Another Unacceptable Used Delivery Experience

[Clemson327]

So I decided to join the Tesla community after another driver ran a red light and totaled my 2017 Leaf. I found a used 2016 pre-facelift Model S on the used inventory page with fewer than 40k miles and pushed the button. The 2yr warranty was appealing to me and was the entire reason I decided to purchase through Tesla; I’m already beginning to regret it since it’s apparently impossible to ship a car from CA to NC.

7/28 - Clicked buy and paid shipping fee.
7/29 - Secured financing through Tesla and uploaded all required documents
8/4 - Received a new used vehicle advisor as the previous one left the company
8/11 - Received a text that an ETA to Charlotte-Matthews was 8/21.
8/17 - Called used delivery to confirm the 8/21 date and was notified that the car was still in CA and had not begun moving. I was also told the 8/21 date was given to me in error and a new one would be provided.
8/18 - Received another text telling me that the car should arrive by 9/10, a full six weeks after I purchased the vehicle!!!

WTF, Tesla?!?! Meanwhile, I’m still in a rental car due to the wreck, and I became responsible for the cost of that beginning today due to e insurance company cutting me off.

I was also able to get a quote from a third party to ship the car and received confirmation that a truck could pick it up by the end of this week. How the hell am I able to book a truck when a company as big as Tesla can’t?

 

[Ostrichsak]

I keep telling people to expect a month from time of clicking "buy" to taking delivery of a used car from Tesla. People actively challenge me on this but IMO it gives a FAR more realistic expectation of how buying used from Tesla works. That said, yours isn't quite there yet but has every indication of going beyond that estimation. Just think if you had based our expectation on the week or two that some on this forum suggest. Eesh. No idea why I get push back on telling people that with a few outlier cases where someone received a car a week or two later like that's cause for celebration in the used car industry.

That said, Tesla is clueless. This generally ends up working against the customer but I've rarely seen it go the other day and benefit the customer as well. We're still not at the 21st (original delivery date) nor the 28th (one month from order) so maybe you'll get lucky and even though the rep told you it would be in September, maybe it just shows up at your dealership ahead of schedule. I've seen this happen too.

The bottom line is that Tesla is the worst. They have no idea what's going on and this is evidenced by the fact that sometimes they're early (rare) and sometimes they're late but they're always wrong and nobody ever knows what's going on. That's the only constant with Tesla, specifically used sales and service.

Summary: buy your used Tesla from a 3rd party private seller (not a dealer) and avoid most all of this plus you're likely to get (depending on age of the used car you're looking at) free unlimited Supercharging for life and free premium data for life with both transferring free to the next owner as well.

 

[SilverGS]

@Clemson327 - Even though Tesla sells used cars with warranties, they are not really in the business of selling used cars. They only do that as they have no choice as potential Tesla owners want to trade in their existing cars and Tesla can make money on the cars they accept.

The reason why I said they are not in the business of selling used cars is simply because

1. they simply don't care (echoing @Ostrichsak 's post above) (very likely not enough staff assigned to used car sales),
2. they drop the prices on a fairly regular basis to get rid of the cars,
3. its a "take it as is or leave it" mindset as far as they are concerned and
4. the trade-in offers they make are very low compared to others.

I was one of the "lucky" ones last year when I bought my 2016. Got it in 9 days and it was in great condition.

 

[Clemson327]

I really wish I had done some research here before buying the car as I mistakenly trusted the advisor when he gave me a range. I could have gone with Carvana and received a car within a week. Lesson learned, and I can only echo the information above. The best bet is to go third party or find a vehicle locally with Tesla.

 

[Ostrichsak]

I really wish I had done some research here before buying the car as I mistakenly trusted the advisor when he gave me a range. I could have gone with Carvana and received a car within a week. Lesson learned, and I can only echo the information above. The best bet is to go third party or find a vehicle locally with Tesla.

Carvana has it's own host of problems so the rosy picture you paint of them may not be very accurate. The last Model S we sold was to a local couple that had a nightmare experience with them trying to buy a 2015 70D. Turns out Carvana grossly misrepresented it and they had to fight like crazy to reverse the deal even though they never took delivery. In the end, they ended up getting a far better car for less money by buying ours once that was all resolved.

You also for sure wouldn't get Free unlimited supercharging for life or free premium data buying from Carvana so there's that too. The best possible way to buy a used Tesla right now is from a private party and Tesla is seemingly going out of their way to make that more and more obvious with each passing rule change.

 

[Clemson327]

Carvana has it's own host of problems so the rosy picture you paint of them may not be very accurate. The last Model S we sold was to a local couple that had a nightmare experience with them trying to buy a 2015 70D. Turns out Carvana grossly misrepresented it and they had to fight like crazy to reverse the deal even though they never took delivery. In the end, they ended up getting a far better car for less money by buying ours once that was all resolved.

You also for sure wouldn't get Free unlimited supercharging for life or free premium data buying from Carvana so there's that too. The best possible way to buy a used Tesla right now is from a private party and Tesla is seemingly going out of their way to make that more and more obvious with each passing rule change.

That’s good to know.

I expressed my displeasure with used delivery after posting this, and they mentioned that my sales advisor (David) had already escalated it due to my response to the delivery text.

I received a call this evening from my sales advisor, and he got agreement from his manager to waive the shipping fee and just apply it to the down payment due to the delay and it being outside of the 3-4 week window stated to me originally. While the delay is unfortunate, I’m happy they did what they could to make it right, and the shipping fee will cover the additional rental car costs.

It’s amazing how quickly the story turned, but I’m satisfied with the way the situation was handled.

 

[waiting4used]

That’s good to know.

I expressed my displeasure with used delivery after posting this, and they mentioned that my sales advisor (David) had already escalated it due to my response to the delivery text.

I received a call this evening from my sales advisor, and he got agreement from his manager to waive the shipping fee and just apply it to the down payment due to the delay and it being outside of the 3-4 week window stated to me originally. While the delay is unfortunate, I’m happy they did what they could to make it right, and the shipping fee will cover the additional rental car costs.

It’s amazing how quickly the story turned, but I’m satisfied with the way the situation was handled.

Please read about my terribad experience so far and tell me what I can do to turn my story too...

Used Delivery Experience

How long does the Used Tesla buying process take?

Thank you in advance..

 

[Clemson327]

Please read about my terribad experience so far and tell me what I can do to turn my story too...

Used Delivery Experience

How long does the Used Tesla buying process take?

Thank you in advance..

That sounds like a total lack of clarity in the communication, but you’re certainly further along in the process than I am. I don’t know what to tell you other than to keep raising hell, but at least they’re fixing things by the sound of it.

I was notified 8/20 that my car was on its way and should be delivered to the SC by 8/27. I’m hoping the car will be in good shape so that I can take possession of it quickly since it’s a two hour drive one way, but I’ll find out soon enough.

 

[waiting4used]

That sounds like a total lack of clarity in the communication, but you’re certainly further along in the process than I am. I don’t know what to tell you other than to keep raising hell, but at least they’re fixing things by the sound of it.

I was notified 8/20 that my car was on its way and should be delivered to the SC by 8/27. I’m hoping the car will be in good shape so that I can take possession of it quickly since it’s a two hour drive one way, but I’ll find out soon enough.

If you call and ask they'll tell you the car is in a 3rd unrelated location. I will pray for you and your car.

 

[Clemson327]

I picked up the car yesterday with touchless delivery, and the crew at Charlotte-Matthews was very easy to deal with. After driving it home, any frustration and disappointment with the wait immediately disappeared, and I couldn’t be happier with my decision. This is a fantastic vehicle. My next step is to install a 14-50 plug in my garage so I can charge faster with the included mobile charger that was brand new.

 

[dannycamps]

Congrats and enjoy.

 

[waiting4used]

I picked up the car yesterday with touchless delivery, and the crew at Charlotte-Matthews was very easy to deal with. After driving it home, any frustration and disappointment with the wait immediately disappeared, and I couldn’t be happier with my decision. This is a fantastic vehicle. My next step is to install a 14-50 plug in my garage so I can charge faster with the included mobile charger that was brand new.

View attachment 582368

Did that just recently and it charges up quote quickly. My HVAC tripped its breaker sometime in the night, though...

 

[Clemson327]

Did that just recently and it charges up quote quickly. My HVAC tripped its breaker sometime in the night, though...

You’re running the charger off a separate breaker though, right? Your HVAC shouldn’t be affected by it. I wired in an extra 50A circuit when we built our garage a few years ago in case I ever needed it for a charger.

 

[VaztheDad]

Too bad we can't update thread titles...

"Another Unacceptable Used Delivery Experience, Edit: Nevermind I'm all better now"

 

[Clemson327]

Too bad we can't update thread titles...

"Another Unacceptable Used Delivery Experience, Edit: Nevermind I'm all better now"

Yeah, I kept looking for the “edit thread title” button since they totally redeemed themselves.

 

[waiting4used]

Too bad we can't update thread titles...

"Another Unacceptable Used Delivery Experience, Edit: Nevermind I'm all better now"

Um, the air suspension that they assured me was fine is now leaking so badly that half the car is almost touching the wheels after being parked for only 4 hours. Also, the compressor runs multiple times per trip and also after just parking it runs >3 times in only 10 minutes.