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by frgewut 2916 days ago
They say that cars will be delivered in 2 to 4 months. Also ordering costs $2500.

I thought it is common to pay full amount upfront upon ordering cars, then wait a month or two for actual delivery.

2 comments

It depends on the place/country, regarding the payment.

Regarding the delivery, there's two aspects: the first one is that delivery can take even more, even for regular cars. The second one is that I wouldn't be too confident as a Tesla customer, that I'll get the car in 2 to 4 months. 6+ months seems more realistic, based on their track record.

All-in-all, if you really like the car, it doesn't seem a blocker.

It is, with the proviso that it's rare for Americans to order a car before it's made -- we mostly buy them "off the lot". Tesla is unusual in that regard.
As a former car salesperson, I can tell you that, in the state of Virginia, car sales contracts are not valid until the customer has physically taken possession of the vehicle. As a result, we were always very reticent to sell a car "off the truck". Customers would swear up and down that they'll definitely follow through but, most of the time, they'd just never come to pick up the vehicle and we'd be stuck trying to unwind a contract. I'm sure this is common in a lot of states.
Nissan Leaf and a Scion xB, both ordered, both paid at the time of delivery, not before. No way I'd pay upfront for something I haven't even driven.
I’ve ordered a car that wasn’t a Tesla in the US. I paid upon delivery.