So....why did you decide to "wait" to get your Model 3?

[cab]

So, I'll concede a lot of your DIDN'T wait and got your Model 3s this year - congrats! For the rest of you, IF you think you will indeed end up with a Model 3, what drove you to wait and not get one this year (and thus miss out on the full rebate - assuming you were eligible for it?)

I know for me is was a combination of things including:

1. Already have a Model S - This was probably the biggest driver. When you already have a Tesla, if you can look past the excitement of a new ride, the Model 3 is more evolutionary than revolutionary. The Model 3 is a really nice car, but I already have an electric car that "looks and drives like a Tesla" (i.e. I wasn't coming from a Camry, Prius, 3 series, etc.) so that gee whiz factor is a bit less. This is true even though my car is 5+ years old (2013 CPO P85+). It also helps that the "S" looks better of course. If I wasn't already driving the "S", I am almost certain I would be in a Model 3 now.

2. The Money - Not, it isn't that I was waiting for a $35K car, it's that I knew I would likely get either the Dual Motor or Performance Dual Motor car. Either of those (particularly the latter) is a lot of coin. When I started to put that up against what else I might spend that money on I came up against my dang mortgage (we are really close to paying the house off) and buying a massively depreciating asset vs. putting that money towards the house started to gnaw at me. Yes, I know there are better investments (although the current market STINKS), but I have yet to run into anyone who says "Man, I really regret paying my mortgage off early". Spending the money on a Model 3 right after I get the mortgage paid off is essentially no different than doing it right before, but psychologically it feels better to pay the mortgage down first!

3. The Quality Concerns - Most folks know the early Model Ses and Xes both had more quality issues (frankly, they still aren't perfect). While I think the 3 is generally better "at launch" than the S or X were at their respective launches, it is apparent they are still working stuff out. It certainly doesn't help that my preferred color is Multi-Coat Red and, for whatever, reason Tesla seems to be struggling painting that color on the Model 3 line (note my S is MCR). Sure, some stuff can be fixed after-the-fact by the service centers, but not all of it will be or is "easily" fixed. That brings me to...

4. The Hardware Revisions - Man, there have been a decent amount of hardware revisions since the car was introduced - some more public than others. Some are quality related, while others appear to be design changes. This is above and beyond the "features" like the availability of dual motors or the white interior. I mean sheesh, the dang seats changed in the Spring. Beyond this there are all the other things I think they are flat out tweaking along the way (which likely should have been taken care of before release). As an example, most of us are aware of the suspension change at the end of last year to soften up the way too firm suspension the car originally came out with. However, beyond that the online catalog tells a further tale - the struts on the RWD cars appear to be on revision "G" suggesting several additional changes. Other parts show various revisions too. I'm sure some are trivial (and perhaps even just clerical), but I'm guessing others are "fixing" some aspect of the car. Speaking of suspension changes, that brings me to...

5. Air Suspension - I am pretty sensitive to the ride quality/handling balance - and always loved the sport suspension on my older BMWs - on cars (I do LOTS of test drives before I buy). I don't think the Model 3 rides terribly, but I do think the air suspension has the potential to improve it. Indeed, it was a "must have" feature when shopping for my CPO Model S after doing back-to-back test drives on Model Ses with coils vs air. I was bummed when the dual motor cars did not ship with the air suspension and it got pushed to 2019.

Anyway, losing at least half of the federal rebate and possibly even more, really does STING, and I recognize I may very well look back on this as a $3800+ mistake, but it is what it is. Ironically, my wife and I are vacationing in San Francisco soon and plan to take a tour of the Tesla factory...so I'll have a bit more "non buyer's" remorse after that I'm sure!!

So, why did you guys wait?

<Note: No need for the "I didn't" posts!)

 

[N5329K]

1: Software quality (stability) concerns;
2. Hardware quality (and build consistency) concerns;
3.Trim bundles that add things (and costs) I'm not interested in having or paying for.
4. Serviceability (centers are usually good but are often swamped);
5. Parts availability (some important items are weeks to months out).
6. Loooooooooong payback vis a vis my current fuel costs (willing to overlook this but not items 1-5).
Be nice if they get these things mostly ironed out in 2019 (Model 3 looks nice and drives well, and my garage is set for charging) , but I'm not holding my breath.
Robin

 

[Mikeat00]

We had and old electrical panel and wanted to see how much other work was needed for charger installation into garage before I committed to purchasing. Electrician is coming to do work in a couple weeks.

Concerns of quality with them trying to get as many deliveries as possible prior to January 1st.

It’s winter here and I’d rather get the car at the end of winter beginning of spring and save it from a full winter of salt and snow.

 

[StellarRat]

I was waiting for the Standard Range M3. When I realized it would not come before the tax credits started to expire I went ahead with the LR RWD. Haven't really regretted it, but I probably don't need the range or the increased acceleration. I would have put the Premium Interior, more expensive paint, and EAP on the Standard Range as well, so it still would have been 45 grand.

 

[Uncle Paul]

I spoke to a salesperson at another automotive dealership. He said that companies only make stripper models for advertising purposes.

The dealership routinely advertises one of them with large price in a starburst. They mention that they only have one of them at that price. Salespeople are specifically told not to sell that car, as nobody will make any profit off it. It is only used to bring in customers that they can move to a better equipped model. Then everyone makes a profit. They joke that if you sell the stripper you will loose your job.

 

[Stirfelt]

The primary reason for waiting is because my Toyota Avalon Hybrid has too many great miles left in it, and the Tesla trade value is significantly less than the personal value.

From the get-go I was never in a rush. I knew there would be first year issues, and was comfortable letting them be resolved.

Yes, the federal rebate would have been nice, but I have read with interest, the many post pertaining to QC, and the increased stress being placed on the SC to correct assembly deficiencies. I made a decision that the aggravation and inconvenience of taking a brand new vehicle to the SC was not worth $3750 (assuming I take delivery before mid 2019). When I am satisfied that most QC issues have been corrected, and my first trip will not be to the SC .... I will place an order.

Finally, I do not want to be "robbed" by the Insurance companies. Too much uncertainty in that market right now.

In the mean-time, I keep stimulated driving my 2000 BMW Roadster. Oh, it's not an EV, but there is nothing like driving a roadster with the top down.

 

[Dana1]

I spoke to a salesperson at another automotive dealership. He said that companies only make stripper models for advertising purposes.

The dealership routinely advertises one of them with large price in a starburst. They mention that they only have one of them at that price. Salespeople are specifically told not to sell that car, as nobody will make any profit off it. It is only used to bring in customers that they can move to a better equipped model. Then everyone makes a profit. They joke that if you sell the stripper you will loose your job.

Tesla isn’t a dealership and has flat pricing.

 

[ecarfan]

I did not wait and am very happy with my Dual Motor 3 (VIN 99XXX) but wanted to comment that Tesla continuously implements improvements to their vehicles, and this has been true from the beginning of the company. Tesla continues to incorporate improvements to the S and X even after the cars have been in production for years, and that won’t stop.

Elon has said many times (paraphrasing): “If you want to buy the best cars we’ve ever made then buy one right now, don’t wait”. That isn’t just cheap salesmanship, that’s a true statement, with the corollary being he also has said that Tesla continuously improves their cars.(

The Hardware Revisions - Man, there have been a decent amount of hardware revisions since the car was introduced - some more public than others. Some are quality related, while others appear to be design changes. This is above and beyond the "features" like the availability of dual motors or the white interior. I mean sheesh, the dang seats changed in the Spring. Beyond this there are all the other things I think they are flat out tweaking along the way (which likely should have been taken care of before release). As an example, most of us are aware of the suspension change at the end of last year to soften up the way too firm suspension the car originally came out with. However, beyond that the online catalog tells a further tale - the struts on the RWD cars appear to be on revision "G" suggesting several additional changes. Other parts show various revisions too. I'm sure some are trivial (and perhaps even just clerical), but I'm guessing others are "fixing" some aspect of the car. Speaking of suspension changes, that brings me to..

 

[Bet TSLA]

There remains only one mistake you can make in buying a Tesla -- putting it off. I got my first Model 3 ASAP, which for me was December, 2017. The second one I won't be getting until I can get both dual motor and air suspension, so it's a useful snow vehicle. Not sure when that will happen, but it isn't yet.

 

[animorph]

We were waiting for SR and white seats. We caved and bought AWD when white seats first became available. $LR and $AWD - $3750 was good enough for us. We look at it as free AWD, which was $4k at the time. As it turned out, my wife took a trip and came back with 37 rated miles of charge left. She's really happy about the LR now.

 

[JPP]

I could have had a Model 3 in January 2018, but wanted to wait for the dual drive. And, yes, I was not suffering driving my 2013 S85. I ordered as soon as the dual drive became available and elected to get a P3D+. And the secondary benefit of an August build is that some bugs and improvements are there (seats, trunk trim garnish, better headlights). But as noted above, you can keep putting off a purchase while you wait for a better model. When I am asked by my practice partners what the best [fill in the blank—phone, computer, camera, car] is to buy, my stock answer is ‘next year’s model’. Whatever you buy today will be faster, better, cheaper, etc, etc next year. Just ‘freeze the technology’ and enjoy what you have.

 

[gavine]

When I am satisfied that most QC issues have been corrected, and my first trip will not be to the SC .... I will place an order..

How will you know when that is? My October 2018 Model 3 is flawless in every way. I tried hard to find a paint issue, interior issue or panel gap and couldn't find anything.

 

[Stirfelt]

How will you know when that is? My October 2018 Model 3 is flawless in every way. /QUOTE]

I will know when I read more post like yours. Thank you for your post.

I am a visual guy and not near as forgiving as some of the writers on this forum.
I put a much higher priority on fit & finish, comfort and reliability then performance. Your post is encouraging.

If I could, I would buy a new Tesla M3, take it directly to Foose, and have his shop do their magic.
The nice thing is there would be very little changes required to an absolutely beautiful body.
I'd concentrate the effort on fit & finish, wheels, interior upholstery and a quality paint job.

 

[ninpb]

I was waiting for cheap October Chevy bolt lease deals that they had last year. Under $200/m before ca rebate. Primary goal was to get the HOV stickers for downtown LA drive. Do the cheap lease for 6 or so years and then splurge on an EV be it Tesla, Jag, Audi, who knows.

Bolt deals didn't come through and the timing of the federal rebate pushed me to just go for it. Ended up paying 2k for the white and missing the free internet when I finally did order versus if I had ordered in July.

Edit... And maybe loss (according to kbb) out on an extra 1k on selling my Audi to CarMax in October vs July.

 

[irev210]

I think another thing to consider is the fact that as time goes on, I am guessing that there will be aspects of the car that get “value engineered” as they look to shave pennies off various parts of the car.

So the fit and finish of the car in a year from now may be better but you might also get cheaper parts here and there. For example, they already changed out the rear glass so it doesn’t match the roof when it is wet (nice IR coating that was on there).

Just my guess...

 

[seattlite2004]

Im waiting for the 35K model. Interesting poll....most folks think that curent models are too expensive:
Why haven't you bought a Tesla Model 3 yet? Take our Twitter poll

 

[DavidP]

Waiting for the standard range battery, too expansive actually.

 

[Runt8]

...It also helps that the "S" looks better of course.

 

[cab]

I think another thing to consider is the fact that as time goes on, I am guessing that there will be aspects of the car that get “value engineered” as they look to shave pennies off various parts of the car.

So the fit and finish of the car in a year from now may be better but you might also get cheaper parts here and there. For example, they already changed out the rear glass so it doesn’t match the roof when it is wet (nice IR coating that was on there).

Just my guess...

Yeah, I am a little concerned about the "value engineering" as I wait too. Indeed, I think the rattling struts we see on the Model S now happened after Tesla changed from Continental to Firestone as a the supplier (with the latter likely being cheaper). The earliest example we all saw in the 3 was the loss of the Alcantara headliner!

 

[SMAlset]

I was holding on to my old 2001 Toyota Avalon because it was still in good shape and ran well (until we had months' long issues with the AC and then dash when the dealership took it apart and broke some clips leaving a gaping slot with visible daylight shining through some times -- and they refused to fix it after a few tries with some doublesided sticky tape essentially failed). Had been planning to replace the car at some point, no car payments were nice, but nothing style-wise excited me. Figured I keep this car for longer than 5 years so wanted to really like it. I had also planned on getting a car with Apple CarPlay and might have jumped if on another Toyota had they included CarPlay earlier. They were adamant about not using it but offering their own stuff, and I had no desire for their implementation. I was also totally turned off by their latest round of refreshes and my service experience. So I waited and continued to wait.

Then my husband bought our Model S and after driving it I loved it. Knew the car I wanted for my next ride was going to be a Tesla. The Model 3 had been revealed, didn't know if we needed to spend as much money on a second car as on our Model S, and the Model 3 had longer range at that point. Initially held off ordering one because I decided I wanted AWD, SAS, and would have loved a pano roof. Gave in in June when the AWD came out and just didn't want to wait any longer. Been very happy with the Model 3 and we still have our Model S for more cargo space and longer trip comfort, but the Model 3 is really a very good car, fun to drive and feels pretty spacious for the size. I do like the styling.

It was a bit scary committing to all electric cars for our family, but feel okay about it now. I hated the trips to pump gas and really appreciate being able to charge at home and then only one bill (as opposed to electricity and gasoline payments). Simplifes cash outlay and guess cheaper in the long run anyway. Our next major push will be Powerwall and solar roof times a bit further down the road.