Tesla Model 3 lease is currently $479/month with $0 down. For at least the next week, there is still a $7500 federal tax credit. Over 3 years, that is $208 a month for an effective price of $271 / month for the Tesla lease. There is about $3k in taxes and fees, so add back in $85 / month. For $356 a month... you can't get a car nearly as nice. What am I missing here? Alternatively, I could buy out my current lease now for $15k and have a $100 higher monthly payment (at current interest rates for 3 years) and have maintenance ($1200 a year estimate). So while The car could be worth $10k still after 3 years, I'd spend $3600 on maintenance and $3600 more on monthly payments, leaving $2,800 more net-worth by keeping my current car 3 years from now but much bigger hit on monthly cash flow in the meantime. Am I missing anything or anyone have a better recommendation? I understand I could get an even cheaper car to be more frugal, but as someone bought their first car at 13 years old, I do get honest enjoyment out of fun cars 🙂

You're not missing anything. The government is subsidizing the cars. Just remember that the value in owning a car is that you can continue to drive them for 10 years after the financing is paid off. After the lease you have nothing.

gotcha... so looking at the longer term past 36 months it becomes more lucrative. that's no fun though 😁

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i tried so hard to convince my wife to do the model x but i just couldn’t fit the family in it. I want my Tesla Sienna

@eager-smartphone-39564 interesting. So need to make sure they pass along the credit if I'm leasing...

$1200 a year in maintenance seems steep. Guess it depends how many miles it's driven, but I've owned cars for many years now and BH it doesn't cost that much.

from the TAG ads, it seems that the Tesla is a car build around an unfilterable browser 😞 My accord lease is up in a month - will prob have to buy it out. Too bad, would have liked to get this.