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First time EV buyer torn between a Model 3 LR and Model Y Performance — help me not overthink this 😅

Sweaty_Tangelo_1780 | 2026-03-06 07:54 | 6 views

Hey everyone! Long time lurker, first time poster here.( Used AI to organize my thoughts) So I've been renting Teslas on and off for the past couple months just to get a feel before committing, and honestly I'm hooked — the performance and low maintenance sold me completely. Now I'm finally ready to pull the trigger but I'm stuck between two cars and could really use some outside perspective. **Option 1 — 2022 Tesla Model 3 Long Range AWD w/ Acceleration Boost** * k miles, white interior, looks really clean **Option 2 — 2022 Tesla Model Y Performance w/ FSD** * From a third-party dealer * k miles, clean black interior, scratch-free exterior * Comes with FSD, but honestly I'm not super interested in it — autopilot is plenty for highway drives * No warranty left unless I pay extra for a third-party warranty through the dealer **Where my head is at:** The Model 3 feels like the safer, smarter buy on paper — Tesla CPO warranty, better price, better chip, and that range reading is solid. The $500 deposit is already kind of nudging me toward it too. The windshield chip is a little annoying but feels manageable. The Model Y Performance has more space and lower miles, but the screen lag genuinely bothered me, the FSD is something I won't really use, and being at a third-party dealer with no warranty makes me a little nervous as a first-time EV owner. Am I missing something obvious? Has anyone had long-term experience with the Intel Atom chip in the MYP — does it get worse over time or is it livable? And is the CPO warranty on the Model 3 as solid as Tesla makes it sound? Any and all opinions welcome — especially from fellow first-time EV buyers who've been in a similar spot. Thanks in advance! 🙏 UPDATE: thanks for all the suggestions,comments and opinions, after carefully considering everything I decided to go with the Model 3 LR AWD, I am 24 and have no family so model Y space doesn't make sense for me.

Comments (23)
cyclones01 2026-03-06 08:10

FSD is amazing - wake up. Once you drive the performance everything else is too slow.

Sweaty_Tangelo_1780 2026-03-06 08:16

Even on a 2022 hw3 chip?

MightOk5012 2026-03-06 09:30

Get the new model y performance and never look back

octorock4prez 2026-03-06 10:11

I feel like you’re only comparing the processor. The model Y rides higher and is a hatchback. Do you like being as low to the ground as the 3? That would probably be the biggest deciding factor. The atom isn’t that bad, even FSD isn’t that bad with it. Neither car you’re looking at will have HW4, so you’re going to have fomo no matter what. If you get HW4, you’ll just want HW5.

Chicken_Zest 2026-03-06 12:09

People here will overwhelmingly push you towards fsd and hw4. For the wants you listed I think the model 3 is a no brainer. Cheaper, better driving, better battery. If you don't need the space of the y, there's no good reason to choose it over the 3 imo.

schizzy__ 2026-03-06 14:10

The M3LR and MYP are a little more different than you seem to realize. My opinion anytime someone asks LR or Performance is get the performance 100%. You’re getting a Tesla. Idk, to me the extra 30-40 miles isn’t worth it. I’d rather floor it and feel that extra power. If you’re charging daily like you should be, I don’t understand why you would get the LR tbh. But YMMV (literally lol )

schizzy__ 2026-03-06 14:15

Also follow up comment, I just bought a 2023 MYP with HW4 for 31k OTD. That HW4 upgrade is worth saving up a couple more thousand imo. Beware of the chip in the windshield. They are expensive as hell to replace. At least where I am. Spend some time in teslas preowned store. You can get a great deal there with a little patience and preparation. I know you’re giving it a lot of thought but you almost can’t go wrong. For me, I was dead set on HW4 despite not using FSD often. Just knowing the HW will be supported with software as we moving into more automation to me was huge.

schizzy__ 2026-03-06 14:23

Also follow up comment, I just bought a 2023 MYP with HW4 for 31k OTD. That HW4 upgrade is worth saving up a couple more thousand imo. Beware of the chip in the windshield. They are expensive as hell to replace. At least where I am. Spend some time in teslas preowned store. You can get a great deal there with a little patience and preparation. I know you’re giving it a lot of thought but you almost can’t go wrong. For me, I was dead set on HW4 despite not using FSD often. Just knowing the HW will be supported with software as we moving into more automation to me was huge.

Single-Use-Again 2026-03-06 14:55

My only real issue with the performance is the negative camber on the rear tires. I can't be buying new tires every 2 years.

bobaballs 2026-03-06 15:06

Quote insurance before buying.  Tesla performance models tend to have significantly higher insurance costs.

Shobed 2026-03-06 15:15

Why do you think you need acceleration boost or the performance model?

Zealousideal-Ant9548 2026-03-06 15:25

It's ok.  We have a performance from that year and we still got phantom breaking issues occasionally.  People here claim it's because of hw3 My personal argument is which do you like getting in and out of?  I hate driving a 3 :D

Zealousideal-Ant9548 2026-03-06 15:27

I swapped my rims for a square 19" setup so I could rotate them.  Doing well at 30K miles

LionTigerWings 2026-03-06 15:38

Can you ask them to run a battery health test on the y? It looks like battery health might be at 80 percent or in that range which isn’t great (but not horrible either at 4 years) For reference mine is about 92% after 2 years and 40k miles on my Y.

LogObjective2412 2026-03-06 18:03

Carvana just offered me $32k for my ‘23 MYP, I think used Tesla prices are inching back up!

LogObjective2412 2026-03-06 18:05

Replacement cost for the MYP battery pack is almost twice the cost of the LR battery pack (faster discharge rates, I think).

Guilty-Pie-2589 2026-03-06 21:07

That's good for me then lol. I will be picking up my MYP with 40k miles and HW4 + tow package. OTD was $31,700. Sounds like I did pretty good if Carvana offered you more than I paid. Sweet.

schizzy__ 2026-03-06 21:12

Not really a concern of mine. The batteries have proven to last plenty of miles. Plus there’s the warranty.

schizzy__ 2026-03-06 21:13

That’s awesome now that I’m out of the market 😂

JT-Av8or 2026-03-06 22:24

Model Y LR. There ya go.

AwkwardlyPositioned 2026-03-07 22:01

Personally as a somewhat heavy FSD user in waves, I don't trust the people who hammer on positively about FSD.  It has some solid points, but it has issues and when you least suspect it, it'll do something real stupid.  Worry about the car you want to drive and work up to FSD eventually.   I cannot stress enough not to jump into the car over FSD and if your price range is HW3 cars, don't bother making the stretch to HW4 unless FSD is the only reason you're buying a Tesla.  In other words I am well versed in FSD and to put it politely have had very mixed experiences with it.  Where you live has a lot to do with its behavior.   If you don't live in a big city with a lot of utilization it will not be consistent.

AwkwardlyPositioned 2026-03-07 22:04

HW4 Autopilot phantom brakes constantly too.

AwkwardlyPositioned 2026-03-07 22:05

$25k more than the cars being mentioned.  Not realistic.   Should just tell them to buy two cars while you're at it.

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