> honestly a few months seems really reasonable given the time spent making the decision?

If your current car is not usable you don't have a few months. This does not just apply to people who drive beater cars -- your nice, well-maintained car could get totaled in an accident tomorrow and you'll need to get a new car.

Obviously it is not good to be car shopping in those circumstances but sometimes you don't have a choice. You could buy or lease a Nissan Leaf or Chevy Bolt this afternoon, or you could wait several months for a Tesla.

what? im sorry, if you can afford a tesla you aren't just buying a leaf because you "need one now". a month rental is within the same cost parameters.

Honestly, most people don't buy cars that way. They buy a new one when their current car has entirely reached end of life. Either they get into an accident that totals the car, or something breaks that fixing it would be financially not worth it. Most people don't have the luxury of waiting years for a new car.

> if you're in the market for a new car what makes you think being able to get one immediately is a priority?

Because I'm not buying a car for fun, I'm buying one because my old beater is giving up the ghost.

> a car is one of the largest investments an average person will make.

A car is not an investment. It's an expense.

> i love that i'm not going to be hustled by a car salesman (the archetype of the sleazy conman) and can make decisions independently when buying a tesla.

The last time I bought a (used) car, I walked into a dealership, told the salesman what model I wanted, and asked him to show me his inventory. I looked at some cars, test-drove one, he told me to make an offer, I did, and paid cash.

I had to deal with exactly zero upsell pressure, all of five minutes of haggling, and to say 'no' twice to an offer to finance.

Be upfront about what you want, that you're ready to buy if you like what you see, and don't take any bullshit. Your dealership experience will be much better for it.

This is a very good point.

Car Salesmen like a fast-and-efficient customer. The faster they deal with you, the faster they can move to a different customer. Come in efficient, and you'll be treated fine.

What vkou did can easily be done with either a used car or a new car -- go to a dealership, see the inventory, test drive the car, buy it and go home with it all in the same day.

In fact, it is easier to do this with new cars because the dealers are more likely to have a car with your preferred combination of option packages in stock.