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Timing questions after getting "Time to Build" email

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I'm P6852 and just got the Time to build email this morning.

How long do I have to decide to buy or to defer?
If I buy now, in what month would my car likely be delivered?
If I defer, does anyone know when the car might be delivered?

Do we know how many cars have been delivered?

I love the idea behind the Model S, but I'm not an "early adopter" by nature, and committing to pay $100k for something that only a couple hundred people have gotten to own makes me rather nervous. I was rather hoping that by the time I had to make my decision, I'd see more evidence that there was not some flaw in the car that would make me hate my purchase and ruin the resale value.


Incidentally, my configuration so far looks like:
Performance
Blue,
Pano Roof
21" Grey wheels (British spelling?)
Black Performance Interior
Carbon Fiber
Tech Package
Sound Studio
Paint Armor

If anyone wants to chime in on different configuration suggestions, I'm open to listening.

thanks,
Derek
 
If you finalize now, you'll likely get a January delivery (my estimate).

You can just wait indefinitely and once you finalize your configuration you'll be slotted in the queue immediately and you'll get your Model S roughly 3 months later.

There is a thread here for the # of cars delivered, I think I saw a quote from a Tesla rep indicating that they had delivered half of the US sigs (~500 cars).

If you're not the early adopter type and are content to wait a little while there is no harm in that at all. Just click the finalize button when you are ready...


I'm P6852 and just got the Time to build email this morning.

How long do I have to decide to buy or to defer?
If I buy now, in what month would my car likely be delivered?
If I defer, does anyone know when the car might be delivered?

Do we know how many cars have been delivered?

I love the idea behind the Model S, but I'm not an "early adopter" by nature, and committing to pay $100k for something that only a couple hundred people have gotten to own makes me rather nervous. I was rather hoping that by the time I had to make my decision, I'd see more evidence that there was not some flaw in the car that would make me hate my purchase and ruin the resale value.


Incidentally, my configuration so far looks like:
Performance
Blue,
Pano Roof
21" Grey wheels (British spelling?)
Black Performance Interior
Carbon Fiber
Tech Package
Sound Studio
Paint Armor

If anyone wants to chime in on different configuration suggestions, I'm open to listening.

thanks,
Derek
 
Do we know how many cars have been delivered?

I love the idea behind the Model S, but I'm not an "early adopter" by nature, and committing to pay $100k for something that only a couple hundred people have gotten to own makes me rather nervous. I was rather hoping that by the time I had to make my decision, I'd see more evidence that there was not some flaw in the car that would make me hate my purchase and ruin the resale value.


Incidentally, my configuration so far looks like:
Performance
Blue,
Pano Roof
21" Grey wheels (British spelling?)
Black Performance Interior
Carbon Fiber
Tech Package
Sound Studio
Paint Armor

If anyone wants to chime in on different configuration suggestions, I'm open to listening.

thanks,
Derek

That looks like a good setup. Deferring likely won't give you enough time to be assured since it will take a year or two for some issues to crop up. I've been really happy with my car so far. Software updates that should be in place by the time your car is delivered would address even more of the minor issues I've seen.
 
I've heard mixed messages on whether waiting the full month to lock in has any impact on delivery date. I think the official line is that it does not. I suspect the practical reality is that it could depending on the batching.
 
If you finalize now, you'll likely get a January delivery (my estimate).

He's roughly 8000 cars behind where we are in production. At the max rate of 400/week (which we're not close to yet), that would be 20 weeks minimum, or four and a half months. That would put him at a February delivery at the earliest. I know I'm not including cancellations or further production ramping, but that's a pretty close estimate right now.

There is a thread here for the # of cars delivered, I think I saw a quote from a Tesla rep indicating that they had delivered half of the US sigs (~500 cars).

I don't think they have delivered that many. The SEC filing said they had delivered 132 as of a week and a half ago. That number is probably the total in production that have had VINs assigned and aren't non-customer cars. Most of those 500 are still somewhere on the production line. Many are still in transit (since shipping takes a week or two for most folks).

- - - Updated - - -

I've heard mixed messages on whether waiting the full month to lock in has any impact on delivery date. I think the official line is that it does not. I suspect the practical reality is that it could depending on the batching.

I think it only mattered if you're a low sequence number. If you're sitting on your hands with the configuration process while others behind you have already decided and they've got cars to run through the production line, they're not going to wait for you. But in this case, because it's so far out, they can easily maintain his sequence because he's not holding up production at all.
 
Nice set up; only comment is about the wheels--the 19" wheels have a better choice of snow tires, if that matters to you. Some people are getting an extra set of 19" rims+tires for snow season, to swap out their 21" summer set.

There'll be about 1,000 cars delivered by the end of the month, so there'll be more feedback on the car before you 'need' to finalize. I agree that February 2013 is the earliest you'd get the car; I'd bet on March.
 
Thanks.

So I have 1 month to choose between finalizing and deferring?

I live in Silicon Valley (San Jose), so snow isn't an issue. Paying a couple thousand a year in tires isn't my favorite, but I like sticky tires, so what can I do? I wonder if the 19" wheels would affect the 0-60 time on a typical road. The 245/40R17s on my SLK32 struggle to stick when I floor it. Of course the single speed transmission means that the Model S can have lower 0-60 times without having as much peak acceleration.
 
So I have 1 month to choose between finalizing and deferring?
30 days, right -- that holds your position. If you delay beyond 30 days, your delivery time starts to slip.

I wonder if the 19" wheels would affect the 0-60 time on a typical road. The 245/40R17s on my SLK32 struggle to stick when I floor it.
Some discussion you might want to review over here: 19 Wheels Pros and Cons
 
Thanks.

So I have 1 month to choose between finalizing and deferring?

I live in Silicon Valley (San Jose), so snow isn't an issue. Paying a couple thousand a year in tires isn't my favorite, but I like sticky tires, so what can I do? I wonder if the 19" wheels would affect the 0-60 time on a typical road. The 245/40R17s on my SLK32 struggle to stick when I floor it. Of course the single speed transmission means that the Model S can have lower 0-60 times without having as much peak acceleration.

The 19" wheels give you the most options (can get sticky performance tires, all-season tires or winter tires which you wouldn't need of course) and are cheaper and last longer too. I like the look of the 21" wheels though and they do come with performance tires on them which are fairly sticky.
 
Nice config, that's mine without the paint armor. Haven't seen too many people say that they've locked in blue/black.

I'm P6852 and just got the Time to build email this morning.

How long do I have to decide to buy or to defer?
If I buy now, in what month would my car likely be delivered?
If I defer, does anyone know when the car might be delivered?

Do we know how many cars have been delivered?

I love the idea behind the Model S, but I'm not an "early adopter" by nature, and committing to pay $100k for something that only a couple hundred people have gotten to own makes me rather nervous. I was rather hoping that by the time I had to make my decision, I'd see more evidence that there was not some flaw in the car that would make me hate my purchase and ruin the resale value.


Incidentally, my configuration so far looks like:
Performance
Blue,
Pano Roof
21" Grey wheels (British spelling?)
Black Performance Interior
Carbon Fiber
Tech Package
Sound Studio
Paint Armor

If anyone wants to chime in on different configuration suggestions, I'm open to listening.

thanks,
Derek
 
That's a real bruiser. ;-)

I think I'm going to go for the blue/black. (It'll keep the kids feet off the backs of the seat j/k)

As far as deferral goes, I'm not sure why someone would purposely select to defer at this point rather than to just let the 30d limit slip by, especially if you actually intend to buy the car.

I agree that it will take 1-2 years for problems to surface; however, glaring problems with manufacturing, software problems, updates, integration of technology packaging will occur over the next 6m. That would be a comfortable time for people to observe what is going on.

For me, the timing is a financial issue as well as a desire to see who things unfold over the next 6 months. I expect to get my email by the end of the month given how things are going. So, I will probably let mine slip for a few months before I lock in.

Seems reasonable.
 
You can just let it slip, and then you pop back into the production queue whenever you do finalize.

I recently read at the Tesla Motors site that you have 30 days to configure and, if you let it slip ~10 days past the 30 days, they will automatically defer you.


I'd advise one to go read up on their contracts and look at the Tesla Motors facts pages to verify what will happen to their reservation for themselves before making assumptions regarding "slipping". Things evolve.
 
Rather than my having to look up a contract on the Tesla Motors facts page, it seems like this should be something that they proactively tell everyone, shouldn't it?
and I've gotten the feeling from other threads that sometimes what Tesla has been saying they'll do and what they actually are doing have slight differences.

When I got the "time to build" email, I was expecting it to explain:
1) my options regarding deferral
2) a rough estimate of the delivery date if I did finalize. I'd be okay with them having a ±1 month caveat
3) details about payment. Do I need to pay 5 months before I get my car? If not, they build my car, and then I renege on my payment, then what happens? Do they keep the deposit?

I'm actually rather surprised that these questions aren't answered for me without my having to post to an online forum.
 
Rather than my having to look up a contract on the Tesla Motors facts page, it seems like this should be something that they proactively tell everyone, shouldn't it?
and I've gotten the feeling from other threads that sometimes what Tesla has been saying they'll do and what they actually are doing have slight differences.

When I got the "time to build" email, I was expecting it to explain:
1) my options regarding deferral
2) a rough estimate of the delivery date if I did finalize. I'd be okay with them having a ±1 month caveat
3) details about payment. Do I need to pay 5 months before I get my car? If not, they build my car, and then I renege on my payment, then what happens? Do they keep the deposit?

I'm actually rather surprised that these questions aren't answered for me without my having to post to an online forum.

Here it is. It is in the original Model S Reservation agreement, Section 6 Deferral and Non-Transferability.

https://www.teslamotors.com/sites/default/files/blog_attachments/20120313-model_s_reservation_agreement-us.pdf