When is best time to trade in S85 for D with AP?

[Wildcat]

I have a buddy who was contacted by Tesla to trade in his current S85 for a 90D with AP. He got a great deal on trade-in. Essentially was paying the same monthly payment for brand new car with all the upgrades.

This occurred in late Nov of 2015 and his understanding from Tesla was that Tesla gave more than usual for the trade-in as they were trying to hit their new car sales numbers by the end of the year. I inquired in early December about the same deal and was quoted a terrible number for my trade-in. I guess the December trade-in was too late for them to be able to book my sale by the end of the year. Anybody else seen this? Is it a quarterly phenomenon or just end of the year?

 

[SDRick]

The best time to trade in your car is 9:00 am.
That way you can enjoy your 90D all day long.
(In other words, I don't know the answer to your question).

 

[SteveW25561]

I just placed an order for my S85 which was pre parking sensors (which I added later). I got a very reason ale in my opinion trade in value. This, plus the recent improvement in price due to the exchange rate helped as well. It still hurts a bit since I bought when the CDN$ was par, so my new car is about 30% more expensive (plus when I got it in 2013, I had the BC EV rebate of $5,000).

Still, looking forward to the new car with all the new features.

The current referral program also takes a bit of the bite out.

 

[whitex]

It still hurts a bit since I bought when the CDN$ was par, so my new car is about 30% more expensive (plus when I got it in 2013, I had the BC EV rebate of $5,000).

On the bright side, doesn't that mean that your trade-in just got a 30% bump as well? Out of curiosity, what was your depreciation % (money you pain in 2013 vs what you got for your trade-in today)?

 

[kort677]

the OP has hit it right, tesla does not discount their cars however if there is a push to hit a number, like monthly or quarterly sales, they can become very generous with what they'll offer on a traded in tesla. I like the OPs friend upgraded my car around the same time, took delivery late december '15, with very little difference in monthly costs. If an owner of an older tesla wants to trade to a newer one the timing of the trade can bring in extra $$ on the older car. YMMV

 

[gaswalla]

The best time to trade in a non-D non-AP was 2 years ago

 

[Model S M.D.]

Analysis and logic aside, the best time is yesterday! I would do it for AP alone, but the D is icing on the cake (acceleration, handling, efficiency). AP is quickly becoming the killer feature of the Model S, you will not regret it one bit

I have a buddy who was contacted by Tesla to trade in his current S85 for a 90D with AP. He got a great deal on trade-in. Essentially was paying the same monthly payment for brand new car with all the upgrades.

This occurred in late Nov of 2015 and his understanding from Tesla was that Tesla gave more than usual for the trade-in as they were trying to hit their new car sales numbers by the end of the year. I inquired in early December about the same deal and was quoted a terrible number for my trade-in. I guess the December trade-in was too late for them to be able to book my sale by the end of the year. Anybody else seen this? Is it a quarterly phenomenon or just end of the year?

 

[tstafford]

Conventional wisdom would say that November/December is the time to have this conversation with the Tesla store. Tesla has repeatedly done things to hit quarterly and year end numbers. I can't see how you'd get a worse deal approaching it this way.

 

[whitex]

Conventional wisdom would say that November/December is the time to have this conversation with the Tesla store. Tesla has repeatedly done things to hit quarterly and year end numbers. I can't see how you'd get a worse deal approaching it this way.

It probably depends on the situation. One extreme would be wanting to trade in January but waiting until December to get a deal. Your trade-in could lose more value in that time than the extra end-of-year boost, plus you were paying payments on your car.Also you'll likely have to get an inventory car since ordering in December is too late for December delivery - inventory car often means paying for a feature or two you don't care for, or not getting some feature you want.

 

[xav-]

I would look at when tesla quarter results end.. I assume June 30. Obviously not the same car but I remember getting a great deal on my Nissan Altima hybrid (which I still own to this day) on June 30th 2009. I received a phone call at 5pm with a deal I could not refuse. We stayed at the dealership until 10 pm that night. They were trying to hit their quota for the month.

 

[xav-]

I have a buddy who was contacted by Tesla to trade in his current S85 for a 90D with AP. He got a great deal on trade-in. Essentially was paying the same monthly payment for brand new car with all the upgrades.

This occurred in late Nov of 2015 and his understanding from Tesla was that Tesla gave more than usual for the trade-in as they were trying to hit their new car sales numbers by the end of the year. I inquired in early December about the same deal and was quoted a terrible number for my trade-in. I guess the December trade-in was too late for them to be able to book my sale by the end of the year. Anybody else seen this? Is it a quarterly phenomenon or just end of the year?

The car that you you wanted to buy.. Was it a car that they had in inventory? if not they likely would not have been able to book revenue before the end of the quarter.

 

[Wildcat]

The car that you you wanted to buy.. Was it a car that they had in inventory? if not they likely would not have been able to book revenue before the end of the quarter.

Correct. It wasn't an inventory car. They count the sale once the car is delivered. So, for custom builds, you need to hit them around 45 days before quarter end. They may care more about end of year than end of quarter as well. Not sure.

 

[Boatguy]

The best time to trade in your car is right after they announce a major upgrade! Which is ....

 

[xav-]

Correct. It wasn't an inventory car. They count the sale once the car is delivered. So, for custom builds, you need to hit them around 45 days before quarter end. They may care more about end of year than end of quarter as well. Not sure.

I think in theory best

Correct. It wasn't an inventory car. They count the sale once the car is delivered. So, for custom builds, you need to hit them around 45 days before quarter end. They may care more about end of year than end of quarter as well. Not sure.

They must be so busy building cars I am not sure your custom order would make a difference, unless maybe you buy a very expensive car. Then you would have to perfectly time when your car gets built. Also I suspect that they will likely prioritize expensive configurations over cheaper configurations.

I would think your best chances would be to get an inventory car right before the quarter or year cuts. Then you would likely need to involve multiple dealerships, as some may be more aggressive than others (and may have different targets to meet).

This is my 2 cents. I don't own a tesla. This is based on my experience with my other car and basics in accounting and finance.

Something for sure if you are in the market it never hurts to call and ask a few questions and make an aggressive offer. You may receive a call back.

 

[davidc18]

At the SC yesterday to get a fob replaced and asked about when to get the best "deal" on a trade and without hesitating the manager said December.

 

[182RG]

He got a great deal on trade-in. Essentially was paying the same monthly payment for brand new car with all the upgrades.

So, if he only had 3 payments left on his old car, and now he has 60 left on his new car, he got a great deal? He could have really gotten screwed, also. Basing the "deal" on monthly payments, isn't really a measure at all. You need to do the calculations. Forget about monthly payments in the equation.

 

[kort677]

This is my 2 cents. I don't own a tesla.

but yet you feel qualified to pontificate on the Tesla buying experience?
build time has been around 6-8 weeks for years. your vast experience with other car manufacturers is not pertinent to the discussion. tesla strives to NOT be like other auto manufacturers.
lastly, I've never heard any stories of tesla negotiating "deals" like dealers for traditional manufacturers always do.

 

[kort677]

So, if he only had 3 payments left on his old car, and now he has 60 left on his new car, he got a great deal? He could have really gotten screwed, also. Basing the "deal" on monthly payments, isn't really a measure at all. You need to do the calculations. Forget about monthly payments in the equation.

help me out here, how can making the same payments for a NEW updated car is a bad deal

 

[182RG]

help me out here, how can making the same payments for a NEW updated car is a bad deal

You can't be serious with this question, can you? Consider a hypothetical trade: You get $20,000 below KBB on your trade-in. You pay full retail, plus taxes for your new car. The finance guy works it so you have the same payment, maybe less. He rolls the taxes into your financing. You only had a few payments left on your trade-in. You now have 5-7 years of payments ahead. Financially, how exactly is this a good deal?

The problem is so many people today see a "good deal" as keeping the payment the same or lower. The don't even bother to calculate anything else, to see if they are getting screwed. If your idea of a good deal is a perpetual string of monthly payments, have at it.

 

[Seesaw]

When Autopilot was released, in my mind Tesla were doing some crazy good trade in deals on pre-AP cars. Probably a case where the residual values of vehicles hadn't yet caught up to the announcement.

Following threads on here it often appears to be a two week window to trade your car in after a big release (D, AP, etc). Not financial advice!

Does appear to be very different to other car makers where the market appears to know weeks or months in advance on new model updates