I don't buy this reasoning. That price difference means he would get 4 instead of 5 shares for $6k. The more the share price goes up the more he will miss out on. If the shareprice goes to $10k it's no longer a $300 difference. It's a $10k difference.
That doesn't mean it's a good idea to wait for a dip as you will not know when to buy at the lowest price.
But I would wager most people buying have a set amount to buy for and not a set number of shares. Pretending the price you buy for doesn't matter is wrong for many or possibly even most investors.
You misunderstand. My reply was intended for the original poster (only ... not an avg investor, which I don't even know what that would be).
My reply was based on what she has shared about herself on this thread as a TSLA investor. She is bull long-term with a minimum 10+ yr horizon, and has sufficient conviction to have already acquired 400+ shares with a $400k+ cost basis, and intends to accumulate more. She's early in her career with a stable job and sufficient disposable income. She also intends to dollar-cost average on a regular (wkly/biwkly?) basis, for possibly several more years. Granted, I don't know her TSLA investing temperament/tolerance, but I presume she aims to be steady and resolute.
Give me a different investor profile, I'll have a different response. I'll have a totally different take for someone doing onesies and twosies, like my cousin is.
Also, my response wasn't intended to suggest purchase price 'doesn't matter'. Of course it matters. It's math. However, as a shareholder since early-2013, I've been through the ups-and -downs and more ups-and-downs. Do I wish I had bought more shares at $35 vs $100, more at $100 vs $200, $200 vs $400, etc. ...? Of course. Do I fret about it 7 years later? Nope. Do I think of it those terms? No. I care about whether I think the SP will be X-times higher in 5 years, 10 yrs, etc. from the time I purchased it. Pick your "X" to match your profile/goals/expectations. Considering OP's scenario, and TSLA's expected performance over OP's long horizon, I'd argue 20% dif in SP now will be noise by then.
My other word for the OP is to consider a stash of cash for that possible 'bigger dip' associated w/ the macro 'event(s)' ... in addition to your DCA. Other than that, keep your eye on the end goal and continue spending time on TSLA research. I find it helps to strengthen my conviction (and reduces fretting).
