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My Journey to ordering a Model X

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Hi All,

Let me start off by saying that this group is fantastic. Every since "Inception" of buying a Model X happened in my mind I have been on this forum atleast 10 times a day and have gotten so much information (and sometimes anxiety :)). I just wanted to share my journey so that someone else in my shoes may be able to get some benefit out of it.

Been a BMW guy for the last 15 years. Love the handling of my 3 series with sports package and stick shift. Having test driven almost all manufacturers no other car came close to the handling of my dear 3 (except Porsche). I always had in my mind that my "upgrade car" would be an M3 (the original) or a 911 and of course with stick shift. My dear old bimmer was showing signs of age and my lovely wife gently told me that it was time to move on. For years I have not had a car payment and the very thought of starting one was anathema to me. It took me a month of noodling to convince myself to get a new car.

Now that I was in the market the question was about choices. I had the chance to get my dream car now but wife wanted me to consider the Tesla. I was not new to Tesla as my friend has the S60 which I have test driven and also a P85+ which he got as a loaner. The acceleration was exhilarating but the steering feel, handling (slight rear wobble at speed), turning radius were all not as good as my 3 series. I understand many people are going to object to that statement - it is my experience and my opinion - it is what it is. So back to the story - I told dear wifey that the Tesla would be on the short list. I ruled out 911 due to practicality of having to transport 4 people and was seriously considering the M3. We went to the BMW dealer with a lot of enthusiasm and the sales guy there treated us as if we college kids trying to get a free BMW test ride and was resisting to offer any test rides. When asked about the M3 he flippantly responded - "Oh, you need to get in line to get in line". As expected, I was seriously pissed about the experience and my wife was like - "do you really want to give your hard earned dollars to a company whose dealer treats us like this." I was still like, it probably is this dealer, lets try another one. She agreed on the condition that we will give the Tesla a chance before that.

We went to the Fremont showroom the next day, the sales rep was very courteous, spend a lot of time with us taking us on individual test drives on different models of the car and explained the features functionalities and never tried any upsell. This was refreshing compared to the BMW experience. I was warming up to the Tesla, I drove the dual motor version of Model S (90D) for the first time and in the sport mode, for the first time felt that this car would be a definite upgrade to my 3 series in terms of the driving experience. The non-P version was more than satisfactory for me and to me felt drove better than the P85 (single motor) version. The car had me convinced that I would be happy if I pulled the trigger but I still wanted to compare it with the 70D to see if I can save some money. They did not have a 70D for test drive that day and the rep told me he would call me when they had one. We came back home and within the next two days got a call from the rep saying that the 70D was available. I told him that I was traveling that week and the timings he suggested the next week would get me stuck in traffic. He immediately offered to get the car to the Tesla showroom in Dublin where I live. I was super impressed with this level of customer service especially compared to the bmw guys. We setup a time, he got the 70D, test drove it and then again the 90D and the long story short - the 90D is lot more fun to drive than the 70D and the extra range helps. My decision was made - awesome customer service, great car to drive, eco-friendly, free energy (have solar), so put an order in for the Model S. All this happened early Q1 2016. I pushed out delivery to May time frame to get a breather from tax season. We were all set - till Model 3 was announced.

I stood in line early morning at Dublin which had 120 ppl ahead of me by the time I went and by the time the doors opened I estimated about 400+. With my model 3 (the new M3 :)) reservation done I came back home and looked at our garage - we have a 3 series and an MDX so the M3 can replace the 3 series but the Model S would not really replace the MDX. We would still need a people hauler and a cargo hauler. That got me thinking about the Model X. I did not consider it earlier because it was too new and I am not an early adopter of anything. Having designed, developed and launched some cutting edge products I know to wait till the issues are resolved :)

We thought about this for a couple of days and then I called my sales rep to see if I can transfer my Model S order to Model X. Apparently, no one before had asked for this and they had to go multiple ladders up the chain to get approvals. Finally, true to excellent customer service, Tesla agreed to change my S order to an X. I did tell them that I am going to be giving you more money with this change :). We waited a few days to see the X in person and test drive it prior to pulling the trigger to change.

When we first met the X - it was love at first sight. Many internet commentators have called the FWDs (I am in the jargons now) a gimmick - I am sure if they have two kids in car seats they would appreciate the utility of those. I have not seen anyone comment on this before so let me go ahead and say - the sound that the FWD makes when they open - it really makes you feel that you are in space age. The car looks and feels very much like a $100K+ car - BTW, I did not get the same feel on the S. Test drive was fantastic - it drove just like the S but with those massive windshields it was like I was seeing the road very differently. We sat in the third row of both the 7 seat and 6 seat version and even though the 7 seat version may have accommodated more people we went for the 6 seat as it seemed more open and spacious. The last row felt like it was cordoned off behind a wall in the 7 seat version and the leg room was surely not for adults.

Now our Deep blue with all black interior Model X with Autopilot, PUP, High amp charger and Premium sound is confirmed and according to our DS slated for late June delivery. Cannot be more excited.

I want to thank the members of this forum for sharing their experiences and answering questions that have been super helpful. I do have a couple more questions that I haven't yet found answers to so will create threads for them.

Sorry for the looooong post.
 
Felt the same on all points regarding your first impression of the X! Love mine, and hope you get yours soon!

And yes, I can attest that getting kids in and out with the FWD is much easier. Bonus: kids love the FWD. Like, all kids... kids literally stop in their tracks to watch the doors open and close.
 
  • Like
Reactions: xkwizit
That's awesome - & a Model 3 too! Just want to add...nicely, that I reserved
3 years ago next week, & still don't have my car. The ups and downs of the wait have been joyous misery. That said, you'll love it! And my takeaway from your story is that car dealerships are evil and should be put out of business ... By Us!
 
Hi All,

Let me start off by saying that this group is fantastic. Every since "Inception" of buying a Model X happened in my mind I have been on this forum atleast 10 times a day and have gotten so much information (and sometimes anxiety :)). I just wanted to share my journey so that someone else in my shoes may be able to get some benefit out of it.

Been a BMW guy for the last 15 years. Love the handling of my 3 series with sports package and stick shift. Having test driven almost all manufacturers no other car came close to the handling of my dear 3 (except Porsche). I always had in my mind that my "upgrade car" would be an M3 (the original) or a 911 and of course with stick shift. My dear old bimmer was showing signs of age and my lovely wife gently told me that it was time to move on. For years I have not had a car payment and the very thought of starting one was anathema to me. It took me a month of noodling to convince myself to get a new car.

Now that I was in the market the question was about choices. I had the chance to get my dream car now but wife wanted me to consider the Tesla. I was not new to Tesla as my friend has the S60 which I have test driven and also a P85+ which he got as a loaner. The acceleration was exhilarating but the steering feel, handling (slight rear wobble at speed), turning radius were all not as good as my 3 series. I understand many people are going to object to that statement - it is my experience and my opinion - it is what it is. So back to the story - I told dear wifey that the Tesla would be on the short list. I ruled out 911 due to practicality of having to transport 4 people and was seriously considering the M3. We went to the BMW dealer with a lot of enthusiasm and the sales guy there treated us as if we college kids trying to get a free BMW test ride and was resisting to offer any test rides. When asked about the M3 he flippantly responded - "Oh, you need to get in line to get in line". As expected, I was seriously pissed about the experience and my wife was like - "do you really want to give your hard earned dollars to a company whose dealer treats us like this." I was still like, it probably is this dealer, lets try another one. She agreed on the condition that we will give the Tesla a chance before that.

We went to the Fremont showroom the next day, the sales rep was very courteous, spend a lot of time with us taking us on individual test drives on different models of the car and explained the features functionalities and never tried any upsell. This was refreshing compared to the BMW experience. I was warming up to the Tesla, I drove the dual motor version of Model S (90D) for the first time and in the sport mode, for the first time felt that this car would be a definite upgrade to my 3 series in terms of the driving experience. The non-P version was more than satisfactory for me and to me felt drove better than the P85 (single motor) version. The car had me convinced that I would be happy if I pulled the trigger but I still wanted to compare it with the 70D to see if I can save some money. They did not have a 70D for test drive that day and the rep told me he would call me when they had one. We came back home and within the next two days got a call from the rep saying that the 70D was available. I told him that I was traveling that week and the timings he suggested the next week would get me stuck in traffic. He immediately offered to get the car to the Tesla showroom in Dublin where I live. I was super impressed with this level of customer service especially compared to the bmw guys. We setup a time, he got the 70D, test drove it and then again the 90D and the long story short - the 90D is lot more fun to drive than the 70D and the extra range helps. My decision was made - awesome customer service, great car to drive, eco-friendly, free energy (have solar), so put an order in for the Model S. All this happened early Q1 2016. I pushed out delivery to May time frame to get a breather from tax season. We were all set - till Model 3 was announced.

I stood in line early morning at Dublin which had 120 ppl ahead of me by the time I went and by the time the doors opened I estimated about 400+. With my model 3 (the new M3 :)) reservation done I came back home and looked at our garage - we have a 3 series and an MDX so the M3 can replace the 3 series but the Model S would not really replace the MDX. We would still need a people hauler and a cargo hauler. That got me thinking about the Model X. I did not consider it earlier because it was too new and I am not an early adopter of anything. Having designed, developed and launched some cutting edge products I know to wait till the issues are resolved :)

We thought about this for a couple of days and then I called my sales rep to see if I can transfer my Model S order to Model X. Apparently, no one before had asked for this and they had to go multiple ladders up the chain to get approvals. Finally, true to excellent customer service, Tesla agreed to change my S order to an X. I did tell them that I am going to be giving you more money with this change :). We waited a few days to see the X in person and test drive it prior to pulling the trigger to change.

When we first met the X - it was love at first sight. Many internet commentators have called the FWDs (I am in the jargons now) a gimmick - I am sure if they have two kids in car seats they would appreciate the utility of those. I have not seen anyone comment on this before so let me go ahead and say - the sound that the FWD makes when they open - it really makes you feel that you are in space age. The car looks and feels very much like a $100K+ car - BTW, I did not get the same feel on the S. Test drive was fantastic - it drove just like the S but with those massive windshields it was like I was seeing the road very differently. We sat in the third row of both the 7 seat and 6 seat version and even though the 7 seat version may have accommodated more people we went for the 6 seat as it seemed more open and spacious. The last row felt like it was cordoned off behind a wall in the 7 seat version and the leg room was surely not for adults.

Now our Deep blue with all black interior Model X with Autopilot, PUP, High amp charger and Premium sound is confirmed and according to our DS slated for late June delivery. Cannot be more excited.

I want to thank the members of this forum for sharing their experiences and answering questions that have been super helpful. I do have a couple more questions that I haven't yet found answers to so will create threads for them.

Sorry for the looooong post.


I transferred my order from S to an X.
 
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Reactions: Roentgen
Welcome to the fray, @Infinite.

Turning radius is annoying. You'll get no argument from me on that. I was happy to see that the X wasn't any worse than the S, though. Despite that, I think you'll find yourself quite pleased with the Tesla experience, especially since it'll be your first one.

Enjoy the short wait!
 
Welcome to the fray, @Infinite.

Turning radius is annoying. You'll get no argument from me on that. I was happy to see that the X wasn't any worse than the S, though. Despite that, I think you'll find yourself quite pleased with the Tesla experience, especially since it'll be your first one.

Enjoy the short wait!
Yes. I can easily do a full U on my street with my 3 but had to back up on my friend's S. My hope is the Model 3 will have a much tighter turning radius.
 
That's awesome - & a Model 3 too! Just want to add...nicely, that I reserved
3 years ago next week, & still don't have my car. The ups and downs of the wait have been joyous misery. That said, you'll love it! And my takeaway from your story is that car dealerships are evil and should be put out of business ... By Us!
Did they give you a delivery date yet? Given the lower VIN and the P I would have thought you would have your X by now.
 
71XX - Mid to End of June is what DS said.

Hopefully you will get it sooner, I am still waiting for my 57xx was previously promised mid-April

MDX is a really nice SUV. Even though it is technically my wife's car I get to drive when we are going out together. Based on my test drive of the X it sure is atleast 2X fun. I am sure we will have our money's worth :)

I know right, I have bought so many Acura's in the past few years. The 2017 MDX hybrid looks interesting but obviously nothing beats the X (except for a sunshade) and I just hope the fit and finish is excellent.

We are coming from MDX to MoDel X, we are adding the OEL
O: Orange
E: Elon
L: Lamborghini

IDK, what should OEL stand for?