LeX2K

Does it actually matter to anyone how Tesla chooses to sell their cars? Why is it being treated like some egregious violation, I don't get it. The weird thing is it looks like the people who hate Tesla's business model will never buy one.

mmarshall

Well, it just might matter to those investors who keep propping the company up because it loses money on the way it does business. If course, if they want to keep tossing more $$$$$ into an unproductive system, than maybe that's their buiness.

coolsaber

To those who believe one of the failures/sucesses of tesla is their lack of dealerships/3rd party salesmen how has the customer benefited or lost with the current Tesla experience vs a luxury dealership of everyone else?

mmarshall

Have you ever seen a Tesla retail-outlet and/or service facility? Visit one (if possible) and I think you might able to answer your own question.

coolsaber

I cannot really fathom blindly following someone on a PR speak. Its reminiscent of the time, Jobs who many draw parallels to with Musk, stated that the antenna issue on the launched iPhone 4 was due to user error "your`re holding it wrong" lol. Same thing happened with multiple other issues down to the most recent iphone locking scandal. If your going to revolutionize the world and humanity etc better not follow Apple, unless your true intentions lay elsewhere.

coolsaber

What does visiting one have in regards to simply listing the benefits or losses an end customer has gotten from the current model?

peteharvey

From what I know, an independent dealer network may or may not lower the price; it could work either way, and it all boils down to how well/efficiently each system is run.
I've seen third parties & middle men do both better and worse.


We have talked before about how Tesla has a headstart with battery, electric motors & supercharger network, but how quickly the established manufacturers can catch up to this technology.
Below is a Chinese young upstart already with world records.

https://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/n...ng-lap-record/

If a Chinese young upstart can achieve this, just imagine what TMC, Daimler AG or VW AG could really achieve?
With $200 billion dollars in equity, TMC could walk over Tesla's $4.9 billion dollar equity very easily.
If Tesla can borrow, Toyota Motor Corp will always be able to borrow more.

Off the top of my head, I would say that it will be harder for Tesla to catch up to the chassis/bodywork tech of the established players, than for the established players to catch up to Tesla's battery, electric motor and supercharger network.
.

mmarshall

That, of course, is your money and your decision, but you often CAN buy Apple products cheaper at non-Apple retail outlets.

Regardless of where you do buy them, though, Apple products are so good that you don't have to replace them very often, so it's not like something you are going to buy every day at the grocery or drug store.

Toys4RJill

Buying a Tesla is a no haggle full price experience. No different from paying full MSRP at Lexus. Competition and competing dealers should provide better prices, as well as possibly better service or other things.

For example, I can buy an Apple product at Costco, I automatically get a longer return policy, a free two year electronics warranty, and cash back from a Credit Card from Costco. Or I can go to Best Buy, I can price match, get a longer return policy or I can go to Apple, get a 14 day return policy, price match to ONLY 10%. It’s my choice. Same things may apply to different Lexus dealers, but at Tesla, there is no competition....so IMO, the consumer loses.

Allen K

iTrader: (4)

Or is the MSRP is purposefully inflated to give dealers room to haggle and provide consumers with the illusion that they're getting a good 'deal'?

When I bought my Tesla, I knew I was getting the best price (at the time) and the entire process took about 45 minutes - 10 minutes to order online, 35 minutes to sign the paperwork and get a walk through of the car on the pick up day.

Toys4RJill

Its law in the US to allow consumers access to invoice, it is readily available. So anyone can find out what that Lexus cost the dealer. It’s up to the consumer to do their work. I do not know if the Tesla invoice must be disclosed.

As for speed of Tesla service. You can do the same if you buy any car for full MSRP. It does not take long And you can pick up whenever you want.

Allen K

iTrader: (4)

Invoice is about as useful as MSRP with the dealer discounts they don't have to disclose

Toys4RJill

I guess we will just have to disagree.

LeX2K

HA, good luck. You'll be bombarded with please buy this protection package, this extended warranty, fiance through us etc. dealerships are a miserable experience in most cases. An easy buy would be the exception.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

apple makes good quality products no doubt, but like everyone they do make lemons now and then too. just had to upgrade a friend's phone and got two iPhone XS's in a row with defective screens. gave up and switched to the cheaper XR as for this user it wouldn't matter. disappointing though...