In between o40 soccer games last week my buddy drove me to Wawa for waters in his FSD Tesla. It blew my mind. This friend is very very well off and I thought it was cool but always assumed Tesla's were like $80,000-$100,000 cars.
The next day I flew to Atlanta for a seminar where my cousin picked me and my buddy up in his new FSD Tesla. And my buddy as soon as we got in the car told him he just got one too and loves it.
Honestly the price tag is what sold me most, plus currently 0% financing for the RWD which I really love. The car seems like it does so much and the price tag seems so insanely reasonable. Some questions before I jump in though:
1) Is the "order online" price the same you will get at a dealership? It's so refreshing to see a haggle free actual price that you can buy on the spot. Do prices fluctuate at all at actual dealerships?
2) Is there a reason to buy from a dealership vs. just directly buying online? Can you save on the delivery fee if you buy direct from a dealership? The two dealerships in New Jersey are an hour away each.
3) I live in a house in the New Jersey suburbs but do NOT have a garage. It gets very cold here for about 4-5 months of the year and we get snow a few times almost every winter. Will owning a Tesla be a problem in a cold weather climate without a garage? I've read that battery life will be decreased while it's actually cold out, which is fine, but will it kill the long term life of the battery as well?
4) RWD v. AWD. From what I read it seems like the RWD actually performs pretty well and AWD isn't really necessary for the $5K + 0.99% financing price difference?
5) What does seem recommended is the winter tires? I don't see this as an option on Tesla's website when ordering but did read that you can have Tesla put them on? Necessary or not really?
6) Family. I have 2 kids and thus 2 car seats. How do the Tesla seats hold up to the wear and tear of two kids and two car seats?
7) Is the trade in value on the Tesla site you get for putting in the VIN number accurate? Or can you get something different at a dealership? (Or do they just also plug in your VIN number?)
8) Tax credits in NJ? Are they a thing other than the $1,000 NJ rebate Tesla has checked on the website?
9) How is the sound system on the RWD model? I've always bought limited versions of my other cars for the upgraded sound system but the models the basic Y RWD are over my budget.
I'm sure there's more questions I'm forgetting right now but anything else you think I should know or take into consideration is much appreciated. I love the FSD mode. I love the rave mode. I'm falling more and more in love with this car everyday the longer I've been away from it. Thanks so much!