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

Hearing about the D just 9 days after taking delivery of P85+ merits a switch!!!

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
I want to see if anyone else is in my position with unveiling of the D. I purchased the P85+ on September 17th with every option available except cold weather package as I'm in So Cal. Total cost of the vehicle before taxes was $127k. Typically production takes 4-8 weeks but the employees at my test drive pulled some strings and got a delivery date of Sept 30th which initially I was super exited and impressed about.

The day after I took delivery of my P85+ Elon makes his famous tweet about the D and on October 9th here we have it. The $127k P85+ has now been rolled into the $134K P85D with only a $7k price increase and the P85+ is no longer offered.

I have a major problem with tesla's lack of communication to customers purchasing fully upgraded P85+ so close the the unveiling of the D. I don't want to speculate on Elon's marketing strategy of mysteriousness and surprise but when it comes down to a time frame of weeks, it is clear that buyers paying this amount and clearly looking for the most upgraded model should have been at best informally hinted at the idea to make an informed decision.

It's not like I was a buyer looking at the 85 and debating the price of the leather trim or the upgraded sound system. I clearly wanted every option and expressed it clearly. I also find it hard to believe that the employees themselves didn't know about the D because they kept telling me my car has some "advanced hardware and features that are amazing but cannot be talked about because they haven't been officially released". Of course hinting to the drive and lane assist features.

Now even if I sell my P85+ I'm going to get hit with a huge loss as the difference in monthly cost from what I payed for my P85+ and the D is less than $100.

It is my opinion that customers that purchased the fully upgraded P85+ within a few weeks of the D should have been given for knowledge of the upcoming D due to the immediate time frame.

I have put an email in to Tesla suggesting they allow me to order the D and trade in my P85+ upon delivery and pay only the price difference and 2 month depreciation. What they do is up to them but if they know their target demographic they should do everything to make this right as I'm sure most of us will be purchasing multiple tesla's as we believe in the company and for me am heavily investing in the stock as well.

Has anyone else experienced this situation? I'd love to get feedback/comments/thoughts.
 
I have put an email in to Tesla suggesting they allow me to order the D and trade in my P85+ upon delivery and pay only the price difference and 2 month depreciation. What they do is up to them but if they know their target demographic they should do everything to make this right as I'm sure most of us will be purchasing multiple tesla's as we believe in the company and for me am heavily investing in the stock as well.

Has anyone else experienced this situation? I'd love to get feedback/comments/thoughts.

LOL...not their issue. Car companies do not tell customers exactly when new cars are coming out...buyer beware.

They want to sell what they have and no need to inform the consumer.

Good luck with your letter :rolleyes:

And yes, your car will tank pretty quick in depreciation...the joys of new car ownership.

$127K is probably worth less than $100K after you factor in $7500 'tax credit'...go have it appraised--you'll be shocked.

BUT, don't worry, ALL do that when you buy new.
 
Last edited:
I want to see if anyone else is in my position with unveiling of the D. I purchased the P85+ on September 17th with every option available except cold weather package as I'm in So Cal. Total cost of the vehicle before taxes was $127k. Typically production takes 4-8 weeks but the employees at my test drive pulled some strings and got a delivery date of Sept 30th which initially I was super exited and impressed about.

The day after I took delivery of my P85+ Elon makes his famous tweet about the D and on October 9th here we have it. The $127k P85+ has now been rolled into the $134K P85D with only a $7k price increase and the P85+ is no longer offered.

I have a major problem with tesla's lack of communication to customers purchasing fully upgraded P85+ so close the the unveiling of the D. I don't want to speculate on Elon's marketing strategy of mysteriousness and surprise but when it comes down to a time frame of weeks, it is clear that buyers paying this amount and clearly looking for the most upgraded model should have been at best informally hinted at the idea to make an informed decision.

It's not like I was a buyer looking at the 85 and debating the price of the leather trim or the upgraded sound system. I clearly wanted every option and expressed it clearly. I also find it hard to believe that the employees themselves didn't know about the D because they kept telling me my car has some "advanced hardware and features that are amazing but cannot be talked about because they haven't been officially released". Of course hinting to the drive and lane assist features.

Now even if I sell my P85+ I'm going to get hit with a huge loss as the difference in monthly cost from what I payed for my P85+ and the D is less than $100.

It is my opinion that customers that purchased the fully upgraded P85+ within a few weeks of the D should have been given for knowledge of the upcoming D due to the immediate time frame.

I have put an email in to Tesla suggesting they allow me to order the D and trade in my P85+ upon delivery and pay only the price difference and 2 month depreciation. What they do is up to them but if they know their target demographic they should do everything to make this right as I'm sure most of us will be purchasing multiple tesla's as we believe in the company and for me am heavily investing in the stock as well.

Has anyone else experienced this situation? I'd love to get feedback/comments/thoughts.

Seems there are numerous similar threads
 
I agree that this sort of thing is a bit frustrating. I apparently missed the autopilot features by a day or two (my car finished production Sep 20th), and I missed the D by a little over a month.

That said, if they told you 10 days in advance, someone would complain because they ordered their car 12 days before. If they announced the D a month earlier, someone who ordered their car 2 months ago would be upset. Tesla has done nothing wrong. They had to announce new features at some point. Someone will always have purchased just a bit too early.
 
This is going to keep happening. Right after I got mine early 2013 they introduced the "+" package and many others felt the same way as you do today. There's nothing you can do about this as long as Tesla sticks to the "improve as you go" model instead of the year by year model changes. Employees of Tesla aren't even told about these things anymore due to leaks that kept happening. Sorry but there's not much u can do. If you want the D best to sell now and re-order.
 
If I had only known that Tesla was going to introduce parking sensors, the + package, a lighter car by a couple hundred pounds, the D package, new seats, and now driver assisted navigation, all of which were not only not available, but not even announced, when I took delivery . . . I gladly would have taken delivery of my car anyway. Sorry, with any car manufacturer (but especially with Tesla), technology and features are constantly changing. If you want the latest and greatest, either trade in the car for a new one every six months or year, or never buy one.
 
Last edited:
With traditional manufacturers you know that changes like this come with the model year changeover. With Tesla, it's a continuum. I almost think with a change like this they should discontinue the + for a period of time giving anyone trying to order that a change is coming.
 
Thanks for your thoughts. It's always good to get other people's input. I can't help but imaging however that most car companies do announce such changes in advance allowing customers to make more informed decisions. Even tech companies like apple announce the unveiling of new products. It appears that Elons quest to be mysterious is really the issue at hand. A simple announcement of an upcoming feature would be prudent enough to allow potential buyers to make informed decisions. So in that case I do blame Tesla's marketing strategy a little.

I already got an initial response from Tesla. I'll update the result when I get more info.
 
That said, if they told you 10 days in advance, someone would complain because they ordered their car 12 days before. If they announced the D a month earlier, someone who ordered their car 2 months ago would be upset. Tesla has done nothing wrong. They had to announce new features at some point. Someone will always have purchased just a bit too early.

If I had only known that Tesla was going to introduce parking sensors, the + package, a lighter car by a couple hundred pounds, the D package, new seats, and now driver assisted navigation, all of which were not only not available, but not even announced, when I took delivery . . . I gladly would have taken delivery of my car anyway. Sorry, but especially with Tesla but also with any car manufacturer, technology and features are constantly changing.

^^^ This.

I paid far more than any fully-optioned Model S for my Roadster Sport ... and it has been completely eclipsed by better charging technology, better batteries, better interior, roomier, faster, better tech, blah blah blah. I could always wait for the next best thing, and I'd still be waiting. Instead, I've been driving a Tesla. That's 3.5 years of fun that the latest technology can't give me, no matter how cool it is.

And I KNOW that once I take delivery of my Model X, it will quickly be surpassed by cooler and newer features on the next Model X to be shipped ... but I will still be driving the Model X I paid for. And I'll have had a lot more fun in the meantime than those waiting around for the next cool new feature. I'm not going to spend my life worrying about what other people received that I may or may not have received - as long as I received what I paid for. That just seems like a not fun way to spend my life.
 
Fine if you don't mind the little depreciation hit you will get but the cycle will never end. There will be many upgrades in the coming years, bigger battery, better screen and faster processor, refreshed exterior/interior or even new body styles etc. I'll still keep my regular upgrade schedule and get all the new stuff in one shot.
 
Fine if you don't mind the little depreciation hit you will get but the cycle will never end. There will be many upgrades in the coming years, bigger battery, better screen and faster processor, refreshed exterior/interior or even new body styles etc. I'll still keep my regular upgrade schedule and get all the new stuff in one shot.

Clearly I don't. I've had a Roadster for 3.5 years, have moderated this forum and know the Model S rollout better than almost anyone, and am waiting on my X. I prefer Tesla's model with new features showing up in my garage via sw updates from time to time. :)

I don't like dealerships, either.
 
I paid far more than any fully-optioned Model S for my Roadster Sport ... and it has been completely eclipsed by better charging technology, better batteries, better interior, roomier, faster, better tech, blah blah blah. I could always wait for the next best thing, and I'd still be waiting. Instead, I've been driving a Tesla. That's 3.5 years of fun that the latest technology can't give me, no matter how cool it is.

That's pretty much where I stand on the issue (although only 1.5 years for me). Tesla upgrades continuously, so who knows by how much these fancy new "D"s will be eclipsed in another few months. I bought my car with the intention of keeping it 3 to 4 years and that's what I'm going to do.
 
My point in the D is that this is essentially a completely new model s as far as function and performance. It's not like past additions with adding sensors, performance bushings/suspension, taking weight off, etc. It is also the first time Tesla is completely replacing a current upgrade and no longer offering it in the +. This, in my opinion merits some communication of an announcement a head of time. Like the model x. Like the Model 3. I liked the earlier post of discontinuing the + for a few months a head of time. Giving potential buyers the understanding that there is a major change and the ability to make an informed decision. Completely outside the scope of normal upgrades like mentioned above.
 
All newly order models are taking delivery in December/Jan. An announcement would be the ability to order in December/Jan with future delivery dates. This was more of a guess what you now order this completely different vehicle right now.........
 
I purchased the P85+ on September 17th ... [T]he employees at my test drive pulled some strings and got a delivery date of Sept 30th which initially I was super exited [sic] and impressed about.

The day after I took delivery of my P85+ Elon makes his famous tweet about the D and on October 9th here we have it. The $127k P85+ has now been rolled into the $134K P85D with only a $7k price increase and the P85+ is no longer offered.

I have a major problem with tesla's lack of communication to customers purchasing fully upgraded P85+ so close the the unveiling of the D. ...

Now even if I sell my P85+ I'm going to get hit with a huge loss ...

Now let me see if I understand this.

A. You order your car on 17 September.
B. You somehow talk Tesla into bumping you wa-a-a-y up the line, to just under two weeks from order to delivery.
1. That means that for every day your delivery was advanced, some other person's delivery is bumped out one day (assumes fixed number of cars built each day)
C. You are now displeased because you jumped the line and so miss out on the option to upgrade your order to the latest Tesla has to offer.

I have been waiting for my Tesla since 3 July. My latest tentative delivery date is 19 November.

I think this is one of the finest examples of poetic justice I've come across in a long time!

Tesla being Tesla, I'm sure they'll bend over backwards to work with you to a mutually satisfactory conclusion.
 
Clearly you don't understand. Your assumptions on the intent, logistics, and prejudiced surrounding the time line from purchase to delivery are superfluous at best. You offer no contribution to this discussion thread topic, and your comments seem based purely on your own indisposition about your situation. Unless of course living in SC you have an inside understanding of the manufacturing process of tesla's here in California?? I didn't think so.
 
Yeah, if you scan the other threads, your not gonna get any sympathy from the agile CI crowd here. You're just supposed to deal with it. As more people get burned (sorry, I mean experience the benefits of CI) over time it will be interesting to see which way public opinion actually swings in regard to this paradigm.

IMHO as someone who in the past had followed other luxury car boards, it's rare for an aficionado to get totally blindsided in this way about new features, body style etc. Even in the model year domain where manufacturers try to hush things up before the cars hit the website or showroom, there's always a leak, someone spots a test mule driving around, etc. People know to be vigilant around new model year time in general and close to the model's refresh year in particular. So at a minimum, you're usually well informed enough to either decide to buy the current model year (maybe because you don't like something about the new version) or get psyched about what's new and place an order/wait for the new version to show up on the ground.

That just doesn't work in Tesla's world. You're supposed to be happy for the person in the next stall over taking delivery, who paid the same price as you did, perhaps ordered after you did, but unwittingly gets all the new features thanks to Brownian motion, fate, or whatever randomness you choose to believe in.

You are happy about that...right? Especially since they "did you a favor" by making sure they moved one more (formerly) top of the line car over the curb before the successor was announced.

Continuous improvement, indeed.
 
Clearly you don't understand. Your assumptions on the intent, logistics, and prejudiced surrounding the time line from purchase to delivery are superfluous at best. You offer no contribution to this discussion thread topic, and your comments seem based purely on your own indisposition about your situation. Unless of course living in SC you have an inside understanding of the manufacturing process of tesla's here in California?? I didn't think so.

And living in California doesn't give us any inside understanding, either. Unless I am missing something.
 
Atebit, thank you for the explanation on the culture of the members here. I was hoping for more of a structured dialog on pros and cons and relating it back to Tesla brand, image, and marketing strategy and how the different layers and experience are perceived at the customer level since I've only been and investor since the beginning and now a new owner. I didn't get that here and now I know why so thank you.