Need advice on ordering a new Tesla

[NMDAR]

Hello guys, I test drove a Tesla model 3 last week and loved it. I am thinking of ordering one. This is a naive question but was wondering if you would just order through the website or go in person to the Tesla service center and order it there. I see a lot of people posting about them being offered a different car for a lower price. If you order it online, will a sales rep get in touch and offer you some deals that are close to the car you are ordering?
What do you guys feel about leasing vs buying for a Tesla as it seems the overall monthly payments you make are pretty high for leasing, no residual values are specified and seems like there is a catch that you cannot buy the car at the end of the 36 month period.

 

[OCR1]

Which version of Model 3 are you looking to buy? If you want the Standard Range $35K model you will need to contact a Tesla sales rep to do so. Otherwise you can place the order online. Discounts may be available for inventory vehicles, especially if they have been used as demo cars.

The lease numbers that just came out are not very attractive considering you will not get the federal tax credit. There is no need to quote a residual value since you can’t buy the car at the end of the lease.

 

[boriszima]

Brand new Tesla prices are standard if you do it via Online or in person. At times, one can buy floor model, demo, etc at some discount. So do not fear and buy online, make sure to use referral code from someone you know to get a bit of free charging. no comment on leasing.

 

[TheBeast]

Hello guys, I test drove a Tesla model 3 last week and loved it. I am thinking of ordering one. This is a naive question but was wondering if you would just order through the website or go in person to the Tesla service center and order it there. I see a lot of people posting about them being offered a different car for a lower price. If you order it online, will a sales rep get in touch and offer you some deals that are close to the car you are ordering?
What do you guys feel about leasing vs buying for a Tesla as it seems the overall monthly payments you make are pretty high for leasing, no residual values are specified and seems like there is a catch that you cannot buy the car at the end of the 36 month period.

Hey, there nothing wrong ordering from a tesla store. If you have the time to go there its better because you might never know what you can get.

 

[NMDAR]

Thanks, I was looking for the AWD with AP (not performance).
When you take delivery if you notice some significant issues do you refuse delivery till they are fixed? or take delivery and then hope they stick to their promise of fixing whatever may be an issue.

 

[wiscy67]

When you take delivery try to do so at a delivery center vs having the car delivered to you. That way you can make a note with your rep on anything that needs attention. Hopefully it's all stuff they can address while you're there such as removing flecks in clear coat. For anything they can't address on the spot have them write up a Due Bill where you'll later make an appointment with the service center for resolution. You have 7 days / 1000 miles to return car for full refund if you're not satisfied provided you've never done a test drive.

 

[srs5694]

The usual procedure is to place an order online -- even if you go to a Tesla store to order, they'll just guide you through that process. (Or so I'm told; I ordered mine from home.) Then one of three things will happen:

1. If they've got the exact car you specified in stock nearby, they'll set up a delivery appointment within a few days.
2. If not, but they've got something close locally, you may get a call asking if you're willing to compromise. Tesla may offer a free paint or wheel upgrade -- for instance, if you order a black car but they've got one just like it but in midnight silver metallic, you may be offered that paint upgrade for free. Tesla may also offer an even greater discount on a demo car -- one that had been sitting in a showroom or used for test drives.
   
3. If they don't have anything close to what you ordered locally, or if you refuse any offers you get in step #2, you'll be put in line to get a car delivered from Fremont. It might already be on a truck, or it might not have been built. Thus, delivery time is more variable, but it's more likely to be near the end of the quarter (so June, now) than the beginning. This is because Tesla devotes most of its production early in the quarter to overseas markets, then shifts to markets closer to California. It does this to maximize deliveries of cars built in a given quarter in that same quarter, which is good for accounting purposes.

I've heard of people calling Tesla and explicitly asking about demo cars and getting discounts on them. If you want something quick, you can also call and ask about local inventory. (I think there may be a way to check this online, too, but I don't have an exact URL or instructions.) In any event, depending on your priorities, you can go a little "off script," as it were, but Tesla does like to emphasize the online ordering procedure.

 

[bhzmark]

go to a store and ask them to find one from existing inventory for you with a discount. And then report back here with what you find. According to shorts on twitter there are parking lots of unsold cars in inventory waiting for buyers.

 

[bhzmark]

not very attractive considering you will not get the federal tax credit.

In the past leases included the tax credit in the calculation of the lease payments. And there has to be a theoretical residual value in order to do the math to calculate the lease payments.

 

[M3BlueGeorgia]

In the past leases included the tax credit in the calculation of the lease payments. And there has to be a theoretical residual value in order to do the math to calculate the lease payments.

There are accounting implications to giving the lessee the option to purchase. Much simpler not to.

 

[jkoya]

I went to the Tesla store so I could see what all the paint colors looked like in real life. Some suggested to visit a SuperCharger station, but when I did, all the cars that were charging were always Black and Grey.

 

[dmurphy]

There is no need to quote a residual value since you can’t buy the car at the end of the lease.

How about in calculating sales tax? You only pay sales tax on the “rent charge” of the lease and not the residual.

It doesn’t matter here in NJ (we are sales tax exempt on EVs) but it matters plenty in other states. On non-EVs, we have to pay the entire sales tax up front - it can’t be rolled into the lease payment.

 

[OCR1]

How about in calculating sales tax? You only pay sales tax on the “rent charge” of the lease and not the residual.

It doesn’t matter here in NJ (we are sales tax exempt on EVs) but it matters plenty in other states. On non-EVs, we have to pay the entire sales tax up front - it can’t be rolled into the lease payment.

So wouldn't it be the tax rate times the monthly lease payment? So if the lease payment is $500/month and the tax rate is 10%, the tax would be $50/month? I'm still not sure why you would need to know the residual. I suspect there may be a legal requirement to disclose it in the lease agreement anyway, but it's not meaningful to the buyer since they can't buy it at the quoted residual price.

 

[dmurphy]

So wouldn't it be the tax rate times the monthly lease payment? So if the lease payment is $500/month and the tax rate is 10%, the tax would be $50/month? I'm still not sure why you would need to know the residual. I suspect there may be a legal requirement to disclose it in the lease agreement anyway, but it's not meaningful to the buyer since they can't buy it at the quoted residual price.

No, because the tax is on the entirety of the depreciation value, and not necessarily the monthly payment which may have had a cap cost reduction applied against it (i.e. part of the down payment in Tesla's terms.) That's also taxable.

Also, here in NJ, it's not calculated monthly, but up front on the entire lease terms' worth of depreciation. One check, written up front. No monthly payments for that - it's got to be paid at time of lease inception.