First time Tesla buyer questions

[wx888_88]

Hi all, I am thinking of putting an order for MY. Never owned Tesla before. I have done a test drive and talked with a sale person( they call advisor or representative?) in show room (Fremont factory)I do have couple questions. Really appreciate any advice here.

1. the rep mentioned, Tesla delivers car quarter by quarter. If I want to get the car by end of September (Q3), I'd better to put an order now otherwise, I could look for sometime by end of December (Q4) if it passes the cutoff date (expect to be mid September she mentioned). Is this really true? I have checked the delivery sheet here and I don't see the delivery date is around the end of quarter at all.

2. she also mentioned, if I put an order now and I don't need the car delivered by this quarter (due to COVID/WFH situation), I can set the delivery date to December as well. The benefit of putting the order now is there could be potential promotion by end of each quarter, and if that is really the case, I can easily change the delivery date back from December to September to get that promotion. Also, if there is a price increase (after Battery Day maybe she mentioned), I can still get the lower price regardless the delivery date. So it is more flexible.

3. The rep mentioned they don't get commission by selling car, true? How they make money?

Basically, I don't need a car urgently since mostly I work from home nowadays. Do I need to really put down $100 to lock an order now for that flexibility? Or The rep just want me to put an order so I won't go away after a few months?


Thanks in advance!!

 

[Puma2020]

As I do not work for Tesla, I don't know the true "facts". I will give you what I went through to get the Tesla.
I ordered mine Jan, 2020 and it was delivered June 27th. They actually had the car a week earlier but I decided to drive to the service center (200+ miles) so I could inspect the car before accepting delivery. I also sort of hinted that gave them a week to fix any panel gaps alignment or other issues before I arrived. Due to C19, it was a touchless delivery.
I believe that Tesla delivers cars throughout the quarter. It makes no sense to hold back cars from potential owners. They do push to deliver as many cars by the end of the quarter. I suspect that will subside as they mature as a manufacturer.

I have heard you can delay your delivery as needed.
I would not expect any promotion as they have enough demand currently.
However, they did change the price recently, but that can happen at any time. Lowered the base price but increased FSD price.
I believe that you can now use a referral code when you order. I suggest you do that. It provides you and the person that referred you 1,000 supercharger miles. That is only about a $55-$60 value. It is at least a bonus that I and others did not get.

I believe that the "advisors" are not paid via commission. I believe they are straight Tesla employees.
I have not heard from my advisor since my purchase. However, that pleases me, so no complaints.
Tesla is not like other car dealers. If you expect that, you will likely be disappointed.
This site (and others) are very useful to gaining knowledge and seeking help.

I did have to make a service appointment to fix the rear hatch alignment. Since I live roughly 1.5 hours from any service center, I requested a mobile ranger to fix this and that is what happened. Another advantage is I got to watch what they did and now know what the issue is and how to fix it, if it occurs again. (it hasn't yet).

Tesla is a fun car to drive and I love mine. It is not for everyone. It is new fangled technology. You have to be knowledgeable about what an EV (any EV) can and can't do well. Since my first test drive in 2014 (model S), I've wanted an EV. I researched the other potential brands. Being up north I set a minimum of 300 mile range (due to winter inefficiencies), which basically eliminates most brands. I lowered that to 250 miles to review more choices, but settled on the Y. I recommend checking out:

A Better Routeplanner

there you can pick out some long trips you are likely to want to make in an EV.
Choose your brand, model and compare what the trip will cost in terms of costs, # of stops, total trip time, etc...

Also understand that Telsa is NOT a car company! It is an energy company that sells cars. Once you understand it is NOT a car company, you may be able to deal with it better. I would recommend a Tesla IF you are ready for one. It's similar to owning a ferrari (from what I have heard). You are either in the club or not. Your choice.

 

[Watts_Up]

The story of the end of the quarter delivery is because they prioterise car build at the begining of a quarter to be exported.
If not in hurry, better getting a 2021 model, for better resale value. But currently build cars might already be a 2021 model.

The first quarter of the year is also the one with the lowest sales, so if you realy look for a promotion I would wait until January.
But don't expect real discount, unless may be on a demo car. In general it could be like discount for paint or wheel option.

The reservation doesn't do anything, until you start the order, and then you cannot change any option.
But the reservation can lock the price, if you consider getting FSD which cost might increase.

I'm a little sceptical about letting you postpone delivery until December. I would like to see this in writing...
I read instead that when you make the order, well you will have to wait until you get a VIN number.
Then when you get the VIN number you will get a delivery date.

I believe that you might change the date for few days but if you cannot make it the car will be assigned to a new customer.
Then you will get a new VIN number and a new delivery date.