[enraged_camel]

Makes sense. They probably get a lot of people who pretend to be buyers just to be able to test-drive a Tesla. Since such people don't end up buying one (as they cannot afford it), letting them test-drive serves no purpose other than wasting the dealer's time, and setting a $300 fee helps weed them out. Note that most high-end car dealers do this.

Another way to think about it is this: if you were a serious buyer, i.e. the type who can spend a tens of grand on a car, then a $300 fee would be pocket change for you. In all likelihood, it would count towards the purchase of the car if you decided to buy one. But declining to pay the fee basically confirms their suspicion that you were not a serious buyer and were there simply to satisfy your curiosity.

[aeturnum]

I think this view is misguided. Apple would be foolish to make you prove that you could buy an iPad before letting you play with one, and the same holds true for Tesla. They need to overcome widespread skepticism about purely electric cars, and a large part of that is exposing everyone they can to their cars.

Sure, give preferencial treatment to people who have the money to buy one, but let everyone try them out.

[sbierwagen]

An iPad costs a couple hundred bucks, and is tiny. A Tesla Roadster costs tens of thousands, requires a full-time employee to babysit it during a test-drive, has to be insured, and fills a room.

You're not comparing apples to oranges. You're comparing a paper airplane to a 747.

[marcamillion]

Not to mention that most Apple devices can't harm anyone else - i.e. there is no third-party liability that Apple may have to assume (or buy insurance to cover) if you (a free 'test driver') harms someone else with their test product.

This $300 is definitely not unreasonable.

[tptacek]

It is so much less expensive for Apple to let a prospect try out an iPad than it is for Tesla to arrange a test drive that these two things are effectively apples and oranges.

[Firehed]

Well, comparing Apples and Teslas ;)

[tocomment]

Actually if the fee is just a filter, they could refund your money if you buy any car in the next say 6 months. That way it's less of an obstacle for potential buyers but still filters out non-buyers.

[run4yourlives]

That's silly.

If I'm trying to decide whether to buy a Maserati or a Tesla, and you tell me I need to pay you $300 for the Tesla just to test drive it, I can tell you that I'm buying the Maserati, since they've already figured out that I'm a potential buyer.

Tesla is smart to size up the people that walk into their stores so that they don't offend the ones that actually can buy their cars. If they offend non-customers, so be it.

[enraged_camel]

If you give similar answers to the Maserati sales rep, they will also charge you a fee for test-driving, or maybe not even let you test-drive.

Like I said, any high-end car sales rep is trained to quickly profile potential buyers. They judge everything from your looks to your body language and profession. When you're talking about really expensive cars, it's better to err on the side of caution and lose a few potential sales than let just any loser off the street test-drive one.

I had a friend back in college whose dad was the owner of a local Mercedes dealer. After interning there for a summer, he cryptically told me that he "cracked the code." From there on, his favorite hobby became dressing up in nice suits, walking into a high-end car dealership, and convincing (with 95% success) the sales rep to let him drive one of their cars. I accompanied him for one of his trips and got to test-drive for free a Lexus convertible, a Ferrari, and a Nissan 350Z back when it was new.

[run4yourlives]

I agree with you.

[chucknelson]

Yep, I knew people that did this in the Kansas City suburbs. Never did go with, though, so maybe it they never really pulled it off.

[tptacek]

If you're really deciding between a Maserati and a Tesla, I'd be willing to bet that Tesla isn't actually going to charge you $300 to drive one.

If you walked off the street into a Maserati dealership dressed like a hacker, refused to provide any information qualifying yourself as a prospect, and demanded a test drive, you might not be allowed to drive one at all.

Of course, if you wanted a Maserati, you could probably have one next week. Tesla is back-ordered to forever. So whatever they're doing seems to be working OK.

[run4yourlives]

Well yes, that's exactly my point. OP was arguing that the $300 fee should be mandatory.

[tadfisher]

What if you, by some affliction unimaginable, actually don't like the car? Is it worth $300 to determine that?

[toomuchtodo]

I've paid $3K to rent an Audi R8 for the weekend. I currently have a Model S reservation. I'm cool with paying $300 to see if I want to spend $80K on a car (0.00375% of the value of the vehicle).

[sokoloff]

0.375%

[toomuchtodo]

Was too quick in Calculator; my fault for multi-tasking.

[tryitnow]

If you're willing to spend more than $100K on a car, then yes it probably is.

[apendleton]

The Roadsters sold for that much, but are no longer on sale. The Model S price is a little over half that. You can get above $100K with the right combination of options, but most sales probably won't be for anywhere near that.