What Is The Cheapest Tesla?

That’s a great question and you have come to the right place. However you skipped a step. This first step consists of three crucial questions. The first question is to ask yourself – What do I need out of a car? What does your family life look like which is a topic I covered extensively. Questions like are you single, married, with children, etc, are what you should be asking yourself.  The next questions is to ask yourself – What does my professional life look like? Are you self-employed, employed or unemployed. The next questions is to ask yourself – What does my social life look like? Are you a social butterfly who happens to always end up as the designated driver or are you an introvert. Once you have made an honest effort to answer these questions then it’s time to proceed to the main question at hand – What is the cheapest Tesla for me. Not for who I want to or aspire to be someday, but rather for who I am today.

Once you have identified which combination of those first three scenarios fits your actual lifestyle, then you can better analyze the various combinations of lifestyle and what Tesla model will fit each iteration. As of today, the cheapest Tesla model available for purchase without any add-ons or upgrades is the Tesla Model 3 for a cash out the door price of $39,990, excluding taxes and fees depending on what state and city you reside in. Below is what you get for that price.

Single Self-Employed Social Butterfly

As a single professional who is self-employed and has more friends than most people, you are probably more worried about comfort than utility.  Not that utility is not a factor, because all Teslas in general deliver a pretty similar and consistent utility across all models. The Model 3 Standard is the cheapest Tesla you can buy that comes with all the unique and impressive features that you can only get from a Tesla. For $39,990, you get the black partial premium leather interior that in my opinion is not as impressive and eye catching as the premium all leather interior. So as a social butterfly, you would need to spring for the all white premium interior which will cost you an extra $1000 ($40,990 total). It will definitely score you far more points than the black interior if you’re into that sort of thing .i.e. impressing people. Also the white interior exudes luxury and class, which your friends will surely appreciate and look forward to experiencing over and over again.

Lastly you don’t have to worry about kids messing up your white leather interior, although you still have to contend with drunk friends and their shenanigans. All Teslas now come with basic autopilot which is also very impressive on it’s own right. I wouldn’t spring for the ‘Full Self-Driving Capability’ as it costs $7000 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:

Single Self-Employed Introvert

In this scenario, someone who considers themselves an introvert would rarely have others in such close quarters as in a car and thus would not need an interior that impresses others. That is not to say you can’t spring for the premium interior if you are personally into having a luxury experience when you drive. However in my opinion, that $1000 can be spent in pursuit of luxury elsewhere like on your couch or bed. Then there is the question of ‘Full Self-Driving’ or not. I would argue that as an introvert, you prefer autonomy and full control to ‘Full Self-Driving’  and abdication of control it requires. Also you don’t have anyone to impress with this awesome feature which will get boring to you after a few weeks. Now as in the above scenario, if your business requires you to do a lot of travelling by road, then I would definitely spring for ‘Full Self-Driving’ because it will make your long hours on the road much more bearable and efficient. So I recommend sticking with the base Model 3 at $39,990 and here’s what you get:

Single Employed Social Butterfly

As an employee, the cheapest Tesla you can buy will be the Model 3 Standard with non of the upgrades unless you got it like that and like spending your hard earned money on nice things. As an employee, all your vehicles are fully depreciating assets and so the more money you spend on them, the more money you are throwing away or at best squandering. In my opinion, a Tesla as is already superior to any other car currently on the road. So any add-ons will be tantamount to putting icing on top the icing that already came with the Tesla cake. Furthermore, as a social butterfly, your need to consider the comfort of the many friends that will inevitably end up in your car at some point. However remember that every penny you spend on your Tesla as an employee cannot be written off as a business expense so think carefully before you add $7000 to your expense or $100 extra to your monthly car loan payments. My recommendation would be to be fiscally conservative and go for the base Model 3 with the features below:

Single Employed Introvert

The cheapest Tesla to buy if you are a Single Employed Introvert will be the same as if you were a Single Employed Social Butterfly. All the reasonings and factors are still in place, with the most important factor being that your Model 3 expenses cannot be written off on your taxes. So if you are concerned about the cost, then the cheapest Tesla for you to buy will be the Model 3 Standard with the specs below:

Single Unemployed Social Butterfly

If you are unemployed, then I would not recommend that you take on the cost and mental anguish of purchasing a new (or used Tesla) whether or not you are a social butterfly or an introvert. Without any source of income, the stress of adding even the base Model 3 to your monthly expense might not be worth the trouble unless you have savings enough to cover the full cost of the vehicle. Even in that case, there are many other more financially literate and beneficial things that you can spend that $39,990, none of which remotely includes a shiny new Tesla. So my recommendation to you here would be to wait until you have a recurring source of revenue or income coming before purchasing the cheapest Tesla.

Single Unemployed Introvert

My recommendation here is the same as above. As an unemployed such and such, your #1 priority is to find a job or a new source of income while ruthlessly conserving the money you still have because you don’t know how long your unemployed status might last. So the cheapest Tesla for you to buy as a single unemployed introvert is to NOT buy a Tesla or take on any significant/long term expense.

Married Self-Employed Social Butterfly

The cheapest Tesla for you to buy as a married self-employed person would be the Model 3 with the premium interior but NOT the ‘Full Self-Driving Capability’.  This is because in general, women are less trusting of the Tesla ‘Full Self-Driving’ feature than men. I say this from personal experience as a person whose wife recoils every time I activate autopilot. Women don’t like putting their lives (and the lives of their kids) in the hands of a machine however capable it might be. This assertion also applies to couples in same-sex marriages. You rarely find that both partners feel the same way towards technology autonomy. You can argue that you will only use the ‘Full Self-Driving’ feature when you are alone in the vehicle without your spouse and there is a relevant argument to be made there. However if you are spending $7000 on something your spouse already feels anxiety towards, then speaking as a happily married man, the juice is not worth the squeeze whether you get to write it off on your taxes or not. So for your marriage sake, it’s better to leave out the ‘Full Self-Driving’ feature and instead spring for the $1000 interior upgrade. Your friends will also appreciate that you went the extra mile for their comfort. In the end, you will be better off financially and emotionally with the configuration options below:

Married Self-Employed Introvert

As a married self-employed introvert, the economics of purchasing a vehicle as a business expense still holds. Therefore the question here is do you want to do something nice for yourself and your partner by springing for the luxury interior. It totally depends on the type of people you and your spouse are. If luxury is a feature you crave and aspire for, then by all means, spring for the $1000 luxury interior. However if you are more conservative in your life and do not strive for luxury then the Model 3 Standard without any add-ons is the cheapest Tesla you can buy. So my recommendation will be same as above:

Married Employed Social Butterfly

As an employee and not a business owner, it is always financially prudent to keep your personal expenses to the necessary and try as much as possible to stay away from unnecessary expenses. Again if you are looking for the cheapest Tesla to buy, then you have already indicated that you are very price conscious and frivolous expenses are not your thing. So I will recommend the Model 3 Standard and you can add the $1000 luxury interior upgrade if it fits your budget as long as you don’t yet have kids who will definitely ruin that white interior before long. So again my recommendation will be same as above:

Married Employed Introvert

The cheapest Tesla for a married employed introvert not worried about entertaining friends or luxurious things will be the Model 3 Standard. As introverts tend to gravitate towards other introverts, chances are that your spouse is also an introvert. So springing for the extra plush interior in a Model 3 will not be a huge factor in the decision you both will be making when deciding to purchase the cheapest Tesla. I consider myself an introvert as I am totally fine with being in my own company for long periods of time and for me, I tend to prioritize my needs over my wants. So when I purchased my Tesla, I went with the standard interior package which has served me well so far. Furthermore as an employee looking for the cheapest Tesla you can buy, an additional $1000 is not something you would like to see on your final bill. So my recommendations would be to save yourself the hassle and go with the Model 3 Standard which comes with the features below:

Married unemployed Social Butterfly

Again as an unemployed person, your #1 priority is to find a job or a new source of income while conserving the money you still have because you don’t know how long your unemployed status might last. Add to that the importance of being fiscally conservative for you and your spouse, and the need to stay away from any new big ticket item purchase, is far more urgent and consequential. So if your are looking for the cheapest Tesla to buy as an unemployed person, I would recommend you instead look for a far less expensive vehicle if you don’t already have on like a used Toyota Prius. However if you already own a car to begin with, then I would recommend you hold off on buying the cheapest Tesla until your financial situation improves.

Married unemployed Introvert

My recommendation here is the same as above. It’s best to table the decision on buying a Tesla (even if it is the cheapest Tesla available) until a later date when you are in a more stable financial situation which only comes with being employed or having a successful business.

Married With Kids Self-Employed Social Butterfly

This is where things start to get interesting because as a parent, you are now living for your kids. However you can’t ignore the fact that every nice thing you have will eventually will get ruined by your kids and that includes the nice white leather premium interior in your Tesla. On the other hand, the standard black partial premium interior can withstand almost anything your kids will throw at it. It is designed to withstand the everyday torture that your kids will definitely inflict on the interior of your Tesla. Most importantly, they do not look cheap like most base interiors in other cars tend to look and feel.

This ‘All Black Partial Premium Interior’ interior is a mixture of leather (for comfort) and breathable mesh fabric (for durability) which gives you the best of both worlds. Yes it’s not as impressive as the all white premium interior but it’s far more realistic and appropriate for your current family lifestyle. Unless you never plan on having your kids in your Tesla (because all it takes is one spill to ruin your interior forever), then you will be saving yourself repeated headache and yelling at your kids. Also with kids in the picture, you have to be much more conservative with your money than you where when it was just you and your spouse because the last time I checked, college funds don’t pay for themselves.

So my suggestion will be to stick with the ‘All Black Partial Premium Interior’ unless your Tesla is going to be off limits to your kids which I in itself is an impossible feat. In addition, if your business involves you frequently hauling goods from one place to another, then you need an interior that is built to withstand that type of activity. As for ‘Full Self-Driving Capability’ if you plan to have frequent long trips in your Tesla for work, then it’s a feature that is worth serious consideration. Tesla’s ‘Full Self-Driving’ feature is by orders of magnitude safer than a human driver which in turn makes the road safer for all of us. Although at almost a $10,000 difference, I think it is worth the expense if you can afford it. This is what you will be getting in the above two configuration:

Married With Kids Self-Employed Introvert

Remember that you are here to find the cheapest Tesla possible. As an introvert, you are not going to be scoring any points from friends who happen to ride in your car any time soon because that is not likely to happen with the amount of frequency enough to justify the additional $1000 expense. However as a business owner, your expenses are based on your business needs and that should dictate if you need to pay for any add-ons. The only add-on that can possible qualify as  a justifiable expense will be ‘Full Self-Driving Capability’. I am not a tax professional or CPA so this should in no way be misconstrued as financial advise. You should always consult a tax professional before you make financial decisions that may or may not affect your taxes. Having said that, my recommendation will be the same as above which is:

Married With Kids Employed Social Butterfly

If you are married with kids and also happen to be a social butterfly, your only real consideration in regards to add-ons should be the $1000 premium interior upgrade. Anything else in my opinion will be a frivolous expense especially if you are not purchasing it for your business purposes. In addition, you will have to eventually justify the additional expense to your spouse and I don’t see a good argument for ‘Full Self-Driving Capability’ and 19’’ Sport Wheels. So my recommendation would be the options below:

Married With Kids Employed Introvert

If you have kids then you should not be considering the premium interior upgrade unless you are fine with having to spot clean the leather each time your kids exit the vehicle. So there is only one true option if you are looking for the cheapest Tesla to buy and that would be the base offering as outlined below:

Married With Kids Unemployed Social Butterfly

As I have stated above for all other unemployed scenarios, buying the cheapest Tesla should not be your focus until you have a job or a sustainable source of income.

Married With Kids Unemployed Introvert

The above advise remains for people who fall into this scenario. This is the time to save money and be extremely frugal with what you have because you now have other mouths to feed and they can’t eat a Tesla for dinner no matter how cheap it was.

Married With Kids Self-Employed Social Butterfly

Being self-employed allows you more financial options when it comes to purchasing a vehicle of any kind. However you have to be realistic with your needs and not just spend many on things you like but don’t really need. For a company car, the Tesla Model 3 Standard would do just fine unless taking long road trips is part of your business then adding the ‘Full Self-Driving Capability’ will be a lifesaver literally. So my recommendation for you will be as follows:

Married With Kids Self-Employed Introvert

The only consideration in this scenario for getting the cheapest Tesla that differs from the above scenario and subsequent recommendation would be the premium interior package. Again if you are prepared to always cleanup after your kids or make sure they never eat in the car or pretty much ensure that they do nothing but sit still for the entire length of the journey each time they are in your Tesla, then go ahead with the premium interior add-on. However from my experience, every parent I know with the premium white interior in their Tesla either dreads having kids in the vehicle or turn into neat freaks whenever pretty much anyone is in their vehicle. So if I were you and looking to upgrade my Tesla Model 3, I would save myself the hassle of always cleaning the premium white interior and instead spring for the feature that can potentially make me more productive and efficient in my business which will undoubtedly be the ‘Full Self-Driving Capability’. Thus my recommendation here would be the same as above:

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