Thoughts on 2019 Tesla Model 3 and effect on e-Golf pricing

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Now that the $35,000 Tesla 3 is out with 220 miles range, I'm curious as to what people here think a 2019 e-Golf SEL with only 125 miles of range is going to drop to, price range wise, before Fed tax credit and anything else.

What would you now look at to buy or lease, for that kind of money, and why?

My thoughts are that Tesla just fired a shot across the bow of every single other electric car maker in the entry level market, for a price war.
 
It's first worth noting that the price drop for the Model 3 was likely done to compensate for Tesla's hitting their first federal tax credit drop-off quota...and perhaps stay ahead of other 200+ mile range EVs coming out this year such as the Leaf Plus, Hyundai Kona, and Audi e-Tron SUV. You'll get up to $7500 back from uncle sam on those, but only $3750 on a Tesla.

Also worth noting the base Model 3 for $35k comes fairly bare-bones, and only in black. Change the color to blue, silver, or white, add power seats, and either a white interior or nicer looking wheels, and you're at a sales price of $40k. Starting July 1st, Tesla's tax credit will be sliced in half again, to only $1875. At that point I think the greatest selling point of a Model 3 won't be price or even style, but rather access to Tesla's supercharging network. While CCS/SAE DCFCs continue to be built, the reality is planning a road-trip around them is still very challenging. I took a trip down to San Luis Obispo in the i3 last summer, and let's just say thank goodness I had the range extender because the ChargePoint DCFCs in Paso Robles and Salinas were both broken, but not marked as such by Chargepoint :?

I plan to take a good look at the Kona when it arrives, which should be soon (looks like a few dealers in SoCal already have them). My finance's Subaru is starting to have problems, so she's been using my e-Golf as a commuter but driving it more and more, experiencing the inevitable range anxiety, especially on cold days. We're considering bumping up to 2019 e-Golf since it solves that problem, but it would take a pretty massive price drop to do so. Like a sale price of $27k for an SE and $32k for an SEL. We'd rather just put the money towards something with 200+ mile range so we don't have buyer's remorse in a couple years, even if it means paying a bit more.

As for what I'd buy right now....it's actually a used Model S. The prices on those continue to plunge, and the same car that went for $50k last year is now well below $40k and seems to be stablizing. Granted no rebates, but it's a full-sized luxury car with all the bells and whistles. And I've even seen a few with AutoPilot at that price point
 
Given that I was able to get my 2019 for $28,500 with the full Federal rebate it would have been $10,250+ tax more for the Tesla. That's almost 50% more then the net price of my eGolf. If I needed to travel more than 200 miles in a day more than a few times a year then maybe I could justify it.

And let's be real, when you look at the $35k model, its real hard not to want to add several thousands in upgrades.

That being said, I am excited to see the $35k M3 out.
 
Given that I was able to get my 2019 for $28,500 with the full Federal rebate it would have been $10,250+ tax more for the Tesla. That's almost 50% more then the net price of my eGolf. If I needed to travel more than 200 miles in a day more than a few times a year then maybe I could justify it.

Where was this? Any chance it was in SoCal? :) My lease is up in August and I'm starting to get nervous I'm going to miss out on any deals.
 
This was in WA but I imagine dealers will be looking to unload what they have left. I would check with the dealers in your area and see who is looking to play ball. I'd imagine you could get it for maybe another $1,000 less than $28500.
 
E-Golf prices are dropping like a rock. Capistrano VW has them for 26.8 on the website. https://www.capovw.com/new-volkswagen-e-golf-san-juan-capistrano-ca

Just wait if you can, they are going for 23k new on the East coast.
 
Sptgolf said:
E-Golf prices are dropping like a rock. Capistrano VW has them for 26.8 on the website. https://www.capovw.com/new-volkswagen-e-golf-san-juan-capistrano-ca

Just wait if you can, they are going for 23k new on the East coast.

I'd probably be looking for a SEL. I think the green is kind of nice, but white is fine, too.
 
Sptgolf said:
E-Golf prices are dropping like a rock. Capistrano VW has them for 26.8 on the website.

And now Sunnyvale is knocking $8k off certain SEs and SELs:

https://www.sunnyvalevw.com/new-inventory/index.htm?search=&saveFacetState=true&model=e-Golf&lastFacetInteracted=inventory-listing1-facet-anchor-model-2

If that's a legitimate dealer discount and no funny business, I'd actually be making money by trading in my 2016 SE for a 2019, thanks to the $1500 Monterey Bay county rebate.

But man...I really don't know if I'd want to commit 30 months to anything under 200 mile range.
 
johnnylingo said:
Sptgolf said:
E-Golf prices are dropping like a rock. Capistrano VW has them for 26.8 on the website.

And now Sunnyvale is knocking $8k off certain SEs and SELs:

https://www.sunnyvalevw.com/new-inventory/index.htm?search=&saveFacetState=true&model=e-Golf&lastFacetInteracted=inventory-listing1-facet-anchor-model-2

If that's a legitimate dealer discount and no funny business, I'd actually be making money by trading in my 2016 SE for a 2019, thanks to the $1500 Monterey Bay county rebate.

But man...I really don't know if I'd want to commit 30 months to anything under 200 mile range.

Yep... and you can bet as more cars come out with ranges close to 200 miles or more, for 35k.... is going to drop the resale value on all the current e-Golf VW products in the toilet.
 
johnnylingo said:
If that's a legitimate dealer discount and no funny business, I'd actually be making money by trading in my 2016 SE for a 2019, thanks to the $1500 Monterey Bay county rebate.

Only issue is if the 2019’s are this cheap, they’re not going to offer you that much for an older eGolf, especially a 24 kWH one.
 
RonDawg said:
Only issue is if the 2019’s are this cheap, they’re not going to offer you that much for an older eGolf, especially a 24 kWH one.

Yep, my trade-in value has probably dropped to around $12-13k at best, vs the $14-15k. With the red stickers, I may be better off just selling on the open market.

I'm probably gonna stop by Sunnyvale this week just to run the numbers, but I see there's similar $8-10k dealer discounts on the Bolt right now. With GM's credits starting phase-out on April 1st, that's probably the smarter deal right now.
 
I ended up trading my 2016 SEL e-Golf in early to for a Dual Motor AWD Model 3 in late December. I really enjoyed the e-golf and it validated that I could have an EV be my every day car and that home charging was pratical . With that said, I appreciate the additional freedom and absence of range anxiety that comes with 310 miles of range and the goofy grin I get whenever I go from 0-60 in under 4.5 seconds.

I think the e-golf has a 0-60 time of 9.6 seconds, so a $35k model 3 with 250 miles of range and a 0-60 time of 5.5 seconds is still a pretty darn good bang for your buck in my opinion. I also really enjoy the extra light that comes in the car through the all glass roof in cloudy/rainy Portland. With the Tesla, you also have the potential to improve or upgrade your car over time with things like over the air updates and the ability to purchase enhanced auto pilot features. The Tesla nationwide charging network is also a big plus. Things that I miss about the e-golf are the practicality of it's hatchback style and the very low VW lease payments. I hope VW ends up brining a hatchback EV to the US with a price point that starts in the $25k range. It would go a long way towards helping our society transition to sustainable electric transportation.
 
From Edmunds:

Total e-Golf Cash $9000 includes:
$1500 E-Golf All Channel Bonus exp. 04/30/2019
$7500 e-Golf VCI Lease Zero Emissions Bonus exp. 04/30/2019

I'm thinking of making the plunge. What do guys think of these "limited" deals:

https://www.sunnyvalevw.com/2019-egolf-lease-offers.htm

https://www.stevenscreekvw.com/special-offer/2018-volkswagen-egolf-se-lease-special-stock-v180989__trashed/
 
Weird how a California dealer is doing 24 month leases again. Those won't qualify for the state $2500 rebate, nor any many county ones.

Also I found it odd that the lease cost was a more than the $1500 down + $50/mo on my 2016 SE even though the dealer discount was higher. Then remembered interest rates have almost doubled since then. Or, maybe they're including taxes and fees in the money down amount. I find it amazing that California has a pile of laws to protect consumers, but nobody is required to advertise lease fees in plain english.

Still, it's a pretty good offer if the range is adequate. I personally would look at the SEL simply because as someone with a lot of pets and children running around my driveway, parking sensors are becoming a must-have. LED headlights and heatpump nice too. The digital cockpit is pretty cool, but not worth the upgrade on its own.
 
Who knows, I may just buy the 2019 SE and put aftermarket LED bulbs in the headlight housings. I hardly ever use the heater, or heated seats. The digital dash, I can take or leave, the analogue one works just fine for me in my 2015 SEL. A little bit of added range would be nice but it's not a necessity for me at this point.
 
relius said:
From Edmunds:

Total e-Golf Cash $9000 includes:
$1500 E-Golf All Channel Bonus exp. 04/30/2019
$7500 e-Golf VCI Lease Zero Emissions Bonus exp. 04/30/2019

I'm thinking of making the plunge. What do guys think of these "limited" deals:

https://www.sunnyvalevw.com/2019-egolf-lease-offers.htm

https://www.stevenscreekvw.com/special-offer/2018-volkswagen-egolf-se-lease-special-stock-v180989__trashed/

With the $7500 tax credit, upgrading every year for “free” becomes a legitimate strategy financially, and puts more ev’s on the road.
 
JoulesThief said:
put aftermarket LED bulbs in the headlight housings

The LED headlights one of the most important SEL features for me, so I would agree with this being something to consider. One thing to check before doing this is whether you are absolutely sure the headlight reflectors have the appropriate auto-leveling and focusing equipment to handle high intensity lights. High intensity lights without this are terrible for dazzling other drivers.

You would probably be able to get better results by replacing the whole headlight unit with an LED unit. While I prefer not to make modifications to my vehicles, there are some pretty decent aftermarket options for Golf Mk 7.5 if the LED upgrade is worth it to you. Definitely more expensive than a bulb swap but the results in terms of performance as headlights will be significantly better for both you as the driver, and everyone driving around too.

It might be easier to stick with the SEL trim!
 
Been glancing at inventories for Sunnyvale, Stevens Creek, and Capitol VW this week and noticed the SEs are getting snatched up but nobody is touching the SELs. Not super surprising. Even at a sale price of $30k even, they're still a bit overpriced, unless one loves the Digital Cockpit.
 
johnnylingo said:
Been glancing at inventories for Sunnyvale, Stevens Creek, and Capitol VW this week and noticed the SEs are getting snatched up but nobody is touching the SELs. Not super surprising. Even at a sale price of $30k even, they're still a bit overpriced, unless one loves the Digital Cockpit.
All those standard "options" on an SEL are just ridiculously padded to the price. I just don't think it's worth it.

Especially when VW is talking now of their newer model having a 225 mile range and selling for $30k at the entry level price in 2020. I think I am just going to wait. I don't really care too much what my 2015 SEL is worth, I'm going to give it to my nephew, anyways, so trade in value is moot, to me.
 
JoulesThief said:
johnnylingo said:
Been glancing at inventories for Sunnyvale, Stevens Creek, and Capitol VW this week and noticed the SEs are getting snatched up but nobody is touching the SELs. Not super surprising. Even at a sale price of $30k even, they're still a bit overpriced, unless one loves the Digital Cockpit.
All those standard "options" on an SEL are just ridiculously padded to the price. I just don't think it's worth it.

Especially when VW is talking now of their newer model having a 225 mile range and selling for $30k at the entry level price in 2020. I think I am just going to wait. I don't really care too much what my 2015 SEL is worth, I'm going to give it to my nephew, anyways, so trade in value is moot, to me.

If you're talking about the ID/Neo, you haven't been paying attention - we're not getting it in the US, at least not for a while. It's going to be the Crozz (or whatever they end up calling it) first. VW has stated this numerous times.
 
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