Purchasing Out of State

[lxj_14]

I currently have a deposit down on a PAWD and it tells me my estimated availability is Sept-Oct 2026, which is not sounding very likely after reading all the threads here. But I'm determined to get one before then. I live in Minnesota and I want to enjoy it this summer if possible instead of getting it during our AWESOME winters

I've been doing as much research research as possible, seeing if I can find anyway to get my hands on a 2026 and I came across this video (if you don't want to watch, basically he found a 2026 demo in Washington State from TeslaTracker, ordered it, flew there from California and drove it home from the lot):



Now every time I see a new 2026 PAWD available, it says my zip code is not eligible for that vehicle.

I have called 3 dealerships in different states and talked to 3 different customer service agents who all say Tesla does not act like a dealership and they cannot register a vehicle to an out of state license. You need to buy it from the state your license registered to with certain exceptions when states border each other. (California to Washington is not one of them).

I'm just wondering how the hell this guy got his hands on one this way and if there's any loopholes to get around this?

I'm a stubborn guy who doesn't want to take no for an answer and it has now turned into my mission to get one before summer ends lol.

Any tips are appreciated!

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[Robb]

Has very little to do with Tesla and everything (mostly) to do with the dealership cartels and individual state laws.

Tesla doesn't have dealerships...and buying direct from manufactures is either illegal or too taxing to make sense in most states.

Some states require you to pay the sales tax whether you are registering the car there or not. And, you don't get a "credit" for that amount when you finally do register it in your home state...double taxes. Other states don't issue " Temporary" or "Transport" tags so there is no way for you to drive it. Lots of other rules/regs/laws to protect legacy dealerships.

It is illegal in most states to buy a vehicle direct from the Manufacturer. Doing so would put slimy dealers out of business ;-)

You MUST only buy from a franchised dealer..since Tesla has no dealers, none, nada....well, you found out what that means...


I live in Maine and for me to buy a Tesla I get to take a 650 mile round trip to NJ. I order the vehicle online and take delivery in a state that has A: Tesla Delivery Center, and B: favorable laws that allow out of state purchases. For me, that is NJ. I either pay for Tesla to ship it 300+ miles to me (must pay in full first without even looking at it) or physically go to the Delivery Center in NJ. On the way there, I pass several Tesla Delivery Centers in Mass....

 

[NotMyTruck]

This is a really good deal. Not sure how it ended up at carvana.
https://www.carvana.com/vehicle/443...utCH7tLV_FFA-ZMQfGdpc4GjjfrRyuVRoCJIsQAvD_BwE

 

[lxj_14]

This is a really good deal. Not sure how it ended up at carvana.
https://www.carvana.com/vehicle/443...utCH7tLV_FFA-ZMQfGdpc4GjjfrRyuVRoCJIsQAvD_BwE

I've never seen a Carvana listing not have a pending purchase. It's impossible to even get a chance to purchase one from there. That is an insane deal though.

 

[lxj_14]

Has very little to do with Tesla and everything (mostly) to do with the dealership cartels and individual state laws.

Tesla doesn't have dealerships...and buying direct from manufactures is either illegal or too taxing to make sense in most states.

Some states require you to pay the sales tax whether you are registering the car there or not. And, you don't get a "credit" for that amount when you finally do register it in your home state...double taxes. Other states don't issue " Temporary" or "Transport" tags so there is no way for you to drive it. Lots of other rules/regs/laws to protect legacy dealerships.

It is illegal in most states to buy a vehicle direct from the Manufacturer. Doing so would put slimy dealers out of business ;-)

You MUST only buy from a franchised dealer..since Tesla has no dealers, none, nada....well, you found out what that means...


I live in Maine and for me to buy a Tesla I get to take a 650 mile round trip to NJ. I order the vehicle online and take delivery in a state that has A: Tesla Delivery Center, and B: favorable laws that allow out of state purchases. For me, that is NJ. I either pay for Tesla to ship it 300+ miles to me (must pay in full first without even looking at it) or physically go to the Delivery Center in NJ. On the way there, I pass several Tesla Delivery Centers in Mass....

When you go to purchase one in Jersey, is your zip have availability for purchase or do you bypass that somehow? Like putting in a Jersey zip? Just wondering if Jersey is easy to purchase from any state or if Maine to Jersey is one of those exceptions?

 

[Robb]

When you go to purchase one in Jersey, is your zip have availability for purchase or do you bypass that somehow? Like putting in a Jersey zip?

When searching (or ordering) you have to input the state the vehicle is being registered in. Then the available cars show up on your screen. I thought that meant you could buy them. It doesn't. I would see a Model 3 available and when I click on it will say "not available in your area". Why the site would even show that vehicle to me knowing I can't order (since Tesla knew my registration zip code) it is why I gave up on Tesla a few years ago.

I don't have to bypass the zip code nonsense. Apparently NJ (which isn't in New England) allows out of state purchases/registrations and purchases directly from vehicle manufactures. Both those requirements need to be met. If I punch in my Maine zip code there is no problem picking up the car in NJ and no extra taxes.

Mass allows direct from manufacture purchases....that is why they have delivery centers there. BUT Mass doesn't allow out of state purchasers to buy and register in another state. The whole thing is nuts.

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