Did Tesla just try to sell me an old build?

[Moderatefan]

VIN Decoder | TeslaTap
5YJ3E1EA3HF00138X (I crossed out the last digit, substitute any number)

I'm planning to refuse delivery of this vehicle. It'll cause a problem with the loan and also on future resale value. Have you guys seen this before?

Hey, if it's really 1K VIN, I think you are guaranteed to have alcantara interior in that; there's only a handful of these and some people would kill for it.

Also, you'll be getting orange tint rear window matching nicely with the glass on top. There's a lot of nostalgia for that old window. Maybe you need to open a poll to see how many people would prefer that vehicle.

 

[ℬête Noire]

Gen1 seats work out for you?

I talked to someone last weekend who's wife had the Gen 1 and he had Gen 2. They were indifferent about the change.

 

[mtndrew1]

I wouldn’t want a 2017 VIN simply for resale value. We’re headed in to the 2019 model year and it would pain me to have a brand new car “two years old.”

Just my opinion. Also the ‘17 suspension is rock hard and the back seat is flat and uncomfortable.

 

[WileyTheMan]

That's unusual but I'd give it a chance. Early VINs are supported as much as later VINs.

 

[jgd108]

I'm sure you would get the new suspension, and if you ask nicely the gen 2 seats.
Basically just tell them to bring this car up to speed to 2018 if not, reject it.
Software wise you're good at least

 

[Big Earl]

I would actually be excited to get such a low number because of Alcantara headliners. For reference, Porsche has Alcantara headliners as a $1550 option on the Macan. I have heard that Tesla service centers will swap out the stiffer springs for the softer ones on request, and I personally would take the Alcantara headliners over the Gen 2 seats. Model 3's with Alcantara headliner will be the highly sought after originals in many decades when these cars become collector items. Just buy a paint meter on Amazon for $100+ and bring it with you to make sure that the car hasn't been repainted.

But the trade-off is 1st generation seats. In my opinion, the 2nd generation seats offer more comfort in the front, but especially in the back.

 

[GenSao]

To play devil's advocate, it is entirely possible (however unlikely) the assigned VIN is a new build. Prior to delivery, check the Month and year [mm/yy] of manufacture based on driver's door frame sticker.

 

[lklundin]

I'm also concerned about a battery that's likely been sitting in a discharged state for almost a year

Why would you assume that Tesla let their car sit discharged for an extended period of time?

 

[SomeJoe7777]

Just like Pete Noire said, VINs don't necessarily correlate to build date.

I took delivery in late March when most people were getting 12000-15000 VINs. My VIN is in the 4000's, but had a build date of March (fresh build).

And for what it's worth, my "early build" / "early VIN" had no problems. No panel gaps or sunken hood, no rattles, no paint defects, etc.

 

[EVSteve]

Everyone talking about alcantara headliners lol. If someone really wants alcantara that bad just swap it. A lot less painful vs finding all the revisions and tweaks on the later builds and trying to update those.

Paying full price for a 3 that’s been sitting since 2017? I’d at least want the same inventory reduction as a S or X which has been sitting for the same duration.

 

[amoeba]

Update: The car is a early Jan 2018 build with 2017 VIN. I turned it down.

 

[ngogas]

Check the door sticker, it tells you the production date. mine shows 08/2018

 

[ngogas]

They still have a car that was built in Jan still sitting around ? Weird unless you had the exact configuration that matches your order.

 

[SoCalGuy]

I wonder if Tesla just "forgot" about this car for the last 9 months... like it had fallen between the sofa cushions and they just now found it.

 

[Moderatefan]

Update: The car is a early Jan 2018 build with 2017 VIN. I turned it down.

And deliveries back in Jan were at a crawl with people who stood in lines secretly hoping they'd be chosen over everybody else and get one of these earliest vehicles...
And meanwhile the vehicle was sitting in the lot somewhere... What the hell?

 

[ℬête Noire]

And deliveries back in Jan were at a crawl with people who stood in lines secretly hoping they'd be chosen over everybody else and get one of these earliest vehicles...
And meanwhile the vehicle was sitting in the lot somewhere... What the hell?

It could have had very serious issues, like a still-born drivetrain or something, and was parked because it was easier to just start over anew. They've now got enough staff to run a rehab that can look deep enough for cases like this.

 

[MP3Mike]

I wonder if Tesla just "forgot" about this car for the last 9 months...

Stop exaggerating, it is closer to 8 months. It didn't even get to fully gestate.

Poor premie, nobody wants it.

 

[nogassnorlax]

In short, can someone explain to me what the whole VIN thing is about? People are always talking about it and obsessing over it. How do you know if its an early build or a new build by vin?

 

[SoCalGuy]

If they give you a meaningful discount (say $5K), might be worth taking it if there are no problems

 

[N5329K]

According to Model 3 VINs (@Model3VINs) | Twitter. The earliest post was:
Model 3 VINs‏ @Model3VINs 27 Oct 2017
#Tesla registered 9 new #Model3 VINs. Highest VIN is 2145.

My VIN is 138x, so even earlier than that probably August 2017? Do I want to pay $63k now for a car that was built a year ago???

That's a beta test car to me still early in the process before they started working out the kinks/fixes and other issues. It also affects my resale value buying a car that's a whole year older. I don't see how this makes any sense.

Just say no (thank you).
Robin