Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

Email to finalize but "no" red.

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
Well, I am in the 8400 area and got my email yesterday.

I should be ecstatic.

Instead the email is "useless" to me.

I just got off the phone with a Tesla rep and I am told that if you want a red, you can wait up to 6 months just to finalize.

Apparently, the factory simply doesn't have sufficient capacity to paint more than, what 3 or 4 colours?

Because they still have to paint any US Sigs left, plus Canadian Sigs plus Euro sigs, etc. etc. they cannot introduce "fire engine red" until March or April next year; about when my car should be delivered. Not when I finalize my order. So I still have a 9 months wait, minimum it sounds like, before I take delivery of car, which in theory the colour I loathe ... it SCREAMS RED!

I know I will make no "friends" with the "Signature club" but NO ONE outside these forums would know that Sig Red is anything "special"; nor am I aware of any car in history where its colour is part of its "pedigree".

You can have all the badging you want. But not colour.

Flat out, it's the only attractive, subtle, elegant and PRACTICAL* colour. Black would be my 2nd choice but in the summer it's too hot* inside the car.

So I have to decide whether to cancel my reservation or just put up with some BAD (IMO) decisions Tesla made years ago to keep Signature people happy. And wait FOREVER. Or wait til "X".

But as much as I "believe" in Tesla, why would I not wait 2 years and order again then?

And no, before anyone PM's me to offer ... I am not paying usurious prices to buy someone else's "Signature Red" ...
 
I don't really know but there page has looked this way for a long time now. It seems clear to me you won't be able to get 'Signature Red'. Heck even the paint color lets me know I probably won't be able to get it. The regular red has always had some sort of 'available after sigs are done' sort of tag.
TeslaOrderPage.png


Having color lineup change, or special edition colors seems normal to me. And they are offering 9 colors (right now, red would be 10) not 3-4. Sure Black/White/Silver/Grey/Pearl White are all greyscale. But this is normal among car manufacturers.

And I personally like the Red color the least. I have never liked red on cars, with the exception of exotic sports cars, and Jeep Wranglers (but before they got supersized by Chrysler). So your opinion that "it's the only attractive, subtle, elegant and PRACTICAL* colour" is just that, an opinion. I would take every color on the list, except silver, before I took either red.

And it isn't that I don't like the looks but I just am not the type of person to have a red car. And same goes for silver.


 
So I have to decide whether to cancel my reservation or just put up with some BAD (IMO) decisions Tesla made years ago to keep Signature people happy.

I can assure you there are/were unhappy sig owners too... having to drop sig reservations just to get a color they could live with. Some of us like colors that are not red (bearing in mind that shades of gray don't count as colors). And preferably not dark. I was lucky enough to get to pay extra for a custom color, before they concluded that it was too much trouble even for the extra money.
 
When I test drove the MS in DC they had a "Sunset Red" as they were calling it then. I loved the color and I was dead set on getting it when my number got called to finalize. Well, my number got called to finalize and "Whatever Red" was not available yet. I chose a different color...so is life. This is the first car that I've ever ordered and certianly the only one that I've had the ability to pick any option/feature/config I wanted besides what was sitting on a dealer lot.

I considered waiting for the red and that lasted about 2 seconds...then I got black... :)
 
I don't really understand the OP's question. Do you want Sig Red and are upset that you can't get it? Or do you want Sunset red and are upset that you have to wait for it? None of this is surprising and has been known to folks on the forum here for months. As ES posted Tesla isn't even showing Sunset Red as an option... What are you upset about again?
 
I think OP is simply frustrated that it is time to finalize but he can't get a red car The only alternate seems to be to defer 6 months. And who knows if this will subject him to the price increase.

I too would like a red car and will soon be in the same boat. Perhaps unwise of Tesla to bring the new red to Get Amped and put it in review pix and then make it unavailable.
 
This strikes me as all part of the small newer company issue. As an early adopter you have to understand that this is par for the course.

You always have the option you mentioned, to cancel your reservation. Red color seems like a small issue compared to missing jump seats, $600 a year maintenance fee, and waiting two years for your car but someone who ordered their six months ago got theirs. But everyone has their own priorities and red is your hot point. Good luck.
 
I don't really understand the OP's question. Do you want Sig Red and are upset that you can't get it? Or do you want Sunset red and are upset that you have to wait for it? None of this is surprising and has been known to folks on the forum here for months. As ES posted Tesla isn't even showing Sunset Red as an option... What are you upset about again?

I understand. I waitlisted the Signature so I could get Red. I wouldn't be offended if there were additional Sig Red cars. It would just be a more beautiful world. ;)

I didn't care for any of the other colors. They looked so dark to me that they seemed to be different shades of black. Silver, Black and White are common and not colors. Red was the only other car that got me excited amongst all the paint choices. I thought the green, blue or brown might work but they were darker than I imagined. If I hadn't cleared the waitlist I would have waited until 2013 to get Red, even though it's a bit more "Fire Engine" than I would prefer.

Now it sounds like the wait isn't just until 2013. When I saw that Red would be available in 2013 (it was a late addition), I thought it meant that they would be available after the Signatures were done or January 2013. Apparently they don't know when they will be able to do the Red now. If they did know, then it seems that the button would be available. They might not want to issue an MVPA when they cannot give an estimated delivery date. You may not have to wait for a full 6 months for the Red to be available. That's your gamble.

I would have chosen the color BGC like ggr has. Now THAT is color. ;)
 
I also received my Time to Config email yesterday, and plan to wait for the 2013 Red. I was told by my Tesla Contact that the 2013 Red would be added to the Design Studio before the end of the year (five weeks or less away?) and I could select and Finalize at that time. Does not seem to be much outside of the 30 time to configure window. With P 9001 I was not expecting delivery until May/June anyway.
 
I didn't care for any of the other colors. They looked so dark to me that they seemed to be different shades of black. Silver, Black and White are common and not colors.

That's pretty much what I thought too, except I'm not the Fire Chief so I don't need a red car. Silver or Pearl White seem the best colours and I'm not paying extra for Perl (I'm already a bit short) so silver it is, even though I'd much rather have a light blue or green.
 
I like the Signature Red, but Fire Engine Red is neither attractive, subtle, nor elegant to my eyes.
I'm happy for the Signature club that they got at least something unique for their extra deposit and extra price tag (although I do feel like Tesla should have given them more. more factory tours, more meet Elon Musk events, more swag, more something).

I'm quite pleased with the colors Tesla has made available, and as nrcooled pointed out, most of us have never had such options in choosing a color before. We bought what the person selling us the car (either new or used) had to offer. USA Dealerships are not interested in special ordering a vehicle for you, and they'll make you pay if that's what you require. Yes, we can special order you a car, but it will take 4 months and will cost MSRP. or on this one day only because we're running a special promotion [I think they have 365 different promotions], we can give you the car on the lot at our cost plus $500, and we'll throw in 3 years free maintenance, too.

I wonder if Tesla would have been better off reducing the amount of aesthetic options. Three interior colors (beige, gray, and black) seem necessary, but are all of the trim choices necessary? If they didn't have piano black trim, would anyone that did buy the car have decided not to buy the car?
 
Now it sounds like the wait isn't just until 2013. When I saw that Red would be available in 2013 (it was a late addition), I thought it meant that they would be available after the Signatures were done or January 2013.
But that's what they're doing - waiting until after ALL the Signatures are done. US, Canada, AND Euro. I believe the plan is to ship Euro Sigs in March so that lines up w/ the OPs timetable. Now if Euro sigs slip due to regulatory or whatever then Tesla will have to make a call but while I understand you might be disappointed it wasn't a surprise.
 
Thanks, and we agree, but you can't have it! There are many nice colors out there...

Realtree Camouflage!

I don't care about having an exclusive color, hardly anyone will know Sig red's actual meanings. I do love the Sig red color, though, and it's one of the reasons I jumped on the waiting list. I don't really care whether the Sunset Red is available sooner or later -- honestly, I'd rather see more choices out there so that others who really, really care about their car color get model S's on the road sooner, to make Tesla more successful. There were some gorgeous Roadster colors I would LOVE to see on the model S.
 
My suggestion is: take the white or the black car without metallic.

when you receive the car, go to a car wrapper and choose the color you wanted (take about 4 days an the cost is around $3000.
you safe the $750 from the metallic and the $950 from the paint amor. so it is only $1270 extra for your unique car with paint protection.
 
Last edited: