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How do NH deliveries work?

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tga

Active Member
Supporting Member
Apr 8, 2014
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3,951
New Hampshire
Can one of the NH owners tell me how the delivery/registration process works for NH residents picking up in Dedham? There's 2 gotchas I see that I don't know how they work around:
  1. Before processing a NH registration at the state level, your excise tax needs to be paid to your town. Most of the time, you (or the dealer) take the paperwork to your town clerk's office, pay both the town and state fees, and leave with plates and your registration paperwork. Is Tesla really sending someone from Dedham 2.5 hours to my town hall and back? If they give me a bill of sale ahead of time, I can get a 20-day temp (without the title).
  2. How do they work around MA sales tax? MA wants sales tax for (a) any new car registered to a resident AND (b) any new car delivery that occurs in MA.
Also, does anyone know how to transfer vanity plates? I want to move the Model3 plate from the Mini to the S.
 
Can one of the NH owners tell me how the delivery/registration process works for NH residents picking up in Dedham? There's 2 gotchas I see that I don't know how they work around:
  1. Before processing a NH registration at the state level, your excise tax needs to be paid to your town. Most of the time, you (or the dealer) take the paperwork to your town clerk's office, pay both the town and state fees, and leave with plates and your registration paperwork. Is Tesla really sending someone from Dedham 2.5 hours to my town hall and back? If they give me a bill of sale ahead of time, I can get a 20-day temp (without the title).
  2. How do they work around MA sales tax? MA wants sales tax for (a) any new car registered to a resident AND (b) any new car delivery that occurs in MA.
Also, does anyone know how to transfer vanity plates? I want to move the Model3 plate from the Mini to the S.


I can't speak for NH as I am in Maine but I ordered originally thinking I would have a Dedham pickup (this past summer). They offered to deliver to home at no charge to avoid any such issues involving sales tax collection/registration. I would recommend home delivery if you can do that.
 
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Since you've already ordered your car this won't help but a couple of weeks ago when I was at the Dedham service center/store I was told Tesla is actively looking at property in both Nashua and Manchester to build.
I've learned sales people don't always have the best information but it would be great if it happened particularly before volume deliveries of the Model 3 happen.
 
Tesla sent me all the purchase paper work and I registered the vehicle in town . They then dropped it off at my door.

Uneventful.

You don't need to have the car in your possession to register it.

You pickup at the dealer, but I'm pretty sure you buy the vehicle from California.
 
Back in March they had to stop using a temp NJ plate for Dedham pickup by non-MA owners and switched to delivery to ME. Until there is a NH store I suspect this will still be the case.
 
Also, does anyone know how to transfer vanity plates? I want to move the Model3 plate from the Mini to the S.

I did a similar vanity plate swap in NH a couple of years ago. When registering your Model S the local town hall should be able to handle this request with ease. If there are any issues, I recall the clerks have a direct line to a help desk at the state DMV office. Payment is even simplified. You used to have to write two separate checks to town and state, last time I believe I wrote just one check. Good luck!
 
I got a message from my Delivery Specialist a little while ago.
Since you are planning to Register the Vehicle in NH, we will need to direct ship the Model S to your home in NH, with all of the paperwork necessary for self-registration.
The car is due to arrive (Dedham? my house?) 12/28. :D

Now I just need a plan for snow tires. I had called the service center and confirmed I could bring unmounted Hakka R2's, buy wheels/sensors, have the tires mounted/installed on the car, and then drive home with the 21's in the car. Originally I was going to order a set of Lugano's with X-Ice from Tire Rack, but their TPMS sensors are on backorder until mid-Jan.
 
Can one of the NH owners tell me how the delivery/registration process works for NH residents picking up in Dedham? There's 2 gotchas I see that I don't know how they work around:
  1. Before processing a NH registration at the state level, your excise tax needs to be paid to your town. Most of the time, you (or the dealer) take the paperwork to your town clerk's office, pay both the town and state fees, and leave with plates and your registration paperwork. Is Tesla really sending someone from Dedham 2.5 hours to my town hall and back? If they give me a bill of sale ahead of time, I can get a 20-day temp (without the title).
  2. How do they work around MA sales tax? MA wants sales tax for (a) any new car registered to a resident AND (b) any new car delivery that occurs in MA.
I financed through my primary bank who fedexed me a check which I turned around and prepaid fedexed to the Dedham store. Once I provided them the tracking number for the check they fedexed me the paperwork required (including the title) to register the car at my local town hall. If I recall correctly the paperwork actually came from CA but since everything was sent Next Day it wasn't a big deal.

I received the paperwork on a Wednesday and registered it the next morning at my town hall before heading to work. The following day (my birthday :) ) they delivered my S60D to my driveway in a covered delivery truck. I was actually the first of two deliveries that day, the second being in New London. The whole process was really very easy and the folks in Dedham were very accommodating. Because they delivered to me in NH there was no issue with MA.

The hardest part was getting the town clerk believe that "Cylinders = 0" on the title was correct and that the car literally has no cylinders.

I had tried to do the whole bill of sale/temp plate thing but that would have required me to go to Concord which would have been significantly more inconvenient.

PM me when you get your car and we can meet up at the Goose to start the local TOC :) . With any luck they'll have their destination chargers installed by then.

John
 
I just had my car delivered in NH on 12/14. Really simple and easy. I went down the night before to inspect and complete paperwork. I then took the paperwork to my local DMV to get a 20-day temporary plate. (I am transferring plates from my other car which is being sold on 12/22). The delivery company called me the night before to discuss logistics. My driveway and my road are not friendly for a 70' foot long delivery setup so I met Ed in a small shopping complex a half mile from my house. He pulled my MX out of the car hauler - I put on the 20-day plate and drove home. Really a smooth, easy process that Tesla provides for free.
 
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Back in March they had to stop using a temp NJ plate for Dedham pickup by non-MA owners and switched to delivery to ME. Until there is a NH store I suspect this will still be the case.
This was basically confirmed to me by an un-named Tesla employee. NJ said knock it off, and we'll let sleeping dogs lie...

I then took the paperwork to my local DMV to get a 20-day temporary plate. (I am transferring plates from my other car which is being sold on 12/22).
Just to confirm, you have to go to the DMV to get temp plates, right (not at town hall)? Can any DMV branch do it? I thought I heard you had to go to Concord, but I might be mis-remembering it.

I wonder if you can get the car inspected with a paper only plate on the rear (I don't think I got a front temp when I ordered my Model3 plate).

Look what I found last night!
2016-12-16 17.20.14 (Small).jpg
 
"Just to confirm, you have to go to the DMV to get temp plates, right (not at town hall)? Can any DMV branch do it? I thought I heard you had to go to Concord, but I might be mis-remembering it."

I originally went to my town hall to just get a new plate (less hassle). The clerk told me that I would get a transfer credit so to go get a 20-day temp at the local DMV (for me Milford). The DMV employee was not familiar with EVs as she asked me how many cyclinders the car has and then was surprised when the system accepted 0.

"I wonder if you can get the car inspected with a paper only plate on the rear (I don't think I got a front temp when I ordered my Model3 plate)."

Technically, I have 10 days to get the car inspected. You can get it inspected with the temporary, but I am just waiting until I do my plate transfer since I am taking time off from work anyways to align with the town hall hours.
 
I was actually the first of two deliveries that day, the second being in New London
That might have been @Jamie H's car. I think the timing would have been about right.

Delivery to the NH tentatively scheduled for Tuesday.
That would have been Tues the 20th, which didn't happen. 3 of the 4 wheels were badly curbed, and replacements were backordered. Everything was supposed to have been taken care of by last Friday. The car is now scheduled for delivery on Wed 28th. Updates to follow.
 
I'll post a summary of the process once it's all done.
I am now a proud Tesla owner! Here's a summary of the timeline/process, for future reference.
  • 12/3 - Placed deposit, using my phone's browser while having dinner with another Tesla owner. Thought about driving the car home from TX to NH (was going to be in TX for Christmas).
  • 12/5 - Scanned and returned signed MVPA and pre-owned disclosure, told Pre-Owned sales advisor that I gave up on the drive home idea and wanted the car shipped to New England.
  • 12/8 - Car "enters transit system", per Delivery Specialist.
  • 12/13 - Car arrives in Dedham. I called the service department and confirmed they would sell me a set of 19" slipstream wheels and TPMS, mount Hakkapeliitta R2 winter tires I supplied, and deliver car with the R2's installed. I did point out that the R2 is a Tesla-approved tire in Norway, if it mattered.
  • 12/16 - I went down to Dedham to inspect the car and drop off the R2's.
  • 12/17 - I get an email that wheels are on backorder and due 12/23 (not sure if the issue was 19's for the snows, or 21's to replace curb damaged wheels).
  • 12/21 - Service confirms car will be ready by Fri 12/23 (when I am flying to TX for Christmas)
  • 12/28 - Car is delivered to my house, the day after returning from TX.
The bill of sale and prior owner's title were delivered with the car. Tesla does not handle NH registrations, so I need to go to town hall to do it. The clerk's office told me transferring plates from an old car is easy. Tesla also gave me a "swag bag" with a mug, umbrella, pen, and lapel pin. My new snow wheels/tires were mounted on the car, and the 21's were in the hatchback, in tire bags.

So 25 days from placing order to delivery. The car is in excellent shape (25k miles), and looks like new. It was delivered by Tesla, hauled up on an open flatbed behind their F250 (the white one with "Tesla Service" used for service valet). Others have mentioned getting cars delivered in a small, 2 car enclosed trailer via a 3rd party shipper. Fortunately the roads were pretty clear and dry, so the car arrived nice and clean. Very happy with the overall process.

Note - I expect VT and ME buyers would have a similar delivery process, at least until a NH center is opened, since their sales tax rates are also less than MA's.

2016-12-28 11.12.50 (Small).jpg
 
The bill of sale and prior owner's title were delivered with the car.
I forgot to mention - I tried to get a temp plate so I could get the car inspected right away without a front plate and figure out how to mount it later (the car was delivered without the front plate holder mounted to the nosecone). The Newport DMV would not give me a temp with the bill of sale only (I had left the title at home), since there was no seller's signature on it.

I gave up on that plan, went to town hall to register and transfer my plates, and dealt with the front plate/inspection later. I had a good experience with Wilson Tire in Lebanon. Andy said they've had several Teslas in, and knew about the jack points and jack mode issues.
 
I just had my car delivered in NH on 12/14. Really simple and easy. I went down the night before to inspect and complete paperwork. I then took the paperwork to my local DMV to get a 20-day temporary plate. (I am transferring plates from my other car which is being sold on 12/22). The delivery company called me the night before to discuss logistics. My driveway and my road are not friendly for a 70' foot long delivery setup so I met Ed in a small shopping complex a half mile from my house. He pulled my MX out of the car hauler - I put on the 20-day plate and drove home. Really a smooth, easy process that Tesla provides for free.
You said "you went down the night before to inspect and complete paperwork." Was that in Dedham? Where do you live?