3 ms·

Some people prefer it because of the buying experience. They're not on the top of my list (I prefer a PHEV), but I am absolutely dreading going to a showroom. M

Some people prefer it because of the buying experience. They're not on the top of my list (I prefer a PHEV), but I am absolutely dreading going to a showroom. Many of my friends say the same thing (and in a recent HN thread, [1] I saw lots of people commenting on how awful the typical car-buying experience is). Some people probably can't get Musk out of their head whenever they see a Tesla. But the company has an independent brand as well, so many people just associate it with EVs, environmentalism, fast cars, etc. 1: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33948535 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33948535

hedora 4y ago
I bought a used BMW from a dealer recently. Many of the conventional dealers have apparently copied internet sellers' sales model, and are now no-haggle. The experience was completely fine, especially compared to the last two cars I purchased, which previously made me swear I'd only deal with tesla, specifically to avoid dealerships. The biggest problem was that the online EV inventory was completely out-of-date, so I had to physically show up to browse cars. The whole process took less than 5 hours end-to-end (roughly 2-3 in the dealership). I paid a fair price vs. other local sales of similar cars. I'm not sure how much of the good experience was due to being at a luxury car dealership vs. them copying off of tesla and other online-only dealerships.
- gnicholas 4y ago
  One thing that always struck me as inappropriate is that they want to scan your DL before you test drive a vehicle. That lets them look you up, see your home value and possibly your salary (if you're a big exec — for the record, I am not!). Is there a diplomatic way to decline to hand over your DL, and a bunch of bargaining power along with it? I'd rather a salesperson not know whether I can barely afford their cheapest car or easily afford their most expensive when we go to the bargaining table.
  - pwinnski 4y ago
    Sure, you don't have to test drive a car. Presumably most sellers would be happy to drive and have you sit shotgun without a license.
    - gnicholas 4y ago
      Are you suggesting buying a car without ever driving it? Or test driving at a dealership 1 and then purchasing at dealership 2?
      - pwinnski 4y ago
        Many, if not most, Teslas are bought without a test drive. But if you don't want anyone to make a copy of your drivers license, you have the options I laid out: buy without driving, or be a passenger.
        gnicholas 4y ago
        It's a novel idea! I would have never considered spending tens of thousands of dollars on a vehicle that I wouldn't drive before committing to the purchase. It certainly goes against everything I was ever taught about buying a car!

hedora 4y ago

I bought a used BMW from a dealer recently. Many of the conventional dealers have apparently copied internet sellers' sales model, and are now no-haggle. The experience was completely fine, especially compared to the last two cars I purchased, which previously made me swear I'd only deal with tesla, specifically to avoid dealerships. The biggest problem was that the online EV inventory was completely out-of-date, so I had to physically show up to browse cars. The whole process took less than 5 hours end-to-end (roughly 2-3 in the dealership). I paid a fair price vs. other local sales of similar cars. I'm not sure how much of the good experience was due to being at a luxury car dealership vs. them copying off of tesla and other online-only dealerships.

gnicholas 4y ago
One thing that always struck me as inappropriate is that they want to scan your DL before you test drive a vehicle. That lets them look you up, see your home value and possibly your salary (if you're a big exec — for the record, I am not!). Is there a diplomatic way to decline to hand over your DL, and a bunch of bargaining power along with it? I'd rather a salesperson not know whether I can barely afford their cheapest car or easily afford their most expensive when we go to the bargaining table.
- pwinnski 4y ago
  Sure, you don't have to test drive a car. Presumably most sellers would be happy to drive and have you sit shotgun without a license.
  - gnicholas 4y ago
    Are you suggesting buying a car without ever driving it? Or test driving at a dealership 1 and then purchasing at dealership 2?
    - pwinnski 4y ago
      Many, if not most, Teslas are bought without a test drive. But if you don't want anyone to make a copy of your drivers license, you have the options I laid out: buy without driving, or be a passenger.
      - gnicholas 4y ago
        It's a novel idea! I would have never considered spending tens of thousands of dollars on a vehicle that I wouldn't drive before committing to the purchase. It certainly goes against everything I was ever taught about buying a car!