My wife and I finally bit the bullet and bought a Tesla. It is a 2024 Model Y Long Range All Wheel Drive.
We have been looking at Tesla for a while now to replace the aging Volkswagen Tiguan that my wife uses as a daily driver. When Tesla dropped the promotional APR to 0.9%, we decided that the car finally fit into our financial box.
With the current tax credit of $7,500 and the financing offer, this brought the price down to a competitive level. The only thing left to do was figure out how to actually buy the thing.
Being that we are 150 miles away from the nearest service center, we started the process online.
Logging onto Tesla’s site, we used the configuration tool to build out the car we wanted. Originally, we were going for the Long Range 2WD, a car much cheaper than the one we ended up with. Being unfamiliar with Tesla, my wife wanted to drive one to make sure it fit her needs.
It would be silly to buy one before driving, but people do this all the time. We scheduled a test drive session at the sales/service center in Savannah for the following Saturday for 10 in the morning.
We arrived at the center 30 minutes early, driving the Tiguan that we were going to trade in. The lot is sandwiched between a few other car lots in an area of town similar to our “motor mile” of long ago.
This was my first trip to a Tesla “dealer,” so my expectations were somewhat high. These vehicles aren’t cheap, and I guess I was expecting an experience equal to buying any other high-end vehicle.
We looked around the small lot of in stock vehicles while they were unlocking the front doors. On the side of the building there were vehicles being set up for new owners to take delivery, with name cards placed in the dash. Entering the showroom, the decoration was spartan. Three vehicles were on display, but none were what we were looking for. We got the attention of an employee and were quickly assigned an “Adviser” who would start the test drive process.
A quick scan of my wife’s license (I sent mine online) and we were given the reins of a Model Y with the same equipment that we were wanting.
I was expecting some sort of demonstration of how the car worked, but none was given. We were shown how to adjust the mirrors and seat, and our advisor walked away.
Now, I know a lot about these vehicles, mechanically and electrically; but I did not know how to actually operate this type!
Teslas are not very intuitive or user friendly. With my wife in the driver’s seat, we were moving through the screens trying to figure out how to turn on the air conditioner. Our advisor, seeing us sitting there, came back and showed us how. We then embarked on our test drive.
My wife drove to a Walmart a few miles down the road and we pulled in, just so we could fiddle with the controls and not be in traffic doing it.
Being satisfied with the car, she decided it would work out fine. We then returned to the dealership for her to ask the advisor a list of questions she had on the car. After that, we decided to get lunch to mull it over one last time.
Outside of our house, this was the biggest purchase we had ever made.
After one of the worst meals we have ever had in Savannah, we made it back to the dealer. It was 12:30 p.m.and we needed to leave by 3 to get home to care for the dogs. We were taken to a laptop in the showroom, and I told the advisor what options we were looking for.
He responded that he had one that almost matched, with the exception that it was all wheel drive, and the interior color was different. They shaved $500 off the price, and we decided to accept it instead of waiting for the exact one we wanted to be built.
My credit had already been approved for up to $130,000, and my trade was already accepted, and I figured we would be out of there in an hour, we could even hit Wet Willie’s before going home for a cold one.
I have never been more wrong.
Apparently, nothing about the traditional car process is handled by anyone in the building. It is all done online, and Tesla was extremely backed up with orders. We started the process by paying $250 to “order” the car, which was in the parking lot in the rear of the building. The $250 would be applied to the cost of the car.
We were able to see the car we were buying but could not test drive it, and were given no reason why. After that, Tesla would provide a delivery date towards the end of the process. So, we went home with our trade.
That night I filled out all the forms in the Tesla app, including proof of insurance, a longer credit application, and other normal car deal items.
Being a Saturday, I didn’t expect to hear anything on the weekend and put it in the back of my mind. Monday came and went, and my credit application was still pending. At a traditional car lot, this takes minutes.
Also, it was impossible to see what the actual numbers were since my trade vehicle was not added into the deal yet. I was also showing a down payment of over $7,000 being applied, which I thought was my trade equity.
We told the adviser that we did not want to put anything down because of the low APR. I called my adviser, texted, and even called Tesla and was told everything would have to wait on the app.
My delivery date was scheduled for Wednesday, which I could not make due to work. I told my adviser that Friday would work, and it was changed, begrudgingly.
The app was also still showing I was putting down money. Finally, after days of calls and waiting, I saw numbers and a final monthly payment. It showed that I was still putting down money.
Ultimately, I had to call the actual finance employee at Tesla who said that the down payment was stuck there, and I could pay it or start all over. If I started over, I would probably miss the deadline for the low APR, which would cost me $7,000 over the life of the loan.
If I canceled, the $250 order fee would be surrendered, which to me seems hardly fair.
At this point I was ready to walk, but my wife really wanted the car. We paid the ransom. At least it lowered the payment quite a bit. After that, the process online went smoothly.
Friday arrived, so I drove our trade to Savannah to pick up the Tesla. When I got there, I signed the paperwork and was given the key cards. The car was parked on the side of the building.
Again, maybe my expectations are too high, but the car was dirty. Otherwise, it was charged and ready to go.
At this point, I just wanted to be done with this place, so I left for the trip back to Augusta. It ended up raining the whole trip home, so I am glad I didn’t wait for them to wash it.
This was the most confusing and stressful car purchase we have ever made, and it isn’t even close. I know I am not the target demographic for Tesla, but this just seems too difficult to be sustainable for even the younger crowd.
Perusing message boards and owner pages, I see loads of people having the same problems I did. I don’t know if it is a staffing or a policy issue, but fundamental policy changes to how this process works must happen if Tesla wants to continue to be successful. Their cars are amazing, but the service might be their undoing.
I don’t recommend going back to a traditional dealer model either, but there must be a good medium. Maybe I am just getting old…
Anyway, I will see you on the road! Or maybe the charging station.
