First time buyer, confused about what to do now?

[thu1]

Hi all,

Sorry for asking some stupid questions here. I am first time Tesla buyer with absolute 0 previous experience. I placed an order on MSLR back in Jan 3rd. At that time, the EDD is 2nd half of 2022 and I wasn't in hurry anyway. I checked tesla app occasionally in the past and the EDD window has jumped back and forth couple times. Since I saw on this forum that people who ordered their MSLRs last year are still waiting for their delivery, I was expected to be contacted by Tesla w.r.t. the delivery anytime soon. Also there has been 0 contact from Tesla nor I have talked to any SA for any questions/queries until yesterday. This morning, I received a message from Tesla said my VIN number is assigned, there shortly after there is another message saying my car will be ready for pickup on Tuesday 5PM at Fremont factory . At this point, I am completely overwhelmed as I only got 2 days left to finish all the paper work. I have some basic questions here and hopefully you guys can help to clarify:

1. The tesla APP asks me to provide insurance policy.(I live in NorCal) Do I have to have active coverage on my Tesla before the delivery date? Or I just need to upload my existing insurance policy ID card to the IP? What is the point here?
2. I originally selected 3rd party finance option with ~$35000 down payment and ~$70000 loan amount. Later today Tesla sent another message to me asking for image of the check from my credit union along with the tracking number. Ofc I have nothing since I haven't even applied for the load yet. I then tried to get some quotes online and didn't receive many responses since Today is Saturday. Is it even possible for me to get my 3rd party loan approved given the delivery is on Tuesday 5PM? If not, should I delay the delivery(it is possible) or switch back to tesla finance(Can I do this without affecting my Tuesday delivery)?
3. Who will be the best contact given the current situation? Fremont store(my pickup location)? or online customer support?

I appreciate any comments and suggestions you guys have.

Thank you,
Tian

 

[thu1]

Here are the screenshots from my tesla APP

 

[RandyS]

Congrats on your upcoming delivery. When anyone buys a new car, you have a few days of automatic coverage on your existing policy. So they are asking for proof of that existing policy. When you have the VIN (usually before pickup), you can call your insurance company and have them add the car...

As far as the loan goes, just get things going on Monday morning. It doesn't take long to get a loan approved these days...I've done it that fast in the past, so as long as you don't have anything that would raise questions in your credit or income, you should be okay...

 

[jjrandorin]

1. In CA, we can just upload a copy of our current policy. As long as its not expiring soon (like 30-45 days or something) you should be fine there. In CA, your existing policy will cover you for the new car for some amount of days, usually somewhere between a couple and around 10, giving you time to add the new car to your policy.

2.That depends on who you are planning on getting that 70k Loan from. How fast they can execute "depends" (on the institution). I have navy federal, and if I had needed to, I could have applied online on a monday and picked up a bank check from them after they approved my loan, that same day.

3. If I was in your situation, I would push the delivery off the 2-3 more days that tesla will normally allow you to delay it. That should give you time to execute on the stuff you want to do. Tesla normally will give you a couple extra days. if you text the thread that told you "your vin is ready" and say "I understand my delivery is supposed to be tuesday, but I am busy that day, what times are available on thursday or friday? They will normally accomodate 2-3 days (but not longer than that.

 

[Tam]

...1. The tesla APP asks me to provide insurance policy.(I live in NorCal) Do I have to have active coverage on my Tesla before the delivery date?......What is the point here?...

It's routine in California that you need to have active insurance coverage. I am not sure about "before" but as long as the date covers your delivery date.

...Or I just need to upload my existing insurance policy ID card to the IP?

Yes. Insurance ID car is fine.

3. Who will be the best contact given the current situation? Fremont store(my pickup location)? or online customer support?

If you don't have one, I guess any of the above will direct you to the correct person.

 

[Bet TSLA]

In December, when my car suddenly went from April delivery to "two days from now" I just told them that was not reasonable and I wouldn't be ready until a few days out. So they rescheduled me for a few days out (but still before the end of the year).

Tell them how much time you need and don't rush overmuch. It's an end of quarter thing. What probably happened is that somebody with the same configuration as you canceled, or refused delivery, or said they couldn't take the car before the end of the quarter. So you got to move up.

And if you don't want to get it before the end of the quarter, then just tell them you want it later. They'll give it somebody else though.

 

[thu1]

Congrats on your upcoming delivery. When anyone buys a new car, you have a few days of automatic coverage on your existing policy. So they are asking for proof of that existing policy. When you have the VIN (usually before pickup), you can call your insurance company and have them add the car...

As far as the loan goes, just get things going on Monday morning. It doesn't take long to get a loan approved these days...I've done it that fast in the past, so as long as you don't have anything that would raise questions in your credit or income, you should be okay...

1. In CA, we can just upload a copy of our current policy. As long as its not expiring soon (like 30-45 days or something) you should be fine there. In CA, your existing policy will cover you for the new car for some amount of days, usually somewhere between a couple and around 10, giving you time to add the new car to your policy.

2.That depends on who you are planning on getting that 70k Loan from. How fast they can execute "depends" (on the institution). I have navy federal, and if I had needed to, I could have applied online on a monday and picked up a bank check from them after they approved my loan, that same day.

3. If I was in your situation, I would push the delivery off the 2-3 more days that tesla will normally allow you to delay it. That should give you time to execute on the stuff you want to do. Tesla normally will give you a couple extra days. if you text the thread that told you "your vin is ready" and say "I understand my delivery is supposed to be tuesday, but I am busy that day, what times are available on thursday or friday? They will normally accomodate 2-3 days (but not longer than that.

Thank you both! One additional question, I am also considering to put more downpay and get less money financed. When I try to use the tesla loan calculator, it says the max downpay I could put is $37690. Is this true? Would I be able to put more downpay if I talk to an SA let's say on Monday. Also, Do you know if changing downpay and loan amount would cause a significant delay on the vehicle delivery date since I assume tesla has to redo many paper works for me?

Appreciate your feedback.

 

[thu1]

In December, when my car suddenly went from April delivery to "two days from now" I just told them that was not reasonable and I wouldn't be ready until a few days out. So they rescheduled me for a few days out (but still before the end of the year).

Tell them how much time you need and don't rush overmuch. It's an end of quarter thing. What probably happened is that somebody with the same configuration as you canceled, or refused delivery, or said they couldn't take the car before the end of the quarter. So you got to move up.

And if you don't want to get it before the end of the quarter, then just tell them you want it later. They'll give it somebody else though.

Thank you. I was thinking about the same as someone could just refused the delivery. This leads to another question though, is there a way I can tell if the car is equipped with updated tail light before taking the delivery. Could this car be the pre-updated version as the car might not be newly produced?

 

[jjrandorin]

Thank you both! One additional question, I am also considering to put more downpay and get less money financed. When I try to use the tesla loan calculator, it says the max downpay I could put is $37690. Is this true? Would I be able to put more downpay if I talk to an SA let's say on Monday. Also, Do you know if changing downpay and loan amount would cause a significant delay on the vehicle delivery date since I assume tesla has to redo many paper works for me?

Appreciate your feedback.

You can put down whatever you want to. Someone will just need to update the MVPA for you ( a tesla employee). Make a decision on how much you will put down, and text that to the number that contacted you about getting scheduled for delivery (which will likely be a group of people). I put down more than that for both my model 3 in 2018 and the model Y we just bought for my wife last week.

No one ever stops you from paying more "in cash" (certified check, bank transfer), lol.

 

[jjrandorin]

Thank you. I was thinking about the same as someone could just refused the delivery. This leads to another question though, is there a way I can tell if the car is equipped with updated tail light before taking the delivery. Could this car be the pre-updated version as the car might not be newly produced?

Ask them for the "born on" date of the vehicle. That will be the manufacture date of record for the car, and you can see how "new" it is.

 

[Tam]

...Could this car be the pre-updated version as the car might not be newly produced?...

There's no guarantee to get the new revisions so you have to ask.

 

[Bet TSLA]

Thank you. I was thinking about the same as someone could just refused the delivery. This leads to another question though, is there a way I can tell if the car is equipped with updated tail light before taking the delivery. Could this car be the pre-updated version as the car might not be newly produced?

Be aware that the cars keep getting better. If you take the car now it will certainly be lacking some improvements compared to what it will have in the second half of the year. But you can play that game forever. With your first Tesla there's nothing that can make up for the time you are spending driving something else. Just get the car and don't worry about future improvements. Drive it and be happy.

For subsequent Teslas you might find that putting it off is worth it, but not the first.

 

[thu1]

You can put down whatever you want to. Someone will just need to update the MVPA for you ( a tesla employee). Make a decision on how much you will put down, and text that to the number that contacted you about getting scheduled for delivery (which will likely be a group of people). I put down more than that for both my model 3 in 2018 and the model Y we just bought for my wife last week.

No one ever stops you from paying more "in cash" (certified check, bank transfer), lol.

Thank you. About the 3rd party loan, can I ask the CU to just give me a check after application approval with the loan amount so I can pass it to tesla on during the delivery? Or I have to wait until they mail the check directly to Tesla instead?

 

[jjrandorin]

Thank you. About the 3rd party loan, can I ask the CU to just give me a check after application approval with the loan amount so I can pass it to tesla on during the delivery? Or I have to wait until they mail the check directly to Tesla instead?

All of that depends on the financial institution you use, and how they handle these loans, so there can be no "blanket answer" on this. Talk to the Credit union you plan on using.

 

[thu1]

In December, when my car suddenly went from April delivery to "two days from now" I just told them that was not reasonable and I wouldn't be ready until a few days out. So they rescheduled me for a few days out (but still before the end of the year).

Tell them how much time you need and don't rush overmuch. It's an end of quarter thing. What probably happened is that somebody with the same configuration as you canceled, or refused delivery, or said they couldn't take the car before the end of the quarter. So you got to move up.

And if you don't want to get it before the end of the quarter, then just tell them you want it later. They'll give it somebody else though.

Just called Tesla at 10AM when they open. It's so weird that SA said Tuesday will be the last day I can pick up the car or I have to decline the delivery. The SA mentioned the reason it is so quick between VIN assigned and delivery is purely based on the production condition and they have no control for that. Is this becoming the new norm or there is just how Tesla force you to use their finance partner since you will definitely have no time(3 days plus during weekend) to shop for 3rd party loan around.

 

[Tam]

... new norm ..

No. It's been that way and hasn't changed. Many people have complained Tesla's unpredictable Delivery Date has turned their lives upside down in the past.

Remember, it's not just about Finance conspiracy: For those who pay cash, they still have families, vacations, work, babysitters, dog sitters, lease terminations, transportation arrangements, stocks to cash out to pay for the car, weddings/funerals to attend... and their lives just can't stop at a short notice.

 

[salvadorsantan]

Thank you both! One additional question, I am also considering to put more downpay and get less money financed. When I try to use the tesla loan calculator, it says the max downpay I could put is $37690. Is this true? Would I be able to put more downpay if I talk to an SA let's say on Monday. Also, Do you know if changing downpay and loan amount would cause a significant delay on the vehicle delivery date since I assume tesla has to redo many paper works for me?

Appreciate your feedback.

I think that will come up if you choose leasing. Make sure you are selecting finance.