Sold a New Car, Found out its Used

[SMAlset]

Obviously this was a clue right off the bat. I truly understand your excitement and anticipation, and you knew that advisor was lying through his teeth as soon as you saw the car. I waited 4 years for my MS. Having always bought new cars or demos, I would have shared your concern about the condition of the car. --especially after being told it was being detailed. Since there is such a demand for the M3s, I can't help but wonder if prior to your arrival, someone else was offered the car, turned it down, and then was offered YOUR car instead, leaving the advisor to convince you that this was your "new" car. Taking it back was the right thing to do.

PS: My last demo car purchase was a Jeep Grand Cherokee V8 with all the bells and whistles and a towing package. They knocked $4500 off their discount price (not the MSRP) because it had 200 miles on it. It was spotless.

She purchased a demo car back in the spring (read through the dozens of posts she's made) and returned that. As for this end of the quarter vehicle I agree she knew the car was "sat in" and not straight from the factory although not sure she understood that demo/display cars can still be sold as "new" up to a certain point, so depending on how she asked about the car's condition and use don't necessarily think anyone lied to her. If you read through the posts she's accused Tesla and her OA of all kinds of behavior so rather surprised that she wanted to buy another. It's clear to me that her goal has been to get a reduced price car to save the most money and maximize the federal tax deduction (who knows if she even has enough tax liability to qualify for on her return, apparently that's come as a shock to a number of new owners who didn't look at their tax status before hand).

 

[OCR1]

That causes precisely zero damage. Try it. I’m not sure why there’s a warning. The window still comes down when you pull the latch, at least on the driver’s side when I tried it.

I was told it causes wear and stress to the window seals which over time can cause them to degrade. It may be an unlikely issue unless there is consistent abuse though. I’m not really sure but I’d rather be safe than sorry.

 

[Moon Buggy]

She purchased a demo car back in the spring (read through the dozens of posts she's made) and returned that. As for this end of the quarter vehicle I agree she knew the car was "sat in" and not straight from the factory although not sure she understood that demo/display cars can still be sold as "new" up to a certain point, so depending on how she asked about the car's condition and use don't necessarily think anyone lied to her. If you read through the posts she's accused Tesla and her OA of all kinds of behavior so rather surprised that she wanted to buy another. It's clear to me that her goal has been to get a reduced price car to save the most money and maximize the federal tax deduction (who knows if she even has enough tax liability to qualify for on her return, apparently that's come as a shock to a number of new owners who didn't look at their tax status before hand).

She was not told it was a display car prior to or during pick up. She was told it had been sitting in a parking lot. She was immediately suspicious while inspecting the car, as the car was more than just a little messy, and I think the listed build date was not what she had been led to believe, but still no one said anything. Figuring the issues to be merely cosmetic, it was felt that getting the car detailed (at her expense) was still better than losing the tax credit, so she took the car. However, with a little more time with the car, it became clear that some of the defects could not be removed easily, and she did some digging and only then was she told that it was a display model in the 2nd busiest mall in the country. Tesla made clear that any servicing of the car would be on her dime. So, you spend 50K on a "new" car, only to find out after taking delivery that getting it to be close to new is going to cost you a bunch more money...what would you do in that scenario?

 

[jebinc]

LOL All the difference a year can make in new car production. Not sure what the production line rate was when I ordered mine last June but I know there was still a long backlog of reservation holders ahead of me and then a lot of new orders coming in after me. My 3 month wait was worth it for me as I couldn't have gotten it any sooner as there weren't inventory cars available then (heck even stores then didn't have display models let alone test drive models) and I've enjoyed every day I've had it to drive in the meantime. My old car just wasn't worth keeping any longer and was relieved it made it to my Model 3 delivery!

Yeah, I was surprised as I figured it would be a zoo with the tax rebate reducing on 7/1. I ordered on 6/16 (Father’s Day). It left the factory five days later and delivered 3 days after that.

 

[WilliamG]

I was told it causes wear and stress to the window seals which over time can cause them to degrade. It may be an unlikely issue unless there is consistent abuse though. I’m not really sure but I’d rather be safe than sorry.

I can tell you for sure that when I pulled the handle on the driver’s side with the door closed, the window moved down and it behaved just like I’d pushed the door button.

I haven’t read of anyone damaging any window seals or trim by pulling the lever.

*edit*

Apparently this is a relatively new firmware feature. Either way, you won’t damage the window trim pulling the handle.

 

[Mary Starfnbu]

She purchased a demo car back in the spring (read through the dozens of posts she's made) and returned that. As for this end of the quarter vehicle I agree she knew the car was "sat in" and not straight from the factory although not sure she understood that demo/display cars can still be sold as "new" up to a certain point, so depending on how she asked about the car's condition and use don't necessarily think anyone lied to her. If you read through the posts she's accused Tesla and her OA of all kinds of behavior so rather surprised that she wanted to buy another. It's clear to me that her goal has been to get a reduced price car to save the most money and maximize the federal tax deduction (who knows if she even has enough tax liability to qualify for on her return, apparently that's come as a shock to a number of new owners who didn't look at their tax status before hand).

Ah. I tend to take people at face value, and figured she was a newbie.

 

[M3&Me]

Hello friends,
Well, I finally finally finally since my search first began in March 2019, Got a car. After a 5,000 supercharging fiasco, losing that and forced to change advisors I was offered a new car. A new model 3 with blue, but the kicker is this new car had 19 in rims on it. After debating whether to shell out 1,500 for the upgrade I bit. After all, I would finally get my dream car and getting the car and two days before the tax credit was cut in half.

They stopped doing local deliveries so, my family and I packed and loaded up in my trusty old trade in. We drove the 2.5 trip and looked forward to taking delivery.
A 10 am appointed turned into a 1 pm pickup waiting there for hours. Excuses given car was on a supercharger, car was being detailed.
Finally, we get to see the car that had been left out in the rain and soaking wet, So much for that multiple hour detailing wait.

First impression, with a delivery advisor hovering over us was something is wrong with this car. It was very uncomfortable and many comments where made referring to using wanting to look at the car, we were rushed and told to take it or they will be removing it from us. A strategy to maybe force a buyer to accept a vehicle without an inspection, this is all after they demanded we sign papers and pay before even seeing the car. They were deeply offended when we refused to sign.
Moving past the delivery employees,

The car, well this care was not just dirty but, filthy. We asked what wrong with the car, was it detailed? How many people have been in the car? Why was the condition looking so poor. They countered with do we want it or not with no further details. I insisted enough that they came out with a spray bottle and wiped some scuff marks, they could not be removed. These scuff marks are deep into the plastic, on all four doors, door wells, and seats, especially the back seats and drivers door well. The pillars where multiple colored riddled with fingerprints, the same for visors and mirrors.

We reluctantly accepted delivery, thinking it was new, and maybe it just needs a professional clean.

Leaving the dealership, we found the wheel was off center and the car wants to veer off the road to the right.

Confused and upset with the condition of the car, we reached out to anyone willing to help, Many calls where made and emails sent. Until a good soul finally answered our question.

It turns out this car was a showroom car, for multiple months, in the second highest traffic mall in the country.

We found pictures online of the car, called the store and he said he was well aware of that car and many cars are damaged from heavy usage in the showroom, especially from a mall.

Now what?
We feel a $50,000+ purchase is a big deal, saving for years to have the opportunity to buy a magical piece of delicate equipment.

Thinking we are getting a new vehicle, being lied to about the usage and condition.
Tesla is not willing to even pay for alignment, or offer some type of explanation, or repair the cosmetic damage, nor mechanical (alignment, tire balance).

We paid full price for this car including the upgraded rims.

This car was located at Aventura Mall in Miami.

Return it in your seven day window.

 

[Jeffcm3]

I am returning it. But the torture is just beginning.

Phew. Definitely return it. It’s too bad there wasn’t full disclosure on the origin of the car. (Who are they hiring, and do they have some sort of delivery quota?)

Have you returned it already?

 

[brkaus]

Apparently this is a relatively new firmware feature. Either way, you won’t damage the window trim pulling the handle.

I don’t recall for sure, I think over a year. It definitely was in place e when we picked up Oct 2018.

 

[WilliamG]

I don’t recall for sure, I think over a year. It definitely was in place e when we picked up Oct 2018.

Thanks for that datapoint. I made a thread on it earlier because I don’t know why the car thinks it’s a big issue... - feel free to chime in there so we don’t derail this thread too much.

So, it’s now safe to manually pull the door handle?

 

[Tobyw]

Hello friends,
Well, I finally finally finally since my search first began in March 2019, Got a car. After a 5,000 supercharging fiasco, losing that and forced to change advisors I was offered a new car. A new model 3 with blue, but the kicker is this new car had 19 in rims on it. After debating whether to shell out 1,500 for the upgrade I bit. After all, I would finally get my dream car and getting the car and two days before the tax credit was cut in half.

They stopped doing local deliveries so, my family and I packed and loaded up in my trusty old trade in. We drove the 2.5 trip and looked forward to taking delivery.
A 10 am appointed turned into a 1 pm pickup waiting there for hours. Excuses given car was on a supercharger, car was being detailed.
Finally, we get to see the car that had been left out in the rain and soaking wet, So much for that multiple hour detailing wait.

First impression, with a delivery advisor hovering over us was something is wrong with this car. It was very uncomfortable and many comments where made referring to using wanting to look at the car, we were rushed and told to take it or they will be removing it from us. A strategy to maybe force a buyer to accept a vehicle without an inspection, this is all after they demanded we sign papers and pay before even seeing the car. They were deeply offended when we refused to sign.
Moving past the delivery employees,

The car, well this care was not just dirty but, filthy. We asked what wrong with the car, was it detailed? How many people have been in the car? Why was the condition looking so poor. They countered with do we want it or not with no further details. I insisted enough that they came out with a spray bottle and wiped some scuff marks, they could not be removed. These scuff marks are deep into the plastic, on all four doors, door wells, and seats, especially the back seats and drivers door well. The pillars where multiple colored riddled with fingerprints, the same for visors and mirrors.

We reluctantly accepted delivery, thinking it was new, and maybe it just needs a professional clean.

Leaving the dealership, we found the wheel was off center and the car wants to veer off the road to the right.

Confused and upset with the condition of the car, we reached out to anyone willing to help, Many calls where made and emails sent. Until a good soul finally answered our question.

It turns out this car was a showroom car, for multiple months, in the second highest traffic mall in the country.

We found pictures online of the car, called the store and he said he was well aware of that car and many cars are damaged from heavy usage in the showroom, especially from a mall.

Now what?
We feel a $50,000+ purchase is a big deal, saving for years to have the opportunity to buy a magical piece of delicate equipment.

Thinking we are getting a new vehicle, being lied to about the usage and condition.
Tesla is not willing to even pay for alignment, or offer some type of explanation, or repair the cosmetic damage, nor mechanical (alignment, tire balance).

We paid full price for this car including the upgraded rims.

This car was located at Aventura Mall in Miami.

If the steering wheel is off center and the car pulls, Experience with pre 1990 german cars indicates the car has been bent or adjusted without centering the steering wheel. A reasonable repair would be to check for damage and wear or looseness then align the car front and rear. Try this first.

Loose belts in the tires or camber wear can also cause the car to pull. Sometimes this can be a dynamic problem with nothing apparent when raising the car and examining the tire. Try switching the front tires left to right and a tire problem would reverse the direction of pull.

Think twice about buying a lemon. Does the lemon law apply to your car/state?

 

[VT_EE]

If the steering wheel is off center and the car pulls, Experience with pre 1990 german cars indicates the car has been bent or adjusted without centering the steering wheel. A reasonable repair would be to check for damage and wear or looseness then align the car front and rear. Try this first.

Loose belts in the tires or camber wear can also cause the car to pull. Sometimes this can be a dynamic problem with nothing apparent when raising the car and examining the tire. Try switching the front tires left to right and a tire problem would reverse the direction of pull.

Think twice about buying a lemon. Does the lemon law apply to your car/state?

It is highly unlikely that this showroom car was "bent" and fixed. There are numerous instances on this forum where owners were delivered a car with an off-center steering wheel or a "pull". A simple alignment at the SC fixed them. Let's not freak the OP out any more than he/she already is.

 

[KenC]

Complain. Ask for a demo discount. Ask for it to be detailed properly. And if they don’t satisfy you that it’s new, return it.

 

[quickfix]

Just a question, how many Miles were driven as per the dashboard?
Are they able to use a car and then ZERO its mileage counter?

 

[brkaus]

Just a question, how many Miles were driven as per the dashboard?
Are they able to use a car and then ZERO its mileage counter?

It is illegal to modify an odometer / mileage counter.

 

[banned-66611]

I wouldn't bother trying to get them to fix it or give a discount. Whatever they do won't be enough to make it right, especially as every time you get in you will be wondering how many asses have farted into that seat before you.

You could maybe ask them for another car at the same price, including the tax credit. After all it's their fault, you shouldn't be out of pocket.

 

[Electroman]

She was told it is a display car, and she was also told any cosmetic issues would have to be fixed at the owners expense - presumably before the car was purchased. So looks like everything was disclosed. So what am I missing here?

What is the probability that a person got two bad cars back to back that they had to return both? Why did this person even consider Tesla after the first bad experience?

Just asking..

 

[brandonee916]

If only we were all so lucky to only have scuff marks and an off-center steering wheel upon delivery....

 

[67King]

FWIW, a demo is still a new car. Showroom, whatever. The only new car that has to be sold as used is a service loaner. Now, most dealers will give a discount for a demo. But, have to consider that Tesla is selling cars faster than they can make them. Simple economics means that someone, somewhere will accept the car with the aesthetic imperfections (i.e. scuffs, etc.). Anecdotally, had I been up against the 6/30 deadline and something close enough was available that had some of what is described, I would have taken it. But again, that's just me. Was my delivery perfect? No. Still no SC credit showing up, and I'm still missing a couple of things. But I'm still incredibly happy with the car.

Having not been there for the conversation, this would fall into a he said/she said scenario, and it could be that the dealer feels all info was fully disclosed, and that they are not as irritated at the OP as the OP is with them because they thought they had moved a car without having to deal with time delays, when they know full well they could have moved it to another person who would have taken it as is (again, supply and demand).

Sucks for the OP that they are not happy with the car. But we are hearing one side of the story, and in all likelihood, the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

 

[3Sweet]

She was told it is a display car, and she was also told any cosmetic issues would have to be fixed at the owners expense - presumably before the car was purchased. So looks like everything was disclosed. So what am I missing here?

What is the probability that a person got two bad cars back to back that they had to return both? Why did this person even consider Tesla after the first bad experience?

Just asking..

Just to clarify, I was not told this was a used/display/demo car, until after I purchased the car, after having asked multiple employees and the manager of the delivery center. It was not until after the purchase I was told by an employee most likely feeling guilty it was a used/demo car. This the point when I realized my sales advisor lied to me about the age of the car and usage of the car, also offering no discount.
My advise if you feel something is not right, do not leave with your car until you get the answers. If the employees around you will not help call another sales floor/corporate.

My original car was not a demo, it was not discounted and again I paid full price, it was literally falling apart and was a victim of a terrible build. With an estimated 2 months for paint corrections alone, not including window corrections, aligning all four door and installing weather stripping. I had multiple m3 owners review the car, a mechanic and Tesla's own service center.

I hope more people to do not fall into these problems. I know they do but, not to this extent. Why do I still want my own Tesla, well my boyfriend and I have been driving them around for years and I don't really want to live in a world without autopilot.