Might order my 3 soon, very begrudgingly.

[timk225]

Pittsburgh non-owner, reserved in the first 10 minutes on 3/31. Got my configuration email a few weeks ago. I didn't place an order for a 3, because I don't need or want the outrageously overpriced options, the LR battery and PUP interior. Then Tesla announces that the $35,000 configuration that Elon promised us won't "be available" for another year.

After some thinking, I decided to go with a CPO Model S instead, but after missing the order on one car, and not being approved for enough financing on another, I started working the numbers. If I got a $45K CPO S, kept it a year, then bought a $35K Model 3, then between depreciation and paying loan fees and sales taxes twice, it wouldn't be much of a good deal.

So, very begrudgingly, I will order my 3 as is with the $49,000 configuration that is being forced upon us. Only thing I need is an ok from the finance place, so I should know by monday or tuesday about that.

Tesla is reminding me of when I lived in the SFV in Los Angeles for several years, and you couldn't go near some supermarkets or 7-11's without some panhandler trying to get change off of you. Tesla is the panhandler now. They are saying "Want a 3? Fine, but you can only have one if you order these extra options that are mostly PROFIT for us".

The word "option" implies that these items are OPTIONAL. Forcing us to get them to get the car is not optional.

Tesla, for your greed, I feel that you owe me more for my $49,000. Maybe a performance upgrade so that my 3 can pull sub 4.5 0-60 runs and high 12's in the quarter mile. At least that's something.

Some of you may be saying that I should just keep my current car and wait to order a 3. True, but at the moment I have a guy lined up to buy my current Challenger R/T at a price nearly $2K over the "excellent" condition value on kbb. I think he has lots of money and he likes the car. So if I don't sell to him, I will lose thousands by selling to anyone else.

First World Problems!

 

[ninefiveone]

No one is forcing you to buy the car. If it makes you this unhappy to buy it, don’t buy it.

 

[emlombardo]

I didn't need the battery upgrade but bought it because I want the car sooner and understand that limiting configurations to the more expensive models makes perfect sense from a business perspective.

It sounds like you think you're being forced to do something when you can clearly walk away and do nothing or keep looking for a used Model S.

 

[timk225]

No one is forcing you to buy the car. If it makes you this unhappy to buy it, don’t buy it.

Actually, I feel that we are being forced into it. Tesla knows that many people have been waiting 2+ years, and they are taking advantage of that to extract more PROFIT from us. Not everyone will pay the extra cash, but some will, and Tesla is using that to their advantage in an unethical way. Maybe if we had the choice of taking one obscenely overpriced option or the other, instead of both, it wouldn't be so bad.

There's no way Tesla can justify a $9000 cost for the big battery. The extra parts simply don't cost that much. There's a good $6500 to $7000 of profit there.

 

[C141medic]

Sell your R/T. Especially if you’re going to make 2K over excellent value. Wait for the M3 you want. Granted, the $7500 tax credit may not be available by that time but at least you won’t be getting what you don’t feel you should be paying for.

 

[Esme Es Mejor]

Pittsburgh non-owner, reserved in the first 10 minutes on 3/31. Got my configuration email a few weeks ago. I didn't place an order for a 3, because I don't need or want the outrageously overpriced options, the LR battery and PUP interior. Then Tesla announces that the $35,000 configuration that Elon promised us won't "be available" for another year.

After some thinking, I decided to go with a CPO Model S instead, but after missing the order on one car, and not being approved for enough financing on another, I started working the numbers. If I got a $45K CPO S, kept it a year, then bought a $35K Model 3, then between depreciation and paying loan fees and sales taxes twice, it wouldn't be much of a good deal.

So, very begrudgingly, I will order my 3 as is with the $49,000 configuration that is being forced upon us. Only thing I need is an ok from the finance place, so I should know by monday or tuesday about that.

Tesla is reminding me of when I lived in the SFV in Los Angeles for several years, and you couldn't go near some supermarkets or 7-11's without some panhandler trying to get change off of you. Tesla is the panhandler now. They are saying "Want a 3? Fine, but you can only have one if you order these extra options that are mostly PROFIT for us".

The word "option" implies that these items are OPTIONAL. Forcing us to get them to get the car is not optional.

Tesla, for your greed, I feel that you owe me more for my $49,000. Maybe a performance upgrade so that my 3 can pull sub 4.5 0-60 runs and high 12's in the quarter mile. At least that's something.

Some of you may be saying that I should just keep my current car and wait to order a 3. True, but at the moment I have a guy lined up to buy my current Challenger R/T at a price nearly $2K over the "excellent" condition value on kbb. I think he has lots of money and he likes the car. So if I don't sell to him, I will lose thousands by selling to anyone else.

First World Problems!

Congratulations! I believe you will have any incredible driving experience & and a phenomenal true cost of ownership!

 

[thefortunes]

Actually, I feel that we are being forced into it. Tesla knows that many people have been waiting 2+ years, and they are taking advantage of that to extract more PROFIT from us. Not everyone will pay the extra cash, but some will, and Tesla is using that to their advantage in an unethical way. Maybe if we had the choice of taking one obscenely overpriced option or the other, instead of both, it wouldn't be so bad.

There's no way Tesla can justify a $9000 cost for the big battery. The extra parts simply don't cost that much. There's a good $6500 to $7000 of profit there.

So it is now unethical to provide a product that people want. Gotcha.
I second @ninefiveone - if you are unhappy buying the car, then don't. Problem solved.

 

[emlombardo]

Actually, I feel that we are being forced into it. Tesla knows that many people have been waiting 2+ years, and they are taking advantage of that to extract more PROFIT from us. Not everyone will pay the extra cash, but some will, and Tesla is using that to their advantage in an unethical way. Maybe if we had the choice of taking one obscenely overpriced option or the other, instead of both, it wouldn't be so bad.

There's no way Tesla can justify a $9000 cost for the big battery. The extra parts simply don't cost that much. There's a good $6500 to $7000 of profit there.

They offer a product at a price. You can choose to buy it or not, I don't see anything unethical in how this is being handled. It just seems like you're bitter that you have to choose between early delivery and the exact configuration that you prefer.

 

[nvx1977]

Actually, I feel that we are being forced into it. Tesla knows that many people have been waiting 2+ years, and they are taking advantage of that to extract more PROFIT from us. Not everyone will pay the extra cash, but some will, and Tesla is using that to their advantage in an unethical way. Maybe if we had the choice of taking one obscenely overpriced option or the other, instead of both, it wouldn't be so bad.

There's no way Tesla can justify a $9000 cost for the big battery. The extra parts simply don't cost that much. There's a good $6500 to $7000 of profit there.

A product is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. You can grumble about the cost all you want. No one's forcing you to buy it. That you think you're being forced.... I have no words for that. There are a ton of people in line who want to pay for what you think is unreasonable pricing.

 

[cwerdna]

So it is now unethical to provide a product that people want. Gotcha.

I think the OP's angle is that unlike most other automakers, when a car's first available to customers w/a given starting price, even the lowest trim level exists and there should be some selection of that available within a few weeks, if not immediately.

Elon and the press have kept touting a mythical "starting at $35K" car which still isn't available to customers. $35K car minus $7500 Federal tax credit = $27,500 sounds pretty good.

Example Elon tweet from 2015: Elon Musk on Twitter.

$49K minus $7500 = $41,500 doesn't sound so good, esp. when it's bloated with stuff the OP doesn't want to pay for in the first place. I think he'd rather pay $35K or $35K + options he actually wants, if any.

1st "production" Model 3's were delivered end of July 2017 (yeah yeah, to employees, but Tesla claims they're "production"). Now we're more than 7 months past that date and the mythical "$35K" Model 3 still is n/a.

The OP does face an interesting and fairly unique dilemma involving this coupled w/that good offer on his Challenger R/T. If that offer weren't on the table, I second what C141medic says. And, there's the added complication of the $7500 Federal tax credit phaseout for Tesla and it getting cut to 1/2 then 1/4 then 0, depending on when the folks take delivery.

 

[SMAlset]

What a crappy attitude and offensive outlook on Tesla. I'm sure getting turned down for credit hasn't helped. Maybe you should ask for your deposit back.

Tesla's not forcing you to buy any car. You may feel compelled to buy one or some other manufacturer's car due to your finances but that's on you. And Elon never Promised when the car would be available for purchase because the production line hadn't even been set up yet nor did they know what problems they would have. Believe it or not Tesla is trying to make money some day and not give away their cars for little or no profit. They have R&D and overhead to cover and costs associated with expanding their supercharger network. Have a feeling you won't be happy with the car if you do buy it. Might want to rethink if this is your attitude and you are already stretched financially to buy this version right now. No fun worrying over making car payments.

 

[TexasEV]

You’ve been complaining about one thing or another ever since you got here, whether it’s the price of paint or not being able to listen to Howard Stern or not wanting a glass roof, etc., etc. It’s obvious you can’t afford the car that Tesla is selling now, and it’s also obvious that Tesla can sell many times more cars at this price than what it can produce. Don’t blame Tesla for either. So please do yourself and everyone else a favor and find another car that you’ll be happy with.

 

[ACA Man]

No one is forcing you to buy the car. If it makes you this unhappy to buy it, don’t buy it.

Exactly.

I don’t understand people like OP at all.

 

[gregd]

I wouldn't call it "greed". Tesla's mission is to change the world to sustainable transportation and energy, but to do that they have to stay in business.

 

[ACA Man]

Actually, I feel that we are being forced into it. Tesla knows that many people have been waiting 2+ years, and they are taking advantage of that to extract more PROFIT from us. Not everyone will pay the extra cash, but some will, and Tesla is using that to their advantage in an unethical way. Maybe if we had the choice of taking one obscenely overpriced option or the other, instead of both, it wouldn't be so bad.

There's no way Tesla can justify a $9000 cost for the big battery. The extra parts simply don't cost that much. There's a good $6500 to $7000 of profit there.

Your logic is just unsound.

 

[xav-]

Did I understand this correctly?
- $49k - $7.5k ($41.5k) brand new car with tons of feature "outrageously overpriced"

- yet plans to buy a 5 year old used car that is clearly inferior for $45k, to sell it a year from now to buy $35k car

- early 3/31 reservation holder with configuration email.

And all... in the name of saving money?!!

 

[timk225]

To cover a few people's points:

Cwerdna - thanks, you described my position fairly accurately.

I've never researched the big automakers for when they make a new model, if they do or don't release the low cost version at the same time as the expensive version or not. But I'm willing to bet that in most cases, the low cost version is not restricted. Maybe all paint colors aren't available at all times in the model year, but that's usually not an expensive option. And if Tesla wants to play with the big boys, they've got to play the game the big boys play. Tesla is claiming their way is better.

What don't people like about traditional dealerships? They overcharge, try to make too much profit, try to take all they can from the customer. Now what is Tesla doing with the Model 3? Hmmm..... something very similar. And Tesla is doing it for $14,000 per car!

I used auto payment calculators to figure out my loan cost for a $45K loan at 4% and 72 months. $704 a month, plus electricity. My Challenger R/T has a $500 a month loan payment and burns $200-$250 a month in gas with my lead foot. So between my R/T and a 3, my monthly cost ends up being very similar. No big changes there.

TexasEV - I provide thought provoking commentary. I say what needs said. I call out injustices as I see them. And I see a $14,000 wrong against the American car buyer here.

I haven't even considered the tax credit, I would not see it until early 2019 anyway.

 

[Mobster]

The original OP wrote: "I've never researched the big automakers for when they make a new model, if they do or don't release the low cost version at the same time as the expensive version or not. But I'm willing to bet that in most cases, the low cost version is not restricted. Maybe all paint colors aren't available at all times in the model year, but that's usually not an expensive option. And if Tesla wants to play with the big boys, they've got to play the game the big boys play."

Ok, you have never researched the big boys and you say they should play as the big boys.

I will give you firsthand experience. before I owned two Tesla's in a row I was a Corvette guy. Good car. I had five (trading up) between 1995 and 2009. My point is that in 1995 Chev almost dropped the Corvette, however they let the engineers white paper re-design it and viola the C5 was the result. Before it hit the showrooms the press (Motor Trend, Car and Driver, etc) went nuts over how great the car was.

I wanted one (maybe like you want a Model 3). Base price was 35k (but you got a LOT of standard features including the glass removable roof, leather, fast engine, etc.) They were in demand and EVERY dealer added a $10,000 premium. EVERY dealer. Damn, irritating. But I paid it for my first black 'Vette and loved it.

I have done research and "the big boys" commonly add a "premium" to a car that is "most wanted". Supply and demand. I paid the premium and NO there were NO extras thrown in. I got the car I wanted. Later, I was able to "negotiate" list prices on the follow on 'Vettes I bought - the premiums faded away but the cars were still great.

THEN...fell in love with Tesla Model S...no negotiation....pay the price...wait for delivery. Loved the car and recently traded it in for a new P100D. If Tesla plays like the "big boys"....IMHO they could just tag on an extra $5K or more and give you NO upgrade options. That's what I have experienced first hand with GM Chev and seen with others. "Big Boys" play MUCH rougher than Tesla at times.

 

[MXWing]

Tesla, for your greed,

Tesla burns $8,000 PER MINUTE so

1.) Your entire premise is wrong.
2.) Your entire world view might be wrong if you think a $1,000 refundable deposit can buy you that much entitlement.

You don't see people complain to Apple about a iphone upgrade from 32GB to 128GB costing $200 for what amounts to $10 worth of NAND but somehow Tesla is "greedy".

 

[T34ME]

I used auto payment calculators to figure out my loan cost for a $45K loan at 4% and 72 months. $704 a month, plus electricity. My Challenger R/T has a $500 a month loan payment and burns $200-$250 a month in gas with my lead foot. So between my R/T and a 3, my monthly cost ends up being very similar. No big changes there.

I am fairly certain you will not like the model 3 once it is delivered. Better to get your deposit money back and move on to something else where you feel you aren't being ripped-off. Attitude is everything.