I waited in line yesterday to reserve a Model 3. AMA.

"Arrivederci" (arrividerci)
04/01/2016 at 08:25 • Filed to: Tesla, Model 3

I’ve never really waited in line to preorder anything, much less a $35,000+ car. Why did the Tesla have me before I even saw it? Well, for starters, the reservation deposit is completely refundable. If Tesla screwed it up, I could call the store back and cancel.

Fortunately, I think they hit it out of the park.

I know that many dislike the face without the fake, vestigial grille, but I think it looks exactly as it should. It has no engine, so there is no need for it! Porsche doesn’t put a grille on its rear or mid-engined cars, so why should Tesla. I understand people feel the need for anthropomorphism in vehicles, but unnecessary design is exactly that.

From watching the reveal last night, there were a couple things to consider. I definitely want the Autopilot, and Autopilot hardware is standard across the line, as well as the safety features, according to Glorious Leader Mr. Musk. However, hardware is one thing, and actual Autopilot is another. I’m almost certain that the software for Autopilot will still be an option, but I do hope that it will be less than the $2500 currently, thanks to both the scale and likely take rate on the Model 3.

Additionally, I absolutely must be able to Supercharge. Elon said that all the cars will be supercharger capable, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are all supercharger enabled from the get-go. I may be wrong, especially since he went into a two or three minute diatribe about how all Tesla owners should be able to drive wherever they want without range concern. So, it may actually be included in the purchase of the car without optioning.

For me, that’s really all I want. I don’t care about the glass roof, 215 miles of range should be plenty, the size and packaging look awesome and if Autopilot is not hugely expensive, I’m certainly keeping my reservation. Seeing as I’m not a current Tesla owner and don’t live on the West Coast, I’m going to be pretty far down the pecking order for US market cars. I really hope to be able to take delivery some time in 2018, but wouldn’t be terribly surprised if it’s 2019. If it’s the latter, my chance at receiving the full $7500 federal tax credit is basically zero, but it would be a possibility in 2018. Either way, I am somewhat confident that I may get a vehicle in the first step down to $3750.

DISCUSSION (5)

functionoverfashion > Arrivederci
04/07/2016 at 13:12

Interesting. I think we would have done this if we lived... anywhere near to a Tesla showroom at all.

My questions: How far are you from your nearest service location?

Right now, I know a guy who owns a Model S in my town. If it breaks, they come here (120 miles each way) from the service place and deal with it. That will be physically impossible (read: financially impossible) once there are 100's of thousands of Teslas out there. Do you feel that service is a valid concern for someone at my distance?

And just ‘cause I’m curious, how long did you wait in line? Do you have a number or anything?

Arrivederci > functionoverfashion
04/07/2016 at 13:20

Nearest service center is about an hour away, same with the sales center where I made the reservation. The service you’re referring to definitely won’t be feasible when the Model 3's roll out. That’s part of the reason they’re keeping the first batch or two on the West Coast, so they can sort out any problems that may arise quickly and correct production.

For regular service, they only need to see it once a year, so in that vein, an hour away isn’t a big deal. However, if things go wrong and have to be repaired, then it could become a pain in the ass to get it out there.

I showed up at about 8:30am, which was 90 minutes before they opened. 100 people were already ahead of me in line. I placed my reservation around 11:15am and was on my way out of there. Each reservation has a RN-number, but they seem to be distributed at random.

functionoverfashion > Arrivederci
04/07/2016 at 14:16

Thanks for the reply! Yeah, I would be concerned about service issues, where this would be my wife’s commuter 50 miles each way. Like, if she has a newer Volvo and there’s an issue, there’s a dealer close to our home AND one close to her work and they can just give a loaner. This would be, like, we need a third (fourth, if you count my ‘61 ford truck) car just to be safe. Yeah... but it IS the ideal commuter car, for a highway commute with light to no traffic like my wife has.

I’m sure you’ll keep us updated on the progress of your 3. Good luck!

Arrivederci > functionoverfashion
04/08/2016 at 11:00

Thanks! Agree as well - think having an EV as your only car may be hard. My fiancee will be using it as her commuter (60 miles roundtrip) daily, but we’ll keep her Rogue for hauling since it’ll be long since paid for and I’ll keep driving my BRZ. I figure she’ll want something bigger once kiddos start arriving and then I’ll start dailying the Tesla and we’ll sell the Rogue and replace it with something for her.

functionoverfashion > Arrivederci
04/08/2016 at 13:37

I suppose on that note, we’d just keep the X3 she has now, that we paid cash for 3 years ago.

We’ve already got the 2 kids, but I’m on the drop off/ pickup duty in my 325 wagon.

I think by the time we could realistically get our hands on a Model 3, we might be cross-shopping it with a lightly-used Volvo V90 (or XC90), which would get my vote for several reasons. Partly I think I’d like to buy a new(ish) Volvo wagon and give it to my kids 15 years later.