Dad to two young kids, both my wife and I work in schools, and have been obsessing over Tesla for way too long. After a long wait, and knowing "cheap" is a relative term, here's how I got into my Model S.
1. Last summer I took my wife to our nearby STL service center for a test drive and convinced her that a CPO MS with RFS was plausible for our family. We had a one year old daughter at the time and were planning another. Showed her the top of the line Honda Odyssey and she said if we could get a MS with RFS at that price, she was game. 4 kids rear-facing is big for my wife, who is huge on the importance of rear-facing for children as long as possible. Obviously, I covered all the safety aspects as additional convincing. (Look up an Odyssey Elite- geez).
2. Hounded (emailed) Brent Seavey from that time and in the subsequent months. Almost popped on one in Dec '15 but the one in our price range (47.5K or below) didn't have Tech Package. Decided to wait. Test drove an Odyssey.
3. Worried prices wouldn't hit our price target, but after hearing about the impending "flood," I ramped up my emails. Our son was coming soon and things were happening. Finally, on April 29th, I placed a deposit on a CPO 60 with tech package, RFS, dual chargers, supercharging, lacewood. 44.9k plus $750 shipping NJ to STL.
4. I was told 3-4 weeks max, but usually quicker. I had my friend install the Nema 14-50 outlet for a grand total of $38.50 and a test drive. Yes, it helped my fuse box is in the garage. Anyone done it cheaper than that???
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5. I hear from my DS the very next day. Then... my wife has our second child, a boy, on May 11. I forget about Tesla for a few days, but then, 3 weeks pass...Anxiety and "Tesla dreams" kick in. I worry about range, dream that I hit the accelerator and it doesn't go, etc. 4 weeks pass and them then Thursday, May 26th hits, almost at a month wait. I get an email saying my car will be here "very soon" and get my MVPA attached to MyTesla. It says it will arrive tomorrow. I email back the next day and I get an auto-response back from my DS saying he is gone until Monday. I don't hear from him until Tuesday. Okay, I get it, his last email couldn't have said something like "I'll be back Tuesday with some more info." I do get a call Tuesday and he says they have the car and will have it ready soon. I ask for an approximate time, but he said he'd have to talk to (somebody else) and he'd call me back at noon. Well, 3pm hits and my wife decides she's going to call. She finally gets ahold of him and they set delivery for Thursday, June 2. We are looking at well over a month but we don't care- we have a date!
6. We take delivery, got swag bag with coffee mug, umbrella, calendar, and pen. I am not super thorough since I am just too excited and the car is stunning and looks brand new to me. I couldn't believe it was mine.
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7. Easiest paperwork ever. Signed two pages and gave him my check. We got 1.99% from our local credit union. Sold our CRV on Craigslist. Crazy that only sat 5 and now we can seat 7.
8. Paid a friend of a friend to tint the windows for $200, dark as IL allows, which isn't completely blacked out but looks great. Pics in sunlight would be better suited here.
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9. Why RFS with 2 kids? We are planning on adopting two more kids possibly by the end of this summer. Yes, we are crazy, going from 1 to 4 in a matter of a few months. But I decided I wouldn't compromise on safety, while at the same time I was able to get my dream car. The price was right, and so was the timing.
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10. I had heard that Freemont used to be a GM/Toyota factory, so I looked up the VIN on my '08 Toyota Corolla S...yes, it was made there! Pretty cool that both my cars were made at the same factory! Both "S" though not quite equal...
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Took a ride and plugged in to the St. Charles Supercharger for about 10 mins. I'm better backing up now than I was in this parking job. No new friends at the charger to talk to...
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Now that I've had it, what have I learned that I didn't already know??
-I didn't realize the navigation had graphics on the dash when coming up on a merge situation on the highway. It even has a city background when approaching a city. Sure makes it dummy proof, if not exactly necessary. I thought it was cool and was unexpected. Sorry, don't have pics of it...
-door handles don't pull like normal handles. Just pressure on the handle but your hand makes it "pop" open. I didn't realize that. Yes, I knew they were hot!
-the 60 is quick! I don't need anymore power than it has, ever...fastest car I've had by a long shot.
-I didn't know there were cornering lights. Never had them before and are nice.
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I don't need convenience features, my autopilot is my wife, and she's a great driver! Maybe someday, I did wait in line for the Model 3, and sat right in front of a black Model S for a few hours. Don't know what happened in my brain there...
Been a lot of fun and haven't looked back since purchasing. I think I got a good deal, and have done everything about as cheap as I can. We don't have off peak hours in our area for home charging. Any other tips to save money? I am hand washing twice a week right now but black is hard to keep clean!
For those like me who hoped to get into a MS for relatively cheap, I wish you luck! Save yourself from a minivan!!
1. Last summer I took my wife to our nearby STL service center for a test drive and convinced her that a CPO MS with RFS was plausible for our family. We had a one year old daughter at the time and were planning another. Showed her the top of the line Honda Odyssey and she said if we could get a MS with RFS at that price, she was game. 4 kids rear-facing is big for my wife, who is huge on the importance of rear-facing for children as long as possible. Obviously, I covered all the safety aspects as additional convincing. (Look up an Odyssey Elite- geez).
2. Hounded (emailed) Brent Seavey from that time and in the subsequent months. Almost popped on one in Dec '15 but the one in our price range (47.5K or below) didn't have Tech Package. Decided to wait. Test drove an Odyssey.
3. Worried prices wouldn't hit our price target, but after hearing about the impending "flood," I ramped up my emails. Our son was coming soon and things were happening. Finally, on April 29th, I placed a deposit on a CPO 60 with tech package, RFS, dual chargers, supercharging, lacewood. 44.9k plus $750 shipping NJ to STL.
4. I was told 3-4 weeks max, but usually quicker. I had my friend install the Nema 14-50 outlet for a grand total of $38.50 and a test drive. Yes, it helped my fuse box is in the garage. Anyone done it cheaper than that???
View media item 115262
5. I hear from my DS the very next day. Then... my wife has our second child, a boy, on May 11. I forget about Tesla for a few days, but then, 3 weeks pass...Anxiety and "Tesla dreams" kick in. I worry about range, dream that I hit the accelerator and it doesn't go, etc. 4 weeks pass and them then Thursday, May 26th hits, almost at a month wait. I get an email saying my car will be here "very soon" and get my MVPA attached to MyTesla. It says it will arrive tomorrow. I email back the next day and I get an auto-response back from my DS saying he is gone until Monday. I don't hear from him until Tuesday. Okay, I get it, his last email couldn't have said something like "I'll be back Tuesday with some more info." I do get a call Tuesday and he says they have the car and will have it ready soon. I ask for an approximate time, but he said he'd have to talk to (somebody else) and he'd call me back at noon. Well, 3pm hits and my wife decides she's going to call. She finally gets ahold of him and they set delivery for Thursday, June 2. We are looking at well over a month but we don't care- we have a date!
6. We take delivery, got swag bag with coffee mug, umbrella, calendar, and pen. I am not super thorough since I am just too excited and the car is stunning and looks brand new to me. I couldn't believe it was mine.
View media item 115265
7. Easiest paperwork ever. Signed two pages and gave him my check. We got 1.99% from our local credit union. Sold our CRV on Craigslist. Crazy that only sat 5 and now we can seat 7.
8. Paid a friend of a friend to tint the windows for $200, dark as IL allows, which isn't completely blacked out but looks great. Pics in sunlight would be better suited here.
View media item 115264
9. Why RFS with 2 kids? We are planning on adopting two more kids possibly by the end of this summer. Yes, we are crazy, going from 1 to 4 in a matter of a few months. But I decided I wouldn't compromise on safety, while at the same time I was able to get my dream car. The price was right, and so was the timing.
View media item 115257View media item 115256
10. I had heard that Freemont used to be a GM/Toyota factory, so I looked up the VIN on my '08 Toyota Corolla S...yes, it was made there! Pretty cool that both my cars were made at the same factory! Both "S" though not quite equal...
View media item 115258
Took a ride and plugged in to the St. Charles Supercharger for about 10 mins. I'm better backing up now than I was in this parking job. No new friends at the charger to talk to...
View media item 115261
Now that I've had it, what have I learned that I didn't already know??
-I didn't realize the navigation had graphics on the dash when coming up on a merge situation on the highway. It even has a city background when approaching a city. Sure makes it dummy proof, if not exactly necessary. I thought it was cool and was unexpected. Sorry, don't have pics of it...
-door handles don't pull like normal handles. Just pressure on the handle but your hand makes it "pop" open. I didn't realize that. Yes, I knew they were hot!
-the 60 is quick! I don't need anymore power than it has, ever...fastest car I've had by a long shot.
-I didn't know there were cornering lights. Never had them before and are nice.
View media item 115260View media item 115259
I don't need convenience features, my autopilot is my wife, and she's a great driver! Maybe someday, I did wait in line for the Model 3, and sat right in front of a black Model S for a few hours. Don't know what happened in my brain there...
Been a lot of fun and haven't looked back since purchasing. I think I got a good deal, and have done everything about as cheap as I can. We don't have off peak hours in our area for home charging. Any other tips to save money? I am hand washing twice a week right now but black is hard to keep clean!
For those like me who hoped to get into a MS for relatively cheap, I wish you luck! Save yourself from a minivan!!
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