2018 MS 100D No Warranty: Mistake?

[Brown1428]

Contemplating the purchase of a 2018 Model S 100D with about 30K miles. Basic warranty is set to expire in 1-2 months.

I had a terrible experience with a 2020 MY I bought new. Car & service were horrible.

 

[Cheburashka]

It's a gamble. Service will be terrible either way. They don't treat Model S owners any better.

 

[mswlogo]

You can buy 3rd party warranty for reasonable cost.

I never buy any car used.

 

[rducharme]

Buying used is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it can be quite cost effective. People sell cars for many reasons. We see in the forum that people are complaining about drive systems going out, batteries going bad, etc. But what is not clear is what percentage of the number of that model/year have issues? There are cars out there that are 10 years old with nothing significant wrong. Most likely, your battery/drive would last until 2026 - 2030. Need to see if you can find out how it was driven/charged. Also would have the car inspected by a reputable automotive center to see if they can detect leaks, wear, alignment issues, etc.

Each buyer is different in their ability to fix minor/major issues. When I buy used, I plan on expenses and my time to bring the vehicle up to new quality or better. With the service manual subscription free now, you can get a leg up on awareness of your projected car mechanics.

 

[ucmndd]

I think the 2018-2020 Model S is probably the most reliable car Tesla has made.

All comes down to your tolerance for risk and willingness to deal with Tesla’s service organization when the inevitable little stuff comes up… I’ve been out of general warranty for almost 100,000 miles now and my out of pocket repairs are well under $1,000.

 

[cbdream99]

It can go either way, service will be the same (bad). A guy in Germany owns a 2014 S just reached 1 million miles, battery replaced @ 725K. 8 drive units replaced in 8 years all under warranty - I think earlier model has more problems with the motor.

 

[ucmndd]

It can go either way, service will be the same (bad). A guy in Germany owns a 2014 S just reached 1 million miles, battery replaced @ 725K. 8 drive units replaced in 8 years all under warranty - I think earlier model has more problems with the motor.

The “large” rear drive units are much more problematic than the small ones in a 100D.

 

[Brown1428]

I think the 2018-2020 Model S is probably the most reliable car Tesla has made.

All comes down to your tolerance for risk and willingness to deal with Tesla’s service organization when the inevitable little stuff comes up… I’ve been out of general warranty for almost 100,000 miles now and my out of pocket repairs are well under $1,000.

Tesla ended up buying my MY back after nearly 30 days in the shop for issues big and small. My particular car was a terrible example. It’s probably unwise to play the Tesla lottery yet again, but I like the MS a lot. I spent more time in MS loaners than my Model Y.

 

[brkaus]

You still have the battery warranty. That’s the big risk I think.

I have a 2017 s100d and I do like the car.