2015 Model S Buyer's Remorse - advice

[Duc Duck Doc]

Hi there! I saw how helpful you all were to RedLoubs&wine when she asked for advice about buying a used Tesla and I thought I'd reach out. Any and all suggestions would be appreciated. I knew incredibly little about Teslas before I plunked down my money (first mistake).

I impulsively bought a 2015 MS 70 with 79K miles from a used car dealer (second mistake). The price was good (35.4K), it was beautiful, it drove like a dream. Carfax said no accidents, two owners: the first, a 3-month lease; the second, the person who had it before the used car dealer got it.

A week later, I went to pick it up, drove it 30 miles and stopped at a public charger. When I went to lock the car, the rear passenger handle wouldn't retract. I took it back to the dealer and they said they'd fix it.

Since then, I've been doing all sorts of reading/viewing including "The Real Cost of Being Out of Warranty" and all of the expensive things that can go wrong with a Tesla.

I have a couple options: 1) I could pitch a fit, maybe shed some money and get the dealer to take the car back (possible since it will take them forever to get the part, even if they can); 2) take the car and hope for the best; or 3) take the car and get an Xcelerate 4-year/50K warranty for $6.4K.

If I had to do it over again, I'd probably get a CPO. Now, I just don't know what to do. I haven't slept in the week since I picked up the car. I'm filled with self doubt and have analysis paralysis.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Bridor]

The repairs individually look quite expensive, but I have owned three Teslas. One is a 2014 with about 158K miles. The amount of money I have spent on repairs is less than the fuel that I would have bought for a similar gas engine vehicle. Just enjoy the car and use a credit card to pay for the repairs. Pay off the credit card slowly (less than you would have spent on gas per month) and you will start to see the benefits. You made a smart decision getting a wonderful vehicle for such an incredible price. I still owe $32K on my 2014 and my payments are about $1,200 per month. I would gladly trade payments ;O)

Brent

 

[ucmndd]

Stop reading the internet, for starters.

You will probably have some mild to moderate repairs come up. Such is life with a used car. Will they be more than whatever it’s going to cost you to dump the car? Doubt it.

Enjoy the ride and stop worrying.

Door handles can be fixed for like $5 in parts. Even if Tesla does it for you it’s a few hundred bucks.

 

[NoMoGas]

You can't lose sleep over what might go wrong one day. Used parts are readily available on eBay,And there are repair kits for the doorhandles that are available Upgraded and repaired for a few hundred dollars. I encourage you to visit ELECTRIC AUTO SERVICES

Yes there are post about all the things that can go wrong with the car, there's even a few posts about all the warranty repairs that we're done and what would happen if you have to do them as well. The problem is that's not reality, most things that go wrong with this car go wrong in the first 50,000 miles and are taken care of under warranty.

You'll also find a lot of very helpful people on this forum should you have a question, problem or concern never be afraid to ask. On a final note,I would never suggest buyingOf These after warranty warranties. They are almost always a scam. On one of my cars I did purchase teslas the extended warranty,And never ever used it. On another one of my cars I didn't purchase the extended warranty and ended up with one $1500 repair so I'm still ahead of the game.

Quit worrying, you'll be fine.

 

[Merrill]

I have a 2013 Model S and love it, very few problems and liked it so much purchased a Model X. Enjoy the fact that you are not buying gas, have very little maintenance and help the environment. You should be sleeping like a baby.

 

[rsg123]

About a week after I bought my used Model S from a private dealer, Rich Rebuilds posted (or I stumbled upon) a video detailing all the out of warranty costs if things went wrong with the S. I was scared too. A few years and 35k miles later I have spent $250 on a 12V battery. That’s it. Not saying bad things can’t happen to you, or won’t to me, but don’t let it lose you sleep.

 

[NoMoGas]

About a week after I bought my used Model S from a private dealer, Rich Rebuilds posted (or I stumbled upon) a video detailing all the out of warranty costs if things went wrong with the S. I was scared too. A few years and 35k miles later I have spent $250 on a 12V battery. That’s it. Not saying bad things can’t happen to you, or won’t to me, but don’t let it lose you sleep.

Yea. I love Rich, he's worked on my car but that one video was misleading.

 

[rsg123]

Yea. I love Rich, he's worked on my car but that one video was misleading.

I wish I lived near him and had that as an option for my maintenance/repairs. But yes I agree the video was misleading. Maybe a phase when he was frustrated with all the salvage Tesla auction competition and he wanted to cool down the market for them.

 

[NoMoGas]

I wish I lived near him and had that as an option for my maintenance/repairs. But yes I agree the video was misleading. Maybe a phase when he was frustrated with all the salvage Tesla auction competition and he wanted to cool down the market for them.

I drove there from CA

 

[demundus]

Hi there! I saw how helpful you all were to RedLoubs&wine when she asked for advice about buying a used Tesla and I thought I'd reach out. Any and all suggestions would be appreciated. I knew incredibly little about Teslas before I plunked down my money (first mistake).

I impulsively bought a 2015 MS 70 with 79K miles from a used car dealer (second mistake). The price was good (35.4K), it was beautiful, it drove like a dream. Carfax said no accidents, two owners: the first, a 3-month lease; the second, the person who had it before the used car dealer got it.

A week later, I went to pick it up, drove it 30 miles and stopped at a public charger. When I went to lock the car, the rear passenger handle wouldn't retract. I took it back to the dealer and they said they'd fix it.

Since then, I've been doing all sorts of reading/viewing including "The Real Cost of Being Out of Warranty" and all of the expensive things that can go wrong with a Tesla.

I have a couple options: 1) I could pitch a fit, maybe shed some money and get the dealer to take the car back (possible since it will take them forever to get the part, even if they can); 2) take the car and hope for the best; or 3) take the car and get an Xcelerate 4-year/50K warranty for $6.4K.

If I had to do it over again, I'd probably get a CPO. Now, I just don't know what to do. I haven't slept in the week since I picked up the car. I'm filled with self doubt and have analysis paralysis.

Thanks in advance.

This is all in regards to your door handle failing? And that led you to read "what could happen"?

Replace the door handle and keep driving the car, you got a decent deal. I've had 5 door handle failures, 2 MCUs, 3 drive units and a lump of coal in a pear tree. 150k miles later and no regrets. To be honest you can fix the door handle yourself for like 50 bucks and a couple hours of learning curve.

 

[Duc Duck Doc]

I know I must seem incredibly silly to have spiraled down so quickly. The thing is, when I have bought a used car before, I simply ran it to my mechanic who checked it out for me. The Tesla is a complete black box for me. As for many folks, but Tesla is my first luxury/expensive car (though I did have a very nice Ducati once). My current drive is a 2006 Honda Civic. So this is a whole new world for me and I’m a little (lot) anxious about it. It’s a bit of a financial stretch. The car is paid for; I’m just worried what lurks ahead.

 

[seclinton]

2015 Model X #775 Sig. now out of warranty by 8k miles and 3- 5 months.

onboard charger died today. That’ll be $2400 to replace. (Yes L2 still works just can’t SC) Assuming I don’t lose a DU in the next 3-5 years a 3rd party warranty isn’t worth it. I checked the rates. So I guess I’m betting $2400 now vs $5000 now hoping my two DUs don’t fail causing my $6500 or so for the in board charger and one DU. Yes it’s cocktail napkin math.

And between emergency roadside call today and dumbass text message I got asking me to confirm how I know my charger needs to be replaced. I mean read the text I wrote in the app making the service request. But I digress.

Now to my 2014 P85+. Paid $39k in may 2019 w/59k miles for it and in pickup just drove off because they didn’t want to have a due bill in Marina Del Ray. Loud DU, out tailight, door trim alignment, sunroof seal fail. Later on board charger failed ( see Model X above now with the same issue) for the S, all of the above covered under warranty and fixed. Basically all new drive train with a still healthy battery at 254rated 100%

the tale of in and out of warranty. It’s damn expensive to repair but I guess since you can afford the EV, so be it

 

[JonnyTnT]

Duc Duck Doc . . . the simple fact is . . . learning to do your own work and sourcing good used parts (or upgraded aftermarket parts) will cut your repair costs *at least* in half. That is how those of us with Champagne tastes and Beer budgets who have high end cars get by. OTOH if you want to repair your used car with the world's most powerful tool (the cheque book) it can co$t. OTOtherOH your chances of having serious problems are not that high.

Please allow me to suggest that you evaluate your anxiety level carefully and decide if you want to live with it or *not*. Once you have made that decision then you'll know what to do. Good luck!

 

[Duc Duck Doc]

Duc Duck Doc . . . the simple fact is . . . learning to do your own work and sourcing good used parts (or upgraded aftermarket parts) will cut your repair costs *at least* in half. That is how those of us with Champagne tastes and Beer budgets who have high end cars get by. OTOH if you want to repair your used car with the world's most powerful tool (the cheque book) it can co$t. OTOtherOH your chances of having serious problems are not that high.

Please allow me to suggest that you evaluate your anxiety level carefully and decide if you want to live with it or *not*. Once you have made that decision then you'll know what to do. Good luck!

Good heavens! How does one learn how to do one's own work?!? I have no experience auto mechanicking.

 

[X.l.r.8]

If you can build an Ikea table you can remove a door panel and replace a handle. Its just following instructions, you don't have to machine a new gear or tig weld on a part and you are not going to be the pioneer or taking the part off and replacing it, thats already been done for you.

 

[SilverGS]

The repairs individually look quite expensive, but I have owned three Teslas. One is a 2014 with about 158K miles. The amount of money I have spent on repairs is less than the fuel that I would have bought for a similar gas engine vehicle. Just enjoy the car and use a credit card to pay for the repairs. Pay off the credit card slowly (less than you would have spent on gas per month) and you will start to see the benefits. You made a smart decision getting a wonderful vehicle for such an incredible price. I still owe $32K on my 2014 and my payments are about $1,200 per month. I would gladly trade payments ;O)

Brent

I know this is off-topic a bit now, but I'm very curious to know what you have had to repair out of warranty so far (I'm keeping a very detailed log - in my signature of everything I've changed or had to repair - I've had the car for only 3 months so far, so the log is very short). I love my 75D and would never buy any other car other than a Tesla despite some of the "cons".

 

[afdfog]

Hi there! I saw how helpful you all were to RedLoubs&wine when she asked for advice about buying a used Tesla and I thought I'd reach out. Any and all suggestions would be appreciated. I knew incredibly little about Teslas before I plunked down my money (first mistake).

I impulsively bought a 2015 MS 70 with 79K miles from a used car dealer (second mistake). The price was good (35.4K), it was beautiful, it drove like a dream. Carfax said no accidents, two owners: the first, a 3-month lease; the second, the person who had it before the used car dealer got it.

A week later, I went to pick it up, drove it 30 miles and stopped at a public charger. When I went to lock the car, the rear passenger handle wouldn't retract. I took it back to the dealer and they said they'd fix it.

Since then, I've been doing all sorts of reading/viewing including "The Real Cost of Being Out of Warranty" and all of the expensive things that can go wrong with a Tesla.

I have a couple options: 1) I could pitch a fit, maybe shed some money and get the dealer to take the car back (possible since it will take them forever to get the part, even if they can); 2) take the car and hope for the best; or 3) take the car and get an Xcelerate 4-year/50K warranty for $6.4K.

If I had to do it over again, I'd probably get a CPO. Now, I just don't know what to do. I haven't slept in the week since I picked up the car. I'm filled with self doubt and have analysis paralysis.

Thanks in advance.

I am very sorry that you have remorse and are loosing sleep. Those feelings are real and should not be discounted. I have experienced similar feeling in the past. (never about Tesla) I am now on my 3rd Tesla and still excited each time I get in the car. My only advice would be to give it some time. You are part of a revolution that will change not only the way we drive but the health of the planet. Dave

 

[brkaus]

You might even be able to convince your mechanic to help with anything minor (door handles).

You got a reasonable price.

Yes, there are things that can fail, but the chance of all of them failing is pretty low. You likely would have paid a great deal more to have the direct from Tesla used car warranty.

If your super afraid, check out the Xcare product. It’s an insurance policy. Insurance policies share risk AND make money for the insurance companies.

 

[SO16]

Duc Duck Doc . . . the simple fact is . . . learning to do your own work and sourcing good used parts (or upgraded aftermarket parts) will cut your repair costs *at least* in half. That is how those of us with Champagne tastes and Beer budgets who have high end cars get by. OTOH if you want to repair your used car with the world's most powerful tool (the cheque book) it can co$t. OTOtherOH your chances of having serious problems are not that high.

Please allow me to suggest that you evaluate your anxiety level carefully and decide if you want to live with it or *not*. Once you have made that decision then you'll know what to do. Good luck!

You can probably find a local certified Tesla mechanic and they may be able to look at it for you.
I know this is for body shops but still applicable.

Body Shop Support

 

[croman]

There is no more CPO but also don't be that scared. Tesla still covers the driveunit and battery for the remaining 8 years. Unlimited mileage warranty on those very expensive parts too.