Buying M3. Any last advice from you'all before I jump?

[alset92977]

We have decided to stop chasing the $1K deposit and just order. The $ will eventually be found and applied toward our purchase price. We hope. Just wondering if anyone has any advice to give before we place an order. We live in Vermont. Our closest Dealer/service is Montreal, Ca. Currently the border is closed. Grrrrrr. Next closest is near Boston. I assume that even though we have submitted a deposit, we will still be placed at the end of the line? Anyone have experience picking up a car, or dealing with the dealership in either place? Any comments welcome. Great forum. Thanks, and stay safe.

 

[QuickOne]

I dealt with Natick, MA (Reggie ) and they were great.
Zero problems, a couple of days faster delivery than was promised.
If you go for a LR AWD you'll be surprised at how quickly you will take delivery.

 

[acarney]

We have decided to stop chasing the $1K deposit and just order. The $ will eventually be found and applied toward our purchase price. We hope. Just wondering if anyone has any advice to give before we place an order. We live in Vermont. Our closest Dealer/service is Montreal, Ca. Currently the border is closed. Grrrrrr. Next closest is near Boston. I assume that even though we have submitted a deposit, we will still be placed at the end of the line? Anyone have experience picking up a car, or dealing with the dealership in either place? Any comments welcome. Great forum. Thanks, and stay safe.

If you're going for the long range I don't think you'll have a huge issue on delivery time line. It seems Tesla has been trending about a week or so early compared to their estimates, so maybe 3 to 6 weeks if you cross your fingers? I would go ahead and place the order so you start the clock, but then keep following up with someone (you can call the Boston store and mention your previous order number) about getting that initial deposit applied to this new car. Call daily if you have the time; pushing and bugging Tesla seems to work. You shouldn't have to do that, but it seems like the best way to get a situation taken care of.

 

[mrazndead]

buy it dude.... we only live once..... I will take the plunge soon

 

[alset92977]

If you're going for the long range I don't think you'll have a huge issue on delivery time line. It seems Tesla has been trending about a week or so early compared to their estimates, so maybe 3 to 6 weeks if you cross your fingers? I would go ahead and place the order so you start the clock, but then keep following up with someone (you can call the Boston store and mention your previous order number) about getting that initial deposit applied to this new car. Call daily if you have the time; pushing and bugging Tesla seems to work. You shouldn't have to do that, but it seems like the best way to get a situation taken care of.

Thanks. The squeaky wheel gets the grease almost every time.

 

[alset92977]

It appears that we qualify for a $4000.00 rebate from Vermont. :=} Nothing from the feds. :={

 

[acarney]

It appears that we qualify for a $4000.00 rebate from Vermont. :=} Nothing from the feds. :={

Ya, Tesla ran out of their tax credit awhile ago (Dec 2019 I think?). Sucks on one hand... on the other hand shows absolutely how popular they are.

 

[RandyS]

Get the largest battery you can afford. Not only for more convenience during road trips (because supercharging up to 80% SOC is quick and then it slows down after that), but also because you won't get the range that Tesla says the car is rated for. The car uses energy just sitting there (how much depends on your settings and the temperature outside). But add in hills, speed, low temps, etc. while you're driving and your range will be lower. Don't have regrets because you got a smaller battery and realize later that it doesn't give you as much convenience as you'd like to have...

 

[JaeTheDev]

Took the plunge and got a 2020 Model 3 SR+ last month. Couldn’t be happier. I’m in Rhode Island which is a very green state but we only have one SC and its about 25 min away from me. I don’t drive far so range isn’t an issue for me. I find I’m always close to somewhere to charge, whether its home, a SC, or a ChargePoint. If you don’t have that luxury, go for an extended range. Also, I picked mine up in Warwick, Rhode Island and they were awesome. Were adding solar via Tesla as well as I type. Waiting on the permit now.

 

[alset92977]

We added solar a while back. Even here in Vermont, we get a lot of energy from the sun. Our electric bill in $15. Mo. We also installed 2 head pumps. Even here in Vermont the heat pumps work well down to around 0 deg. I intend to buy an M3 LR. AWD. with premium interior, and upgrade wheels. Not crazy about white but would rather spend the $ on the interior and the wheels. I assume they will tell me where to pick up the car. Canada's border is closed. Thanks all

 

[acarney]

We added solar a while back. Even here in Vermont, we get a lot of energy from the sun. Our electric bill in $15. Mo. We also installed 2 head pumps. Even here in Vermont the heat pumps work well down to around 0 deg. I intend to buy an M3 LR. AWD. with premium interior, and upgrade wheels. Not crazy about white but would rather spend the $ on the interior and the wheels. I assume they will tell me where to pick up the car. Canada's border is closed. Thanks all

Yep, when it gets closer to delivery they’ll tell you where the car is and when to schedule pick up.

If you are more than 220 miles from a Tesla delivery center (I assume they wouldn’t count the Canadian location since travel restrictions) you can request “carrier direct” delivery. There is no additional cost for that and it will be delivered to your door by a 3rd party transportation company. They won’t be able to answer any Tesla specific questions or give you any walk through but the car will be dropped off at your door. Be warned though that they don’t hold a perfectly tight schedule. I was told Wednesday afternoon or early evening. Well the transport had 3 cars they were bringing to my area and one wasn’t ready when they picked it up... so they showed up at my house at about 10:45pm. They did call ahead about 25 minutes to give me a head up, but you very well could have a mid-day or late night drop off. Only took about 20 minutes to shuffle the cars off the trailer and pull it into my driveway... my neighbors came out to see why a huge truck was parked in the middle of the street and I felt like a millionaire having a “fancy” new Tesla dropped off to me... but it might or might not be an option for you. Once you’re matched with a VIN you can find out where it is and ask about it. Be firm that it’s “carrier direct” delivery by a 3rd party. Tesla also has a direct drop off by a Tesla employee but they only do that in like a 20 mile radius and often the sales guys get those two options confused.

 

[adamw13]

I'm just waiting to jump in myself ... haven't been driving much this year, since March, or I would've already. Thinking maybe October - after battery upgrade announcement?

Only negative I can find is that the colors all suck ... I can't stand primary colors for cars, can't stand white for anything, have had so many silver cars in the past that my wife has banned them - which leaves black as the only moderately decent option - but I don't like that either.

 

[acarney]

I'm just waiting to jump in myself ... haven't been driving much this year, since March, or I would've already. Thinking maybe October - after battery upgrade announcement?

Only negative I can find is that the colors all suck ... I can't stand primary colors for cars, can't stand white for anything, have had so many silver cars in the past that my wife has banned them - which leaves black as the only moderately decent option - but I don't like that either.

I know they're not for everyone, but red and blue have a lot more to them then just a flat red or blue. Blue looks almost black at night or in low light, a deep deeper blue on a cloudy day, almost a liquid looking wet blue in indirect sun, and a bright sharp blue under blasting sunlight. Same with red. Both colors have a lot of depth to them. All colors also look pretty good with Stealth Xpel paint protection film on them, but you're looking at about $5,000 for that... granted every inch of paint is protected from scratches and chips plus you get a matte finish...

 

[Michelle_eriw]

I know they're not for everyone, but red and blue have a lot more to them then just a flat red or blue. Blue looks almost black at night or in low light, a deep deeper blue on a cloudy day, almost a liquid looking wet blue in indirect sun, and a bright sharp blue under blasting sunlight. Same with red. Both colors have a lot of depth to them. All colors also look pretty good with Stealth Xpel paint protection film on them, but you're looking at about $5,000 for that... granted every inch of paint is protected from scratches and chips plus you get a matte finish...

I ordered a blue one. Haven't had a blue car since the 1980s. Two of my last four cars have been red, so that's out (besides, I didn't want to spend an additional grand for it). I've had two silver cars, my current car is grey, and I don' like black or white. Therefore, blue.

 

[acarney]

I ordered a blue one. Haven't had a blue car since the 1980s. Two of my last four cars have been red, so that's out (besides, I didn't want to spend an additional grand for it). I've had two silver cars, my current car is grey, and I don' like black or white. Therefore, blue.

I’ve got a blue one too ^_^

 

[FC49er]

Get the largest battery you can afford. Not only for more convenience during road trips (because supercharging up to 80% SOC is quick and then it slows down after that), but also because you won't get the range that Tesla says the car is rated for. The car uses energy just sitting there (how much depends on your settings and the temperature outside). But add in hills, speed, low temps, etc. while you're driving and your range will be lower. Don't have regrets because you got a smaller battery and realize later that it doesn't give you as much convenience as you'd like to have...

Thanks you answered my question.

 

[alset92977]

Well, we ordered a blue car with LR AWD(need it here in Vermont winters), premium wheels, and up grade interior. Do not think we need FSD and it puts the car well up over $50K. We are eligible for a 4K rebate from Vermont, so that will cover the tax and registration. Still have not seen my $1K deposit return that was promised weeks ago. Oh well. Still do not have an assigned VIN. from Tesla. I am told 8-10 weeks delivery time. I would have to drive to Nj. to pick up the car. We decided to have it delivered to our residence. Hoping there are no issues when it arrives. I am told we have 1 week or 1K miles to return the car if we are not happy. I think that is just good business practice. We have done well with the few stocks we have in Tesla. Makes the car more affordable. Thanks to all. I will post more as things progress. Great forum, great folks. Be safe, and enjoy that Tesla, I know we will.

 

[Pdadoc]

I'm in the Boston area, and looking to jump in to buy a Tesla 3 LR early Fall. Is there any reason to order in September (is end of quarter) vs waiting until October (more towards end of year)? Thanks, and really appreciate all the great info here!

 

[MedusaManiac]

I'm in the Boston area, and looking to jump in to buy a Tesla 3 LR early Fall. Is there any reason to order in September (is end of quarter) vs waiting until October (more towards end of year)? Thanks, and really appreciate all the great info here!

So other can say if I am wrong, but Tesla is quarter drive. So if you wait until October you likely would miss any incentives until around December. Also I think you need to take delivery in September; not order...

 

[ev2therescue]

Are the incentives only applicable to sales of cars in inventory (versus new builds)? It seems that way based on the example I read on this forum from the past couple of months where some people received one year of free Supercharging for purchasing a vehicle from inventory.

Also, are there any benefits to building and ordering a vehicle directly off the Tesla website versus doing the same thing in-person through a store?