight and the older model gives you everything you want, save the money. If you’re positive you’re going to upgrade in 3 years it’s less of an issue. But life happens and you might be stuck with the car longer. So, get the one you think you’ll enjoy more. Good luck. They’re great cars.

I have a 2019 M3 LR AWD with HW3. It does what I want it to do. I’ve tested the HW4, which are way better. But then again, the next model will always be better. If you wait for the “best” you’ll always wait cause it’s ahead changing.

You’ll love it. Enjoy!

but i’m nervous bc it will be my first car and i am spending half my savings. my family helps with rent school etc but idk if it was a good idea to spend that much…i only demo drove the 2026 refresh w the hw4 which is why i got that one. and the one i got was ty e cheapest model y with the hw4… also, if i spend less at first, wouldn’t i still save?

but i’m nervous bc it will be my first car and i am spending half my savings. my family helps with rent school etc but idk if it was a good idea to spend that much…i only demo drove the 2026 refresh w the hw4 which is why i got that one. and the one i got was ty e cheapest model y with the hw4… also, if i spend less at first, wouldn’t i still save?

but i’m nervous bc it will be my first car and i am spending half my savings. my family helps with rent school etc but idk if it was a good idea to spend that much…i only demo drove the 2026 refresh w the hw4 which is why i got that one. and the one i got was ty e cheapest model y with the hw4…

Oh, I misread it. Thought you said you got the HW3 and regretting that. It’s more of a financial regret versus model regret then. If you can afford it, and still eat and provide for self and not load up on credit card debt, you’ll be ok. I think.

If you are not going to subscribe to fsd and trying to save money the 21 with hw3 will give you a very similar car and driving experience .

i just feel like since i was wanting to get a brand new car in a couple years, i feel like i’m paying more and settling bc it’s standard range and has black interior. i wanted the white interior i was gonna put white seat covers and dash covers on it but idk. the 2021 one has everything i wanted except the hw4 but does he even make that much of a difference since model Y didn’t even get the interior refresh until recently

i was gonna sub to fsd and use it to get t more comfortable behind the wheel..

I mean not driving is not going to get you any more comfortable behind wheel . In fact it’s going to do the exact opposite lol. But I guess that’s where we are in the world where new drivers are coming into the game with automated driving so it is what it is.

If this really is your first car I’d have to say just get an ICE beater. You say you’ll subscribe to FSD to get “more comfortable behind the wheel” but it’ll be the exact opposite experience. With an inexpensive ICE car you’ll be able to afford mistakes, plus it’ll be less $ to fix when they do eventually happen.  Get a few years of solid driving experience under your belt then step up to the Y. Heck if you save up a bit more you’d be able to get whatever Y you’d like.

The 2023 will have the faster Ryzen processor, Grok AI voice assistant, Matrix headlights, the comfort suspension - all are huge upgrades over the 2021. We got a HW4 2023 Model Y and love it. You also get 2 years more warranty too. I suspect you will keep it a lot longer than you plan to. My only ask is why not a Model 3? It is smaller and sportier? The Y is good for me as I am older and it is easier to get into, plus we plan to car camp. My son is 24 and bought a 2020 Model 3 with FSD for his first car, but I find it harder to get into and out of, but it drives nicely.

so which car do you think i should get ?

i just liked being higher up and how roomy it was..i like SUVs better in general but i’m nervous bc i didn’t get long range and white seats. that was the cheapest i found with hw4 on tesla that was still a pearl white car. now i feel regret bc i feel like i made a dumb financial mistake even though i am not struggling financially i just feel like 33k on a used car was a mistake when i could get a brand new…

Are you a student with no income? If so, then yes, spending half your savings on a luxury car (albeit a used one), is not a financially sound decision. You could easily buy a perfectly functioning used car for less than $10-15k. That's just a fact. Will getting this Tesla ruin your life? Probably not. Buy it if you really want. But is it a good financial decision? No

my parents help me w stuff. i have some income too i’m not struggling. i just don’t know if saving would have been better i just feel like i’m worried too much about the interior and the range

"some income" is what exactly? General rule of thumb is to keep your car payment under 10-15% of your after-tax monthly income. If your Tesla payment is in that range, then don't worry about it

i would buy it upfront

Okay, then you need to think about the opportunity cost of spending that extra $8000 (33 - 25). If you invested that $8k and received an average return of 7% per year (avg rate of stock market), you'd have $15,737 in 10 years. In 20, you'd have $30,957. I used the calculator [here](https://www.calculator.net/investment-calculator.html?ctype=endamount&ctargetamountv=1%2C000%2C000&cstartingprinciplev=8%2C000&cyearsv=20&cinterestratev=7&ccompound=annually&ccontributeamountv=0&cadditionat1=beginning&ciadditionat1=annually&printit=0&x=Calculate#calresult). Nobody can tell you if you're making a "mistake" because it all depends on you and how much you're willing to sacrifice your long-term reward for the short-term pleasure. Now if you just want an internet stranger's personal opinion, then yes spending half your savings on a car is stupid. Especially if your parents help you pay for rent/expenses. Just get the cheaper car. It's still a Tesla. And do yourself a favor and either invest that leftover $8k or put in a high-yield savings account. Hope this helps

i would use FSD every day i didn’t want the car to freak out on me..i could always make the money back i have a high yield savings but idk if i should just keep this car because of the HW… i would put 8k towards the 2021 the rest my dad would pay for. for the 2023 i’d put 16k towards so spend twice a much

A 2023 Model Y is way nicer of a car than a new ICE SUV for that price range, especially if you can charge at home. I just paid $32,400 for my blue 2023 Model Y with 30,800 miles and HW4. Mine did come with white seats but I wasn't looking for them. I was trying to avoid white paint as my son's Model 3 is white. You can keep looking and cancel but at some point your time is money too.

you are right. i spent 3 months and then my experience the cheapest hardware four was the black interior, which is why I went with this one. I didn’t think spending an extra 4K was worth the long range and white interior.

If you're considering selling in 3 years then I'd stay with the more expensive HW4 model. (As long as you can afford the initial purchase.) Used HW3 cars already sell for a lot less. (I've been looking myself.) In 3 years, it will be even worse. FSD(s) will still function just as well in three years as it does now on HW4, so I think that will be more valuable when trying to trade in or sell in three years. Regardless, good luck and enjoy the new ride. You're gonna love it!

do you think white seat covers would look the same? also, does 2021 car have grok….

Toyota echo is the definitive best first car.

You are a student with parents funding your life and in your second sentence you are already saying you are planning to upgrade a car you cant afford in 2-3 years? How American of you.

Any used Toyota or Honda is a good bet. As for the model that’s up to you.

I've seen some decent seat covers out there. Just Google them. But I don't think the 2021 can run Grok; it needs to have an AMD Ryzen processor in it to do it. Apparently it wasn't until 12/21 that Ys got the Ryzen cpus. So probably 2022's and newer will have it.

I love both of those brands, but I was just so sat on a Tesla because I love the concept of electric cars and I love technology. It just didn’t feel like getting a car. It felt like getting an iPad lmao

The long range mainly helps if you take a lot of long road trips or have a 100+ mile commute. Even on road trips it mainly just helps postpone the first charge of the trip, and maybe slightly speeds each charge.