I would (and in fact, am) taking the Tesla over any of the others, despite my early idea that I would get a BMW. I just didn't like the responsiveness of the car, the clutter and BMW nickle and dimeing me for repairs and things like carplay.
I really liked the Volvo, but the things in the Volvo that I liked - the technology, and the panoramic roof, I could get for cheaper with the Model 3.
I finally pulled the trigger when the Midrange ("Lemur") Model 3 became available. At that point, my out of pocket costs on the Tesla was cheaper then the Volvo and the BMW.
If you have not already tried it - go test drive a model 3. It's a lot of fun.
Reliability of an old car can be an issue, but if you find a good mechanic, he will go over junky car, fix and replace what is needed, and on top of 3-5k you spend maybe another 3-5k at most. Even better is to have an used car be shopped around up by such a mechanic, but that often requires a friendship on some level. Voila, reliable car for 6-10k, you just need to get a check once a year (shouldn't be costly if initial one was done properly).
I have 15-yer old BMW 3-series, amazing car. Won't change it till it dies/crashes/gets stolen. Fiancee bought before old Toyota Corrola combi for 5k - amazing workhorse. Driving experience is crap compared to BMW, but it just keeps working, consumes nothing (diesel 2l engine). New one costs easily 4x more, for very little added value.
Unless your pay directly depends on you being reliably on time someplace, or you commute over longer distances in some higher white collar job, this is enough.
(BTW, I say all of this as someone who finally pulled a trigger on a "Lemur" Model 3 earlier this week).
There is also the practical - when you buy a used car between 3k and 6k, you are basically on the long tail maintenance wise. It's a good bet that the reliability of the car, and the efficiency of the car are both dramatically less then then a new car. I also enjoy snappy acceleration and a car with a low center of gravity. You get into a Model 3, and Internal Combustion Cars just feel like a horrible piece of legacy technology. Could I get away with a old Ford Fiesta or a beat up Civic? Yep - and this is replacing a 15 year old Honda CRV... but I bought that Honda CR-V new, and I have gotten every bit of value from it - and I'm passing it on to family.