I’m an early tech adopter and an automotive enthusiast. I remember reading one of the first articles about Tesla in The Economist in the early 2000s. Musk took then-California governor Schwarzenegger for a test ride in the prototype roadster. In the 20 years that followed, many friends have bought Teslas starting with the Model S when it was first introduced. But I was a holdout. Besides being a petrolhead, who’d much prefer a Porsche 911, Jeep Wrangler or Ford F150 Raptor, I always thought they were overpriced and lacked functionality. I equated Teslas with basic transportation, not to mention elitism, and that’s not how I approached driving. For me, a vehicle has to offer more than simply point-A-to-point-B utility.
Cut to the summer of 2024. While browsing Facebook Marketplace, which has become a hobby unto itself, I noticed a flood of Model 3s at incredible prices. I’d recently driven a friend’s and found that the electric torque made it quite enjoyable to drive. It also had the Full Self Driving (FSD) trial, which blew my mind. Of course, I live in Park City, Utah, which requires a lot of snow driving in the winter, specifically on powder days when roads can have a foot of snow before plows get to them. Come summer, I need to haul mountain bikes to local trailheads. Could a Tesla Model 3 support this lifestyle? That was the key question as I entered the EV market for the first time.
There are several reasons Model 3s (and Model Ys) are so cheap today. First, electric vehicles depreciate much faster than their gasoline counterparts, losing up to 50% of their value in the first year. Next, there has been a $4,000 tax rebate on uses electric vehicles that is set to expire on September 30th, 2025. This applies to vehicles of $25,000 or less with one owner and does include income restrictions. Finally, Elon Musk’s political shenanigans have put downward pressure on prices and demand. All of which conspires to put a used Model 3 Dual Motor (AWD) Long Rang with ~50,000 miles in the $20,000 price range. Which turns out to be quite a lot of car for the money, especially given that the battery and motor warranties are good up to 120,000 miles.
This is the precise model I bought last fall for $21,000 after the rebate. It had about 31,000 miles and included the white seat option. From here, it needed a few upgrades to make it adventure worthy.
Tires & Winter Driving
Let’s be clear that you’ll need the Dual Motor (AWD) variant for winter driving conditions. This also implies the Long Range variant. What I found after one ski season in Park City is that the Model 3 handles snow better than any other vehicle I’ve driven. First, the all-wheel-drive system features separate motors for the front and rear axles. These utilize automatic traction control when encountering slick surfaces. With other vehicles I’ve driven, I tend to disable traction control because I find it cuts power to the wheels too dramatically, which undermines how much control you have. The Model 3 is extra dynamic and even aggressive in how it distributes power to the wheel(s) that have traction. I tried many times to drift the rear end in deep snow, but it just won’t have it. The traction and stability is just incredible—almost to the point of being idiot proof. That said, the AWD system is just one of three factors in its snow-driving prowess.
Teslas also benefit from their weight and how it is distributed. Model 3s weigh about 4,000 pounds, and a big portion of this takes the form of batteries located along the floor. This creates a low center of gravity and an equal balance between all four tires—as opposed to being high and front heavy from an internal combustion engine. The Model 3 just feels planted to the road, and the traction control system won’t let you give it too much power. Which means you don’t need to be a snow-driving expert. It does it all for you.
Finally, you’ll want high-performance snow tires like the Michelin X-Ice Snow model. These are studless winter tires designed specifically for electric vehicles (among others). There is simply no comparison between these and an all-season tire. The snow-specific tread and rubber compound enables them to hook up and find traction through the deepest snow and slickest surfaces. And these are designed to last many seasons, provided you swap them out before it gets too warm and dry.
One of the downsides for Teslas—and electric vehicles in general—is that they can tend to chew through tires, which becomes an additional expense. This is the result of their relative weight and putting down so much torque to the wheels…along with our tendency to take full advantage of that torque. It’s fun. When buying a used Tesla, you’ll most likely have to buy tires, and it’s important to choose the right ones. For 2025, Michelin introduced the e.Primacy All-Season tire for the other three seasons (if you live in Park City).
The e.Primacy features the latest EV tire technology, which translates to greater efficiency (up to 25%), increased battery range (20 miles per charge) and an extra year of driving (up to 13,000 miles) compared to competitors and previous models, according to the company. Having driven these for the entire summer, my key takeaways are how quiet they are and how well they handle my, let’s say, spirited driving style. I put these same two sets of tires on my daughter’s Tesla Model Y, and she’s had the same experience.
Hauling Gear
The Model 3 offers a few different ways to haul adventure gear. First, it has a surprising amount of cargo room with the rear seats folded flat. The full capacity is 24 cubic feet, which includes the rear trunk with under-floor storage and the front truck aka frunk. The cargo area also offers enough room for an inflatable mattress and two people for camping. All Teslas feature a “camping mode” that activates the climate controls (for cool or hot weather) and USB ports while parked, provided the battery is above 20%.
Next, you can mount gear to the roof, which requires specific cross bars. Although you can purchase these from Tesla, I opted for an aftermarket version from Tesloid. It works just as well (150 pound load rating) at less cost. The company also offers a cargo box if that’s what you need. For my purposes, however, I installed the Kuat Grip ski racks in the 6-ski/4-board configuration. These are the best ski racks I’ve used for a couple reasons. First, the GripLock rubber easily conforms to the skis and snowboards, making it easy to close while holding everything firmly in place. Next, the slide-out trays allow you to load skis without leaning against the side of a wet and dirty vehicle, which can make a mess of your jacket. Finally, they look like a factory option in black against the white car.
While the roof rack is capable of hauling bikes, my preference is for a receiver-style rack. First, you’ll need to install an aftermarket hitch receiver, as Tesla does not offer one for the Model 3. I bought one of these and had my local Uhaul dealer install it for me. It attaches behind the rear bumper, and the Stealth brand features a removable receiver component to completely hide it when not in use.
As for a rack, Kuat also makes the best receiver-style rack I’ve ever used. The Piston Pro X is the pinnacle of bike hauling. Bikes of all wheel sizes can be mounted and dismounted with a couple pushes against the tires and a couple releases, respectively. It’s never been this easy. The pistons that control the wheel mounts are silky smooth thanks to a Kashima coating normally reserved for top-of-the-line suspension forks. Really, everything is easier. It attaches to the hitch with an Allen wrench. The locking cable threads through the frames and presses directly into the rack. It’s easy to carry and store. And it folds up tight against the back of the Model 3 while still allowing trunk access. There are also integrated brake lights, which require additional wiring to use with a Tesla. But I also use this with my Ford F150 Raptor, which has native wiring.
Note: With the most recent FSD software update, it no longer functions with the bike rack folded up due to the rear camera being “occluded.” It works fine with the rack folded down.
The Model 3 is an ideal companion to my Ford F150 Raptor. I drive the Tesla around town and to the lake for boating adventures (with my boat in a slip). I charge it at home with a basic outlet, along with a free municipal charger at my gym, and have barely noticed a difference in my electric bill. I drive the Raptor for road trips, overlanding adventures and hauling the boat when needed. Even when the tax credit expires, Model 3s will still net out to be a lot of car for the money.