It’s almost time for Tesla to deliver Model 3 to people who stood in line on March 31, 2016. While I stood there, I was doubting if it was worth waiting in a line since there was already more than 200 people ahead of me. But overhearing current Tesla owners discussing about how much they love their Model S, made me want to wait and put 2 deposits down. Now that November is almost here, I can’t wait till for Model 3 delivery.
Let’s start off this discussion with what options you plan to pick and exterior color selection. Here are my preferences for Nov to Jan delivery:
Exterior Color: Blue or White (still undecided…will like to see both colors in person).
Interior: Want to have a glass roof…so definitely Premium pkg (not sure if we have option to select synthetic leather color)
Battery: Will pick standard since $9,000 for a long range is pricey and most of my commutes will be less than 30 miles per day.
Wheels: Standard
Tesla Charger: Looking into getting one installed
For my 2nd reservation, I am going to hold off till the last month of $7,500 federal tax credit so that I can try to get AWD version. It’s currently estimated that June of 2018 may be the last month for $7,500 credit.
Looking forward to discuss and share Model 3 experience. Feel free to post any Model 3 news that will be helpful to other new owners.
Will you be able to get the shorter range version in that time frame? I’m January to March for the initial (long-range, premium only) version, March to May on the shorter range…and September to November on the AWD. You must’ve gotten in early…I pre-ordered during the reveal, but apparently not early enough.
It pains me a bit, but I’ll probably going to pass, as it’s a little wide to comfortably fit in the garage (which is admittedly stupidly small, but so be it), and I really don’t drive enough to warrant buying a brand new car anyhow. We’ll see if that changes as more real-world owner feedback comes in…
I am hoping regular battery will be available by December. Tesla seems to be ahead of its schedule and regular battery may come out one month early (my expected delivery date for regular battery is Jan to March). If not, Tesla will get extra $9k and I will get a car that won’t need to be charged too often.
I wouldn’t give up a reservation. People ordering now won’t get one till end of 2019.
Yes I think it’s 1k premium. I ordered on 4/1 around 6:00 pm pacific. I don’t have an expected delivery date yet, but I’m west coast so hopefully this year.
You probably get it this year since living on West coast.
$300 is not bad. You must be just getting a 240 volt outlet and not do The wall mounted EV charger. That’s economical solution since Tesla will give NEMA 14-50 adaptor when you purchase your Model 3.
Early reservationists who kept their place in line are not going to give it up too easily at this point since the car is about to be delivered soon. But who knows, maybe some people who can afford only a regular range battery may give up since $9,000 can be above their budget and realize they can’t afford to get Model 3 this year.
It will be interesting to see how much Model 3 will sell for when someone lists it on eBay. I wouldn’t be surprised if premium is above $10k above purchased price.
I thought that this credit was limited to the first 200,000 cars (of all models) sold by the manufacturer, and Tesla must have sold way more than that by now. Was that wrong or am I thinking of something else?
Tax credit is based on total US sales #. It’s projected to hit 200k # in 2018 Q1. If that happens, then $7,500 credit will be given out till June of 2018. Hopefully, Tesla will ship out Model S and X to overseas so that 200k is not reached in 2017 Q4. I am sure Tesla is well aware how important it is to stretch out the tax credit.
I fully intend on buying one used (unless a competitor can provide a similar cost/value ratio). I can’t justify buying new (and I’m not in line anyways).
Still, I’m jealous, and I think this is going to be awesome!
I predict that for the first year, a used Model 3 will be more expensive than a new one. Why? New ones will get to take advantage of the tax credit and new car financing. The advantage of used ones will be that you can get it right away without waiting in line.
Once the tax credit phases out and production is fully scaled up, things should get back to normal and used ones will be cheaper than new ones.
Plus the fully electric landscape is changing much more quickly than for conventional gasoline vehicles so if you’re not already in line to get a new one, you may as well wait a long while or just go for the next newer model probably with even better battery, driving assistance, etc.
That’s a main reason why a lot of people are leasing Leafs, Bolts, and others. By the time you’re at the 3-5 yr mark, your car is so outpaced in performance compared to newer cars that it’s not worth buying used. May not be as severe for Tesla considering initial quality but still.
I don’t think anyone getting Tesla Model 3 early will too much money if they drive it for one year and decide to sell it. $7,500 Federal tax credit should cover most of first year’s depreciation cost. I wouldn’t be surprised that if someone buying $44K (long range battery model) this December will be able to sell it for at least $35K at end of 2018. If buying $35K model early in 2018, should be able to sell for at least$30K at end of year and collect $7,500 tax credit. Unless the waiting list suddenly shrinks in half, Model 3 will have a high resell value for the first 2 years.
Haha…Millionaire Next Door concept works well on most cars except for Model 3. 500K Pre-order will take at least 2 years to fulfill. By the time you wait for Model 3 to depreciate 50%, 2018 model may be behind technology. Who knows…maybe in few years EV cars may go 400 miles on a single charge and charging will take less than 10 minutes on a supercharger.
But people who saw the vision of Tesla and bought Tesla stocks around IPO are the new generation of self-made Millionaire. Unfortunately, I bought my first Tesla shares in 2016. I blame it on Jim Cramer from Mad Money. He said Tesla has “limited visibility” and will take decades before it can get established. Oh how his limited visibility cost me from becoming a millionaire!
Reserved 3/31 online, delivery est Dec - Feb, Mar - May, or Sep - Nov…I actually don’t want to take my delivery this early so would push off to standard battery + enhanced autopilot.
Would love to hold out for AWD, but only half the tax credit will be available starting July, so AWD might end up costing like $10k or so…not worth it.
My overarching plan is to get in now at tail end of full tax credit with minimal options, drive for ~2 years or so, sell at hopefully a minimal loss (due to tax credit), then lease a new AWD model 3 with upgraded options…leases aren’t available now but they should be coming later (can do with Model S). The reason I like leasing is that these cars are constantly/continually upgraded through each “model year” (new back seats in Model S as example)
Also in case folks aren’t aware, the standard wheels look really nice once the aero cover is popped off:
