Ready to order in Virginia. Please advise

[Lockerbie]

This is to follow up on my earlier post about taking delivery in Va. we did a test drive in Tysons but will take delivery in Richmond as it is closer. The sales guy at Tyson’s was very nice and I feel bad that he won’t get my sale.

My question is do I need to go to Richmond so I can get acquainted with another sales person so that he or she can help me through the process?

I got a trade in value online but it says will expire in 7 days so I will wait until close to delivery to get another estimate for trade-in.

Anything in the category “wish I had known before ordering” is appreciated. We will order LR, white, Gemini wheels and self drive. Debating if we want the tow hitch as we won’t need it at the moment but maybe in the future.

BTW we drove both MY and 3. The 3 lookS better- a little more “balanced” and it’s drive is smoother, but we compromise with the Y for the extra trunk space.
Thank you in advance.

 

[jcanoe]

I don't believe that Tesla's sales consultants work on commission. Everything you need to learn about buying the car is available online at the Tesla web site. You can specify if are using Tesla financing or your own financing to purchase the vehicle; you can change this prior to delivery. You can also lease the Model Y from Tesla although not many do this.

Figure out the exact configuration you want before you create the order. Determine the specific model, exterior color, interior color, wheels, FSD option and tow option if desired. It will cost you additional money later if you want to change your order prior to delivery.

As far as trading your current vehicle to Tesla you would do better to sell your vehicle to CarMax or one of the other major used vehicle companies.

You can specify the delivery location prior to delivery. Depending on where you live Tesla may be able to provide touchless delivery of the vehicle to your home. Home delivery is very convenient although you will not be able to reject the vehicle outright if you choose touchless home delivery you still would have 7 calendar days starting from the delivery date to return the car to Tesla if you decide you do not want to keep the car for any reason.

Once you have placed an order you can follow through, check the status of the order on the Tesla site. You will need to create an account on the Tesla site. Your email address is your Tesla Id so be sure of the email that you want to use when you set up the account. Once the vehicle is delivered your Tesla account is also how you will pair your iPhone or Android smart phone to unlock, drive your Tesla vehicle.

Most communication with Tesla will be via text messaging so be sure that you provide your mobile phone number when you set up your Tesla account. As you get closer to your delivery date you will receive text messages to confirm and or complete the different parts of your order online including your location, your preferred delivery location (this can be your home location), whether you are trading your current vehicle, financing details, proof of insurance (the specific requirements for proof of insurance vary by state.)

Tesla will encourage you to pay off the balance of the purchase price for the vehicle including any taxes and fees prior to delivery. You can do this electronically by setting up an automated clearing house (ACH) debit capability between your Tesla account and your bank checking or savings account. If you don't want to pay electronically it is possible to pay via a bank cashier's check. If you choose touchless home delivery and pay via a cashier's check be sure to reconfirm the final amount due a few days prior to delivery before you draw the cashier's check from your bank. Tesla will provide a pre-addressed FedEx Letter envelope for you to include the final payment and Tesla's documents that you need to sign and return. If your home delivery is over a weekend you can drop the FedEx envelope at any Kinko's/FedEx drop off location on Monday or the next business day if Monday happens to be a holiday.

Don't be surprised if you end up texting and talking to four or five different Tesla employees prior to receiving your vehicle. Once Tesla delivers your vehicle these people all turn into ghosts, you will deal exclusively with the Tesla Service Center via the Tesla app on your phone if there are any issues or needed repairs to the vehicle.

 

[thomslik]

Do it! You already know you want it. Quit second guessing yourself and go for it. I did! Ordered a MY on the 3rd and got a 2021 VIN on the 7th. White with white, FSD an tow hitch. My wife loves her Lexus RX350, but says she's willing to give it a try. Her friends are all excited, saying wow, you're getting a Tesla!!
In the old days, it was horse and buggy. Then came steam power. Next was internal combustion engines. Now, it's electric! Adapt or die! I'm getting too old to wait much longer for the latest technology. If I live through a couple of years with the Y, I'll buy the next latest and greatest Tesla offering.
My wife's favorite saying is, "I'm getting too old to drive old stuff!"

 

[RRKR]

Do it! You already know you want it. Quit second guessing yourself and go for it. I did! Ordered a MY on the 3rd and got a 2021 VIN on the 7th. White with white, FSD an tow hitch. My wife loves her Lexus RX350, but says she's willing to give it a try. Her friends are all excited, saying wow, you're getting a Tesla!!
In the old days, it was horse and buggy. Then came steam power. Next was internal combustion engines. Now, it's electric! Adapt or die! I'm getting too old to wait much longer for the latest technology. If I live through a couple of years with the Y, I'll buy the next latest and greatest Tesla offering.
My wife's favorite saying is, "I'm getting too old to drive old stuff!"

 

[RRKR]

Thanks for the sharing the info. How do you know that yours is a 2021 model? How long it takes from the time you get the VIN and the vehicle ready for pickup?

 

[thomslik]

Thanks for the sharing the info. How do you know that yours is a 2021 model? How long it takes from the time you get the VIN and the vehicle ready for pickup?

Sorry for the late reply. The VIN revealed the year.
I ordered in 10/2, received VIN 10/7, picked it up Sunday 10/25. So far, no regrets!

 

[Ralbright]

Home delivery is very convenient although you will not be able to reject the vehicle outright if you choose touchless home delivery you still would have 7 calendar days starting from the delivery date to return the car to Tesla if you decide you do not want to keep the car for any reason.

Pretty sure Tesla removed the 7 day return policy. You’re now keeping whatever car they give you. I’d likely avoid home delivery.

 

[jcanoe]

Pretty sure Tesla removed the 7 day return policy. You’re now keeping whatever car they give you. I’d likely avoid home delivery.

That is correct; Tesla changed their return policy after my post.

 

[unknowncloud]

We test drove a Model 3 in Richmond, VA a few weeks ago. The Model 3 trunk opening was too small for us so more than likely we will be ordering a Model Y soon.

We worked with Whitney there and she was outstanding. Not pushy at all and she was able to answer all of our questions. She also explained to us why we were not eligible for the free 1,000 supercharger miles / referral. This was due to Virginia law.

Please let me know if you (or anyone) would like Whitney's contact information. I don't believe they work on commission.