Does Model Year matter?

[Cousin Eddy]

There are many who preach that Tesla does not release model year cars until jan 1st of that corresponding year.
Some say Model Year does not matter anyway, they claim that the build date is whats important.
Even more say that Tesla does't do model year refresh, blah blah blah.

Let's see if we can clear things up.

Starting last year, Tesla did begin releasing new model year (vins) in October rather than wait until Jan 1. It is believed this was done to ensure overseas purchases were in fact new if purchased on Jan 1 as it takes weeks to ship a car.

According to Tesla finance - it is true - they don't care about model year designation when valuing a Tesla trade. They only care about actual build date. - but the model year does play a significant factor to insurance companies, as well as resale value outside of Tesla~land.

Tesla is known and admired for updating its cars as needed and at any time during the production year, not waiting for a model year refresh

Given the information above (any additional in-site and/or corrections would be greatly appreciated)
I thought I'd put a poll out to see where YOU - the Buyers stand on Model Year value.

 

[jeffbco]

"Could NOT care less"

 

[sparcs]

The premise of your poll is wrong by focusing on Model Year. Build Date matters more than Model Year for Teslas when a customer may be interested in looking for specific updates to tech, packages, interior updates, color changes, etc.

The rest of the stuff like insurance and resale is low hanging fruit that only affects certain people with short ownership periods which isn't a "both sides" issue.

 

[CyberGus]

Think of "model year" as an outdated limitation. In his book "On A Clear Day You Can See General Motors", John DeLorean felt that automakers behaved unethically by purposefully holding back improvements until the next model year. (Consequently, no two DeLoreans are alike, lol.) There are legitimate logistical reasons for doing this, but they are irrelevant in the digital age. We only hang on to the "model year" nomenclature because "that's the way it's always been done." Even the legacy automakers make changes on the fly, although at nowhere near the scale of Tesla.

 

[Cousin Eddy]

The premise of your poll is wrong by focusing on Model Year. Build Date matters more than Model Year for Teslas when a customer may be interested in looking for specific updates to tech, packages, interior updates, color changes, etc.

The rest of the stuff like insurance and resale is low hanging fruit that only affects certain people with short ownership periods which isn't a "both sides" issue.

Model Year and your opposition to its importance is EXACTLY the premise of this poll.

 

[frankvb]

Making only changes by model years simplifies the process of finding correct replacement parts a lot (and in general supply and inventory management). That's probably one of the main reason to do it. BMW does factory retooling in a few weeks around August/September usually (though I am now wondering if only when moving to the next generation vehicle), I wonder how Tesla manages that when changing some components in the middle of the model year.

And of couse marketing has helped shifting the years forward in time, so you can buy next year's model sometimes already in May...

 

[dale_cooper]

If you don't think model year matters as it relates to people's perception of value in the future - you're a fool. 100% I want a 2021 vs 2020. Newer model years are always worth more on the used market. You're not keeping your tesla forever....

 

[jmatero]

Model years DO matter in some areas. While Tesla may not care, when trading-in or selling privately, buyers DO care. NADA and KBB pricing on same car 2018/2019/2020 M3 have different pricing. And I think insurance payout as well. I find it hard to believe Tesla would value a 2018 and a 2019 the same (all things equal).

 

[sparcs]

Model Year and your opposition to its importance is EXACTLY the premise of this poll.

i'm not in opposition. Most people would prioritize improvements to the vehicle which is figured out by Build Date for a Tesla. The Model Year doesn't tell you that on a Tesla so it obviously becomes less important. There's no acknowledgment of build date in your poll...

 

[spokey]

Making only changes by model years simplifies the process of finding correct replacement parts a lot (and in general supply and inventory management). That's probably one of the main reason to do it. BMW does factory retooling in a few weeks around August/September usually (though I am now wondering if only when moving to the next generation vehicle), I wonder how Tesla manages that when changing some components in the middle of the model year.

And of couse marketing has helped shifting the years forward in time, so you can buy next year's model sometimes already in May...

Maybe so, but even within a model year parts aren't necessarily consistent. My wife had a 2007 Camry and tore off the mirror on the side of the garage. Model year wasn't good enough, I had to get a new one based on the VIN because apparently the mirror was different from different plants. I was pretty shocked that a mirror wasn't consistent, but that was Toyota almost 15 years ago.

 

[Cousin Eddy]

.... There's no acknowledgment of build date in your poll...

I acknowledged build date in the body of text explaining the purpose for the poll.

 

[sparcs]

Does this even matter for the Model Y. Resale values currently should be affected by the fact that Model Y is still in the first year of production. Wouldn't that affect resale more?

Let's say i'm in the market three years from now, I would personally avoid a used Model Y built anywhere in the first year regardless of the Model Year. Does the used car market work the same or it doesn't matter?

 

[captanzuelo]

"Could NOT care less"

No. I care a little bit so I could care less.

 

[PatInANutshell]

Does this even matter for the Model Y. Resale values currently should be affected by the fact that Model Y is still in the first year of production. Wouldn't that affect resale more?

Let's say i'm in the market three years from now, I would personally avoid a used Model Y built anywhere in the first year regardless of the Model Year. Does the used car market work the same or it doesn't matter?

Why would 12 months matter more than 9 months or 15 months after production started? Picking 1 year after production started seems as arbitrary as anything else.

 

[Cousin Eddy]

"Could NOT care less"

Grammar Alert

Good Catch -

 

[imola.zhp]

Here's the thing about the Y...

This first year has been a dumpster fire for issues, if you don't think people will shy away from first year Model Y's, you will likely be mistaken. Its a common conception (sometimes misconception) that the first year of a new vehicle has more issues than later years for ALL brands; not just Tesla.

Now, 2021 vs 2022 vs 2023, etc, etc, likely wont matter so long as battery tech and autopilot hardware doesn't change. However, 2020 vs 2021, yes, it does matter. Almost anything associated with 2020 is going to be frowned upon, including the Model Y.

/Rant

 

[sparcs]

Why would 12 months matter more than 9 months or 15 months after production started? Picking 1 year after production started seems as arbitrary as anything else.

general rule of thumb is to avoid the first year of production for any new vehicle. It is kind of arbitrary, but as a potential used car buyer I would be more mindful of that than whether a Model Y was built in 8/2020 or 10/2020 which technically spans two different "Model Years".

 

[jmatero]

This first year has been a dumpster fire for issues, if you don't think people will shy away from first year Model Y's, you will likely be mistaken.

Having been delivered a dumpster fire MY, the reality is that the majority of 2020 issues are related to how the cars are assembled. And these issues can be fixed by Tesla. They did a great job getting my car to where it should have been. Reliability, battery, drivetrain, brakes, etc are all rock solid so far. They're not breaking down. So suggesting buyers will shy away from 2020 Y's is purely speculation. There's a robust market out there (with amazing resale values) for 2018 Model 3's and I'd argue that launch was a train wreck compared to the Y. My 2020 M3 was a mess when it was delivered... not as bad as my Y though.

The workers in Fremont who assembled the last 2020's are the same folks assembling the 2021. Until they hire people in Fremont who have years of experience putting cars together... and until a worker on the line can hit a big red button and shut it down when they find a problem, the dumpster fire will continue to burn. At most plants, if a worker installing dashboards notices an issue with, say, the body, they are trained to hit the big red button at their station... the line stops... and people RUN to the machines or people responsible and address it. That clearly isn't happening in Fremont where the mentality is "build it quickly... we'll address it post-delivery"

 

[imola.zhp]

Having been delivered a dumpster fire MY, the reality is that the majority of 2020 issues are related to how the cars are assembled. And these issues can be fixed by Tesla. They did a great job getting my car to where it should have been. Reliability, battery, drivetrain, brakes, etc are all rock solid so far. They're not breaking down. So suggesting buyers will shy away from 2020 Y's is purely speculation. There's a robust market out there (with amazing resale values) for 2018 Model 3's and I'd argue that launch was a train wreck compared to the Y. My 2020 M3 was a mess when it was delivered... not as bad as my Y though.

The workers in Fremont who assembled the last 2020's are the same folks assembling the 2021. Until they hire people in Fremont who have years of experience putting cars together... and until a worker on the line can hit a big red button and shut it down when they find a problem, the dumpster fire will continue to burn. At most plants, if a worker installing dashboards notices an issue with, say, the body, they are trained to hit the big red button at their station... the line stops... and people RUN to the machines or people responsible and address it. That clearly isn't happening in Fremont where the mentality is "build it quickly... we'll address it post-delivery"

They tried to deliver a dumpster fire Y to us. Yes, all of the issues could have been addressed post delivery assuming the service center did NOT say all of the concerns were "within spec." A friend that took delivery the week before said his service appointment was 2 weeks out, outside of his 7 day return window.

Only time will tell if the 2020 Model Y is commonly known for being repainted after delivery. I'm sure some of those paint jobs will be good, some may not age as well (possibility of fading differently). When they said they would repaint the funk on the car they offered us, we thanked them for their time and left. The vehicle also had a laundry list of other issues including but not exclusive to a dent in the passenger quarter panel, a busted (yes, busted) inner trunk taillight, a big sweeping deep scratch under the drivers side quarter panel window, none of the doors lined up, typical passenger side fender pop-out at headlamp and front bumper, both headlamps pushed out over the front bumper, passenger side rear door panel was loose, not attached at the bottom.

Fair points about the same people building the cars from one month to the next, that almost makes me want to just go back to BMW.

But instead, I'm just going to keep waiting. Having a service center where I live, but not a delivery center complicates things because the vehicle will be past its 100 mile odometer limit for issues found after delivery before we even get home. But that same local service center has been telling customers lately that they are opening a delivery center locally and that they will be joining them at the new location. So I'll feel a bit better taking delivery locally. If the car is not up to my standards, I'll ask them to fix everything before I take delivery. Unless the main issue is a paint issue again, then I will reject, again.

 

[ArchieDale]

No. I care a little bit so I could care less.

In that case one would fit into the third option on this poll.