Trying to buy a loaner car has been rediculous for me.

Moparposterchild · Mar 20, 2015

I can't remember EVER trying so hard to give someone my money and business only to have them not take me up on it, over and over again. I have been trying to trade up to a P85D from my P85 for weeks. I have contacted showrooms all over the country, Atlanta, St. Louis, Denver, Seattle, Kansas City, Los Angeles and probably more. Over and over I have spoken to people, given them my ideal options and then waited for them to call or email with some options. Three times I have had peole follow up once with a few options that were kinda close but not quite what I wanted. They said they would keep looking for me only to drop off the face of the earth. Those were my best experiences. Most of the other consisted of me calling them and waiting for a call or email that never came. I would call back a couple of days later and still no response. I even talked to someone in Fremont who called Denver for me because they weren't responding and he promised I would get a call from someone that day. Three days later I'm still waiting. I have never in my life had to chase someone to buy a car. This is incredibly frustrating and is actually making me less likely to want to buy another car. I had hoped to buy a car before the end of the month to take advantage of the discounts and help Tesla add to their first quarter numbers, but I'm about over it.

Rant over.

Zroiron · Mar 20, 2015

sorry!

bonnie · Mar 20, 2015

Moparposterchild said:
I can't remember EVER trying so hard to give someone my money and business only to have them not take me up on it, over and over again. I have been trying to trade up to a P85D from my P85 for weeks. I have contacted showrooms all over the country, Atlanta, St. Louis, Denver, Seattle, Kansas City, Los Angeles and probably more. Over and over I have spoken to people, given them my ideal options and then waited for them to call or email with some options. Three times I have had peole follow up once with a few options that were kinda close but not quite what I wanted. They said they would keep looking for me only to drop off the face of the earth. Those were my best experiences. Most of the other consisted of me calling them and waiting for a call or email that never came. I would call back a couple of days later and still no response. I even talked to someone in Fremont who called Denver for me because they weren't responding and he promised I would get a call from someone that day. Three days later I'm still waiting. I have never in my life had to chase someone to buy a car. This is incredibly frustrating and is actually making me less likely to want to buy another car. I had hoped to buy a car before the end of the month to take advantage of the discounts and help Tesla add to their first quarter numbers, but I'm about over it.

Rant over.

Perhaps they don't have a car that meets your requirements?

commasign · Mar 20, 2015

The P85D is only a few months old and in high demand. I doubt they have very many inventory P85D's that are available for purchase. And even if there were, the discount would be minimal. If you want a P85D, your best bet is to just order a new one.

fadkar · Mar 20, 2015

commasign said:
The P85D is only a few months old and in high demand. I doubt they have very many inventory P85D's that are available for purchase. And even if there were, the discount would be minimal. If you want a P85D, your best bet is to just order a new one.

This sounds about right.

Majerus · Mar 20, 2015

Moparposterchild said:
I can't remember EVER trying so hard to give someone my money and business only to have them not take me up on it, over and over again. I have been trying to trade up to a P85D from my P85 for weeks. I have contacted showrooms all over the country, Atlanta, St. Louis, Denver, Seattle, Kansas City, Los Angeles and probably more. Over and over I have spoken to people, given them my ideal options and then waited for them to call or email with some options. Three times I have had peole follow up once with a few options that were kinda close but not quite what I wanted. They said they would keep looking for me only to drop off the face of the earth. Those were my best experiences. Most of the other consisted of me calling them and waiting for a call or email that never came. I would call back a couple of days later and still no response. I even talked to someone in Fremont who called Denver for me because they weren't responding and he promised I would get a call from someone that day. Three days later I'm still waiting. I have never in my life had to chase someone to buy a car. This is incredibly frustrating and is actually making me less likely to want to buy another car. I had hoped to buy a car before the end of the month to take advantage of the discounts and help Tesla add to their first quarter numbers, but I'm about over it.

Rant over.

How about ordering a car to your specifications?

Zythryn · Mar 21, 2015

When we bought our loaner, we contacted one store and they did a search. Found one in a different state and that was it.
I'm sorry your experience has been less smooth.
If you have time, I would walk into a store, if you have one nearby, and ask for the information.
If they tell you they will get back to you, tell them no, because of the lack of follow up, you will stay right there, taking up their time until you get the information.

andrewket · Mar 21, 2015

Tesla has been offering discounts of up to 10k on lightly used P85Ds this month. It's caused a fire sale. Unfortunately for the OP, he is at the tail end of it. Part of the challenge searching for cars is that inventory is changing rapidly.

I sympathize with the trouble you're having. Your best bet is to stick with your local sales center. They can all see the same inventory.

justaddsun · Mar 21, 2015

My experience has been exactly opposite. I will get multiple emails back from 3 different DS I've run into about what they've got, complete with pdf quotes. Often the responses are within minutes! Granted the options don't always match up; that's the luck of the draw with these inventory models. When I went in to test drive, the DS even pulled up their site, did a search, and scrolled through the results with me next to him.

I can pm you those DSs if you want; they are in the DC area.

arijaycomet · Mar 21, 2015

Moparposterchild said:
I can't remember EVER trying so hard to give someone my money and business only to have them not take me up on it, over and over again. I have been trying to trade up to a P85D from my P85 for weeks. I have contacted showrooms all over the country, Atlanta, St. Louis, Denver, Seattle, Kansas City, Los Angeles and probably more. Over and over I have spoken to people, given them my ideal options and then waited for them to call or email with some options. Three times I have had peole follow up once with a few options that were kinda close but not quite what I wanted. They said they would keep looking for me only to drop off the face of the earth. Those were my best experiences. Most of the other consisted of me calling them and waiting for a call or email that never came. I would call back a couple of days later and still no response. I even talked to someone in Fremont who called Denver for me because they weren't responding and he promised I would get a call from someone that day. Three days later I'm still waiting. I have never in my life had to chase someone to buy a car. This is incredibly frustrating and is actually making me less likely to want to buy another car. I had hoped to buy a car before the end of the month to take advantage of the discounts and help Tesla add to their first quarter numbers, but I'm about over it. Rant over.

dockt said:
My experience has been exactly opposite. I will get multiple emails back from 3 different DS I've run into about what they've got, complete with pdf quotes. Often the responses are within minutes! Granted the options don't always match up; that's the luck of the draw with these inventory models. When I went in to test drive, the DS even pulled up their site, did a search, and scrolled through the results with me next to him.

Quoted the OP, and then dockt -- since my experiences have been more like the latter. It really just seems to depend on what store you're working with and how busy they are. It should be a more linear experience that much is definitely true for sure. But that just isn't always the case. Inventory is changing, but at this point in time there are still DOZENS of P85D cars. Finding one that meets your needs may be slim obviously... or with the right discount. But they DO exist!

I'll offer the same advise dockt offered... PM me if you want the name/number of my guy here in Ohio. He CAN sell cars out of state for you that isn't a problem. You'd be dealing via telephone/email with him, but ultimately should still be able to purchase a car locally. However, as someone else pointed out above, I think walking into your local store showing earnest interest might grab the BEST results.

Moparposterchild · Mar 21, 2015

commasign said:
The P85D is only a few months old and in high demand. I doubt they have very many inventory P85D's that are available for purchase. And even if there were, the discount would be minimal. If you want a P85D, your best bet is to just order a new one.

Not true at all. In fact almost all the locations I spoke with, most recently the guy in Seattle said that had a LOT available and he would check inventory with my requests and call or email be back. That was three days ago.

Majerus said:
How about ordering a car to your specifications?

I prefer to by an inventory car for obvious reasons. Discount and no waiting being the most obvious.

andrewket said:
Tesla has been offering discounts of up to 10k on lightly used P85Ds this month. It's caused a fire sale. Unfortunately for the OP, he is at the tail end of it.

This is true. The thing is I started looking and calling showrooms weeks ago and have made very little progress.

I sympathize with the trouble you're having. Your best bet is to stick with your local sales center. They can all see the same inventory.

Thanks. I tried that too. Walked into Santa Monica, spoke with a guy who told me he's really good at his job, gave me his card and said I would hear from him in two days max, and still never heard from him. Also, each place can only access cars within a certain region. CA can't access cars available on the other side of the country, at least that's what I'm told.

dockt said:
My experience has been exactly opposite. I will get multiple emails back from 3 different DS I've run into about what they've got, complete with pdf quotes. Often the responses are within minutes! Granted the options don't always match up; that's the luck of the draw with these inventory models. When I went in to test drive, the DS even pulled up their site, did a search, and scrolled through the results with me next to him.

I can pm you those DSs if you want; they are in the DC area.

Thats encouraging to hear. Glad your experience has been a positive one I wish mine was.

arijaycomet said:
Quoted the OP, and then dockt -- since my experiences have been more like the latter. It really just seems to depend on what store you're working with and how busy they are. It should be a more linear experience that much is definitely true for sure. But that just isn't always the case. Inventory is changing, but at this point in time there are still DOZENS of P85D cars. Finding one that meets your needs may be slim obviously... or with the right discount. But they DO exist!

I'll offer the same advise dockt offered... PM me if you want the name/number of my guy here in Ohio. He CAN sell cars out of state for you that isn't a problem. You'd be dealing via telephone/email with him, but ultimately should still be able to purchase a car locally. However, as someone else pointed out above, I think walking into your local store showing earnest interest might grab the BEST results.

I'll PM you. I don't mind buying out of state. I'm buying this car to be at my house in Louisiana and there's not exactly any showrooms in this state. I don't think any of the locations in TX can sell me a car so I haven't tried them.

MsElectric · Mar 21, 2015

We've received P85D quotes with discounts ranging from $3K to about $12K but with pretty much every one of those instances we would have been better off configuring the car we wanted and buying new because they all came with options we had absolutely no desire to have. For example, though we'd like the night interior lighting that comes with the Premium Interior Package, it is not worth $3,500 for us. Same with the $4,500 21" wheels that would be a moronic choice for horribly maintained DC roads. You then add the rear seat package, which again we have no need for and suddenly we have almost $10,000 in options inflating the value of the car so it would take a $10,000 discount just to break even.

At the P85D level options you don't need may inflate the car so much that any small discount they offer is marginal to justify buying a car that has been insanely abused hundreds of times...

We are seriously considering just placing an order for a new car.

ra-san · Mar 21, 2015

Pet peeve of mine is non response, most especially not responding when they say they would. I can understand categorizing tire kickers vs serious, and being time pressed and prioritizing someone who's right in front of you at the moment... But it still bothers me and obviously you run the risk of alienating people, as shown here.

Good luck, and agree with others that you may well decide to order a custom configured anyway to get your specifics, but you're already an owner and familiar, so you already know all that.

Moparposterchild · Mar 21, 2015

@MsElectric I hear you on that. There's certainly some options I probably wouldnt select if I ordered a car to either save the money or just because I think they aren't worth the additional cost, but I don't mind getting a car that has those options and not really having to pay for them because of the discount.

arijaycomet · Mar 21, 2015

Finding the right car (inventory) is a challenge for sure. I have my 85D inbound from Chicago now and there were definitely cars with more options. I ended up forgoing NG seats & subzero, for the immediacy of this car and the $6k+ discount. Those two options would have increased my net price over $8,000 -- so it came down to were they worth that much to me? And waiting 3 months. Answer was obviously no. Of course the more flex you are colors & options the more discount/opportunities you'll find in the inventory pile.

krisg81 · Mar 21, 2015

I test drove a P85D on a Wednesday, and decided to break my lease early and trade in my P85. They had an inventory P85D with almost all options with $9800 showroom discount. 6 days later (the following Tues.) I was driving it home. Sorry for your bad experience!

btw My "inventory" car had only 17 miles on the odometer upon delivery

oneday · Mar 21, 2015

Email Jerome while he's still in sales.

Tampaukfan · Mar 22, 2015

The inventory cars I have looked at that have 2000-4000 miles show significant wear and tear such as curbed up wheels, worn seats , and lots of interior scuffs.
Discounts are large on the cars with high miles but the trade off is the wear and tear factor.
Some of the inventory cars are MALL cars, and have had 1000's of people climbing in and out of them. If you find low mileage one, best bet is to snap it up.

arijaycomet · Mar 22, 2015

Tampaukfan said:
The inventory cars I have looked at that have 2000-4000 miles show significant wear and tear such as curbed up wheels, worn seats , and lots of interior scuffs.
Discounts are large on the cars with high miles but the trade off is the wear and tear factor.
Some of the inventory cars are MALL cars, and have had 1000's of people climbing in and out of them. If you find low mileage one, best bet is to snap it up.

See, I'd have to say I think you are wrong about the low mileage. Not only would a higher mileage car have a bigger discount, the chances are the highest mileage cars are actually loaner cars for people in for service. That means they were driven by existing Tesla owners, who would probably have some amount of pride in their cars and be of a higher caliber like all of us here. Versus the next step down would be test drive cars, which are for potential owners, but also joy riders. Those cars would have less mileage than a loaner car, and probably driven hard more frequently, but at least always monitors by a Tesla employee. To me, the car you suggested snatching (low mileage) would be a showroom car. Cars that sat in a showroom for long periods of time would have the worse kind of wear/tear-- kids climbing in/out of them, people smashing the trunk closed, things like that. Very low mileage, but lots of people checking them out and rubbing coats against the paint etc.

No matter what you get, inventory cars SHOULD come with photos from your sales person from the originating store. You should be given those prior to your deposit if you request, and that can help you make a more educated decision about your purchase!

Tampaukfan · Mar 22, 2015

The cars that I have seen in person were all service loaners and only one out four was in good shape.
I get the theory that a Tesla owner would treat a loaner like there own, but i think more often than not they could care less about being careful since its not their car.

Door sill that have gouges, bolster wear, staining on the light colored seats (blue jeans transfer) and the curbed wheels seem to be the common damage.
Having owned Mercedes, Audi, BMW any service loaner I used showed the same kinds of wear the Tesla loaners do.
All the spec sheets I have been given indicate Demo/Service loaner, so a loaner can be used for demo as well.
The mall cars (lowest miles) are the ones that should be avoided, having seen kids climb all over new cars at my mall makes me cringe.

arijaycomet said:
See, I'd have to say I think you are wrong about the low mileage. Not only would a higher mileage car have a bigger discount, the chances are the highest mileage cars are actually loaner cars for people in for service. That means they were driven by existing Tesla owners, who would probably have some amount of pride in their cars and be of a higher caliber like all of us here. Versus the next step down would be test drive cars, which are for potential owners, but also joy riders. Those cars would have less mileage than a loaner car, and probably driven hard more frequently, but at least always monitors by a Tesla employee. To me, the car you suggested snatching (low mileage) would be a showroom car. Cars that sat in a showroom for long periods of time would have the worse kind of wear/tear-- kids climbing in/out of them, people smashing the trunk closed, things like that. Very low mileage, but lots of people checking them out and rubbing coats against the paint etc.

No matter what you get, inventory cars SHOULD come with photos from your sales person from the originating store. You should be given those prior to your deposit if you request, and that can help you make a more educated decision about your purchase!

Trying to buy a loaner car has been rediculous for me.

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