This might be common knowledge, but I thought I'd share my experience here in case it benefits anyone... If you
are flexible on color/options,
do not yet have a VIN or delivery window, and
are not planning to hold your MY delivery to 2023 for the tax credit, call and speak with a representative and see what's about to become available as new inventory in your area. If you like what you hear, you can significantly speed up your delivery.
I called this morning because I saw a new, existing inventory 2023 MYLR with white interior (a must-have for me) but a different exterior color than my order (but still a color I'd be very happy with). My goal was to switch my order to this MY at a different DC farther away rather than anxiously wait on my ever-changing EDD (currently late-Jan/early-Feb 2023).
The representative was very helpful and suggested an alternative approach. He volunteered information about MY's from other cancelled/held orders that are currently en route to my preferred, much-closer DC. I selected one I liked and agreed to change my order to match it. The representative assigned the VIN on the spot. I now have an EDD in a couple weeks and couldn't be happier. Tesla app and manage order page already reflect the change. (Note changing the order like this also allowed me to avoid cancelling the order, placing a new one, and forfeiting the $250 order fee from my original order, which is what I was told I'd have to do if I wanted the specific existing-inventory MY I saw.)
Original order placed in August 2022: MYLR5, white exterior, white/black interior, 19" wheels. No other options. Original EDD Dec 2022 - April 2023, revised many times, as early as December 2022, but recently pushed back to late-Jan/early-Feb 2023.
Revised order on 11/25/2022: MYLR5, black exterior, white/black interior, 19" wheels, tow hitch. VIN assigned and EDD in 2 weeks
Of course, making a change like this isn't the right decision for everyone. For me, the exterior color change (to one I also like) was a worthy tradeoff to eliminate the anxiety around the EDD moving target, to reduce the time I was spending monitoring the EDD and keeping up with EDD threads here, and to allow me to consider planning a vacation this winter/spring without trying to plan around the EDD (impossible to do as it changes so wildly).
