Order Today, get it by End of Year? Options to avoid?

[mswlogo]

A friend just ordered his M3 (Extended Battery, RWD, Lux Package, AutoPilot, Black on Black) 2 weeks ago and is taking delivery tomorrow !! He got his VIN in like 2 days.

I'd like to order an M3, Extended Battery, AWD, Blue on Black or Red on Black.

Will the Color or AWD option delay things much?
Is it normal to get an order so fast? Was he just lucky?

I don't mind it taking till December, but I want to be 100% sure I get it this year in order to get all the rebates due to expire by end of year (which is the ONLY reason I'm considering it now, because I would have preferred wait another year).

Are there options or combinations of options to avoid that will definitely delay it a lot.

Thanks.

I'll probably order after I test drive my friends tomorrow.

 

[b_ack51]

No one truly knows but orders are moving quickly. Order what you want and the sooner the better the chance at delivery by end of year.

AWD do appear to take longer though but it’s worth the wait

 

[MikeATL]

AWD Performance seem to be getting the best delivery dates for new orders (the more features you add, the more profit Tesla has, thus the more incentive to push those forward), however I suspect the RWD's have pilled up in inventory because people want the AWD and your friend was probably able to get a car that was built before he even placed his order (he should be able to find out the manufacture date to know if that's true.)

In either case, no one has reported a delivery estimate past December 2018 yet. The sooner you place your order the better (assuming you absolutely want the car) and after the order is pending, you have the option to change configurations (or even refuse a car and ask to change your order and get back in line for a different car.) I wouldn't suggest constantly changing your order after its in the queue, but also don't just spin your wheels wondering about options and fail to get your place in line.

 

[mswlogo]

Got it. Thanks.

That is what I suspected on his RWD, that someone probably upgraded to an AWD late and it was already in the pipe.
I tried to talk him into AWD. But the car was a real stretch for his normal "auto" budget (a teacher) and he was very attracted to the quick delivery date too.

 

[CrazyCoconut]

From what I've seen, RWD are getting the fastest delivery times. A lot of us P3D+ people have been waiting ages with no delivery.

 

[dsvick]

I don't mind it taking till December, but I want to be 100% sure I get it this year in order to get all the rebates due to expire by end of year (which is the ONLY reason I'm considering it now, because I would have preferred wait another year).

Just to clarify ...
On the federal side, it's a tax credit not a rebate and the only thing happening at the end of the year is that the full credit of $7,500 is being cut in half to $3,750, that will last another 6 months when it will be cut in half again for a final 6 months.

 

[C141medic]

Ordered mine 7/25/18 (AWD, MSM, Aero, FSD, and EAP) and VIN assigned today. Was told to go forward with financing and that I should expect delivery within a month or less.

 

[Canikony]

Ordered mine 7/25/18 (AWD, MSM, Aero, FSD, and EAP) and VIN assigned today. Was told to go forward with financing and that I should expect delivery within a month or less.

when did you reserve?

 

[C141medic]

when did you reserve?

Long story but was day 1.5 reservation holder. Canceled reservation a few months back (I think sometime in May or June). Decided to order after test drive 7/25/18. So at that point I wasn’t a reservation holder.

 

[ulrichw]

Most RWD orders are getting very quick turnarounds - they're pretty much caught up. This is no longer inventory, they just have managed to fill the backlog of US reservations and orders.

AWD in any form is still very backlogged. If you look at the spreadsheet in the sticky in this subforum, you can see that there was a huge batch of orders at the end of June of which the vast majority have no VINs assigned.

Some lucky people have received quick turnaround times, but the backlog for both AWD and P models appears to be in the vicinity of three months based on the current rate of VIN assignments.

If you want an AWD, get your order in very soon if you want delivery this year (P may get prioritized a bit over the plain AWD due to the higher margin, so you may have a little more wiggle room if you want a P).

Note that the production rate appears to be quite a bit higher than the new order rate, so the biggest factor is how quickly Tesla manage to work off the backlog.

Note that the spreadsheet is not necessarily an accurate predictor because it represents a relatively small self-selected sample of prospective owners - but there appear to be enough data points that it should give a good ball-park estimate.

 

[1deepthink]

Long story but was day 1.5 reservation holder. Canceled reservation a few months back (I think sometime in May or June). Decided to order after test drive 7/25/18. So at that point I wasn’t a reservation holder.

Wow @C141medic ! Did your order in any way reference the earlier reservation? It's pretty rare to see that sort of turn around on a non-reservation AWD order.

 

[C141medic]

Wow @C141medic ! Did your order in any way reference the earlier reservation? It's pretty rare to see that sort of turn around on a non-reservation AWD order.

Unfortunately when I canceled my reservation any reference to it was gone. I had to recreate my Tesla account when I ordered 7/25. Perhaps in some sort of karma way, my past information stayed in the system?

 

[1deepthink]

Unfortunately when I canceled my reservation any reference to it was gone. I had to recreate my Tesla account when I ordered 7/25. Perhaps in some sort of karma way, my past information stayed in the system?

Love the good karma! Are you on Troy's tracker? What name?

 

[aekemmerer]

Ordered mine 7/25/18 (AWD, MSM, Aero, FSD, and EAP) and VIN assigned today. Was told to go forward with financing and that I should expect delivery within a month or less.

Interesting... virtually the same thing I ordered on the same day. I had no reservation previously. I'm in AZ, so I wonder if it's that you had a reservation at one point or if you got lucky to get pushed onto a truck with other east coast deliveries.

 

[C141medic]

Love the good karma! Are you on Troy's tracker? What name?

I believe I entered my info few years ago in his tracker under c141medic. What’s strange is that on my Tesla page when I click manage and click on overview the only check mark I see is that I ordered. Nothing else is checked. Weird.

 

[brooklynrab]

Tesla should do the right thing on this subject. My wife decided she wants a red AWD 3 and I talked with the Tesla rep today. He told me to expect 2-4 months on delivery. OK, so if I order now, I SHOULD get it by Dec 31 and get the full Federal tax credit. I told him that in light of everything that has been going on at Tesla on the production side, and with capital adequacy and potential supplier skittishness, I am concerned about Tesla hitting that 4 month target, and my getting the full tax benefit. I told the tesla rep that in light of these very valid concerns, Tesla should guarantee to us that if a final order is put in by August 31st, and we dont have delivery by Dec 31st, Tesla should make up to me the lost $3,750 tax credit due to their delay. He said that wasn't policy but he would pass it uphill.

We are a real Tesla family. We have been on the list for a year or so, and have a P85 classic and two Powerwalls, but I am concerned. If Tesla is monitoring this forum, make the guarantee I ask for. It could be what puts me over the edge to place my order. Beyond that, it is wrong for Tesla NOT to make us whole if they screw up in production, and with all the other pressures on management right now, it might actually free up a couple of nervous orders for Tesla to show that confidence in themselves.

 

[jdmasters]

I think RWD is the safest bet.

 

[Jedi2155]

I told the tesla rep that in light of these very valid concerns, Tesla should guarantee to us that if a final order is put in by August 31st, and we dont have delivery by Dec 31st, Tesla should make up to me the lost $3,750 tax credit due to their delay. He said that wasn't policy but he would pass it uphill.

While I'm confident that Tesla will have you a car by the end of the year. In the case that it does not, I'd be surprise that Tesla would do this because it would set a pretty expensive precedent especially when they start offering the SR models with smaller profit margins.

 

[Brenzo]

Tesla should do the right thing on this subject. My wife decided she wants a red AWD 3 and I talked with the Tesla rep today. He told me to expect 2-4 months on delivery. OK, so if I order now, I SHOULD get it by Dec 31 and get the full Federal tax credit. I told him that in light of everything that has been going on at Tesla on the production side, and with capital adequacy and potential supplier skittishness, I am concerned about Tesla hitting that 4 month target, and my getting the full tax benefit. I told the tesla rep that in light of these very valid concerns, Tesla should guarantee to us that if a final order is put in by August 31st, and we dont have delivery by Dec 31st, Tesla should make up to me the lost $3,750 tax credit due to their delay. He said that wasn't policy but he would pass it uphill.

We are a real Tesla family. We have been on the list for a year or so, and have a P85 classic and two Powerwalls, but I am concerned. If Tesla is monitoring this forum, make the guarantee I ask for. It could be what puts me over the edge to place my order. Beyond that, it is wrong for Tesla NOT to make us whole if they screw up in production, and with all the other pressures on management right now, it might actually free up a couple of nervous orders for Tesla to show that confidence in themselves.

If I were you, especially without a prior reservation, I would order today then if you want to improve your chances of receiving the car by the end of the year.

You realize what you are asking for and understand that there is no way Tesla would ever make a guarantee like that considering the financial repercussions.

The good news is that if you don't have a VIN assigned you can always cancel your order and request a refund of the deposit. Even if you have been assigned a VIN, but delivery is looking like 2019, in some states you may be able to get out of the agreement if you haven't accepted delivery of the vehicle. Worse case you could keep the money with Tesla and put it towards some future purchase or an upgrade on your existing Tesla.

 

[notAnExpert]

[...] I told the tesla rep that in light of these very valid concerns, Tesla should guarantee to us that if a final order is put in by August 31st, and we dont have delivery by Dec 31st, Tesla should make up to me the lost $3,750 tax credit due to their delay. [...]

I'd be super surprised if any company would take on so much financial risk, especially Tesla, given its tight finances and initial production/delivery challenges. However, one thing they can do to incentivize people to place an order now rather than later is to say "if we don't deliver an Aug 31st order by Dec 31, we will let you cancel the order and get your $2,500 back". That would be a reasonably calculated risk for Tesla and might encourage a few people to hurry up and place an order without risk. And come Dec 31, if Tesla doesn't deliver, I doubt that too many people would want to cancel the order for having lost $3,750 credit.