CAlexio

How do you like your volt/bolt? I have access to a dealer group buy, 3 year lease, upfront full payment of $7900 all-in. Thinking of buying as city car I can leave parked outside, maybe even throw it on Turo as I will only need it for occasional use when I’m not ubering.

mwar99

It’s interesting how opinions seem to be polar opposites for EM and Tesla. The things that bother me about Tesla have been stated. Over promise, under deliver, interior that is eh, etc.

As it relates to manufacturing a car Tesla can hire veteran execs so IMO they should be able to figure it out. There shouldn’t always be delays and issues to the degree there are. EM is some one who is hiring the right guys to make the technology work.

I don’t want a Tesla. Build quality is subpar and design is eh to me for the price point of the cars. They try to put too many gimmicky things in the car. I would have been more impressed if they came out talking about better battery technology than a sports car. You kind of have to admit the roadster is a gimmick. And honestly the deposit process they have feels like a way to raise money vs sell cars.

Will they survive? Who knows. Many companies have failed and many have survived. But at some point they will need to change how they do business. People will stop making excuses for poor execution and they will be held accountable. Whether they are a tech company or not, they are making cars. If another vehicle manufacturer executed like Tesla people would be slamming them way worse than Tesla gets slammed.

I will say EM puts his money where his mouth is, but it’s still sometimes feels like a snake oil salesman, just a little more polished.

One key thing for me in the drag Times video was the comment from the driver about how they are monitoring him. Much more of that going on with a Tesla than any other car manufacturer , yet no one really talks about it...

daveo4porsche

Bolt is a nifty little car - bought for the 3 teen's I have coming online all with new licenses - I LOVE the EV feature set for a new driver - no maintenance, easy to drive, fill up at home...leases can be had for way way way cheap recommend you shop around

if you want to see one up close I'm happy to meet you somewhere - we're have a Bolt get together at east bay Fuddruckers sunday 11:15 am (one closest to Fremont)

it's a super 230 mile +++ EV with pretty decent acceleration and super practical - even has DC Fast charging if you want to try and road trip with it - DC Fast is no where near as good as Tesla supercharging, but it gets the job done if you need it to.

ryem3

how much was the deposit? The full price?

daveo4porsche

two deposit levels $250,000 founders edition - $50,000 non-founders edition

basically an interest free Loan to Tesla until you take delivery of the car…full refund if you request it - but depends on company still being in business

based on historical trends you'd be better off taking the deposit money and buying TSLA stock - I did the analysis for the the Model X deposit $5000, and the Model 3 deposit $1000

Model X $5000 from Feb. 2012 to March 2016 (1st real deliveries of the X) would been ~$38,000 on delivery day for the X
Model 3 $1000 from March 2016 to Today would be $17xx - or about a 70% gross return
TSLA bulls are saying stock price of $1000 in 2020 vs. $315.05 today

I think buying TSLA stock is no more risky than giving them an unsecured zero % loan - and if they do well it's very very likely the TSLA investment will pay for the roadster. If they don't do well it's also very likely you may not be able to get your deposit back.

Trk8

Ever since youtube vids of Tesla cars going drag racing, I see grandma and grandpa trying to race people on the street. Worst was when all the raw sports car came out with nannies and dual clutch trannies. Lots of people thought they where race car trained.
The word " sports car" is dead. No skill involve, false sense of security, to put people in check. The idea of "sports" is that it require training and skills to differentiate ourselves, a form of measurement.

Outlaw

This stock will make your stomach turn. I say it goes into 200 range when new Model 3 production comes out.

Ive bought and sold 3 times and it’s scary.

Archimedes

Just another massively overvalued company in the current market bubble. Whether they survive/execute or not is pure speculation either way - 50/50 shot dependent entirely upon their access to capital markets and a lot less on their ability to 'execute'. As an investor, Musk has executed superbly. As a Company, Tesla has executed horrifically. But the market gives them a pass because there's always been a source of cheap money willing to finance the dream. Unfortunately, downstream that's effectively the Fed, which by extension is you and me Joe Taxpayers. If you give a smart guy ten bites at the apple, eventually his gonna figure out a way to make it work. That's what investors are betting on. But even if every one of these vehicles pans out a sells decently, the company still won't have earned an adequate CFROI on it's investment to date. Our Ponzi scheme of a market not withstanding.

EVs are the future. But then again, for most of us, so are nursing homes, ****ting our pants and having someone else give us our baths. Just because it's 'the future' doesn't mean we have to look forward to it.

I'm interested in a great EV. So far, all the Tesla products have been a let down to me and I have zero interest in them, as does almost everyone I know. But there are going to literally be dozens of new EVs coming out in the next five years. Maybe someone will get it right.

Archimedes

I was initially interested in a Bolt. A good friend has one and they have their teenage son driving it. Asked him how he liked it and he said it was awful. His Dad chimed in, 'that's why he's driving it and not us.'

Marv

Driven the Tesla Roadster 1.0 and it was impressive.

shapiroeric

I can understand wanting to be first on the block but giving Tesla $250,000 to hold for 2+ years is just not in my realm of thinking.....need some serious disposal income to thrown that down.....

Marv

Do you have to give a 100% deposit or is it like Porsche where you secure a spot with a small retailer?

There will always be those that flip them, too.

daveo4porsche

there are two levels of deposit

1. 250,000 "founders" level - limited to 1000 cars/reservations
2. 50,000 "base" level - no announced limit

both are $5,000 deposit online via credit card, remainder of deposit via wire transfer within 10 business days or you lose your "slot".

fully refundable as long as Tesla remain "solvent"…

again if you're serious about this - and really think Tesla will do well and be around to deliver the roadster - you'd probably be better of taking that same money and simply buying Tesla Stock - and using the money from the stock to buy a Roadster when it comes out - the risk is about hte same - if the stock tanks Tesla may not be able to refund your money - if it doesn't they should've done well enough 3 years from now that the stock will pay for the roadster and then some.

Sloopy

Does anyone remember back to the future. Seems like DeLorian all over again. Maybe they can get Christopher Loyd to Play Musk in a movie.

CAlexio

Kind of like that.. except, john Delorean didn’t also create and fly reusable rockets, or become an early innovator in electronic payment systems, as well as a variety of other innovations. Oh, and delorean hadn’t already made 4 other models with his car company, or a myriad other achievements which I don’t have to list here as they are in the public domain. So, I guess actually... nothing like that at all.

Come on man, you don’t have to be an avowed Elon fanboy (I’m one) to see that this man achieves the impossible, and is generally not one to be bet against.