I received delivery of my 2017 S75 RWD late last week and wanted to share my experience for anyone in South Carolina that may be looking at purchasing a Tesla. Despite having some large metropolitan areas, South Carolina does not have a Tesla dealer (gallery or service center). I'm not sure why this is but it may be due in part that BMW has a huge manufacturing presence here or it may be about the direct sales model....there are far more educated people on that topic and that isn't the purpose of my post. I am only speculating.
I spent the majority of my adult life begging my wife to let me get the Model S and eventually I won out. She pressed the button to confirm the deposit online, and told me that in her mind she was buying my silence. By that she meant that now that we are actually getting one, I can no longer give her a Tesla fact every chance I get nor can I "inception" her by making her watch youtube videos about how awesome they are right before we fall asleep each night.
Anyways, I have been a Model 3 reservation for over a year but I kept coming back to the Model S. In my own personal opinion, I like the fact that the S has been around for several years and assumed they have worked a lot of the kinks out. I personally believe Tesla will change the world with the Model 3 but there's something to be said for the look and the size of the S as well as its long production history. I initially went with a custom build S 75, red with no PUP black leather and the subzero package. I place the deposit in late June and the delivery date was late July. I was good with this because I know they're trying to focus on the model 3 and what's another month when you've been dying to have one for years?
I worked with Blake Wadsworth out of the Atlanta (Lenox) location. Having bought a few cars in my life I was expecting the typical sales pitch but I was completely floored by how low pressure the sales experience was. He felt like an old friend from college that was just showing me something awesome, not trying to persuade me to buy it. In his own words he said they sell themselves and I believe that. Long story short Blake went the extra mile and actually found me an inventory car that was exactly what I wanted, and it had a slight price adjustment and only 400 miles. They sent me pictures of it and I switched over to the inventory car.
The purchase experience was very interesting because I never physically signed anything. In South Carolina you apparently can do everything online so it was a few mouse clicks, movement of some money, and we were off to the races. The other big difference is in SC they have to deliver it straight to your house. Let me tell you that was amazing because a gigantic car hauler full of Teslas rolled down my block and definitely startled some of the neighbors. If you are buying in SC be prepared for this. It was a very easy experience, but you wouldn't be picking it up in a service center like if you lived in GA or another state that had a dealership. Honestly this ended up being better because I didn't have to make a round trip to get the car. They are happy to do an orientation at a service center after you get the car but the delivery must be to the door.
Everyone I've ever encountered at Tesla has been 100% enthusiastic about their job, but my experience was absolutely notch with the Atlanta Lenox location. I live in Greenville and the Charlotte location is a bit closer, but they apparently can't sell the cars out of there either, probably for some similar reasons to why SC is pushing back. In any case, I am beyond satisfied with my experience and would encourage anyone who is in SC and is on the fence about a lack of dealership to hit me up if they have questions. What I can say about finally buying this is that spending years reading forums, watching videos, reading articles, etc. does not prepare you for how awesome it is to actually have one and own it. Good luck to anyone who may be considering this car.
I spent the majority of my adult life begging my wife to let me get the Model S and eventually I won out. She pressed the button to confirm the deposit online, and told me that in her mind she was buying my silence. By that she meant that now that we are actually getting one, I can no longer give her a Tesla fact every chance I get nor can I "inception" her by making her watch youtube videos about how awesome they are right before we fall asleep each night.
Anyways, I have been a Model 3 reservation for over a year but I kept coming back to the Model S. In my own personal opinion, I like the fact that the S has been around for several years and assumed they have worked a lot of the kinks out. I personally believe Tesla will change the world with the Model 3 but there's something to be said for the look and the size of the S as well as its long production history. I initially went with a custom build S 75, red with no PUP black leather and the subzero package. I place the deposit in late June and the delivery date was late July. I was good with this because I know they're trying to focus on the model 3 and what's another month when you've been dying to have one for years?
I worked with Blake Wadsworth out of the Atlanta (Lenox) location. Having bought a few cars in my life I was expecting the typical sales pitch but I was completely floored by how low pressure the sales experience was. He felt like an old friend from college that was just showing me something awesome, not trying to persuade me to buy it. In his own words he said they sell themselves and I believe that. Long story short Blake went the extra mile and actually found me an inventory car that was exactly what I wanted, and it had a slight price adjustment and only 400 miles. They sent me pictures of it and I switched over to the inventory car.
The purchase experience was very interesting because I never physically signed anything. In South Carolina you apparently can do everything online so it was a few mouse clicks, movement of some money, and we were off to the races. The other big difference is in SC they have to deliver it straight to your house. Let me tell you that was amazing because a gigantic car hauler full of Teslas rolled down my block and definitely startled some of the neighbors. If you are buying in SC be prepared for this. It was a very easy experience, but you wouldn't be picking it up in a service center like if you lived in GA or another state that had a dealership. Honestly this ended up being better because I didn't have to make a round trip to get the car. They are happy to do an orientation at a service center after you get the car but the delivery must be to the door.
Everyone I've ever encountered at Tesla has been 100% enthusiastic about their job, but my experience was absolutely notch with the Atlanta Lenox location. I live in Greenville and the Charlotte location is a bit closer, but they apparently can't sell the cars out of there either, probably for some similar reasons to why SC is pushing back. In any case, I am beyond satisfied with my experience and would encourage anyone who is in SC and is on the fence about a lack of dealership to hit me up if they have questions. What I can say about finally buying this is that spending years reading forums, watching videos, reading articles, etc. does not prepare you for how awesome it is to actually have one and own it. Good luck to anyone who may be considering this car.
