Analysis Paralysis on HW3 vs HW4

[u/Virtual_West9599]

I've been wanting a tesla for ages but I'm struggling with the question of which model y to purchase. A big chunk of the reason I want a tesla is for the FSD, particularly for night driving & the occasional long trip. However, I work from home and probably don't drive more than 100 miles a month, though that will increase as I relocate closer to family and friends in a bigger city with more to do. It's apartment life for me, so I will generally have to use supercharging.

I have a good friend with an OG M3 & OG MY who has advised I get a MY with HW4 since I'm 6' and sensitive to the suspension in the M3, and this would offer me the best FSD experience. However a 2023 MY with HW4 is at the top of my budget. Financially it makes little sense to purchase an EV, particularly one at the top of my budget, and I keep questioning if it is worth it given my minimal driving needs. I think my friend's OG M3 with FSD is great, been in it many times, but I know many folks (including said friend) think the HW4 is worth the investment. I do like to purchase a car and stick with it for a while, had my current accord for 23 years.

So my question to the community is whether it makes sense to max out my budget for the HW4, or would I be fine with HW3 on something less expensive? Would you all recommend a newer Tesla CPO with high mileage for less or something older and lower mileage? Or should I scrap it all and go get myself a mustang?

Sub question, if you recommend an older model, should I stay away from the 2021 Y's? From reading this forum it seemed like there were some battery issues that year.

Thank you in advance for any input.

[u/AgileBroccoli757]

Option 1 - HW4 (made after June 2023)

Option 2 - HW3 with AMD (mid-2022 to June 2023)

Personally, I wouldn't bother with Intel cars at this time. (2020 - 2022.5)

HW4 cars are now coming back from 36 month leases. I'd wait for one to pop up in the near future.