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Did anyone else cancel their Model S order to wait for the GEN III

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gjunky

Trifecta: Solar and both cars are EVs
Mar 26, 2012
1,268
438
Scottsdale, AZ
I decided a week or so ago to cancel my Model S order and I am waiting for a refund of my $5k at this time. My personal reason is that I just can't justify the price of the car with Taxes and Fees. I understand this is my personal opinion and I don't expect other people to agree with it.

However, I doubt I will be the only person so when it comes time to order your Model S and you decide not to go through with it but still would like a Tesla in the future, like I do, post a messages here.

Please post you main reason for cancelling your order
Please post additional reasons you might have had that were perhaps not show stoppers but still affected your decision.

When I cancelled my reservation over the phone, the representative said that they are getting a lot of inquiries for the GEN III. I asked but I wasn't able to put money down on a reservation yet.

- - - Updated - - -

Main Reason
Just couldn't justify the price (with Leather and Air Suspension)

Additional Reasons
* Lack of supercharging for the 40Kw Battery
* Lower Performance of the 40Kw Battery
* Interior storage
 
Additional Reasons
* Lack of supercharging for the 40Kw Battery
* Lower Performance of the 40Kw Battery
* Interior storage

You will probably have the same issues with a 40kWh Gen3 (model E?), but perhaps a 60kWh one will be more reasonably priced than a 60kWh Model S.

I was somewhat close to cancelling due to price and external size, but really don't want to wait for Gen3, so am still pushing for Model S.
 
I'm curious for details on your dissatisfaction about interior storage. What is the issue, too much storage?

Additional Reasons
* Lack of supercharging for the 40Kw Battery
* Lower Performance of the 40Kw Battery
* Interior storage[/QUOTE]
 
Man !!! Why all the flames people ? Geez. He made a decision that is right for him and is still trying to buy a Gen 3. I personally think that Model S is a rip off !! Little to no features and a high price. No where near a LUXURY car IMHO. Advanced and a good step yes. Needed Yes. A Good deal - no. I would be willing to bet if Model S had an ICE that almost NONE of you would be even considering it.
 
Man !!! Why all the flames people ? Geez. He made a decision that is right for him and is still trying to buy a Gen 3. I personally think that Model S is a rip off !! Little to no features and a high price. No where near a LUXURY car IMHO. Advanced and a good step yes. Needed Yes. A Good deal - no. I would be willing to bet if Model S had an ICE that almost NONE of you would be even considering it.

The only flame I see here is yours. Besides, Model S is advertised as a premium sedan with good performance/handling, not as "luxury". All-caps are pointless here.
 
Right now GenIII is pie in the sky. I have faith that Elon will pull it off but it's not guaranteed. In the meantime I'll miss out on a minimum of three years electric driving.
 
I decided a week or so ago to cancel my Model S order and I am waiting for a refund of my $5k at this time. My personal reason is that I just can't justify the price of the car with Taxes and Fees. I understand this is my personal opinion and I don't expect other people to agree with it.

I agree with it. The Model S is substantially too expensive. Frankly, batteries aren't cheap enough yet to make a mass-market car (Elon was too optimistic) and Tesla is nickel-and-diming the early adopters in order to pay for the R&D. (I don't mind so much overcharging the early adopters to pay for the R&D -- that is explicitly Tesla's business plan -- but they're not entirely upfront about it.)

I'm still getting a Model S, but I cancelled my Signature. While the final reason I cancelled it was a little obscure and personal (allergies), the Signature was >$10,000 premium for absolutely nothing, as far as I was concerned. Well, actually, for getting a car with build defects, "due bill" item, and punch list items, as we are finding out. But if there are people who are willing to pay through the nose to be first, I can't fault Tesla for taking their money.

I would actually wait for GenIII also, as it would be a more suitable car for me -- except that the existing cars I have access to are beginning to become maintenance nightmares, so I'm beginning to feel some serious pressure to get a new car. And I swore several years ago that I wasn't going to buy a new gas car. And the Leaf is not suitable for me, as I'd still have to use a gas car for mandatory longer trips, and I swore several years ago that I wasn't going to buy a new gas car. And there just isn't anything else out there yet. And there won't be next year, either.

So I decided to spend the money in order to keep my oath and stop swearing about oil changes and gas stations. I'm paying a lot for that. With almost none of the options (I'm getting 85kWh battery so I can drive to the service center, leather for my allergies, tech package for the foglights, air suspension for the dirt roads and snowdrifts), I'm pushing close to $100K after taxes. (Obviously the pricing looks better to people who can claim the federal tax credit, state tax credits, exemption from sales taxes, etc.; I will probably able to claim none of these, though I'm going to see if I can arrange my income to get the federal credit in 2013.)

I will say this: if you do wait for GenIII -- which will not be available until batteries are cheaper, so I would not expect to see it before 2016, probably later -- you may well end up getting another company's car. It appears that most of the manufacturers are still playing games and trying to avoid selling electric cars, but Nissan is serious, and they may have a very nice competitive model out around the same time.
 
@Zextraterrestrial: My reservation number was P3872 and yes, I was planning on the 40KwH only because it was the cheapest one.

@Kipernicus: I figured I might afford a higher end GENIII and not feel like I am paying a premium for a bottom of the line version. I would like to have access to the Superchargers and have the largest battery if possible

@clmason: Not complaining about the volume of storage but the lack of storage places, like door storage and center console. Purely my opinion of course.

@doug: Yes, the wait for the GENIII will be a long one and this decision was not made easily. I will definitely keep an eye on other cars coming to market also.

@neroden: I agree and have mentioned before that I feel Tesla is nickel-and-diming the early adopters for simple addons. They might want to take a look at Kia/Hyundai because their rate of improving cars is incredible and they tend to include a large number of additional gear. Curious to see if/when they decide to make an all-electric car

I don't agree with everything Tesla does, and why should I have too, but I love the company and what they have accomplished and I am very much looking forward to seeing their GENIII design.
 
gjunky. In response to your thread question. No. But I came to the same conclusion for myself without an initial reservation.

1. I can barely afford a base level Model S now if I pushed it. It's way more car than I need in size and use.

2. The Gen III should be perfect for my needs. I should be able to get all the upgrades I want including Sig and Performance possibly.

3. 3 to 4 years should allow me to properly prepare for it. I want to get a solar system to cover the charging of the car.

4. Investing in the company is what I can do and have done at this time. Also I'm promoting Tesla and EV's in general where I can.

That's my story...
 
I have thought about it. A BMW 3 series is the size car I want. But I still am planning on getting (assuming my bank agrees) a Model S. When a Gen III comes out I will probably get one for myself, and hand off my S to my wife; I may put a new battery in it also. Hopefully by then she won't continue to think she needs an ICE. And assuming she doesn't take the Model S away from me sooner than that.
 
I will say again that my decision is partly based on my relative need to get a new car. If you find yourself spending a fortune on maintenance or having to buy or lease a new gas car *while you wait* for Gen3, then it may suddenly seem more appropriate to spend the money on model S. If on the other hand you have a car which will run without trouble for another five years, you're in a different position.
 
gjunky - I certainly can sympathize with your perspective. I'm also waiting/hoping for a Gen 3. Though, I think everyone knows that the Model S is pricey and to be an early adopter you have to pay a premium. Looks like this reality hit home for you.

If you had a few million dollars of play money you'd still be on the list. Right? I would be...
 
@Grendal: I agree with all your points.

Yes, If money was no object, I would order a performance model and not look back.

As it is now, I have a 2006 car with very low mileage (37k) and can drive that car until the GENIII comes out.
 
I just paid off my current 2007 car with 85K miles on it. I'll be able to pocket that extra money in order to assist in the Gen III purchase.

When I get rid of my current car, in hopefully 2016, it will have the lowest miles of any car I have ever owned. My current record is my last Saturn that I traded in with 190K miles on it. My two previous cars had over 250K on them. I'm very loyal to my cars and I expect to put 300-400K miles on my Tesla.

If the Gen III gets delayed too much I will probably pull the trigger on a used Model S or possibly get a newer Model S 2.0...
 
By any measure, the Model S is one awesome car. Though, due to the price, it's not for everyone. Gen III will be a much smaller car. I'm done with little bitty cars. Fortunately Model S is a full size car. I think $50K is a fair price for the base Model S. Only slightly more than a Volt, and about the same price as a RAV4 EV. When Gen III comes out, it will either have a $50K price tag with desirable options, or it will have a base price near $40K. If I'm wrong and the base price is near $30K, you won't want it, because you'll be comparing it to the Model S.
 
If I'm wrong and the base price is near $30K, you won't want it, because you'll be comparing it to the Model S.

I don't see why you wouldn't want it. It will likely cost $50K-$60K with a good set of options and the performance package, similar to how the Model S costs $100,000 with a good set of options and the performance package. It will be compared to the Model S regardless of the price. Or am I missing something?