I have been checking the Tesla website fairly frequently recently, trying to really understand what a model 3 will cost. To my surprise instead of finding the configurator that I would have expected to show, now that the model 3 is in production, I found an actual estimate of when I can have my model 3. Cool!
I can get the Model 3 in about 8-10 Month!
I have ordered my Tesla in June. That means there are about 400k orders in front of me. And Tesla is only really starting the production at full speed in January. Yet I can have mine in April?
This means that Tesla does not expect all of these orders to be real or at least not to want the high end model. This was very surprising for me. I expected to have to wait 2 years from now for sure.
If you have ordered the Model 3, you can go to their website and check your delivery option.
Idiot me orders the Tesla very very late
When the Model 3 was presented at first, I was a donkey and did not reserve one right away. I asked my wife if it was "ok" to reserve one just in case and she said no and not to waste money. I should have simply ordered one asap because one can probably buy a model 3 within the first year of release and sell it for more than market price, if you get into the very first spots. Plus maybe I actually want to have a cheap electric, self driving car.
I probably won't buy a Tesla anytime soon
I doubt that I will actually get the Model 3. I have test driven the Model S and I simply do not fit in. The ride was a bit uncomfortable and not as luxurious as I would expect for $100k car. Mostly however the car is too small for me (I am 6'3 or 193cm with a long torso and as such bump into the ceiling of the car).
Comparably sitting in an S-Class or even an E-Class is quite more comfortable and the cars handle better and are also of course faster (though this is not relevant in the USA where I reside).
Tesla keeps impressing me
Overall Tesla really keeps impressing me. The car was not bad, just a little too small and some things made it clear that Tesla has not designed many cars yet. However they are killing the luxury segment. That I find impressive. They have also changed the way cars are designed and produced.
After seeing the screen of the Model S any other car looks crappy and old inside. And yes I mean you Mercedes and BMW and heck even Porsche! The Germans really have to get their act together and not only change the product itself but also the entire customer experience (i.e. software updates) as well as production life cycle. I don't want to buy a product anymore that get's updated every 8-10 years.
Buying my next car will be tough
It will be interesting to buy my next car. It will likely be the last one that is not self driving and even so, it may just be wrong to buy one that is not. I drive a very 8 year old car and am due for on upgrade. However my car is free and new cars are expensive. I hate the Tesla as a car and I hate the Germans from a software and self-driving experience. So it will be interesting what I will have to choose. I will certainly want to sit and drive in a model 3 and see if it is roomy enough. If that is the case, the Germans may not stay a chance.