It isn’t unusual to see overflow lots, filled with unsold new car inventory that dealerships can’t fit on their main property. However, those overflow lots are typically fenced-in paved or gravel parking lots—not wide-open, overgrown fields. Unfortunately for some eventual Tesla Model 3 Highland owners, though, that’s precisely where their cars are being stored.
Redditor LSDBunnos found a field in Northern Florida full of brand-new, unsold Tesla Model 3 Highlands sitting in dense grass. According to some of the local commenters, this field is used by the local Tesla store in Tampa, but it’s also been used by other Tesla stores in Florida. The Drive reached out to the Tesla store located at the International Plaza in Tampa, which confirmed that it is indeed an overflow lot for delivery centers.
All of the Model 3 Highlands sitting in the lot seem to be brand-new, unregistered cars and most of them have manufacturing dates of April, 2024, according to LSDBunnos. That means some customers might get one of these cars when they buy a new Tesla. That isn’t encouraging, considering a grassy, overgrown field is the last place you want your car sitting for months, especially in Florida.
While Teslas don’t have many underbody components that can rust, as they lack exhaust pipes and most of their suspension parts are made from aluminum, rust isn’t the only worry, here. The underbelly of a car sitting in tall grass is a hotel for all sorts of different animals—rodents, skunks, bugs, and, since it’s Florida, snakes. Those animals will crawl into any crevice they can find, make nests, chew on things that shouldn’t be chewed on, and repeat that cycle for months. It’s also Tampa, Florida, where heavy rain is common, and that’s going to exacerbate the field conditions by turning the dirt into mud, allowing the cars to sink further the longer they sit.
Did I mention bugs? While rodents can burrow themselves into various car compartments, insects are even worse. They can squeeze into even smaller spaces, make hives and nests, and ruin car interiors. Although bugs can crawl their way into cars on pavement, especially if they’re left in damp garages for many years, they’re more likely to do so in a muddy, swampy field.
One commenter even claimed that their own car narc’d on itself by recording footage of it sitting in a field from its Sentry Mode camera. According to the Tesla store we called, the cars show up washed, cleaned, and prepped by the delivery centers, though the representative couldn’t say exactly which lots they originate from. It’s nice to know that Tesla cleans the cars before delivering them, but they shouldn’t be in a field in the first place.
Seeing a lot filled with new Tesla Model 3s isn’t any indication of sales, or a lack thereof. It’s completely normal for a dealership affiliated with any brand to keep a lot (or several) filled with unsold cars. What’s odd here is the site choice, as sticking a bunch of cars in a muddy field and leaving them there for months is never a good idea.
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