Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

Early tesla buyers should be given a refund or free upgrades!

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
I’ve bought the model S performance, model 3 performance, and solar city panels and consider myself a big tesla fan and supporter. But I think Tesla needs to reevaluate the loyalty of the people who bought the model S and 3 early, put a deposit and waited over 2 years, and believed in the company’s mission and ideology. Tesla can easily lose that loyalty by charging them a much higher price and then within a year drop the price by over 25%! How is the car going to keep its resale value? My Performance model 3 delivered at end of July 2018, without the premium paint, or white interior, or the self driving option, or the sports wheels and brakes costed $70000! Plus tax. Same car today with the $5000 sports upgrade included is priced $56900 on the site. Is this how Elon guarantees the resale personally to be comparably to the ice cars? What a shame!
 
These kind of posts serve no purpose other than to be irritating. They cause discomfort to new or prospective Tesla owners. Long time forum members will notice that while you have stated that you have owned or now own two Tesla vehicles that you never thought to create an account on this website or post a single thought prior to this one? And this is the first thought you want to post as a long time Tesla owner?

I bought a Mac from Apple seven years ago for $3,000 and today it’s worth $300. That’s how technology rolls. Products keep getting better and cheaper. Tesla is a Silicon Valley tech company just like Apple. You wouldn’t expect to buy a computer and still see the same computer selling years later for the same price. So why would a Tesla be any different?

But I think your real purpose here was just to create a trolling post, and not add any real value.
 
Talk to some of us that bought Roadsters. I had mine from 2012 until 2019 when I upgraded to the P3D. We did feel burned on many occasions and forgotten about but we also knew what we were getting into being early adopters. With the newer cars we DO get incremental feature updates via software. How many other cars get that? A 5% increase in power and efficiency after purchase for no additional cost?
 
  • Like
Reactions: M3BlueGeorgia
I’ve bought the model S performance, model 3 performance, and solar city panels and consider myself a big tesla fan and supporter. But I think Tesla needs to reevaluate the loyalty of the people who bought the model S and 3 early, put a deposit and waited over 2 years, and believed in the company’s mission and ideology. Tesla can easily lose that loyalty by charging them a much higher price and then within a year drop the price by over 25%! How is the car going to keep its resale value? My Performance model 3 delivered at end of July 2018, without the premium paint, or white interior, or the self driving option, or the sports wheels and brakes costed $70000! Plus tax. Same car today with the $5000 sports upgrade included is priced $56900 on the site. Is this how Elon guarantees the resale personally to be comparably to the ice cars? What a shame!

Rather than feelng slighted, you should feel blessed that you were able to afford all that. If you look at all sorts of new tech you will see the adoption/price curve. Each of us has a price threshold and this is what creates and drives the market. As sales volumes increase, thanks to early adopters such as yourself that can afford to jump in early, price continues to drop. Look at the $7k for FSD. FSD is nothing more than a Tesla fund me campaign and if it ever comes to fruition it will probably wind up being included at no cost to serve as a competitive differentiator against other EVs.

As for resale value, it obviously won’t hold the $70k value you mentioned but it is not much different than other high demand vehicles. For example, when the new 2020 mid-engine Corvette finally goes on sale, many folks will pay 5-20k over msrp to be the first on the block to have one. 12 months later they will be selling for under msrp. Tesla charged $70k because that’s what folks would pay at first. As demand tapered and the tax credit lowered they keep dropping the price. Basic economics.
 
FWIW, I do think some S owners got screwed with like 20-40k price drops.

The early P3 owners though just suck at math.

They got a $5000 cash refund AND a $7500 tax credit.

The price difference today is very little once you actually run the real net numbers. If you count fuel savings for the extra year+ they had the car there's usually no difference at all.



Here's some math (this excludes color/interior pricing which changed like 900 times)

Pre 5k refund-
$69000 for a P3D+
$64000 for a P3D-
So knock off the 5k, and the $7500 tax credit, and net prices are:
P3D+ $56,500.
P3D- $51,500.

Now, what about prices today?
P3D+ $56,990
P3D- $50,990.

Now, if you're not taking delivery before Jan 1, that means the P3D+ was cheaper in 2018 than now. And the P3D- is a whole $510 more expenisve in 2018 than today.

Of course the 2018 one also got a 14-50 adapter, phone cables, home link, mats, etc which if you buy them seperate for todays car puts you at about identical pricing.

If you do manage to take delivery at 'today' price before Jan 1 then the price difference are still only around $1500ish then and now.

And it's likely you saved $1500 or more in a year+ of not buying gasoline.
 
Last edited:
I was a bit jaded as I bought the multi-coat white and paid a $1500 premium only to have them switch it to the standard color 2 weeks after I took delivery. But that’s the way it goes. I didn’t complain to Tesla about it. They can do as they choose and all car manufacturers do.
 
I’ve bought the model S performance, model 3 performance, and solar city panels and consider myself a big tesla fan and supporter. But I think Tesla needs to reevaluate the loyalty of the people who bought the model S and 3 early, put a deposit and waited over 2 years, and believed in the company’s mission and ideology. Tesla can easily lose that loyalty by charging them a much higher price and then within a year drop the price by over 25%! How is the car going to keep its resale value? My Performance model 3 delivered at end of July 2018, without the premium paint, or white interior, or the self driving option, or the sports wheels and brakes costed $70000! Plus tax. Same car today with the $5000 sports upgrade included is priced $56900 on the site. Is this how Elon guarantees the resale personally to be comparably to the ice cars? What a shame!

2018 Performance with Free Super Charging $70,000 - $7500 Federal - $2500 Local - $5000 (Refund which loses Free Super Charging).

That comes to $55,000.00. Now where is that 25% drop again?

So today 2019 Performance you do get the 20" Wheels etc. for $57K (- $2000 Federal for a few more days) $55,000.00 !!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Nocturnal