No currently researching, but I've been to the local Teslas here in MA (Dedham and Natick) and the basic level of product knowledge was alarming, it was obvious there were a ton of new hires. A rudimentary look at many of the posts in all three model forums supports this, that Tesla is stretched thin and doesn't appear to have been prepared for alot of the issues they are having unfortunately.
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Chancellor32
Member
Agreed they have grown much faster than im sure they anticipated. The reason I asked is because typically you can tell the difference between an owner and one who isnt. Most owners have their complaints but love the car so its worth it and their posts express that and then there are those who just comment complaining about tesla when in all reality they dont even have the car. Not saying thats you by any means I just think for prospective owners its important to know who is giving the feedback, someone who owns the car or someone who just reads blogs online.
Exactly, what's weird is that I find myself complaining about them because I'm so enamored with the company that I wish alot of these stories weren't true, haha! Like, I've got it so in my head that I want to be part of the Tesla family but I'm not sure if I'm ready to deal with all of the dealer hiccups or CPO handwringing hoping I don't get one with tons of issues. Plus I see all of the same anxiety of current owners who have a love/hate relationship with theirs.
Like, it almost seems like they are going backwards somewhat telling people if they want a CPO now they have to travel to where it is, and that they'll no longer bother repairing anything cosmetic now...and yet still charging full price. And I think it's simply because they know you simply have no other option to look elsewhere. Much like they just up and stopped unlimited supercharging or made the $5k M3 Performance Upgrade free and not bothering to offer ANYTHING to those who had paid only days earlier, they seem like a company that isn't really customer-oriented and only car about selling cars to stay afloat. Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if at some point they simply stop ALL unlimited supercharging for those grandfathered in, because it will affect new car sales esp. with their plans to double SC locations there will be even more incentive to go pre-owned for that freebie.
Tesla reduces price of Model 3 Performance [Updated: Elon Musk makes it right]
TLDR
""It was underpriced. Anyway, if you want $5k refund & free Supercharging turned off, we will do that.""
Chancellor32
Member
the CPO program isnt perfect by any means but honestly when I bought mine they didnt offer 10-30k discounts on those cars. My parents just bought a 15 S85 with a 14k discount. Inside was immaculate, outside had a large paint scratch of about 8inches and they painted right over it. Does it look amazing if you pay attention to that spot? No but they got a 14k discount. They also searched for cars in phx or cali so they didnt have to travel far. I can understand the frustration and anxiety with the new program but if you look for cars locally or close to you, request photos and wait for one that looks decent in the pics you will be fine! My advice stop waiting and take the plunge! There are 1400 cars listed now, im sure there are at least 50 that are in good condition and match the options that you want. Free supercharging is great but unless your retired and travel often it doesnt get used more than a few times a year. They also gave 5k back to performance orders, I dont see GM or ford doing anthing like that ever. Get off the sideline and get yourself a car
I know, I know!the CPO program isnt perfect by any means but honestly when I bought mine they didnt offer 10-30k discounts on those cars. My parents just bought a 15 S85 with a 14k discount. Inside was immaculate, outside had a large paint scratch of about 8inches and they painted right over it. Does it look amazing if you pay attention to that spot? No but they got a 14k discount. They also searched for cars in phx or cali so they didnt have to travel far. I can understand the frustration and anxiety with the new program but if you look for cars locally or close to you, request photos and wait for one that looks decent in the pics you will be fine! My advice stop waiting and take the plunge! There are 1400 cars listed now, im sure there are at least 50 that are in good condition and match the options that you want. Free supercharging is great but unless your retired and travel often it doesnt get used more than a few times a year. They also gave 5k back to performance orders, I dont see GM or ford doing anthing like that ever. Get off the sideline and get yourself a car
The one issue I'm running into is that both of my vehicles don't really need replacing. I have a 2013 loaded X5 that just hit 100k, and an '10 335 cabrio w/only 50k, both in mint condition and only a 2-car garage! I looked into storing the convertible but at least in MA all are requiring they be fully insured, so I'd have 3 vehicles to insure year-round plus storing one @ $200+/mo. for at least 6 mos. It's nice in the Summer having the droptop so I'd prefer to keep that, but it would kill me to sell or trade the X5 because I'd get approx. $10k for it and there's absolutely nothing wrong with it, it's immaculate. I'd be happy with either a M5 or MX but I feel like I'd literally be giving away a great vehicle just to scratch this itch!This kills me!
whitex
Well-Known Member
Trade-ins are the achilles heel of Tesla buying experience, new or CPO. I've bought 4 new Teslas so far, trade-ins are always an issue, even when trading in a used Tesla vehicle. The biggest problem is the delay between when you decide to buy and when you pick up the car which is much, much longer that Tesla trade-in quote guarantees.
In 2015 I decided to upgrade from 2013 Model S60 to 2015 Model S85D, my trade-in quote was good for 7 or 9 days. They even told me that 3 days later that this was a good quote because the car dropped $3K of value over just one weekend. I couldn't just drop off the car and be left without transportation for 3 to 5 months. Long story short, 3 months later when my new Tesla arrived, by old one depreciated $9K. Lucky we still had a sales tax exemption so I didn't need the trade-in sales tax credit, so sold it privately.
In 2016 decided to buy a second Tesla, trade in a Toyota Sienna. Same problem, no guarantee of any kind what your trade-in will be worth by the time Tesla makes the new car, so again, you have to take the leap of faith and risk losing the $2,500 if your car depreciates too far while the new one is being made. Additionally, I was told if I found an actual dealer who wanted my car, they would so a sell-through, trade my car in to give me trade-in the tax credit, but sell it directly to the dealer I find. So I did, and then they told me they don't do that anymore. The difference was about $2.5K, which was about what the trade-in tax credit was, so it's like Tesla took advantage of that fact and wanted to pocket it themselves.
Compare that to traditional dealerships where you can make a deal and know exactly what you're paying, even if the new car is not ready yet. I've made deals on Porsche as much as 9 months in advance, and Toyota and Acura 6 months in advance. My trade-in values were guaranteed as long as I didn't drive more than some set number of miles per month and kept the car in a acceptable shape (never was an issue).
Having bought a decent number of cars through traditional dealerships over time and 4 Teslas, I will say each process has its positives and negatives. Tesla experience wins if you're buying a car and have no trade-in. With the trade-in, traditional dealership experience is better as I'm willing to put up with some aggressive sales in exchange for making a definitive deal.
In 2015 I decided to upgrade from 2013 Model S60 to 2015 Model S85D, my trade-in quote was good for 7 or 9 days. They even told me that 3 days later that this was a good quote because the car dropped $3K of value over just one weekend. I couldn't just drop off the car and be left without transportation for 3 to 5 months. Long story short, 3 months later when my new Tesla arrived, by old one depreciated $9K. Lucky we still had a sales tax exemption so I didn't need the trade-in sales tax credit, so sold it privately.
In 2016 decided to buy a second Tesla, trade in a Toyota Sienna. Same problem, no guarantee of any kind what your trade-in will be worth by the time Tesla makes the new car, so again, you have to take the leap of faith and risk losing the $2,500 if your car depreciates too far while the new one is being made. Additionally, I was told if I found an actual dealer who wanted my car, they would so a sell-through, trade my car in to give me trade-in the tax credit, but sell it directly to the dealer I find. So I did, and then they told me they don't do that anymore. The difference was about $2.5K, which was about what the trade-in tax credit was, so it's like Tesla took advantage of that fact and wanted to pocket it themselves.
Compare that to traditional dealerships where you can make a deal and know exactly what you're paying, even if the new car is not ready yet. I've made deals on Porsche as much as 9 months in advance, and Toyota and Acura 6 months in advance. My trade-in values were guaranteed as long as I didn't drive more than some set number of miles per month and kept the car in a acceptable shape (never was an issue).
Having bought a decent number of cars through traditional dealerships over time and 4 Teslas, I will say each process has its positives and negatives. Tesla experience wins if you're buying a car and have no trade-in. With the trade-in, traditional dealership experience is better as I'm willing to put up with some aggressive sales in exchange for making a definitive deal.
Struja
“Frost”
I had a similar experience (maybe a bit worse).
Feb 2015 - go to my local Tesla store find a CPO model that I like. They send me pics beccause it is 1,500km away, I like the car but I say "how much for my Lexus". Tesla sends me a long questionnaire, asking for pics (inside and out) and I provide all my service records which I keep meticulously. My Lexus has 2 minor (non-moving) accidents when I my car was hit while parked but not extensive repairs. Only other change to the vehicle was I had (Brembo) brakes on the car (rotors, calipers...the whole 9 yards).
I get a quote for my car for about 15k. I think it is low but not low enough to warrant a debate, so I agree. They say, "okay, bring your car in so that we can inpspect it and confirm trade". I say perfect and bring the car in.
They call me about 4 hours later and say, "we can only give you 12k for your car". I ask why and the service advisor says (and this is an exact quote), "well, you lied to us about the condition of your car and you have performance modifications". I was like "lied"???
He said, "yes, you have installed performance brakes and you have almost NO brake pads left. You also have a K&N filter which you failed to disclose".
So, I was puzzled because I had just had my brakes done 6-8 months earlier and I called my mechanic whom I trusted greatly. He said "it was impossible" that my pads needed to be replaced. I was told they had less than 10% left.
I took my Lexus back to my mechanic and he put it on the lift and showed me the pads. They had about 5-10% wear. That's it. Basically brand new. I was furious. So, I killed the deal to buy a 125k CPO car (after taxes) because of this incident.
I swore I would NEVER give tesla a penny of my money. So I went out and test drove every car higher end family sedan on the planet. Each one made me more depressed than the next. After about a year and a bit, I was back on the Tesla website and bought my S90D, sight unseen. Nothing did "it" for me more than the Model S.
I sold my Lexus (privately) for 16k (but remember, I sold it a year later so presumably I would have gotten maybe 17k the year before if I sold it privately.
In the end, what I learned was it is the car the matters, not the buying experience. I have NEVER regretted getting this beast.
