First just let me say that this is a dream come true for me. I've never owned any kind of special/fast/premium/luxury car before. I'm not a "car guy" by any means. I am a tech nerd and a believer in Elon Musk's vision for the future of sustainable transport + space exploration. For me, owning this car is about putting my money where my heart is.
Model S and X always seemed out of reach for me financially, but when Tesla unveiled the Model 3 in 2016, I started to have hope that some day I could be able to afford one. Even then, I wasn't in a position to put down what was to me at the time a sizable deposit on a vehicle I wouldn't see for a couple of years. When I finally put in my reservation in March of this year, I thought I wouldn't see the car until 2019 at the earliest based on the reported number of reservations. Obviously a bunch of things have transpired between then and now that changed all of that. Onto the details.
Non-Owner Reserved: 03/04/18
Configured: 06/27/18
Delivery Scheduled: 10/01/18
Delivery: 10/12/18
VIN: 889xx
Build: September 2018
Like many of you, I probably refreshed my account page about 12 million times waiting for the configurator to open up. I had actually sort of resigned at one point and decided that I was just going to be patient and had given up the refresh-o-palooza. For whatever reason, I pulled on my phone on the night of 6/27/18 before bed and went to the account page. Boom. The configurator was live. I didn't know at the time that it was more of a global opening to everyone, but I very quickly configured and hit submit. I went back and forth on 3 colors, but ultimately ended up with AWD / Pearl White / 19” Sport Wheels / Premium Black Interior / EAP + FSD.
Fortunately, I didn't experience any of the crazy heartbreak that many have with respect to delivery scheduling and appointments. I was content with my delivery window (Sep-Nov) and made a pact with myself that I wasn't going to get antsy until the tail end of November if I still didn't have a car. I did receive an email for the LA Tesla Direct service with two weeks to go in Q3, but I understood based on my time here that was a long shot. It passed by and I didn't worry about it much.
One day before I was scheduled to go out of the country on business, I got a call from Tesla saying that my car was at the Costa Mesa, CA delivery center and that I could pick it up tomorrow. Needless to say, I considered quitting my job and no-showing the trip to pickup the car, but ended up setting the delivery for the day after my return instead.
Then it happened. I took a Lyft to the delivery center, was greeted instantly, ushered back into the indoor garage where 13 Model 3s, including mine, were sitting there waiting to be loved. I only waited for about 5-10 minutes and then a Delivery Specialist came over with the paperwork. I politely asked if I could inspect the car prior to submitting payment and signing. He was totally cool about it. The car was in really good shape. After about 10 laps around the car, I only noticed a little bit of gunk on one of the wheels and a very tiny rock chip on the front bumper deck. By "very tiny", I mean that no one was ever going to notice it without looking with a magnifying glass. So, I let it slide and decided to move forward with delivery.
We more-or-less sign and drive'd the delivery. I blew through the settings and named the car "Eleven" - a dual tribute to Apollo 11 and, of course, Stranger Things. The Delivery Specialist was super helpful, but I told him that I wouldn't waste his time and that I had watched every Model 3 video on YouTube in existence. We had a good laugh and that was it. I pulled out of the Delivery Center about 30 minutes after arriving...into the driving rain.
Yes, that's right. It began to rain just as I pulled out of the garage. This is Southern California, people. It almost never rains. Since I took delivery yesterday around 6:00 PM, it has been pouring rain. As I type this, I'm watching my side yard turn into a river. But I digress.
We went to dinner and then home, so I only put about 35 miles on the vehicle. It was delivered to me with 6 miles on the odometer. Upon arriving home, my super awesome neighbors had put a sign on my garage door. The specs are a little off, but A+ for effort and thoughtfulness (they're probably thrilled that I finally have the car so that they don't have to hear me talk about it any more).
I noticed straight away at delivery that Version 9 was waiting to be installed, so I was eager to get home and make that happen. I started the update around 9:45 PM and it finished at 10:10 PM, which I thought was super-fast.
I got up first thing this morning to begin transferring everything from my old car to the Model 3, setup the HomeLink, etc. I'm scheduled for tint and PPF on Monday and I received word from the DMV that my vanity plates are ready for pickup, then I should be all set to just enjoy the ride.
I have to say, it's just an amazing vehicle. I know that the process has been very long and arduous for many of you, but all I can say is hang in there. You're not going to remember much of that once you're behind the wheel of one of these spaceships. We're living in the future.
Model S and X always seemed out of reach for me financially, but when Tesla unveiled the Model 3 in 2016, I started to have hope that some day I could be able to afford one. Even then, I wasn't in a position to put down what was to me at the time a sizable deposit on a vehicle I wouldn't see for a couple of years. When I finally put in my reservation in March of this year, I thought I wouldn't see the car until 2019 at the earliest based on the reported number of reservations. Obviously a bunch of things have transpired between then and now that changed all of that. Onto the details.
Non-Owner Reserved: 03/04/18
Configured: 06/27/18
Delivery Scheduled: 10/01/18
Delivery: 10/12/18
VIN: 889xx
Build: September 2018
Like many of you, I probably refreshed my account page about 12 million times waiting for the configurator to open up. I had actually sort of resigned at one point and decided that I was just going to be patient and had given up the refresh-o-palooza. For whatever reason, I pulled on my phone on the night of 6/27/18 before bed and went to the account page. Boom. The configurator was live. I didn't know at the time that it was more of a global opening to everyone, but I very quickly configured and hit submit. I went back and forth on 3 colors, but ultimately ended up with AWD / Pearl White / 19” Sport Wheels / Premium Black Interior / EAP + FSD.
Fortunately, I didn't experience any of the crazy heartbreak that many have with respect to delivery scheduling and appointments. I was content with my delivery window (Sep-Nov) and made a pact with myself that I wasn't going to get antsy until the tail end of November if I still didn't have a car. I did receive an email for the LA Tesla Direct service with two weeks to go in Q3, but I understood based on my time here that was a long shot. It passed by and I didn't worry about it much.
One day before I was scheduled to go out of the country on business, I got a call from Tesla saying that my car was at the Costa Mesa, CA delivery center and that I could pick it up tomorrow. Needless to say, I considered quitting my job and no-showing the trip to pickup the car, but ended up setting the delivery for the day after my return instead.
Then it happened. I took a Lyft to the delivery center, was greeted instantly, ushered back into the indoor garage where 13 Model 3s, including mine, were sitting there waiting to be loved. I only waited for about 5-10 minutes and then a Delivery Specialist came over with the paperwork. I politely asked if I could inspect the car prior to submitting payment and signing. He was totally cool about it. The car was in really good shape. After about 10 laps around the car, I only noticed a little bit of gunk on one of the wheels and a very tiny rock chip on the front bumper deck. By "very tiny", I mean that no one was ever going to notice it without looking with a magnifying glass. So, I let it slide and decided to move forward with delivery.
We more-or-less sign and drive'd the delivery. I blew through the settings and named the car "Eleven" - a dual tribute to Apollo 11 and, of course, Stranger Things. The Delivery Specialist was super helpful, but I told him that I wouldn't waste his time and that I had watched every Model 3 video on YouTube in existence. We had a good laugh and that was it. I pulled out of the Delivery Center about 30 minutes after arriving...into the driving rain.
Yes, that's right. It began to rain just as I pulled out of the garage. This is Southern California, people. It almost never rains. Since I took delivery yesterday around 6:00 PM, it has been pouring rain. As I type this, I'm watching my side yard turn into a river. But I digress.
We went to dinner and then home, so I only put about 35 miles on the vehicle. It was delivered to me with 6 miles on the odometer. Upon arriving home, my super awesome neighbors had put a sign on my garage door. The specs are a little off, but A+ for effort and thoughtfulness (they're probably thrilled that I finally have the car so that they don't have to hear me talk about it any more).
I noticed straight away at delivery that Version 9 was waiting to be installed, so I was eager to get home and make that happen. I started the update around 9:45 PM and it finished at 10:10 PM, which I thought was super-fast.
I got up first thing this morning to begin transferring everything from my old car to the Model 3, setup the HomeLink, etc. I'm scheduled for tint and PPF on Monday and I received word from the DMV that my vanity plates are ready for pickup, then I should be all set to just enjoy the ride.
I have to say, it's just an amazing vehicle. I know that the process has been very long and arduous for many of you, but all I can say is hang in there. You're not going to remember much of that once you're behind the wheel of one of these spaceships. We're living in the future.
