Inventory Vehicle Purchase - Warning

[mjeagent]

I purchased an inventory vehicle that had roughly 1,500 miles on it. Fully loaded minus towing package. Discount of $5,000. Delivery took an extra few weeks to "bring the vehicle up to Tesla standards" which included repairing two of the black wheels that had scuffs/curb rash. When the day finally came to take delivery I walked around the entire vehicle to mainly check that each of the wheels had been repaired properly. The Delivery Advisor then walked us through the vehicle and showed us how the frunk operates. Immediately I noticed a large chip in the paint right on the nose of the vehicle - obviously from a rock. I pointed out the chip in the paint and was told "you already received a discount on the car". Clearly, the point was being made to us that because we received a discount of $5,500 then we should be ok dealing with not only the miles that have been put on the vehicle but also damages to the paint. I was not happy with this statement and ultimately left a bad taste in my mouth.

What totally confuses me is the repeated emails from the Delivery Specialist pushing back a pickup date so that the vehicle can be "brought to Tesla standards" - I guess a large, obvious chip on the nose hood of the vehicle is Tesla standards. Just be warned when agreeing to put a deposit down on an inventory vehicle that is not on the lot - they will not fix chips in the paint or other cosmetic issues.

 

[shokunin]

The car has some miles on it and with that some wear and tear. A chip in the paint means either a touch-up-paint repair or full repaint of the hood and bumper. They're not going to repaint and I would not want them to for a chip in the paint.

It's a lose/lose to tesla if they went out and tried to repair that chip using touch up paint. Eventually someone will complain that they didn't disclose the chip and/or that it was poorly done, and that Tesla should pay for a repaint job.

Who knows, the discount quoted could have already factored in some of the wear and tear on the car. Would you rather have a $5000 discount with one chip in the paint and a $3000 discount with no chip?

 

[travwill]

I purchased an inventory vehicle that had roughly 1,500 miles on it. Fully loaded minus towing package. Discount of $5,000. Delivery took an extra few weeks to "bring the vehicle up to Tesla standards" which included repairing two of the black wheels that had scuffs/curb rash. When the day finally came to take delivery I walked around the entire vehicle to mainly check that each of the wheels had been repaired properly. The Delivery Advisor then walked us through the vehicle and showed us how the frunk operates. Immediately I noticed a large chip in the paint right on the nose of the vehicle - obviously from a rock. I pointed out the chip in the paint and was told "you already received a discount on the car". Clearly, the point was being made to us that because we received a discount of $5,500 then we should be ok dealing with not only the miles that have been put on the vehicle but also damages to the paint. I was not happy with this statement and ultimately left a bad taste in my mouth.

What totally confuses me is the repeated emails from the Delivery Specialist pushing back a pickup date so that the vehicle can be "brought to Tesla standards" - I guess a large, obvious chip on the nose hood of the vehicle is Tesla standards. Just be warned when agreeing to put a deposit down on an inventory vehicle that is not on the lot - they will not fix chips in the paint or other cosmetic issues.

They should disclose every tiny issues, agree, if you are buying and transporting, etc. I looked at a MX and they sent me photos in advance, and showed that is had a door scuff on one side, thus was more discounted than some others. Declined it from that photo and information.

I've settled on another one that was told was in "impeccable" condition - so expect it to be impeccable which in my opinion is just like new I'd say. Looked it from the photos so hoping that holds up to be true in cosmetics and functionality.

-T

 

[Hitman007]

Thats a real bummer. I guess there are only two things you can do to protect against this from happening. 1. If you can see the car in erson before you put a deposit, do a good job looking for chips and scratches and then negotiate. 2. Put in the deposit agreement "subject to customers inspection and approval" If you cant see the car in person before you buy.

 

[flyhigh123]

regardless of the 1,500 miles, was the car suppose to be delivered in brand new condition? or Used condition. That would be the key differentiator. If its suppose to be brand new, i dont care if its 1 or 100,000 miles, i expect it to be perfect, flawless.

 

[DuplexDianne]

regardless of the 1,500 miles, was the car suppose to be delivered in brand new condition? or Used condition. That would be the key differentiator. If its suppose to be brand new, i dont care if its 1 or 100,000 miles, i expect it to be perfect, flawless.

Even the new cars are not always flawless...but that doesn't stop us from feeling they should be.

 

[K-MTG]

Even the new cars are not always flawless...but that doesn't stop us from feeling they should be.

Right, some of us on new cars had scratch paint/seats, torn seats, misaligned panels, poor seals, etc... but that doesn't stop us from driving our X cause it is from Tesla, they deserve some forgiveness...Right???

 

[travwill]

Right, some of us on new cars had scratch paint/seats, torn seats, misaligned panels, poor seals, etc... but that doesn't stop us from driving our X cause it is from Tesla, they deserve some forgiveness...Right???

That has gotten better on both models now at least but does still occur.

As for forgiveness I have to now disagree due to 1) you can get a Honda Civic that's 100% solid and aligned more often, 2) don't forget you are paying 100K+ at a 25% margin, highest in industry, and that should come with some improved level of QA, and 3) the SCs insist on their own inspections that often delay delivery and these still occur - what do they do even?

Best cars ever, but forgiveness is ending. If QA doesn't improve then things will be a disaster at broader release of Model 3 for all models and Tesla frankly won't survive when competition does finally come out...

 

[No2DinosaurFuel]

Yeah I have to disagree about the forgiveness. Inventory vehicles are expected to be perfect as new cars because you are paying for the repairs on it. They told me I had to pay for the $500 transportation cost even though I can pick it up because it was local. I inquired about the cost and they said really that is the cost of the repairs, if needed, to bring the car back into top conditions. I would definitely refuse the delivery until they make it right... either by giving back my deposit and finding a new car without the blemish, or refund the money they claimed they used to repair the car up to top notch condition.

Also I remember the main reason for most to get inventory vehicle is to get it faster compared to waiting over a month. Again just to reiterate that the discount doesn't mean moot from tesla's perspective.

 

[Ormond]

I am on the cusp of ordering. I have two configured cars in My Tesla. When I called customer support about a web site problem, they seemed more interested in selling me an inventory car even though I am In no rush. I don't think I'd buy an inventory vehicle without seeing it first.

 

[Saxena]

@Ormond, be sure you get the $1,000 referral discount when you do order. We have been loving our X and just got back from a 3,300 mile road trip. It was great and we used Tesla superchargers all the way!

BTW, are you in the midst of a hurricane.... your avatar looks like it's in a very windy situation.

 

[Ormond]

@Ormond, be sure you get the $1,000 referral discount when you do order. We have been loving our X and just got back from a 3,300 mile road trip. It was great and we used Tesla superchargers all the way!

BTW, are you in the midst of a hurricane.... your avatar looks like it's in a very windy situation.

Thank you! I am so glad you like your X.

It is quite windy here in Florida, but not too bad at the moment. I am in East Central Florida, so it isn't too bad here in Daytona Beach.

 

[mjeagent]

Reply from Delivery Specialist -

"Inventory vehicles are sold “as-is”. The showroom discount accounts for any wear & tear, such as paint defects like described below. Tesla uses a formula based on time, mileage & condition to determine these discounts. Anything that falls outside of this we work to correct ahead of delivery."

I hope everyone is now forewarned. Do NOT purchase an inventory vehicle unless it is on the lot for you to inspect.

 

[Drivin]

Reply from Delivery Specialist -

"Inventory vehicles are sold “as-is”. The showroom discount accounts for any wear & tear, such as paint defects like described below. Tesla uses a formula based on time, mileage & condition to determine these discounts. Anything that falls outside of this we work to correct ahead of delivery."

I hope everyone is now forewarned. Do NOT purchase an inventory vehicle unless it is on the lot for you to inspect.

That is reasonable of Tesla.
It is a vehicle that has been used vs one that came out of the factory. A car with 1500 miles may not be perfect.

 

[mjeagent]

That is reasonable of Tesla.
It is a vehicle that has been used vs one that came out of the factory. A car with 1500 miles may not be perfect.

Then how come they decided on their own to fix scuffs on the black wheels but not an obvious chip on the hood? Please explain why one is determined to be "wear and tear" but not the other.

 

[balefire]

Considered inventory mostly because I love saving. After this thread and the 4 week delay thread, decided against. Thanks for the heads up

 

[Drivin]

Then how come they decided on their own to fix scuffs on the black wheels but not an obvious chip on the hood? Please explain why one is determined to be "wear and tear" but not the other.

They are not selling the car as "new". If they did, I would expect them to fix all cosmetic issues and wear and tear items.

Just because they did something nice and fixed some scuffs and cosmetic damage, doesn't mean they are obligated to fix all of them.

It is a great car, enjoy it.
Don't let this stuff drag you down.

 

[tenstringer009]

Reply from Delivery Specialist -

"Inventory vehicles are sold “as-is”. The showroom discount accounts for any wear & tear, such as paint defects like described below. Tesla uses a formula based on time, mileage & condition to determine these discounts. Anything that falls outside of this we work to correct ahead of delivery."

I hope everyone is now forewarned. Do NOT purchase an inventory vehicle unless it is on the lot for you to inspect.

If this is truly the case, and Tesla is making adjustments to the discount amount based on the condition that the inventory car is in, then they should share whatever that condition categorization is on the site--especially if they aren't going to bring all inventory cars up to the same standard (e.g. like-new).

Right now, inventory cars are listed under 'New Inventory' on their website which would lead customers to have higher expectations than what Tesla seems to be willing to meet consistently. The MVPA states, 'Because we incur significant costs in preparing and coordinating the delivery of your Vehicle...' which also gives the impression that they'll be doing significant reconditioning if necessary before delivery. Personally, I still wouldn't expect a like-new/perfect car if I was buying one discounted with a couple thousand miles on the odometer, but given how Tesla has everything laid out right now, I can see why some people are disappointed.

 

[Garlan Garner]

Reply from Delivery Specialist -

"Inventory vehicles are sold “as-is”. The showroom discount accounts for any wear & tear, such as paint defects like described below. Tesla uses a formula based on time, mileage & condition to determine these discounts. Anything that falls outside of this we work to correct ahead of delivery."

I hope everyone is now forewarned. Do NOT purchase an inventory vehicle unless it is on the lot for you to inspect.

You can't get a warranty for your a CPO?

 

[Garlan Garner]

If this is truly the case, and Tesla is making adjustments to the discount amount based on the condition that the inventory car is in, then they should share whatever that condition categorization is on the site--especially if they aren't going to bring all inventory cars up to the same standard (e.g. like-new).

Right now, inventory cars are listed under 'New Inventory' on their website which would lead customers to have higher expectations than what Tesla seems to be willing to meet consistently. The MVPA states, 'Because we incur significant costs in preparing and coordinating the delivery of your Vehicle...' which also gives the impression that they'll be doing significant reconditioning if necessary before delivery. Personally, I still wouldn't expect a like-new/perfect car if I was buying one discounted with a couple thousand miles on the odometer, but given how Tesla has everything laid out right now, I can see why some people are disappointed.

If these cars are New Inventory... wouldn't there be an option for a warranty?