Hi Friends,
I have been following this thread for ~2 months but this is my first post to share my experience so it is helpful to someone.
Order Date: 10/06 – New to Tesla ordering, went all in and added most of the options – MYLR5, MSM, Black interior, Induction wheels, Tow, FSD. Added Trade-in. EDD April 2022. Received trade-in offer next day, did not accept and left it open.
10/16 – Took a test drive at Springfiled, NJ location, the associate told me I don’t have to provide title unless it is close to delivery, left it alone. Made design changes to MYLR5, Black, Black Interior, 19’’ wheels, and Tow.
I had multiple EDD changes ranging from mid Feb 2022 to late Apr 2022 during October 2021 to December 2021 and then it went to generic ‘June’.
01/06/22 – Received a text message from SA asking me to complete the profile including trade-in, payment etc. The message also stated that customers with completed profile are prioritized for delivery. I ignored it thinking I had already put in my registration information and that trade-in and payment are not needed until close to delivery.
01/11/22 – Received the same text message from Tesla. This time I took it serious and started following TMC posts and learned the importance of profile completion (Thanks to TMC contributors). Though Tesla provided me a new trade-in offer based on updated odometer reading, I set the profile to ‘no trade-in’, and ‘cash’ for payment option.
01/12/22 – EDD changed to ‘June 2022’
01/13/22 – Clicked the ‘add FSD package’ button in my account.
01/18/22 – Asked SA via text why it is ‘June 2022’ without a range. He/She told there is nothing wrong in my profile, and EDDs should update in coming weeks.
Late Jan – Sure enough the EDD updated to May 24 – June 21 and it stayed there steady all the time.
02/25/22 – Received a surprise text message stating my VIN is assigned. It is NF383xxx. I asked the SA to set my account to be able to add trade-in and financing options. The SA unlocked my account for these options immediately. I put in the trade-in information.
02/26/22 – Didn’t get trade-in estimate, asked SA if I can put in financing application while waiting for trade-in estimate. The answer was yes, I applied for the full amount of the vehicle not knowing if I will accept the trade-in offer or not.
In the meantime I wanted to also give it a shot with DCU (Thanks to TMC members). I donated $10 to one of the charities listed by them and created a savings account to become a member. Then I could apply for financing with DCU. They offered me a finance rate 0.75% less than Tesla’s offer through Wells Fargo.
I asked SA to confirm if any other better financing rates are available, he/she said Wells Fargo’s offer is the lowest.
I also shopped around for trade-in online (Carmax, Carvana, Webuyanycar) and two local dealers. These offers were better than Tesla’s trade-in offer.
02/27 I declined Tesla’s offer for trade-in and asked the SA to set the account for 3rd party financing to DCU, he/she asked for the amount financed, and confirmed MVPA will be available soon. Within few minutes I got the MVPA and submitted it to DCU.
I also got a text message from Tesla asking me to schedule for Delivery. Of the delivery date range of 03/07-03/09 provided to me, I scheduled for 03/07.
03/01: Since I did not hear anything from DCU, I decided to call them during office hours, they were kind enough offer additional 0.5% discount on the rate for plus member based on the promise of establishing direct deposit, and an additional 0.25% discount on the rate for energy efficient vehicle. I was told that these discounts will drop off if I don’t establish direct deposit within 90 days. They also opened a checking account for me which is required to get these additional discounts. I think this is the best interest rate I feel anyone can get. I got the documents via Docusign to sign. Within minutes of signing, they provided me confirmation that they sent the check by Fedex overnight, and provided tracking information and a scanned copy of the check.
03/04: Checked Trade-in with Driveway (Thanks again to TMC) which offered ~3k more than Tesla for my 2016 Honda Accord. I scheduled an appointment with them for inspection at local dealership for 03/12.
03/07: Delivery process was simple and easy, they unlocked the car remotely, the car looked absolutely beautiful (see attached picture). The paperwork was on the dash in a FedEx envelope. I took the checklist from Youtuber Mike Suess and took ~90 minutes to go over everything. I noticed one minor cosmetic issue in the upholstery above the rear passenger seat and also felt the air conditioner makes a humming noise. Signed the paperwork and took to the front desk with DCU check, pointed the issues. I was told to start a service request in the Tesla app prior to driving 100 miles. I then drove off. I scheduled service as soon as I reached home.
03/08: I submitted copy of documents to Driveway they requested for selling my 2016 Honda Accord
03/12: I got a call from Driveway 1 hour prior to my appointment, the agent walked me through the process on phone and provided me his phone number. When I arrived at the dealership, I called him, he walked around the car and agreed with the condition I specified during the initial estimate process, and he took a test drive. We then sat in the dealership to sign the paperwork. Once the paperwork is completed, he handed me a certified check and removed the license plates for me. I walked away in 30 minutes. The process was simple and easy.
I know this is a long post but this is my way of appreciating those at TMC who helped me with useful information when I needed them. If my post is useful to even one member here, my purpose is served.
Thanks for reading.
