my friend just announced he is getting a model x. I had wondered how that all works since the nearest dealer for us is 2.5 hours away from us and the way he drives his vehicles they tend to end up at the dealer.
His experience will depend on where he lives and if he plans on buying new or used. Buying used for us was a nightmare. Took 3 months to take delivery, even though the car was local. You can’t buy a Tesla in TX. They have service centers and galleries, but you can’t exactly buy one because the state requires a 3rd party system, in other words, an independent dealer. Despite this, they are everywhere where I live, thus not even a status symbol. You basically are buying a car online, from CA, and then they ship it to you, or rather, their service center... ...where you have an appointment only they can’t find you in the system, and the car isn’t there, even though you’ve basically been in contact with them every day for several months wondering when you can pick up your damn car, and every time they say you’ll get it something happens, like that, or the time the battery was dead because they left the damn thing on a lot for 3 months!!!
If he lives 2.5 hours away, they damn well better deliver to his house... ...something they once did, a few weeks when we were trying to get ours. If there was a car across the country that you wanted, they would ship it to you. They would also even refurbish it to new condition. Now, you put a down payment on a stock photo, and if you don’t like it, have fun trying to use that down payment on another.
If he needs service, they will try to send out a tech to the vehicles location. This is great, unless they start using this as a filtering process where they want to make absolutely sure it’s not something simple... ...which is what happened to us numerous times this summer when the MCU (stupid iPad that controls everything) went out thanks to their own software update. Car was still drivable, but you can’t use the AC, or radio, or navigation, auto braking auto steer cruise control... ...and OMG! turn indicators either?!? So you have this weirdo, in a $80-$100k car with the windows all rolled down, blasting a Bluetooth speaker, with her arm out the window... ...to use hand signals? People do that?
So, if he wants it, he better buy new, but 2.5 hours away? He’s an idiot. I get that he wants it, but... ...yeah. That’s definitely something worth waiting for. Personally, I find the 3, X, and Y ugly. The only thing the X has going for it is the gull wing doors, which are only in the back. If I truly wanted a crossover/SUV, I would get the new Mach E. Ford dealers have got to be more plentiful. It has better styling IMO. But I just can’t get over that 2.5 hour drive... ...could a 200-300 mile range even get him there? And back? I had to take my daughter on two separate occasions 2-2.5 hours away, and took the ol’ mustang instead. Shorter trip would have been cutting it close. 2.5 would require a stop 30 minutes off the main road, only to hope the only charger in that village worked. ...and of course, wait an hour. Ended up renting a car to go to Galveston because we did not trust the accessibility of the planned charging stops, and 6 hours in the mustang, with 3 people isn’t comfortable. That, and luggage space (convertible)
