Tesla Showcase and Brunch Event?

[jeromedawg]

I just got an invite to check out a Tesla showcase and brunch event in my area. What caught my attention most was the "brunch" part which is presumably free, with the catch of them potentially hard-selling me a Tesla. What do you guys think? Worth it? Or is this just a bad idea and asking for grief ala a "timeshare guilt-trip pitch"? Have any of you been to one of these?

[Dicey]

I thought Tesla was known for NOT being hard sell. Aren't people lining up to buy everything they produce?

OTOH, there is no such thing as a free brunch ;-)

Besides, you can use your mustachian force field to ward off any untoward advances. Unless, of course, you want and can afford a new Tesla. Notice I didn't say "need", 'cause nobody needs a new...

[jeromedawg]

I thought Tesla was known for NOT being hard sell. Aren't people lining up to buy everything they produce?

OTOH, there is no such thing as a free brunch ;-)

Besides, you can use your mustachian force field to ward off any untoward advances. Unless, of course, you want and can afford a new Tesla. Notice I didn't say "need", 'cause nobody needs a new...

But everybody *needs* a Tesla! It's great for the environment, is a great investment and it'll save us so much on gas! Oh and the 0-60mph in a few seconds is great for those times where your kids are running late to soccer practice.

I'm sure we'll be sitting next to a bunch of "Richards" who actually came to buy something, and all the sales people will flock to and harass them while we enjoy our "free" meal (after they learn we're just there for the food).

[Raenia]

I love going to the Tesla showroom to ogle the fancy - even more fun the time we dressed up to "look" wealthy and the salespeople assumed we were serious.  For about the first five minutes they were talking to us, that is. :)  I'd definitely go, no reason not to.

[stackorstarve]

I thought Tesla was known for NOT being hard sell. Aren't people lining up to buy everything they produce?

OTOH, there is no such thing as a free brunch ;-)

Besides, you can use your mustachian force field to ward off any untoward advances. Unless, of course, you want and can afford a new Tesla. Notice I didn't say "need", 'cause nobody needs a new...

But everybody *needs* a Tesla! It's great for the environment, is a great investment and it'll save us so much on gas! Oh and the 0-60mph in a few seconds is great for those times where your kids are running late to soccer practice.

I'm sure we'll be sitting next to a bunch of "Richards" who actually came to buy something, and all the sales people will flock to and harass them while we enjoy our "free" meal (after they learn we're just there for the food).

Hey, if I ever get rich enough to put down cash for the whole thing, I'd buy one. Or by the time I get to the point that I may have the need for a car, a used one may not be a bad bet.

[jeromedawg]

I love going to the Tesla showroom to ogle the fancy - even more fun the time we dressed up to "look" wealthy and the salespeople assumed we were serious.  For about the first five minutes they were talking to us, that is. :)  I'd definitely go, no reason not to.

So you've been to these before? What kind of food do they have? Is there a schedule or something they follow between 10am-2pm or do you just show up whenever and it's very casual with food off to the side and sales reps hawking you at any given moment?

I thought Tesla was known for NOT being hard sell. Aren't people lining up to buy everything they produce?

OTOH, there is no such thing as a free brunch ;-)

Besides, you can use your mustachian force field to ward off any untoward advances. Unless, of course, you want and can afford a new Tesla. Notice I didn't say "need", 'cause nobody needs a new...

But everybody *needs* a Tesla! It's great for the environment, is a great investment and it'll save us so much on gas! Oh and the 0-60mph in a few seconds is great for those times where your kids are running late to soccer practice.

I'm sure we'll be sitting next to a bunch of "Richards" who actually came to buy something, and all the sales people will flock to and harass them while we enjoy our "free" meal (after they learn we're just there for the food).

Hey, if I ever get rich enough to put down cash for the whole thing, I'd buy one. Or by the time I get to the point that I may have the need for a car, a used one may not be a bad bet.

Yea that would be nice. Aren't the battery prices kind of crazy on these things? I would tend to think that the battery is the biggest part you'd want to replace when factoring TCO of a used Tesla. Of course, it's too soon to know the overall durability but the track records seem pretty good. By that time, assuming prices have potentially dropped with bleeding edge developments and new lines, I'm sure a used one would be quite within 'affordability' range for most to justify considering getting one hahaha.

[Raenia]

I love going to the Tesla showroom to ogle the fancy - even more fun the time we dressed up to "look" wealthy and the salespeople assumed we were serious.  For about the first five minutes they were talking to us, that is. :)  I'd definitely go, no reason not to.

So you've been to these before? What kind of food do they have? Is there a schedule or something they follow between 10am-2pm or do you just show up whenever and it's very casual with food off to the side and sales reps hawking you at any given moment?

No, I've never been invited to a brunch event, they just have a showroom in a mall not too far from me and we've stopped by a few times to geek out over the tech.

[ysette9]

A couple of years back we stopped by a Tesla showroom at a nearby fancy mall as well to check out what they offer. I remember being very impressed with the sales person we spoke with. Very low key but smooth, professional, interesting, and informative. I can say that how I view the brand was positively influenced by that interaction.

[aFrugalFather]

I love going to the Tesla showroom to ogle the fancy - even more fun the time we dressed up to "look" wealthy and the salespeople assumed we were serious.  For about the first five minutes they were talking to us, that is. :)  I'd definitely go, no reason not to.

In silicon valley to meet the part of Tesla buyer is quite easy, just let your stubble grow a bit, throw on some well worn jeans and a t-shirt and you are good to go. 

[ysette9]

In silicon valley to meet the part of Tesla buyer is quite easy, just let your stubble grow a bit, throw on some well worn jeans and a t-shirt and you are good to go

Pretty much. We went as-is, casual, and were treated with perfect respect (age at the time: early 30s). After all, looking from the outside you can't really tell any difference between me and my husband and, say, Mark Zuckerberg and his wife. He's got a lot more zeros on his net worth balance than us, but that doesn't show up in outward appearances. :)

[Raenia]

Here on the east coast it's a little different.  Not that they were rude to us when we went in jeans and t-shirts, just that when we dressed up in more business-y clothes we had three separate associates approach to talk to us at different points, whereas they mostly left us to wander and look at things the first time.  It was a good experience both times we went, and definitely improved my opinion of the company, as ysette said.

[ysette9]

I find those cultural differences between the two coasts to be interesting. Going to corporate headquarters or to visit suppliers on the east coast makes me feel like I have to dress up for church or something. It's fun for the first day or two but I am always happy to go back home and put on my jeans.

[jinga nation]

In silicon valley to meet the part of Tesla buyer is quite easy, just let your stubble grow a bit, throw on some well worn jeans and a t-shirt and you are good to go

Pretty much. We went as-is, casual, and were treated with perfect respect (age at the time: early 30s). After all, looking from the outside you can't really tell any difference between me and my husband and, say, Mark Zuckerberg and his wife. He's got a lot more zeros on his net worth balance than us, but that doesn't show up in outward appearances. :)

You should pitch this to The Zuck. Be the couple's body double for charity/PR/events they don't want to attend. Could be a small side gig or a full time thing.

[Dicey]

A couple of years back we stopped by a Tesla showroom at a nearby fancy mall as well to check out what they offer. I remember being very impressed with the sales person we spoke with. Very low key but smooth, professional, interesting, and informative. I can say that how I view the brand was positively influenced by that interaction.

^This.^ We have one in our spendypants mall, too. I never go to the mall except if I'm entertaining guests. I take them into the Tesla Store and we're always treated politely. We could easily write a check for one, but it just doesn't suit our lifestyle.

[Reynold]

Yea that would be nice. Aren't the battery prices kind of crazy on these things? I would tend to think that the battery is the biggest part you'd want to replace when factoring TCO of a used Tesla. Of course, it's too soon to know the overall durability but the track records seem pretty good.

I know we made some inquiries about the Prius's battery pack at the Toyota dealer a couple of years ago.  The head sales guy happened to be the one talking to us and he seemed very technically knowledgeable.  He said they were originally projecting a 5 year battery pack life, but it turned out they lasted much longer.  Sometimes they have had to replace a cell or two after 7-10 years, but it is rare they have had to replace the whole battery pack.  Hopefully the Tesla technology is at least that good?  Though I have also heard when you drive a Tesla you are a bit more of a "beta tester" than driving cars from classic manufacturers like Honda or Ford.