2016 Model X in 2023? A few questions before I pass the event horizon.

[Anthony R.]

So I have been seriously considering buying a used 2016 or '17 Tesla Model X as my first Tesla. The reasons for doing so are these:

• Towing Capacity. 5000lbs is much more desirable than the 3500lbs for a Model Y, though those vehicles would be newer and simpler
• Space/Capacity. Almost goes without saying compared to the Y. Actual useable 3rd row seats and bunches of space still.
• Ability to find transferrable free supercharging, though not as prevalent as older Model S'. This is a nice to have, but when I decide for sure what we're going with and if its an X, I'll be looking for it.

Negatives:

• Known drivetrain issues/shudder, if they weren't addressed already
• More complicated overall/Door Issues
• MCU Issues
• Aftermarket used parts availability compared to Y? (Maybe)

I do have some questions. First, it appears the hitch is removable and I didn't see a retrofit option available from Tesla. Do all Model X's come with the hitch and how exactly do I inspect it when looking at a car or at least at pictures of it? If it is removable, how do I order a new one?
Second, for those with early Model X's, what does your charging curve look like nowadays? I can't seem to find many examples of detailed curves of 2016 X's recently, but I'm probably looking in the wrong place.
Third, should I just abandon the idea of getting a Model X and rather look at a used Model Y for around the same price or less instead and just deal with the lower towing capacity/get a smaller trailer?

And I almost made it 10 years from when I registered to when I first posted... I should have bought stock then... oi!

 

[scottf200]

Suggest 2017 X 100D August or later so it has newer MCU and cameras. - Additional Vehicle Information screen under Software
My June 2017 X charging curve is still great. Max 170 kW. About 7% battery degradation at 90K miles.
Hitch was not installed but wiring was at purchase and they added the hitch free since it was coming with at that point in sales.

You do know that your towing will cut your range in half or more depending on weather and terrain. If you insisted perhaps a Y and smaller trailer.

 

[EbS-P]

Mine doesn’t have the hitch bar. You can pull the hitch cover off the rear diffuser and see if it has the Bosal hitch bar or just a crash bar like mine.

E trailers sells the bolt on hitch but it’s not an easy install. It’s one I’m not ready to tackle yet. But maybe after reading the repair manual I will feel more confident.

Range is a big issue no matter what you buy. The small and lighter your trailer the better range. I would expect with a 1500-2000# trailer my X would have between 140-180 miles of range. 16 P100d

 

[Richbot]

Get a 100D if you want to tow, IMO. Worth the modest upcharge. And as for the doors, they're probably the most reliable part of my X, so, go figure

And a factory tow package car will have that on the equipment submenu on the MCU, if you have your salesjerk take a photo of it for you, if that helps

 

[Anthony R.]

Thanks for the info! It looks like the '17 100D's aint much more than the 16 90's. But this kinda just boils down the question. I can buy a 2017 P100D for the same price post-tax credit as a brand new Model Y+hitch, or spend about 1-3k le and get a 2021 refurb Model Y with FSD and tow hitch direct from Tesla with the used warranty. Towing is such a relatively small use case for me (Just want to use a small utility trailer to take trash to the dump and a few times a year pull my in-laws small RV trailer) that I'm considering getting a used Y...

 

[EbS-P]

Thanks for the info! It looks like the '17 100D's aint much more than the 16 90's. But this kinda just boils down the question. I can buy a 2017 P100D for the same price post-tax credit as a brand new Model Y+hitch, or spend about 1-3k le and get a 2021 refurb Model Y with FSD and tow hitch direct from Tesla with the used warranty. Towing is such a relatively small use case for me (Just want to use a small utility trailer to take trash to the dump and a few times a year pull my in-laws small RV trailer) that I'm considering getting a used Y...

The Y is smarter money. P100d more fun.. how small an RV?

 

[Anthony R.]

The Y is smarter money. P100d more fun.. how small an RV?

Looks like between 3200-3400 dry. It’s pushing the rating.

 

[EbS-P]

Looks like between 3200-3400 dry. It’s pushing the rating.

That’s probably more than I would want to pull loaded with an X unless I had a really good route with super chargers. It could be done. I just wouldn’t with the Y. Tongue weight on the Y I would be maxed out.

 

[Richbot]

As a trailer owner myself, pulling something that’s well within the limits of my Tundra at around 7500, you want margin for when things out of your control go south

 

[rush6410]

Thanks for the info! It looks like the '17 100D's aint much more than the 16 90's. But this kinda just boils down the question. I can buy a 2017 P100D for the same price post-tax credit as a brand new Model Y+hitch, or spend about 1-3k le and get a 2021 refurb Model Y with FSD and tow hitch direct from Tesla with the used warranty. Towing is such a relatively small use case for me (Just want to use a small utility trailer to take trash to the dump and a few times a year pull my in-laws small RV trailer) that I'm considering getting a used Y...

The P100D will probably get the same range as a 90D with 20-inch wheels. You lose about 20% range as compared to the non "P" versions on 20-inch wheels. So, I would look for non-Performance models with 20s. I have a 16 90D with 112,000 miles on it. My degradation is at 8% 236 miles at 100%.
Door problems have always been overstated. I have the tow package and pull a utility trailer when needed. Not all 16's and 17's came with the tow package. You will appreciate the extra space and passenger room as compared to a Y. Transferable supercharging will limit your choice tremendously. They stopped that program 17 January 2017. Any purchase after that date did not get the transferable free supercharging. The only way to validate that is through the option codes looking for SC01.

 

[Anthony R.]

The P100D will probably get the same range as a 90D with 20-inch wheels. You lose about 20% range as compared to the non "P" versions on 20-inch wheels. So, I would look for non-Performance models with 20s. I have a 16 90D with 112,000 miles on it. My degradation is at 8% 236 miles at 100%.
Door problems have always been overstated. I have the tow package and pull a utility trailer when needed. Not all 16's and 17's came with the tow package. You will appreciate the extra space and passenger room as compared to a Y. Transferable supercharging will limit your choice tremendously. They stopped that program 17 January 2017. Any purchase after that date did not get the transferable free supercharging. The only way to validate that is through the option codes looking for SC01.

Thanks for the info! How do you identify the Option Codes? I keep seeing references to them, but I'm not sure how to find it.

As a trailer owner myself, pulling something that’s well within the limits of my Tundra at around 7500, you want margin for when things out of your control go south

As someone who, while driving an '03 stickshift Tundra, started fishtailing a 17' overloaded and unbalanced trailer at 55mph after just getting on I-81 going up a mountain, had to drive at 35mph for 10 miles before being able to stop to adjust to fix the balance, and then had to finish towing speed NTE 55mph on highways for another 300 miles, I absolutely understand. BTDT.

That’s probably more than I would want to pull loaded with an X unless I had a really good route with super chargers. It could be done. I just wouldn’t with the Y. Tongue weight on the Y I would be maxed out.

Bah, looks like my in-laws trailer tongue weight is in the 480's... There are some under 350 but we'd have to buy our own... not ideal...

 

[rush6410]

Thanks for the info! How do you identify the Option Codes? I keep seeing references to them, but I'm not sure how to find it.

You will need the seller or account holder to log into their profile on the Tesla site. Click on manage that is associate with the vehicle in question. Then, right click on the model X picture and select copy image link. Paste the link into a new browser tab and all the option codes will be listed in the link. Unfortunately, I haven't heard of a more reliable way to get the correct codes. I have used apps that supposedly reads the codes based on VIN, but that has never returned my accurate codes. Apps that pull the codes from the vehicle are not accurate. You need to pull it from the account page as I stated above.

 

[Laughing Hippo]

Really agree on the falcon wing doors being the most reliable. Purchase a model x if it is your second car!!! never the main one.

 

[EbS-P]

Thanks for the info! How do you identify the Option Codes? I keep seeing references to them, but I'm not sure how to find it.


As someone who, while driving an '03 stickshift Tundra, started fishtailing a 17' overloaded and unbalanced trailer at 55mph after just getting on I-81 going up a mountain, had to drive at 35mph for 10 miles before being able to stop to adjust to fix the balance, and then had to finish towing speed NTE 55mph on highways for another 300 miles, I absolutely understand. BTDT.


Bah, looks like my in-laws trailer tongue weight is in the 480's... There are some under 350 but we'd have to buy our own... not ideal...

My goal this year is to made build buy a very modular tent camping system with kitchen to pack in a 5x8 travel trailer. Keep it light it won’t need breaks (I’m probably going to add them anyway) . 1000# trailer and under 1000# of gear. Get my system down I will do version two and hopefully keep the trailer and gear 1200-1500# (new trail Of course)

 

[evrepair]

Model Y has about the same amount of cargo space as model X. But if you compare 7 seaters of each model, with seats up, model Y has a lot more trunk space than the X (but less room in the 3rd row).

 

[domodan]

The X is a far better car than the Y, in my opinion. Far more luxurious anyways.

As was already suggested, I’d find an August 2017 or newer 100D with 20’s. Forget looking for FUSC. It’s going to be hard to find a frankly isn’t worth much. This is coming from someone who had it for years and no longer does. Saved me <$100/yr.

 

[buckets0fun]

The X is a far better car than the Y, in my opinion. Far more luxurious anyways.

As was already suggested, I’d find an August 2017 or newer 100D with 20’s. Forget looking for FUSC. It’s going to be hard to find a frankly isn’t worth much. This is coming from someone who had it for years and no longer does. Saved me <$100/yr.

When towing, fusc pays off.

Getting a proper hitch for the X will leave it constantly outside the bumper plastics.

My choice if doing again would be to get a Raven x for DU upgrades/extra range. Pre DU refresh cars are so inefficient it’s painful.

 

[scottf200]

Thanks for the info! How do you identify the Option Codes? I keep seeing references to them, but I'm not sure how to find it.

This worked for me today but I have that info in TeslaFI.COM as well.

Tesla option codes

Tesla option codes and what they mean

tesla-info.com

1) Log into your Tesla account and click on the "Manage" for the chosen car. This will take you to a page dedicated to that particular car.
2) Navigate to the https: //www. tesla. com/teslaaccount/oxp-bff-api/user-orders, which is a Tesla web page. Something similar to the following will be displayed
3) Copy these codes and drop then into the search box on this page. ...

 

[Richbot]

Model Y has about the same amount of cargo space as model X. But if you compare 7 seaters of each model, with seats up, model Y has a lot more trunk space than the X (but less room in the 3rd row).

This first sentence is objectively just not true. Model Y’s second row is a little better particularly leg and foot room, but I’ve had a tape measure in both. 20% more behind the 2nd row is a lot. Bigger cars are bigger

 

[Sandiegodoug]

The X is a far better car than the Y, in my opinion. Far more luxurious anyways.

As was already suggested, I’d find an August 2017 or newer 100D with 20’s. Forget looking for FUSC. It’s going to be hard to find a frankly isn’t worth much. This is coming from someone who had it for years and no longer does. Saved me <$100/yr.

FUSC saves some of us lots. Supercharger costs .53/kwh
Home cost .46 first 200kwh then .57. Power expensive in San Diego