Just got a call out of the blue from Tesla to try a Model S for a day.

[Zero CO2]

Step 1 Get your finances in order
Step 2 Take the Model S for a day of driving
Step 3 Purchase Model S

Most people skip step 1 ... I took a 15 test drive and was hooked ... whole day and there is no other choice

 

[Electroman]

I just called my local store and asked for a 24 hour test drive and guess what? An hour later they call me and set me to pick one middle of this week.

 

[israndy]

How many miles can you put on it? I hear they are running out of gas in Oregon but I bet they have electricity, that would make for a perfect road trip to see the eclipse!

-Randy

 

[xav-]

Unlimited mileage warranty on the battery. 8 years unlimited mileage warranty on the drive unit rather than 4 years and 50k miles. Faster supercharging. Air suspension. Years of data included. Free supercharging. More interior room. Much more storage. Larger touchscreen. Loaner programme. Faster. Short wait times. And your assumptions of "less reliable" is highly questionable, comparing a vehicle that's been in production for years to one that's going to be coming off of just-built factory lines.

That doesn't mean "you should get an S". But calling it "clearly inferior" is silly.

Well it better be more reliable.. the company is going to be in a lot of trouble if it sells 500k cars with the kind of problems that we have seen with the S and X!!

120k miles on the battery is fine with me. I did not know the warranty on the drive unit was only 50k (thank you for the info) but I am confident that either 1/ that the drive units will be far more reliable than on the S and 2/ if i turn out to be incorrect they will increase the warranty... because again there is not going to be a lot of people willing to spend $10k+ replacing a drive unit on a car that has 51,000 miles

 

[modamoda]

Is trying to sell cars a bad thing? I don't understand why the spin and tone of these post to imply there's something wrong.

Well, I really can't say it's bad thing. But I'm curious what's happening in Tesla company and what makes such change.
As a fan of cutting edge tech company it's good to pay attention, isn't it?

 

[a.void]

Got the call for my test drive...
"We notice you haven't had an opportunity to test drive a Tesla..."
"I would love to test drive and I'm an M3 reservation holder" (as if they didn't know)

Need to close the wife on everything, but she was already asking why we aren't considering a CPO Model S. you
This might blow up in my face. Regardless... I want my test drive.

 

[jbcarioca]

Well, I really can't say it's bad thing. But I'm curious what's happening in Tesla company and what makes such change.
As a fan of cutting edge tech company it's good to pay attention, isn't it?

As they grow they need to do more to sell their wares. These moves are entirely in keeping with normal practice IMHO, and not at all a bad thing.

 

[Garlan Garner]

Wish they would lend me a car for a day. Would be helpful for my commute to work and back.

I agree.

How about 720 days? They could just pretend that they call me every day and make the same offer for 2 years. That's about how long I have till I get my Model 3.

 

[Akikiki]

Well, I really can't say it's bad thing. But I'm curious what's happening in Tesla company and what makes such change.
As a fan of cutting edge tech company it's good to pay attention, isn't it?

I don't think the fact that Tesla sales people are reaching out to Model S/X and Model 3 reservations holders is a bad thing. Our local sales manager reached out to me in Dec and I bit. I ordered my third. After it arrived I sold my second. So, if it works for one, it likely works for more than one. I am not a M3 reservation holder. I'm happy with my S and don't need a separate second vehicle.

But we have been hearing for a year that Tesla sales people including EM are upselling M3 reservations holders to a S or X. I don't see that as a bad thing. They are giving people a chance convert their desire for a 3 to another Tesla and avoiding the risk of losing them as a customer.

 

[AlanSqB]

The call came. The dance has begun. I’m normally very fiscally responsible (aka cheap) but this car is my kryptonite. It doesn’t help that I was already ready to buy one a few months ago but decided to hold off just to see what the 3 brought.

I still think the 3 is the better car for me, I will try to be strong.

 

[geoffreak]

I got the call last week, but just for a test drive of an S. I did my test drive a couple of days ago and it was a blast.

Regen is really awesome and I can't wait to be able to use that day-to-day.

That acceleration was amazing (from a RWD S75, no less!) and I didn't even try to floor it completely. If the Model 3 can do even close to that, I'll be quite happy. That acceleration was absolutely my favorite part of the test drive.

I tried AP on the highway and on side streets. It seemed to prefer to hug the left side of the lane (even on the screen) while I was on the highway (I stayed only in the right lane). It also tried to follow the exit once, so I got to know what that oddity is like. It was much more behaved on the slower side streets. I have a car that has a TACC/Adaptive cruise control already, so I'm used to the car doing the pedals for me, but the steering wheel moving on its own was a new sensation.

There was no attempt at an up-sell (since they can't actually "sell" in Texas), so I wasn't pestered about purchasing an S. It's a great car, but the 3 solves the problems I have with the S (high price, limited backseat headroom, too large, lacking basic car features, and huge door thickness). I still have no desire to get an S, but this test drive just got me really excited to get my 3.

For anyone else considering whether or not to do the test drive when offered, do it. It shouldn't "ruin" your current car (as long as you already have a Model 3 reservation due to come up soon) and it's a lot of fun, especially if you've never driven a Tesla before.

 

[McRat]

I must say Tesla is better than Cadillac in that regard. Cadillac had a 24-hr Test Drive promotion. I could not get a dealer in the area to honor it. After I contacted Cadillac HQ and complained, one dealer apparently drew the short straw and had to call me to offer a 24hr drive. I declined. They did not have the what I wanted on their lot.

It's one of the drawbacks to having independent dealerships. You can only 'force' them to participate in your promotions per contract. Apparently extended test drives weren't in there, so they must have had to bribe my nearest dealer.

Now, I'll be honest. I am a Cadillac buyer, and I did just buy another anyways after a 1 hr drive. And they have always treated me well in other respects. But I also take the time to diss them on this kind of marketing behavior every chance I get. Maybe somebody important will get embarrassed someday when enough of their high end customers talk crap about them. Great car, poorly managed business. You hear that Johan de Nysschen? Your engineers are great. Your national sales operation staff are apparently not. Tie your shoelaces before running, eh Johan?

 

[boaterva]

From an earlier post in this thread... Do they ask everyone for insurance info or was that a one off? I got an X for an overnight earlier this year, and I offered insurance info, and they didn't even want to see it. I assume most people have insurance that automatically covers anything you drive, as I do. Not so?

 

[siucity]

Tesla gave us a 24-hour "Extended Test Drive" of a brand new Model S P100D Ludicrous with AutoPilot 2.0 hardware in December... Hoping to get us to trade in our 2015 Model S P85D Insane with AutoPilot 1.0 for the P100D. I loved the MUCH higher range from the 100kWh battery, the ventilated seats (now discontinued) and of course the Ludicrous power and the promise of better AutoPilot 2.0 (disabled in December)... but the cost to upgrade just didn't make sense to us.

BUT if you don't own a Tesla now and get a Model S on a test drive you'll definitely want to buy one. In sales training, it's called a Puppy Dog Close. Give someone a puppy and they'll have a difficult time giving it back. LOL

I also got the same invite to take a P100DL for a couple of days last December. While it was nice, I also couldn't justify how much it would cost to upgrade. They also let me take a P90DL Model X. Maybe some day I'll add that to my garage.

 

[AlanSqB]

I deferred to Q4 for any further discussion with the OA. I just can’t get over the feeling that some refresh is coming. It’s like 50/50 if you’re better off getting in before a refresh announcement or not. Sometimes you get stuff you didn’t expect and/or a price cut. Sometimes you get the last of the leftovers with nothing but an handshake.