2022 used plaid, 3 previous owners, what to look for

[85vett]

I noticed that a local, non-Tesla, dealership has a used 2022 plaid that I'm thinking of checking out.

For an ICE car, a car with 3 previous owners in one year and only 5k miles would be a major red flag to me. With an EV, I don't know if it's the "thought I'd live it and don't" mentality or something else. This a red flag to you?

Is there a way for me to see service history of the car while looking it over? Normally I'd call a dealership, give them the vin and get details on it but Tesla is hard to get a service center on the phone. Also would want to know if it's still covered under warranty and not blacklisted for some reason. Anyway to see that too? Assume the service screen but not sure if that is just time based or not and would show if Tesla removed warranty.

I like the idea of 2022 since it has the features I want. Car has 19's too. They want over 90k for it though which with its history that seems high to me. Thinking 85k might be my walk away price. Been on their lot 2 months already too.

Anything specific I should check out other than normal fit and finish things and possible rear camber issues, drive train vibrations and odd noises?

 

[mswlogo]

See if you can get VIN and lookup repair record. Carfax might have some info.

Huge red flag.

 

[ucmndd]

I’d be highly skeptical of a less than 2 year old performance car with 5k miles and 3 owners. No friggin way.

Tesla will not tell you service history. Many have tried and failed. I’d be less concerned about any sort of warranty blacklisting, but even so, something is wrong with that car. Read some of the Plaid lemon stories around here.

Would have to be a screaming deal for me to take on that risk. $85-90k is not that with brand new 2023s available just over $100k and plenty of less questionable used examples trading in the 80s and 90s.

 

[TLLMRRJ]

It probably has some of the issues that Tesla can't/won't fix, like front driveline vibration and unusually wavy windshield.

To get a good idea of current market, here's a 2022 Plaid with better specs and one owner that sold for $75 + 3K in commission in a retail auction. That's an actual selling price vs looking at classifieds that are asking prices.

2022 Tesla Model S Plaid - 1,000+ Horsepower, AWD, Yoke Steering Wheel, Some Modifications

This 2022 Tesla Model S Plaid is for sale on Cars & Bids! Auction ends June 26 2023.

carsandbids.com

 

[TaroBaapG35]

It probably has some of the issues that Tesla can't/won't fix, like front driveline vibration and unusually wavy windshield.

To get a good idea of current market, here's a 2022 Plaid with better specs and one owner that sold for $75 + 3K in commission in a retail auction. That's an actual selling price vs looking at classifieds that are asking prices.

2022 Tesla Model S Plaid - 1,000+ Horsepower, AWD, Yoke Steering Wheel, Some Modifications

This 2022 Tesla Model S Plaid is for sale on Cars & Bids! Auction ends June 26 2023.

carsandbids.com

The winner of that Auction is selling it for $90k+ 2022 Tesla Model S Plaid Stock # 473271 for sale near Lisle, IL | IL Tesla Dealer.

I just picked up my Plaid for $84k. Mid $80k is what I'd shoot for. Some dealers are going for $90k+. 100% check CarFax and stay away from the dealers that are not providing it. I had 2 dealers that i reached out for a spec that I wanted that only were sharing the Autocheck History (had buddy run the CarFax reports and both came back with Structural Damage Accidents!)

 

[DayTrippin]

By following threads here, you should be aware of what issues it might possibly have.

The last few years have been crazy in the car market, especially for Teslas. I can see a few scenarios where a few owners enter into. Someone might have flipped it when the prices where going crazy. Someone might have bought in while still going up and flipped it or tried to. Then someone bought in later. I'd see when the car changed hands if possible. It wouldn't be my first choice but I wouldn't rule it out automatically.

Maybe there is someone in Austin who can go with you and take a look. If you were close, I'd be glad to give you a hand.

 

[TLLMRRJ]

The winner of that Auction is selling it for $90k+ 2022 Tesla Model S Plaid Stock # 473271 for sale near Lisle, IL | IL Tesla Dealer.

That's an asking price. Who knows what they really sell it for after they discount the asking price and then play games with financing and trade in value. The online auctions results are real deal selling prices, which is why a smart person doesn't put to much weight on used car dealer's asking prices.

 

[85vett]

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/48875da0-ae1a-493d-878d-a5d8db04bf41/?aff=atempest4&CMP=atempest4&utm_source=AutoTempest&utm_medium=TRP&utm_campaign=atempest4

That's the car. I went by and checked it out today while the dealership was closed. Got a good look at the exterior. Carfax is clean but either this car got hit or its the worst fitting S in America. The rear lift gate was flush on the left side under the tail light and sunken in at least a quart inch on the right. I could see the fender seem after where the trunk was, for instance. Both sides of the rear bumper were ballooned out to where they didn't sit flush at the bumper/fender joint either.

I parked my wifes 2022 red 3 performance right next to it and the shades of red were completely different. My wifes car was MUCH more vibrant.

Front hood was really tight to fender in middle of hood but a good quarter inch gap by windshield and front bumper, on the passenger side. I know Tesla gaps are a crap shoot but it was so odd.

Window sticker said "as is, no warranty". Being a 22 I would have thought it would have show warranty still. I went to our local service station and they said they couldn't share info on service history or even if it was blacklisted on warranty. Tesla CE is BS with that stuff. Every other mfg I've owner would tell me how many times a car went in and for what. Obviously not any private Customer info but share the cars history.

In other words I'm not going back to look at the car with the dealership open.

 

[85vett]

One question though. Are y'alls door handles flush with your doors or slightly recessed? I don't recall the demo car I drove being recessed but this cars handles were. While at the Tesla lot I looked at 2 other S's that were just off the truck waiting for PPI and both of those were recessed. Not as bad as this cars but not flush either.

 

[DayTrippin]

My door handles can vary a bit. They are a bit recessed.

As for that car it has the old taillights and headlights (non-matrix). If those matter to you, look for at least an April 2022 build date. I would personally pass on it.

 

[ks1972]

Just check Tesla used inventory regularly and you should be able to find a good deal.
Here’s an example, this one was originally listed for 105k about 6 weeks ago and is 92k now. It’s a 2022 april plaid with FSD with 13k miles. If you buy from Tesla, you also get an additional year of warranty

https://www.tesla.com/used/5YJSA1E69NF477656

 

[TLLMRRJ]

Really it would be pretty nuts to buy a used 2022 with 3 previous owners instead of a brand new 2023 with full warranty, no previous owners, and HW4 for only $10K more. You would need to get it for $80K before taking on all that risk made sense.

 

[DayTrippin]

In a lot of ways, new may make a lot of sense. At the same time, if you have a trade it may not, especially if trading into Tesla.

When I went to buy my Plaid, used 2022's were going for that much less than new, even if you bought a used one through Tesla. Tesla wasn't discounting the Plaid like they are now. I personally didn't care about HW4 but I do car about USS. HW3 has been working very well for my purposes and the lack of a USS replacement on the new cars is a big hole that hasn't been filled yet.

Tesla offered me about 50-54k for my 2022 MS LR in perfect condition. The dealer I traded mine into gave me far more that Tesla would and they were asking about the same for their used Plaid as Tesla was. The ones Tesla had in stock were the ones without the updated headlights and taillights and a few other things.

For me it was at least a 30-40k savings to buy the used 2022 Plaid vs a new 2023 at the time and a very simple transaction. I tried wholesaling my car to the usual suspects, Zoom, Carvana, etc. Many wouldn't even give me an offer since it was a Tesla. I suspect it was because they were afraid of another Tesla price cut. The best offer I got wasn't worth the hassle of trading to someone else and losing the sales tax advantage of trading it in at the dealer I was buying the car at.

In the end, buying a used, low miles one, made the most financial sense at the time. Tesla's offer was just pathetically low.

 

[85vett]

I personally didn't care about HW4 but I do car about USS. HW3 has been working very well for my purposes and the lack of a USS replacement on the new cars is a big hole that hasn't been filled yet.

This is actually the big reason why I started to consider a used 2022 as the 2023 demo I had was HORRIBLE with it's proximity identification. I know it's an unnecessary feature but at this price point I really want it, thus why I went from looking at ordering a new car and started to focus more on 2022's.

I looked at Tesla inventory and there was a car I wanted (new one) and some used ones but all would require travel to get them. I'm perfectly fine traveling for a good car but we had so many build issues with our 3 it makes me very hesitant to want to travel to go look at a car just to turn around because it's a mess. Our 3 has a lot of bad gap issues and the red paint on the bumper doesn't match the rest of the car. All, "within spec" according to Tesla so living with it since it's a good car other than that. But at this price point, I'm not going to accept a car with the same type of issues, if that makes sense.

 

[TLLMRRJ]

This is actually the big reason why I started to consider a used 2022 as the 2023 demo I had was HORRIBLE with it's proximity identification. I know it's an unnecessary feature but at this price point I really want it, thus why I went from looking at ordering a new car and started to focus more on 2022's.

I looked at Tesla inventory and there was a car I wanted (new one) and some used ones but all would require travel to get them. I'm perfectly fine traveling for a good car but we had so many build issues with our 3 it makes me very hesitant to want to travel to go look at a car just to turn around because it's a mess. Our 3 has a lot of bad gap issues and the red paint on the bumper doesn't match the rest of the car. All, "within spec" according to Tesla so living with it since it's a good car other than that. But at this price point, I'm not going to accept a car with the same type of issues, if that makes sense.

My car has the USS, but I don't rely on those much for any car. But when I saw how you could clearly read license plates with HW4 and its new cameras, I seriously have HW4 envy now. I guess I could just install a high res dash cam like I do with my other cars, but I can see the appeal of the new higher resolution cameras which should greatly help in future AP and FSD versions when they take advantage of the better tech.

 

[85vett]

And I'm weird as I have no desires to do FSD. I do like the auto pilot on long trips but the older cars (my wifes for instance) do that just fine for my needs as well. I just like having the ability to make parking easier in my garage at home and to be able to pull up as far as possible in a parking space without scraping the front bumper. For my garage, I only have a couple inches to spare between front bumper hitting my garage cabinets and the rear bumper being in far enough for my garage door to close, from when I had the overnight demo car. I know I could just do the tennis ball thing or "drive better" but I kind of would like my near $100K car to be able to have at min the same abilities that my 2015 Dodge Challenger has. That feature is just one of my silly pet peeves.

And yes, I know I'm being silly but I'm a bit hard headed with things that I want, and don't really need (like a car) ;-)

 

[TLLMRRJ]

I just like having the ability to make parking easier in my garage at home and to be able to pull up as far as possible in a parking space without scraping the front bumper. For my garage, I only have a couple inches to spare between front bumper hitting my garage cabinets

Well, don't get a Tesla, because you can't do what you want to do with their USS.

Telsa's implementation of USS gives you a distance measurement in inches until you get about a foot away and then takes away the inch measurement and screams like an idiot STOP!

 

[jjrandorin]

For an ICE car, a car with 3 previous owners in one year and only 5k miles would be a major red flag to me.

There are a lot of responses in this thread, but basically, this should be the same red flag to you on this car as it would be on an ICE vehicle. Would you buy any other vehicle that had 3 owners, only 5k miles, was a year (ish) old, in this price range? If no, this one shouldnt be considered either.

 

[DayTrippin]

And I'm weird as I have no desires to do FSD. I do like the auto pilot on long trips but the older cars (my wifes for instance) do that just fine for my needs as well. I just like having the ability to make parking easier in my garage at home and to be able to pull up as far as possible in a parking space without scraping the front bumper. For my garage, I only have a couple inches to spare between front bumper hitting my garage cabinets and the rear bumper being in far enough for my garage door to close, from when I had the overnight demo car. I know I could just do the tennis ball thing or "drive better" but I kind of would like my near $100K car to be able to have at min the same abilities that my 2015 Dodge Challenger has. That feature is just one of my silly pet peeves.

And yes, I know I'm being silly but I'm a bit hard headed with things that I want, and don't really need (like a car) ;-)

That reads like something I'd have written. FSD isn't worth the price of admission and AP works fine. My general use case for what I would want FSD to be capable of means it will likely be a long time, probably on HW6 or 7, before it works well enough that it would have any appeal to me. Close proximity parking is far more valuable to me.

I am not drinking what Elon is selling. I have too many blind intersections to deal with that unless they start putting cameras on the front bumper to look left and right, FSD is going to have a hell of a time navigating where I drive. on the highway AP is a reliable partner. I don't care about lane change or following a route. Traffic here is a mess and so far FSD acts like it is either drunk or a teenager on meth. AP takes the load of in bumper to bumper traffic very well.

If HW4 is so good, why haven't they upped the speed limits on AP like they were before radar was removed? Still pissed about that one as Texas has pretty fast moving traffic and once again Elon took something away and gave us an inferior replacement.

I am going to have to see remarkable progress before I budge from my 2022 Plaid. For me, it is the current peak oil for the model. Loss of USS wasn't outweighed by HW4. Currently, it is a net loss in my book. Sure HW4 may theoretically be better now that Elon gutted my radar from my HW3 stack. Until I see massive improvements that actually matter, it is just more snake oil being sold. I am not a Luddite and can see the potential of improved resolution. I saw the potential in my youngest son too, however, it took him an extra 5 years to actually show it. Apparently, he understood Elon time better than I did.