Options if don't deliver by 12/31?

[David_Cary]

Ok so Tesla has their return guarantee. If I order today and delivery is 1/5/19, can I just invoke the guarantee?

I have done a test drive but the car is for my wife and she has not. So I potentially have the 3 day guarantee.

I have reached out the to someone who emailed me Saturday (OA?) and asked him what my options are but haven't heard back yet. My wife is super practical and we would not be ordering if the full TC was not in play. It would be a MR with no options on the East coast.

 

[LoveEV]

can I just invoke the guarantee

don't see why not, however i think Elon's tweet stated you can return it if you were not able to test drive it. Model 3s being ordered recently have only taken a couple of weeks so you should be within 2018 for delivery. Don't forget to use a referral code for 6 months free supercharging.

Sorry what does TC and MR stand for?

 

[David_Cary]

don't see why not, however i think Elon's tweet stated you can return it if you were not able to test drive it. Model 3s being ordered recently have only taken a couple of weeks so you should be within 2018 for delivery. Don't forget to use a referral code for 6 months free supercharging.

Sorry what does TC and MR stand for?

TC - Tax Credit
MR - Mid Range

 

[LoveEV]

My gut says you will get the car delivered with the TC, they are working super hard to push out all the cars that are physically possible

 

[X Fan]

As you probably know, any cars delivered in January will eligible (I presume you have enough payable tax to quality) for a reduced TC ($3,750).

I don't know how Tesla would view your family technicality with you having driven it, your wife not (although as you of course realize, you could schedule one out of Raleigh store).

FWIW: unless it's too much of an economic hurdle, go for it. You'll definitely save $3,750 over the life of the car through reduced costs, its very safe and just a pleasure to drive.

 

[boaterva]

Timing may depend on color and options. I got a MSM (midnight silver, lol) AWD in 10 days. Other people have waited for six months and don’t have the car. I have no idea what causes the variability.

Note that technically the ‘return’ offer may be tied to the ‘owner’. Is that you? Both names on the title? I don’t even know if this has EVER been carried out!

I believe Elon but theory and practice are two different things... and, actually he said (I think) everyone gets one day return, no test drive get three days. Or am I making that up....

 

[brkaus]

I don't think the "free guarantee" is complete refund - $0 out of pocket.

 

[David_Cary]

I don't think the "free guarantee" is complete refund - $0 out of pocket.

Funny - I think free should mean free. It is stuff like this that makes me not want another Tesla....

My wife drives a 2013 Leaf - this purchase is only costing $ - no chance of saving any money. The new Leaf would be $24k and change after full TC.

Sounds like I should just skip it if OA doesn't get back to me.

 

[azred]

Funny - I think free should mean free. It is stuff like this that makes me not want another Tesla....

My wife drives a 2013 Leaf - this purchase is only costing $ - no chance of saving any money. The new Leaf would be $24k and change after full TC.

Sounds like I should just skip it if OA doesn't get back to me.

Yep, definitely sounds like you should skip it. Just as Musk should have skipped the $35,000 talk, which led people to think they could buy a 3 for $27,500 — Honda and Toyota money. Common sense prevailed and now the company may survive. Of course disappointed budget shoppers like you will be lost but that is a small price to pay for survival.

Your comment about free should mean free — and the rest — sounds like an ethical judgment. Kind of funny given the comments about how you are trying to figure out how to game the system to your advantage.

 

[dsvick]

Ok so Tesla has their return guarantee. If I order today and delivery is 1/5/19, can I just invoke the guarantee?

If they get back to you with a delivery that is after you're cut off then just cancel the order, then there would be no need to "return" it. You may need to push to get your $2,500 back but it would be easier than trying to return the entire vehicle.

 

[David_Cary]

Interesting how trying to get a tax credit before it expires would be "gaming" the system. I mean we are all gaming the system I suppose since nearly all have gotten the tax credit before it expired/reduced. I get it though - using the return policy to assure the full TC - that is gaming. I don't really want to do that. That is why I asked the OA but since he hasn't returned my email, I was asking about other options.
Free meaning free - ethical judgement - ok. Sure.
I agree that I would just not accept delivery and ask for the $2500 back but I am not willing to risk that. Since they have the guarantee, it might make them more likely to allow refusal with full refund in my situation.

FWIW - I have 2015S and was a first day deposit holder. The price may drop after 1/1 or other features become available. We are building a house and I didn't want to buy a new car right before closing on our mortgage which is likely to happen 12/20. Also something happened to my wife's car last week that is forcing a new car purchase - well force is a strong word but strongly encouraging.

 

[brkaus]

Funny - I think free should mean free. It is stuff like this that makes me not want another Tesla....

My wife drives a 2013 Leaf - this purchase is only costing $ - no chance of saving any money. The new Leaf would be $24k and change after full TC.

Sounds like I should just skip it if OA doesn't get back to me.

I'm not 100% sure. I'm curious about things like taxes and such, I don't know if they can be avoided, and it does not say explicitly one way or another -

Return Policy

Other car dealer brands around here that have "free returns" have fees in the fine print, so as I said, I'm not sure about Tesla.

 

[shanif]

Ok so Tesla has their return guarantee. If I order today and delivery is 1/5/19, can I just invoke the guarantee?

I have done a test drive but the car is for my wife and she has not. So I potentially have the 3 day guarantee.

I have reached out the to someone who emailed me Saturday (OA?) and asked him what my options are but haven't heard back yet. My wife is super practical and we would not be ordering if the full TC was not in play. It would be a MR with no options on the East coast.

I think if you use a separate email (your wife’s possibly) to place the order than you did to do the test drive you should have the three day guarantee as they track the test drive based on the info you gave to them on the day of the test drive.

 

[Uncle Paul]

David_Cary

You are really asking for all the stars to align. Not something you can be assured of. Chances of your Mortgage closing on exactly December 20, getting the exact configuration Model 3 between that date and EOY and still getting the tax credit have a lot of things going on that are really outside the control of anyone.

That is all happening on Christmas week in a place 3,000 miles away from the factory. A storm/trucker strike/road closure etc can easily delay delivery for several days.

This is also the precise time that tens of thousands of others have calculated the last possible minute to take delivery of their cars and optimize the tax credits.

You may be able to pull it off, but certainly it puts Tesla in a tough spot conforming to all your specific requirements at a time when chaos will be certain. People will be working till 3:00 in the Mornings, and not all will go perfectly for everyone.

Add into all this, there is an election this week, and nobody knows what changes might be in store for our country.

Asking and expecting Tesla to jump through all these hoops, and still 100% guarantee an iron clad 100 % free is free return is what some would call gaming the system.

If you order your car, and Tesla is able to deliver it prior to you closing your mortgage, then you would be on the spot.

An extreme example of this would be someone buying a lottery ticket and ordering a Tesla, planning on cancelling it if they did not win the lottery : >)

 

[Trevor B]

Funny - I think free should mean free. It is stuff like this that makes me not want another Tesla....

My wife drives a 2013 Leaf - this purchase is only costing $ - no chance of saving any money. The new Leaf would be $24k and change after full TC.

Sounds like I should just skip it if OA doesn't get back to me.

Yes ... you should

 

[bonaire]

If you do request return, they still can/should keep the $2500 so you can buy something else.
Most likely, more drivers will record a 2018 delivery for their tax purposes even if receiving early January. IRS won't check, right? Saw it numerous times last year where people paid in full in 2018 so they could take the credit. Got car in January. Why isn't the car worth buying unless you can get this extra 3750 as a tax credit with a Q1 delivery? You do know that the tax credit is not "gone" but rather halved in Q1.... I hope you know this.

Most likely - just buy from inventory - there is a lot of inventory laid out and will be made available for those waiting until December. Tying up your money through the ordering process seems silly when we know there are discounts and other activity end of each quarter to "get sales done".

 

[kmaluo]

Most likely, more drivers will record a 2018 delivery for their tax purposes even if receiving early January. IRS won't check, right? Saw it numerous times last year where people paid in full in 2018 so they could take the credit. Got car in January. /QUOTE]

I'm thinking of doing this and working with IRS if worse comes to worse. How would one go about paying in full prior to delivery?

 

[SMAlset]

I thought there was an order date cutoff (already past) for guaranteed delivery by Tesla for EOY. If you’re ordering now I think while there might be a chance depending on inventory in the right place, nothing is a sure thing at this point. Especially if you are on the opposite coast or living in an area where deliveries are likely to be affected by weather along the way as well as multiple transport systems involved. And if there’s a chance a car won’t make it in time and someone else in a time deliverable area is looking for the same config I’d expect Tesla to assign that car to the EOY deliverable location. At least that way one customer will get to take delivery in time for full credit as opposed to just seeing it pass by and not used. Anyway that’s my take. If one wanted the full credit, I would have gone for ordering before Tesla’s cut off date and asked for a late date for delivery beyond the closing. Still pretty hard to guarantee things like that.

BTW been there with a house closing right before Christmas and needing a car soon. No fun and the longer term mortgage rate (based on credit score and outstanding debt) really is probably more important than the halved tax credit if not delivered before 2019. At least that’s how I look at it. Whenever you get the Model 3, I think you’ll enjoy driving it.

 

[MXWing]

If you do request return, they still can/should keep the $2500 so you can buy something else.
Most likely, more drivers will record a 2018 delivery for their tax purposes even if receiving early January. IRS won't check, right? Saw it numerous times last year where people paid in full in 2018 so they could take the credit. Got car in January. Why isn't the car worth buying unless you can get this extra 3750 as a tax credit with a Q1 delivery? You do know that the tax credit is not "gone" but rather halved in Q1.... I hope you know this.

Most likely - just buy from inventory - there is a lot of inventory laid out and will be made available for those waiting until December. Tying up your money through the ordering process seems silly when we know there are discounts and other activity end of each quarter to "get sales done".

I wonder if the IRS has EVER audited a return that just claimed the standard deduction.
Not saying cheat the system but I'm awfully curious if the IRS would be gunning specifically for Tesla owners on their 2018 returns.

IRS RULES IS NOT *WHEN YOU PAY OFF* but * WHEN YOU PLACE IN SERVICE* - you can't place something in service you didn't have possession of. Though maybe @cpa knows something I don't.

Rules are rules but I find it disturbing that @David_Cary would treat a car purchase like some knick knack you'd buy at Costco.

 

[kmaluo]

I wonder if the IRS has EVER audited a return that just claimed the standard deduction.
Not saying cheat the system but I'm awfully curious if the IRS would be gunning specifically for Tesla owners on their 2018 returns.

IRS RULES IS NOT *WHEN YOU PAY OFF* but * WHEN YOU PLACE IN SERVICE* - you can't place something in service you didn't have possession of. Though maybe @cpa knows something I don't.

Rules are rules but I find it disturbing that @David_Cary would treat a car purchase like some knick knack you'd buy at Costco.

So the question is can you theoretically place the vehicle in service by registering before you physically receive the car. If so would Tesla try to accommodate this in December.