Drove a Juniper today...

JeffKeryk

JeffKeryk

Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
23,884
Location
Los Gatos, CA
A new Tesla store just opened up a few blocks from our house; wifey and I stopped in late in the afternoon today. Young man threw us the keys, key card actually, to a Model Y Long Range RWD . It had the alloy wheels and new Diamond Black paint color. I specifically wanted the single motor car.

I've never driven a Model Y. I am not much of a SUV guy, gimmie a sedan or a PU. The car is very spacious as compared to our M3P. It drives very well; if I were buying an SUV this would be it. Wifey, not so much, and she was the one who was excited in Dec 2018 when we bought the first Model 3. She prefers the seating and feel of her RX450h F Sport with all its lux. She knows the Lex myriad of controls by muscle memory.

I will say this; the single motor RWD is a 5.4 second 0-60 car; for a daily multi-purpose vehicle, it's plenty powerful and faster than most. EPA range is 357 miles; that's impressive. I liked it a lot. After owning a Tesla for some time, the benefits make the choice a no-brainer, at least to me. The new Model 3 Juniper will sell a ton.
 
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RoadDukie said:
What was the dealer asking for this nugget?
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The Model Y starts at $45K, less the $7500 tax credit, if you qualify. So $37,500 for many.
This car's options were the paint, white interior, wheels and FSD which brings it up to $57,500 before tax credit.

I would likely buy the base version.
You can price out your own Tesla on the website.
 
JeffKeryk said:
You can price out your own Tesla on the website.
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The only hope for a discount is to find the car you want in "inventory". Nearest Tesla dealer to me is 90 miles but I bought from 200 miles because they had my car "in inventory" with a $3500 discount. Same car 90 miles away was full price. My car wasn't a month or two old.
 
GrumpyCat said:
The only hope for a discount is to find the car you want in "inventory". Nearest Tesla dealer to me is 90 miles but I bought from 200 miles because they had my car "in inventory" with a $3500 discount. Same car 90 miles away was full price. My car wasn't a month or two old.
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Why? As long if you qualify. Doesn't the website tell you the leadtime?
 
JeffKeryk said:
Why? As long if you qualify. Doesn't the website tell you the leadtime?
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I don't understand your reply at all.

Qualify for what?

What leadtime?

Car was on the lot, I made my deposit to reserve, then arranged full payment, and selected the day I wanted to pick it up.
 
GrumpyCat said:
I don't understand your reply at all.

Qualify for what?

What leadtime?

Car was on the lot, I made my deposit to reserve, then arranged full payment, and selected the day I wanted to pick it up.
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That’s what I did with my Y Performance. It only took a few days selecting an inventory vehicle and it included a $4,300 discount. I did order for the 2026 for my wife and then ended up switching to an inventory vehicle to expedite the pickup.
 
We drove by the offsite storage lot at an old mall here yesterday. Inventories are building, discounts are coming. There were a ton of cars there, more than double what they have had in the past. This goes for other makes too based on dealership lots but I believe this lot just goes to the one Chesterfield Tesla sales center. The amount of Cybertrucks was shocking, I’m not sure what they are planning on doing with all of them. The new Y is growing on me, slowly, but I’m sitting tight.
 
alarmguy said:
The loss of the tax credit will significantly alter the pricing of some EVs and greatly alter sales numbers.
Exciting times for sure if you like to watch “market forces”
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The loss of the tax credit has to have an effect. For many, it will hurt, for me it is likely to help. Last time the tax credit ended, Tesla lowered the price of their cars to help offset the tax credit loss. Since I do not qualify, that would help me.

Tesla's margins can absorb some of the $$ loss, but the likely sales decline will hurt more. Heck, the Model Y was recently dethroned as the #1 selling car due to recent issues. Now, other makes that now qualify for the tax credit will be hurt worse due to their already underwater margins.

Interesting times ahead...
 
GrumpyCat said:
I don't understand your reply at all.

Qualify for what?

What leadtime?

Car was on the lot, I made my deposit to reserve, then arranged full payment, and selected the day I wanted to pick it up.
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Qualify: The tax credit is $7500 based on an income limit of $150K.
Lead time: You have to take delivery of your EV before the end of September, I believe. Then the current tax benefit expires. When you order the car, you get a delivery date. There also some cars available immeadiately; demos, cancellations, etc.
 
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JeffKeryk said:
The loss of the tax credit has to have an effect. For many, it will hurt, for me it is likely to help. Last time the tax credit ended, Tesla lowered the price of their cars to help offset the tax credit loss. Since I do not qualify, that would help me.

Tesla's margins can absorb some of the $$ loss, but the likely sales decline will hurt more. Heck, the Model Y was recently dethroned as the #1 selling car due to recent issues. Now, other makes that now qualify for the tax credit will be hurt worse due to their already underwater margins.

Interesting times ahead...
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See that?
Once in a while we agree 😃
 
GrumpyCat said:
DIdn't affect Tesla last time they lost the tax credit.
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Sure it did; they lowered prices and introduced the cheaper Model 3 Standard.. At the time, Tesla was in rapid growth mode; margins were in the 17% range (Porsche territory) and they sold the Model 3 as fast as Fremont could crank them out. Times are different now.

Don't get me wrong; Tesla is by far best able in the EV space to manage this. GM and Ford will be strapped due to their negative margins.
 
JeffKeryk said:
GM and Ford will be strapped due to their negative margins.
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Agreed the loss of credit will affect all EV producers.

Grumpy is right about the first loss of credit not slowing down Tesla at all, and you are right that they pivoted with lower prices and the 35K model everyone moaned they couldn't get, but then didnt buy when they could.

GM is already playing games with residual values on trucks and blazers to try to move products, its some ridiculous number like 90% - a total can kick down the road pushing the pain into the future.
I wonder if this is recorded as a future liability being known to be out of scope at time of writing?

I was never a fan of the credit, simply on principle same with other tax gifts like 179.

Exciting times indeed, wondering about all these new power plants that are supposedly coming to bring the good times back - will they be without AFM and DI, DPF's and DEF whats coming our way?
If so they will only be available in the US because they wont meet the bulk of non US standards so its going to be hard to make development money back on a stateside only product, but I dont see an EV truck replacing my gas truck so rooting for GM to give us something good.


https://www.carsdirect.com/deals-articles/2025-chevy-silverado-ev-leases-have-a-90-residual-value
https://www.carsdirect.com/deals-articles/gm-is-inflating-chevy-blazer-ev-residual-values
 
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