ADVICE: 2023 Long Range MY at Carmax or New from Tesla?

[tangfj]

Looking for advice on purchase of MY...

Looking at a 2023 Long Range MY at Carmax... Details of car below...

Link: https://www.carmax.com/car/24291512
- Miles: 5k miles (not sure how they got a 2023 with such low miles)
- Color: Grey with Black interior
- Wheels: 19" wheels
- AP Software: Unknown but I'm going to assume it has just regular AP since I saw 2 MY's on the Carmax lot today and both only had standard AP.

Price: $55,998
Trade in Offer: $55k (for my 2021 F150 with hybrid ecoboost, which is on the high side of KBB)

This car pretty much has everything that I would have ordered direct from Tesla and the only 2 unknowns on the car are whether it has the tow package and what level of AP. Obviously if it has both EAP or FSD and tow then the price becomes much more attractive... based on the pricing I've been seeing at Carmax it seems they aren't really concerned that much with EAP or FSD or even trim level between long range and performance...

- OR -

Go with a new or inventory similarly spec'd 2023 MY direct from Tesla which would be about $53,460?

I know I could technically just sell my car to Carmax at their appraised value but since I don't live near a Tesla this would complicate my pickup process so I'd prefer to just trade my current car to whoever I end up buying from... That being said, from what I am seeing on this board and elsewhere Tesla's trade in values are not anywhere near as good as Carmax. So even though the Carmax MY above seems to be a little expensive, I think the net cost to me might be pretty comparable between the two considering Tesla's trade value would likely be much less... plus at Carmax they can take care of transferring my license plates/etc and save me the hassle of doing it myself since I live in a state where they'd need to mail me the registration paperwork.

Any opinions or am I missing anything? Since the Carmax MY above is a 2023 with really low miles it would seem to be an ok deal?

It should also be noted that I'm a low mileage driver... easily less than 10k miles a year so the 5k miles on the Carmax car should be negligible over the long term...

Thanks in advance!

 

[Yelobird]

Sorry not seeing the value of the used Tesla. New is new. No miles, and you get the full tax credit which you won’t get on the used which makes the new Tesla even cheaper. Sell your old truck to Carmax and your done. Plus I believe they can deliver the new car to your house so distance is mute.

 

[tangfj]

Sorry not seeing the value of the used Tesla. New is new. No miles, and you get the full tax credit which you won’t get on the used which makes the new Tesla even cheaper. Sell your old truck to Carmax and your done. Plus I believe they can deliver the new car to your house so distance is mute.

Should have mentioned it but we don't qualify for the tax credit... that being said I may watch the new inventory listings and see if anything pops up.

 

[JMGNC]

You save the car sales tax if you trade in to Carmax, correct?

 

[tangfj]

You save the car sales tax if you trade in to Carmax, correct?

I don't think so... where I live (South Carolina) I think our sales tax is 5% but it maxes out I think at $500 so I think it'd be the same no matter what.

 

[E90alex]

Why would you pay more for a used car? Unless you need it immediately and can’t wait.

 

[Geech72]

Sell your truck to Carmax then buy a new MY from Tesla. 5K miles on a 23 I suspect either someone unloaded it for some reason or it was a fleet vehicle. Have you seen the carfax report?

 

[nate704]

Why?

 

[tangfj]

Why would you pay more for a used car? Unless you need it immediately and can’t wait.

There are 2 unknowns about the car... autopilot version and if it has a tow hitch... obviously if the car has EAP or FSD + tow hitch then the deal becomes much more interesting. If it's just standard AP and no tow hitch then I'll most likely just sell my car to Carmax and order new...

 

[tangfj]

Why?

View attachment 939776

Same answer as above... I don't know if the Y at CarMax has EAP or FSD or a tow hitch... once I find that out then the answer should become pretty clear...

 

[Happy Hippo]

NEW IS A NO BRAINER. WHY BUY USED, IT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE..

 

[Geech72]

Same answer as above... I don't know if the Y at CarMax has EAP or FSD or a tow hitch... once I find that out then the answer should become pretty clear...

It wouldn’t make a difference to me neither FSD nor EAP are worth any additional expense from my experience. Especially where you live if you have to commute on that monument to incompetent road construction known as I-85. I have to drive through Greenville often and there aren’t 3 consecutive miles of that stretch where I would feel comfortable ceding control of my vehicle. Just drive up to CLT and get you a new one.

 

[Carmelsteve]

Should have mentioned it but we don't qualify for the tax credit... that being said I may watch the new inventory listings and see if anything pops up.

We were in the same boat with qualifying for the tax credit, but when we went looking at a new Jeep wrangler Rubicon 4xe, we came across a pretty smart internet sales manager. By leasing and then immediately paying off the lease, we were able to get the full $10,500 in federal and tax benefits without paying hardly anything in fees. With the $4k dealer discounts you're starting to get now, we got nearly $15k off a $69k vehicle. Don't know if Tesla's lease works the same way, but it's worth looking into, especially if you are able to purchase it outright soon after buying to avoid the other fees.

 

[RoBoRaT]

We were in the same boat with qualifying for the tax credit, but when we went looking at a new Jeep wrangler Rubicon 4xe, we came across a pretty smart internet sales manager. By leasing and then immediately paying off the lease, we were able to get the full $10,500 in federal and tax benefits without paying hardly anything in fees. With the $4k dealer discounts you're starting to get now, we got nearly $15k off a $69k vehicle. Don't know if Tesla's lease works the same way, but it's worth looking into, especially if you are able to purchase it outright soon after buying to avoid the other fees.

Can't do that to a leased Tesla.

Ending Your Lease Early | Tesla Support

Although it can be costly, early lease termination is allowed if you have at least one lease payment remaining. There may be a few options for early lease termination for your Tesla vehicle.

www.tesla.com

 

[tangfj]

Can't do that to a leased Tesla.

Ending Your Lease Early | Tesla Support

Although it can be costly, early lease termination is allowed if you have at least one lease payment remaining. There may be a few options for early lease termination for your Tesla vehicle.

www.tesla.com

I saw the same thing... too bad Tesla doesn't offer purchasing at the end of the lease... I'm assuming they're doing that now to encourage buying vs leasing and I suppose they are also taking advantage of the used car market prices now which seem to be high across the board still.

 

[Icen Folsom]

Why used price is higher than new?

 

[racerpj]

It's a bad idea to buy from Carmax. you'll regret it.

 

[robaross]

Why would you not qualify for the $7500? It's a rebate, not a tax credit.

 

[Art84]

Why would you not qualify for the $7500? It's a rebate, not a tax credit.

It's a tax credit. If his income more than 150K single or 300K couples - then he is not qualify.

 

[tangfj]

Why would you pay more for a used car? Unless you need it immediately and can’t wait.

I would only buy from Carmax if the car has EAP or higher and a tow hitch... otherwise it's cheaper to buy direct from Tesla...