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Is now REALLY a good time to buy a new Tesla? [Jan 2023 / April 2023]

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Just curious, what other cars have you owned? I have owned the Y for just under a year now. Acceleration is great. Not getting gas is wonderful. I like how it looks and on dry pavement it handles great. The minimalist interior I like (except that it needs more lighting). The sound system is decent and the screen is wonderful to watch Netflix when you're sitting around. The charging network is a plus. The OTA updates are great, though I can't really think of anything in the last year where I've said "wow that's an amazing new feature". The phone app is pretty cool to set schedules, warm up the vehicle, etc.

But it's noisier than any car I've owned (wind noise); the tech is glitchy (sometimes doors open, sometimes I have to physically open the app on my phone...once in a blue moon the system resets itself...a few times the system glitches when I first get in), the suspension is rougher than any car I've driven near its price range; the winter handling doesn't hold a candle to either of the Audi's I've owned (yes I use winter tires); the internal quality of materials is not great; the paint quality is poor; the fact that it doesn't have Carplay or Android Auto is odd; the phantom braking which has only happened maybe 5 times is .... 5 times too many esp since I rarely use AutoPilot; the interior at night it pitch black unless you buy after market lights; for god's sake put an AM antennae on it; no ventilated seats; no automated handsfree trunk; the service is non-existent (never thought I'd miss calling a dealership to get an appointment for service..and being given a car to drive for anything more than an hour ... but I do).

I would say not getting gas trumps a lot of these, but I've never understood the almost cult like positivity on Tesla's and best car ever owned comments, and now that I actually own one, I understand it even less oddly enough.

I mean, I'm not going to sell it, it's fine, I like it and again I love not getting gas. But it's a far cry from the best car I've ever owned (which in the last 15 years has only been an Audi S4, Audi Q5, Lexus RX330, and Ford's, VW's, Toyota before that). Plus, I do wonder about longevity of the paint in a salt rich environment, and overall fit finish given quality of materials used. Already see excessive wrinkling on the driver seat after ~10,000km.
I'm in the camp that says the MYP is the best car I've ever owned, but the list of cars I've owned (all purchased new) are: Honda Accord '98, Infiniti G35c '04, Honda Odyssey '08, Honda Odyssey '15. So I better hope that the MYP is the best car I've ever owned. LOL!

Seriously though, since I got the MYP almost a year and a half ago, I've found that it fit my current life stage almost perfectly. It's a great appliance to drive kids around to various activities, and I can also have fun driving it on a small track once in a while. The much maligned harsh ride have never bothered me, and likewise for the infotainment UI (in fact, it's been my favorite car UI, both V10 and V11). Even phantom braking only happened once for me (agree that it's one time too many), although I do take precaution to not use it if someone is fairly close behind.

I guess I do wonder how well the exterior will hold up through Minnesota winters, but that's something we will find out later.

I actually don't blindly suggest Tesla to others who are looking into EVs. I got my mom into a Audi fat etron, and my wife went for the Volvo C40 at my suggestion. A couple of others asked me about EV suggestions and my answer is usually try them to see which one works the best for them, but I can give my experience about range, features, etc. of the 3 EVs I have access to now. For me though, the MYP is easily the best option in its segment right now, especially with the recent price cuts.
 
Audi's are like that supermodel that you fall in love but after you marry, discover they have a hidden meth habit. Then you have to lay out tons of $ and time or else her teeth start falling out and she starts twitching and dropping loads in her pants.
I love Audis but every time I get one, I swear that's the last one.

Tesla is more the other way around. Very pretty, but rough around the edges and wants the corner grille instead of French Laundry.
But underneath, so impressive and the guts are at least two generations ahead of anyone else.(so yeah, legacy makers are more than two years behind)
The Y just needs better rebound control. If they spent a little on suspenion tuning, that would be money well spent. But, they are cheap and don't need to at this point.


I've driven the Q4 ETron. It's no great shakes inside either. Tons of hard plastics and ID4 running gear with better human interfaces.
I'm impressed with the ID4. I think VW did a great job but failed on a couple crucial features that are mind-numbing in how bad it is.

Tesla Y is better than both.
I’ve maybe been lucky. Outside of needing to put a litre of oil in in between oil changes, owned the S4 for 11 years without any non maintenance work. Might be why I was so partial to it. The Q5 is going on it’s 5th year. Knock on wood no major issues so far.

But the Q5 is such a boring drive. Relatively comfortable, tech is fine, quiet, but oh so boring. Kick myself for not getting the SQ5 but it was for my wife … so…
 
I’ve maybe been lucky. Outside of needing to put a litre of oil in in between oil changes, owned the S4 for 11 years without any non maintenance work. Might be why I was so partial to it. The Q5 is going on it’s 5th year. Knock on wood no major issues so far.

But the Q5 is such a boring drive. Relatively comfortable, tech is fine, quiet, but oh so boring. Kick myself for not getting the SQ5 but it was for my wife … so…
B8 S4 manual or stronic? Good cars, lots of maintenance. They will last if you put the money in.
 
I am looking at S5 and A5 Sportbacks. I've had several performances cars before (including M3 etc). I've driven new A5 and its actually pretty quick for a 2.0l engine. Combine that with S-line package and maybe I don't even need S5. I know S5 is a different animal, but I am not sure I need one and maybe would rather save on fuel.

2021 A5 comes out to about $40k, Model Y 55k with 20s minus 11k in 1 year. Ps. I would much rather have Andoid Audo than Tesla big screen.
 
With respect to your questions, I think you can walk away at any point before taking delivery, ie going into store, signing the forms, and then driving away.

I wouldn’t give them any money if you on the fence about this, but you are under no obligation to take the car even if you schedule a delivery date. Of course, as you know, you lose the $250.
 
I have the same debate whether to buy now (taking advantage of price discount and tax credit) or wait. I don't really need a new car now and can wait.
Here is how decide to wait:
1) price will stay the same or go lower by year end due to economic downturn and high interest rate
2) Tesla remove Radar a while ago (due to supply issue?), which might cause phantom brake. Rumors indicated they will put Radar back
3) Tesla is planning to upgrade to high resolution camera. 2 and 3 would help with autopilot issues what many people complain now.
4) Tax credit might be less due to battery chemistry origin but won't lose the whole credit

Based on the above reasons, I felt I gain more by waiting.
I am facing a similar dilemma. I actually sold my old CPO Model S last May and we have been making do as a one car family since then. Fun fact: I sold my Model S to Carvana - just plugged in that same VIN yesterday and the current offer would be HALF what they paid me in November - score one for me.

Anyway, when the prices dropped on the Y I ordered last week...delivery date is between 01/29 and 02/12. I also qualify for the rebate. However, I hate the thought of "just missing" a potentially significant upgrade with the HD radar and potentially HW 4.0. I won't be getting FSD, but honestly the elimination of the darn parking sensors really irks me. I mean we use those dang things every time we pull into the garage (and more) AND I can easily see the whole "Tesla Vision" situation (particularly with the current cameras and no radar) being a marginal replacement for true parking sensors...much like cameras are a poor replacement for a rain sensor, and the lack of radar appears to result in more phantom braking, etc. If it were JUST FSD or maybe even JUST AUTOPILOT, I might not care, but the parking sensors get used a LOT.

Heck, when I got that old 2013 Model S I referenced, I held out for an "August" build since that's when they introduced parking sensors for the S!

Darn you first world problems!
 
I am curious to hear everyone’s thoughts. I am planning to order a MYLR as my first EV. Do you think I should just go ahead and order now or should I wait a couple of months to see if HW4.0 with radar and new cameras starts to roll out? I hate to buy the car only to have it outdated in a couple of months.
 
If you can wait, then wait. Current model is the worst car Tesla has produced. It is several years of reduced feautures and hardware as Tesla was cutting production costs wherever they could. You'd essentially be buying the dumbest down version of any car Tesla has ever produced.
 
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Go ahead and order. There will ALWAYS be something new coming in a couple months. The jump from ICE is such a major and positive change that a “coming” improvement is actually minor in comparison. And, no matter when you buy, you will get on board for the constant flow of incremental improvements coming via OTA software updates anyway.
 
If you can wait, then wait. Current model is the worst car Tesla has produced. It is several years of reduced feautures and hardware as Tesla was cutting production costs wherever they could. You'd essentially be buying the dumbest down version of any car Tesla has ever produced.

Yeah, the new Matrix headlights are so horrible compared to the old ones. New AMD cpu annoyingly faster. The heat pump is so much worse than doing it the old way. Magnetic center console closure so inferior to the prior plastic catch. And lets not even talk about the new more comfortable suspension - rock-hard was clearly the best :)

Oh, and I so miss having the rubber roller-buttons on the steering wheel slowly get gummy and degrade - there's just not that same delightful sense of "ick" when I use the newer knurled solid-metal ones. Tesla is just SO cheap!
 
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The price cuts and tax credit were enough for me to order a Model Y LR, which I had been looking at earlier for range, capacity for long trips, but the price was too high. The price was right now so delivery expected in February. In retrospect, I probably should have just bought it mid last year and taken a high trade-in for my Model 3 SR+. Haven't gotten a trade-in estimate yet but I expect it will be low.

I'm thinking now of just keeping the Model 3 and getting rid of the old Toyota RAV we keep around for our young adult children (18 and 20) to use when they're home. One of them loves to drive the Model 3; the other is very uncomfortable with it and prefers the RAV, but I suppose they'll have to get used to it. We don't want to keep or have room for 3 cars. I sort of liked having an older ICE car as a backup for hurricane evacuation (Florida), hauling dirty junk, loaning to friends/visitors, etc.,. But the 2019 Model 3 is really fun to drive, maybe more than the Y will be, which is another reason to keep it around. Any thoughts on which of the cars to keep?
 
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- The average rate for financing right now is 10%. Not everyone can afford to finance at that rate.
Try half that for new which seems to be what is being discussed
- Not everyone qualifies for credit. Could be for all sorts of reasons, some of which are non-financial.
I’d love to hear some non-financial reasons why a person wouldn’t qualify…
 
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Overall, my M3LR has lost $18,000 by Carmax estimate and $26,000 by Tesla’s own estimate over 5 months!

Welcome to normal. ALL EVs lost $10K at least since August 2022. I can’t name that hasn’t except maybe the Bolt and MINI because they were so cheap (so maybe $3-5K).

I still have a Mach-E and was consider trading it for a Bronco…. well trade in values have dropped over $10K from a few thousand over MSRP to about $7-$9K under since Sept.
 
Many of you are excited about the recent price cut on Tesla models and are ready to bite the bait. And those who had purchased their cars last year were whining about the massive price reduction. But, as the title says, is now really a good time to buy a new Tesla?

Here is my story for you to think about. I placed an order for a white 7-seater MYLR in August 2022 and the price was $70,990. Now, the price lowers to $58,990 after the price cut. Considering the “potential” tax credit (not sure if we will qualify given the income limit), my savings from waiting till now is $19,750 (I was contacted by Tesla for delivery in November and December, but I insisted to not remove the hold).

Perhaps, this makes you to believe that I have managed to save nearly $20k, but this is not true. Shortly after the order was placed in August 2022, I went to Carmax and got $40,000 for trading in my 2018 M3LR. I did not take the offer. We all know this is a big mistake by now. The next time I got the car appraised by Carmax in early December, the offer was down to $27,000, in a little over 3 months. Just when you think it cannot go lower, I was given only $22,000 yesterday from Carmax, another $5,000 decrease in a month. You think this is the end of story? No, today, Tesla gave me a trade in estimate for only $14,000!

Overall, my M3LR has lost $18,000 by Carmax estimate and $26,000 by Tesla’s own estimate over 5 months! I am sure those with newer models will suffer larger losses in their trade in values. Considering the price cut, I am saving only ~$2,000 compared to last August and I will need to wait till next year to figure out if I will be able to get the tax credit. If I were to go with Tesla trade in, I am effectively losing $6,000 due to the ridiculous decline in the trade in values.

I was assigned an VIN two days ago and was given till tomorrow to schedule delivery. I am thinking of canceling the order. Based on the Tesla new car inventory chart, this massive cut in new car price has not driven the inventory down much. I am predicting an end of quarter sale push in March or another round of price cut in a couple of months. What your choice will be if you were in my shoes?

And if I schedule a delivery, can I cancel it later (when it approaches the delivery date) with no further obligation other than losing the $250 order fee? I have not yet decline an VIN, can I still decline the VIN and get kicked back to the line after I schedule delivery?
Yes.
 
The tired, worn out analogy of having a Tesla is like having a hot crazy girlfriend really does fit. It is exciting and fun to be with but the drama can really wear on you. After awhile, your perception starts to change. I had 2019 M3 and sold it for a good profit last spring. I don't regret removing the drama of Tesla shenanigans out of my life but I do miss driving the M3.

I placed my order on 1/14 for a LR with hitch and have an expected delivery date of 1/26 - 2/23. Like many, I am seriously considering of cancelling. Removing radar and sensors with no verifiable alternative is just inexcusable. Also, Musk saying that Tesla may open up Supercharging network to all EVs just takes away another advantage of Tesla owners and adding another headache. You will now be waiting to charge your Tesla as all EVs will flock to the Super Charging network.

In the beginning I was 90% buying %10 cancelling. Now I am 50-50 split.
 
Prices are still beyond my limits. I have two “old” Teslas bought new 5 and 6 years ago, respectively. I also paid $5k and $7k respectively for FSD Beta during the EAP/FSD “sales” nearly four years ago. Though the Beta still has a long way to go I wouldn’t buy a new Tesla without FSD and even after the price cuts adding $15k X 2 for FSD takes the cost of two new cars far beyond my limits.

Is cheaper EAP an option for a new car? Not after having FSD. Is the monthly fee for FSD an option? Not for someone who doesn’t want to pay a monthly fee that is the size of a moderate car payment on two paid-off cars.

When/if I buy again I’ll look for a low miles used car with FSD.
 
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