I spent years reading every Tesla article I could find and months scouring this forum before I committed our hard earned money to purchasing a Tesla. There are so many horror stories, some real and some concocted to try to knock Tesla out of business or short sell the stock. These fears were compounded as there is no service center in my state if I experienced major issues.
My experience
I ordered my Model 3 performance on January 13th 2020 and received the vehicle on March 13th.
I received a follow up phone call 4 hours after my online purchase.
Tesla contacted me 1-2 times per week each week until the car was delivered either by phone or email.
Every email and phone call question I had was answered during this time.
I drove to Kansas City and took delivery. They were very friendly, did not seem rushed even though the Model Y deliveries were starting to pile up. Delivery was crazy quick and efficient.
My car looked beautiful. The paint was clean all around and the panel gaps reasonably well aligned and tight. It did have a couple issues:
1) Neither trunk light worked
2) Both front doors were harder to close than should be expected
I ordered the homelink and opened a service call on the doors and trunk lights. Charlie the mobile ranger arrived at my house a few days later and installed the homelink, connected the trunk light wires and better seated the door seals which resolved all my issues.
As I neared the expiration of my temporary tags my registration paperwork had still not arrived. I emailed my service center, they responded within an hour and my paperwork arrived 24 hours later.
Today, I received a follow up call from the Texas service center to make sure everything was going well with my vehicle. He answered questions and sent me some additional information on my car.
The Vehicle
I don't feel that the build quality is quite up to my previous Audi or Porsche but its not that far off. The driving experience on the other hand is simply next level. The car is quiet, smooth, crazy fast with surprisingly good handling and amazing brakes. The one footed driving in traffic is almost reason enough to switch to an EV. The software updates bring new features and bug fixes. We never would have even considered this from the manufactures I worked for in the past. There is virtually no maintenance which will no doubt terrify the existing vehicle dealerships. The bulk of the money on new cars is made on service after the sale, not during the sale.
Summary
I am posting this to pass on my experience, especially since most people only post if they are unhappy. As an ex-factory mechanic I have spent more than my share of time around vehicles of many brands across multiple dealers. Quite honestly, this is my best new vehicle purchase experience to date. Time will tell how the long term support, reliability and true ownership experience work out for me but so far my Model 3 Performance is simply amazing to own and drive. Long distance trips have been a breeze and waking up to a "full tank" so to speak is wonderful. I am hoping I will be just as positive a year or two from now. Fingers crossed.
My experience
I ordered my Model 3 performance on January 13th 2020 and received the vehicle on March 13th.
I received a follow up phone call 4 hours after my online purchase.
Tesla contacted me 1-2 times per week each week until the car was delivered either by phone or email.
Every email and phone call question I had was answered during this time.
I drove to Kansas City and took delivery. They were very friendly, did not seem rushed even though the Model Y deliveries were starting to pile up. Delivery was crazy quick and efficient.
My car looked beautiful. The paint was clean all around and the panel gaps reasonably well aligned and tight. It did have a couple issues:
1) Neither trunk light worked
2) Both front doors were harder to close than should be expected
I ordered the homelink and opened a service call on the doors and trunk lights. Charlie the mobile ranger arrived at my house a few days later and installed the homelink, connected the trunk light wires and better seated the door seals which resolved all my issues.
As I neared the expiration of my temporary tags my registration paperwork had still not arrived. I emailed my service center, they responded within an hour and my paperwork arrived 24 hours later.
Today, I received a follow up call from the Texas service center to make sure everything was going well with my vehicle. He answered questions and sent me some additional information on my car.
The Vehicle
I don't feel that the build quality is quite up to my previous Audi or Porsche but its not that far off. The driving experience on the other hand is simply next level. The car is quiet, smooth, crazy fast with surprisingly good handling and amazing brakes. The one footed driving in traffic is almost reason enough to switch to an EV. The software updates bring new features and bug fixes. We never would have even considered this from the manufactures I worked for in the past. There is virtually no maintenance which will no doubt terrify the existing vehicle dealerships. The bulk of the money on new cars is made on service after the sale, not during the sale.
Summary
I am posting this to pass on my experience, especially since most people only post if they are unhappy. As an ex-factory mechanic I have spent more than my share of time around vehicles of many brands across multiple dealers. Quite honestly, this is my best new vehicle purchase experience to date. Time will tell how the long term support, reliability and true ownership experience work out for me but so far my Model 3 Performance is simply amazing to own and drive. Long distance trips have been a breeze and waking up to a "full tank" so to speak is wonderful. I am hoping I will be just as positive a year or two from now. Fingers crossed.
