so who's putting down a deposit for a Model 3 tonight?

[dawgfan]

Just discovered that the deposits for the Tesla Model 3 are fully refundable if you end up cancelling your order. I was going to wait, but now I'm going to try to talk the wife into putting the $1K down tonight during the reveal. Some crazy lines for the folks doing the in-person deposits today - there were more than 1,000 folks lined up at the store here in Seattle.

[lighthousekeeper]

i'm tempted, but probably not going to

[claphamsa]

i am.

[molson]

My '06 Elantra is still running great.

[Neuqua]

I'm not a car guy at all but I can't say I haven't contemplated it.

[Kodos]

My brother wants one.

[murrayyyyy]

But my state's incentives suck...

All states $7,500 income tax credit
Arizona Reduced Vehicle License Tax, Carpool lane access and reduced rates for electric vehicle charging
California $2,500 rebate and carpool lane access
Income limited as of March 29, 2016
Delaware $2,200 rebate
Colorado $6,000 income tax credit
Hawaii Carpool lane access and reduced rates for electric vehicle charging
Louisiana $6,900 - $9,500 income tax credit, depending on battery choice
Maryland $3,000 excise tax credit and carpool lane access
$900 rebate on wall connectors and installation
Massachusetts $1,000 rebate (funds limited)
Nevada Carpool lane access and reduced rates for electric vehicle charging
New Jersey Sales tax exempt
Oregon $750 rebate on wall connectors and installation (more for commercial use)
Pennsylvania $2,000 rebate (funds limited)
Tennessee $2,500 rebate (funds limited)
Utah $1,500 income tax credit and carpool lane access
Washington DC Excise tax exempt

[sovereignstar v2]

It doesn't pay to be an early adopter.

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by sovereignstar v2

It doesn't pay to be an early adopter.

I'm not so sure that's the case here, especially if Tesla meets their objectives, i.e. a 200 mile range EV at $35K. Even with the current low price of oil, the cost per mile of "fueling" an EV is cheaper, and there's significantly less moving parts that can break and cost you money to fix. Resale value is quite high on Tesla's too.

[sovereignstar v2]

Reliability on Model S's has been below average and the Model 3 is sure to have problems at launch as pretty much all new models do.

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by murrayyyyy

But my state's incentives suck...

Looks like my state has gotten less friendly too:

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1099118_washington-state-caps-electric-car-incentives-at-35k-price-hitting-tesla-bmw

Good thing we got our Leaf before this happened.

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by dawgfan

and there's significantly less moving parts that can break and cost you money to fix. Resale value is quite high on Tesla's too.

This isnt really true. While the electric motor(s) themselves have less internal parts than an ICE the motors will not last near as long, plus each cost as much ore more than a complete ICE. And that says nothing about batteries or inverters which are thousands.


Then we havent even started on the ecological impact footprint of battery disposal

[Young Drachma]

How big is yours? - Front Office Football Central

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by Young Drachma

How big is yours? - Front Office Football Central

[EagleFan]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

This isnt really true. While the electric motor(s) themselves have less internal parts than an ICE the motors will not last near as long, plus each cost as much ore more than a complete ICE. And that says nothing about batteries or inverters which are thousands.


Then we havent even started on the ecological impact footprint of battery disposal

This...

[JPhillips]

Both Tesla's head of HR and chief accountant are leaving the company. The accountant just started in August and is already bailing.

[dawgfan]

Having checked one out in person, read a ton of reviews and seen the erratic behavior of Musk and the questionable finances of the company moving forward, I'm reluctantly getting my deposit refunded. I really, really wanted to fall in love with this car, but the build quality is not up to par, especially when they're not going to let me buy an all-wheel model for less than $48K. And I haven't warmed-up at all to the center screen that controls damn-near everything.

Love the performance, love the range, but the price isn't as low as we'd been led to believe, the build quality is suspect, I'm not a fan of the spartan interior with a single screen and I worry about how long the company is going to last.

At this point I'm trying to decide if I'm willing to go with the Bolt or if I'm going to hold out until VW comes out with their long-range options. I like my wife's Leaf, but we can't have both our cars be full EV unless at least one of them has 200+ mile range.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Both Tesla's head of HR and chief accountant are leaving the company. The accountant just started in August and is already bailing.

Wonder if it's at all related to Musk's dalliance with the idea of taking Tesla back private.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by dawgfan

Having checked one out in person, read a ton of reviews and seen the erratic behavior of Musk and the questionable finances of the company moving forward, I'm reluctantly getting my deposit refunded. I really, really wanted to fall in love with this car, but the build quality is not up to par, especially when they're not going to let me buy an all-wheel model for less than $48K. And I haven't warmed-up at all to the center screen that controls damn-near everything.

Love the performance, love the range, but the price isn't as low as we'd been led to believe, the build quality is suspect, I'm not a fan of the spartan interior with a single screen and I worry about how long the company is going to last.

At this point I'm trying to decide if I'm willing to go with the Bolt or if I'm going to hold out until VW comes out with their long-range options. I like my wife's Leaf, but we can't have both our cars be full EV unless at least one of them has 200+ mile range.

I say, “Go Bolt!”

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

Wonder if it's at all related to Musk's dalliance with the idea of taking Tesla back private.

Isn't there a question as to whether there was anything behind that other than a desire to pump the stock up?

[BishopMVP]

I think it's just related to Musk's increasingly erratic behavior, and (I assume) his refusal to listen to PR people and just stop talking publicly for a few days.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by dawgfan

Having checked one out in person, read a ton of reviews and seen the erratic behavior of Musk and the questionable finances of the company moving forward, I'm reluctantly getting my deposit refunded. I really, really wanted to fall in love with this car, but the build quality is not up to par, especially when they're not going to let me buy an all-wheel model for less than $48K. And I haven't warmed-up at all to the center screen that controls damn-near everything.

Love the performance, love the range, but the price isn't as low as we'd been led to believe, the build quality is suspect, I'm not a fan of the spartan interior with a single screen and I worry about how long the company is going to last.

At this point I'm trying to decide if I'm willing to go with the Bolt or if I'm going to hold out until VW comes out with their long-range options. I like my wife's Leaf, but we can't have both our cars be full EV unless at least one of them has 200+ mile range.

Isn't it a law that every family in Seattle own at least one Subaru?

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Isn't it a law that every family in Seattle own at least one Subaru?

They're popular, that's for sure. My concession to that trend was buying an AWD version of my car rather than RWD.

[bhlloy]

This, plus the stuff that came out about the tech that holds everything together being questionable and having holes and concerned all over the place, means I’m on the same page. I know a few people who have cancelled their deposits recently too.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

Wonder if it's at all related to Musk's dalliance with the idea of taking Tesla back private.

I've known multiple people to work for Tesla, and apparently it's a brutal place to work.

[SackAttack]

My brother used to work for them, but he didn't have anything to say about working conditions when he left.

[dawgfan]

One of my co-workers has a buddy that used to work as a mechanic at a BMW dealership, now works for Tesla. Apparently it's common for Model 3's to be shipped out of the factory not complete. As in, every other bolt might be in place, or certain parts are simply not yet installed and then they get final assembly at the local Tesla shop. Issues with the supply chain and the push to get those "factory-shipped" numbers up to meet investor expectations.

[JonInMiddleGA]

bwahahahaha

Put me down as a no, if you're keeping score

edit to add: clarifying that my guffaw was to the notion of me buying one of these things. You do you, the comedy came when I tried to picture a scenario where I ordered one

[bhlloy]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

I've known multiple people to work for Tesla, and apparently it's a brutal place to work.

I had an acquaintance who worked at a dealership and basically got fired for being good at his job and getting paid more in commission and having got a few raises that pushes his hourly to slightly more than his colleagues. Said they just went down the list and fired the most expensive salesmen in order, if you take what he was saying at face value.

Seems counterproductive if true, but hey what do I know. Seems like a company in a mess in all facets.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

Seems like a company in a mess in all facets.

Well, when you're run by the biggest conman the planet has seen in ages ...

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Well, when you're run by the biggest conman the planet has seen in ages ...

I'm starting to come around to this thinking.

Most of his ideas are just lunacy. It's like a child just shouting out things he wants with no concept of how it would be implemented. "I'm going to build a supersonic train from this part of the city to the next!"

I'll give him props for his early successes when the internet was filled with money marks. But his other businesses have almost completely relied on government handouts.

[Marc Vaughan]

I'd put a deposit on one as I'll be looking to change cars in a year or so - but seeing as I expect Tesla to get bought out/go bust in the next couple of years I'll wait until that happens ...

(quite frankly Elon Musk is showing all the signs of an impending breakdown imho which is a shame, as egotistic and obnoxious as he can be he's actually single handedly driven a fair few interesting areas forward)

[claphamsa]

i love mine, i know a ton of people that have them, and no one has had issues.

the accountant was specifically hired to take the company private, and when that died...he left.

[PilotMan]

So Musk smokes pot with Joe Rogan and people are freaking the fuck out? Really? I like him even better now.

[NobodyHere]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

So Musk smokes pot with Joe Rogan and people are freaking the fuck out? Really? I like him even better now.

Why?

[Radii]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

So Musk smokes pot with Joe Rogan and people are freaking the fuck out? Really? I like him even better now.

Nah I don't give a shit about that, but he's seemed kinda unhinged for quite awhile now.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

So Musk smokes pot with Joe Rogan and people are freaking the fuck out? Really? I like him even better now.

You may ... but the Air Force may not


As The Verge sums it up neatly

SpaceX launches satellites for the US Air Force after all, and the use of marijuana is prohibited for those in the military and people with government security clearances.

If he's got any kind of clearance, he may have just smoked up some rather valuable connections & revenue stream ... which I'd find funny as hell frankly.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

Why?

Because he is doing what he wants. It has nothing to do with how well Tesla is run. Just because he is willing to be who he is, and do whatever that means. I look across business, religion, government and see hypocrites everywhere. Here's a guy, being himself, and getting roasted for it. How much LSD did Jobs do? How badly did it impact his company? That's why.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

You may ... but the Air Force may not


As The Verge sums it up neatly


If he's got any kind of clearance, he may have just smoked up some rather valuable connections & revenue stream ... which I'd find funny as hell frankly.

I'll believe it when I see it.

[INDalltheway]

If you want Tesla to fail you have a dump in your pants. I'll leave it at that, but I am tired of Americans rooting against an American company in a brutal industry.

The experience buying a Tesla vs shopping at the other major brands is night and day different. I felt dirty when getting the wife's Toyota and the reason we bought was because we were tired of the same thing at every dealership - nice salespeople then ridiculous managers/finance people.