Quote from: Duane on June 06, 2023, 17:39:03I for one am 100% against this. Online sales, or direct purchase is a terrible move for consumers, especially car enthusiasts. CEO's stepping in to set prices seems a very smart move to curb markups. I have purchased 7 brand new vehicles in my life, and aside from the 3 motorcycles, I've test driven all of them. I've also test driven multiple makes every time I've purchased a car, every time. What you feel when driving a vehicle can very easily sway your opinion on a purchase. I also remember visiting a dealership with a test drive scheduled but after sitting in the driver's seat for not 5 minutes I cancelled it and moved on. To limit yourself to what you see online is a terrible mistake IMO, one that can cost you greatly. For this reason alone I will likely never buy a Tesla in my life, and I am very impressed with what they have accomplished. To each their own in the end, but I feel a 10 minute test drive will tell you more about a car than days of research online reading all the reviews and watching all the gimmicky "unboxing videos" haha.

Quite possibly the most asinine thing I've read today... What about direct to consumer sales precludes test drives? Walk into a Tesla showroom and ask for a test drive, they will for sure get you in a car.

The difference is that once you're done, no one will take you to a back room and check your credit score while holding your keys hostage while they laugh and decide how much of a markup you can afford/tolerate. This is only about getting people the WYSIWYG price. Nothing else we buy in life is as opaque and frustrating as buying a car from a dealer, nothing.

Quote from: Duane on June 06, 2023, 17:39:03

Quote from: Pete Namlook on June 06, 2023, 10:41:25Honestly direct to customer sales need to be legalized in America, but dealerships are a big powerful lobby and they want to keep the system corrupt. Honestly, of I ever buy a new car...I would buy it from a state that allows direct to customer sales of automobiles...even if only 1 such state exists, that would be enough.

I for one am 100% against this. Online sales, or direct purchase is a terrible move for consumers, especially car enthusiasts. CEO's stepping in to set prices seems a very smart move to curb markups. I have purchased 7 brand new vehicles in my life, and aside from the 3 motorcycles, I've test driven all of them. I've also test driven multiple makes every time I've purchased a car, every time. What you feel when driving a vehicle can very easily sway your opinion on a purchase. I also remember visiting a dealership with a test drive scheduled but after sitting in the driver's seat for not 5 minutes I cancelled it and moved on. To limit yourself to what you see online is a terrible mistake IMO, one that can cost you greatly. For this reason alone I will likely never buy a Tesla in my life, and I am very impressed with what they have accomplished. To each their own in the end, but I feel a 10 minute test drive will tell you more about a car than days of research online reading all the reviews and watching all the gimmicky "unboxing videos" haha.

What nonsense are you talking about? Franchised Dealerships != Test drives. Car companies can have their own dealerships in places where the laws don't restrict them due to lobbying by the Franchised dealerships. Even online purchasing directly, there are things like car events where you can test drive a car, then order one online that better fits your preferences.

If Tesla isn't able to have test drives in your state, that isn't Tesla's fault. That is your franchised dealerships and legislators fault.

They already did make a mistake, 3 factors
#1. No 800V architecture.
#2. Small 92kwh battery pack.
#3. High priced for what it is.

Actually you can go test drive a Tesla anytime you want. There are Tesla centers all over the US where you can go drive any model you'd like, today.

Quote from: Pete Namlook on June 06, 2023, 10:41:25Honestly direct to customer sales need to be legalized in America, but dealerships are a big powerful lobby and they want to keep the system corrupt. Honestly, of I ever buy a new car...I would buy it from a state that allows direct to customer sales of automobiles...even if only 1 such state exists, that would be enough.

I for one am 100% against this. Online sales, or direct purchase is a terrible move for consumers, especially car enthusiasts. CEO's stepping in to set prices seems a very smart move to curb markups. I have purchased 7 brand new vehicles in my life, and aside from the 3 motorcycles, I've test driven all of them. I've also test driven multiple makes every time I've purchased a car, every time. What you feel when driving a vehicle can very easily sway your opinion on a purchase. I also remember visiting a dealership with a test drive scheduled but after sitting in the driver's seat for not 5 minutes I cancelled it and moved on. To limit yourself to what you see online is a terrible mistake IMO, one that can cost you greatly. For this reason alone I will likely never buy a Tesla in my life, and I am very impressed with what they have accomplished. To each their own in the end, but I feel a 10 minute test drive will tell you more about a car than days of research online reading all the reviews and watching all the gimmicky "unboxing videos" haha.

Honestly direct to customer sales need to be legalized in America, but dealerships are a big powerful lobby and they want to keep the system corrupt. Honestly, of I ever buy a new car...I would buy it from a state that allows direct to customer sales of automobiles...even if only 1 such state exists, that would be enough.