advice on buying a second hand model 3

[sunshinewelly]

I am probably going to move over to tesla from my Audi and would like some advice on what to look for.
1st of all i probably want a performance model or the long range
Is there a year to avoid or to aim for - i understand (But this maybe internet bilge) that usa made cars had issues and that vehicles are now made in China - therefore is there a model year and over i should be looking at

also does the glass roof come as standard on all model 3's

also i will probably go for a Tesla approved vehicle ( i know nothing about EV's so the benefits of a years warranty from Tesla appeals to me- does anyone know if the current used prices on the site now reflect the discounts that have been applied to new models etc

 

[sunshinewelly]

I am probably going to move over to tesla from my Audi and would like some advice on what to look for.
1st of all i probably want a performance model or the long range
Is there a year to avoid or to aim for - i understand (But this maybe internet bilge) that usa made cars had issues and that vehicles are now made in China - therefore is there a model year and over i should be looking at

also does the glass roof come as standard on all model 3's

also i will probably go for a Tesla approved vehicle ( i know nothing about EV's so the benefits of a years warranty from Tesla appeals to me- does anyone know if the current used prices on the site now reflect the discounts that have been applied to new models etc

also when were the sonic sensors removed as i have always found them handy

 

[ElectricIAC]

2021 and under should be safe.

 

[Alan J]

I am probably going to move over to tesla from my Audi and would like some advice on what to look for.
1st of all i probably want a performance model or the long range
Is there a year to avoid or to aim for - i understand (But this maybe internet bilge) that usa made cars had issues and that vehicles are now made in China - therefore is there a model year and over i should be looking at

also does the glass roof come as standard on all model 3's

also i will probably go for a Tesla approved vehicle ( i know nothing about EV's so the benefits of a years warranty from Tesla appeals to me- does anyone know if the current used prices on the site now reflect the discounts that have been applied to new models etc

You are correct that early cars came from Freemont USA and they now come from China, I have a Freemont car and my neighbour has a newer China car and he's convinced that the China build quality is better but having said that I've had no issues with my USA car.

Tesla tend to do incremental upgrades adding things like electric boot opener, heated steering wheel etc. so it's not really about a year to avoid or to go for but more about if you want and are prepared to pay for any of these things. Newer cars will naturally have a longer Warranty Period left and this may also sway you.

All Model 3's come with the glass roof and Basic Autopilot as standard, you main decision is Performance V Long Range V Standard Range, they are all very fast.

The main thing to try to check with an EV V ICE car is Battery Health, displaying both the Battery % and miles left at any reasonable State of Charge and doing so Man Maths and a little research will help.

Almost inevitably the price cuts to New cars will find their way into the prices of Second Hand cars but suggest you check this.

Good luck !

 

[sunshinewelly]

You are correct that early cars came from Freemont USA and they now come from China, I have a Freemont car and my neighbour has a newer China car and he's convinced that the China build quality is better but having said that I've had no issues with my USA car.

Tesla tend to do incremental upgrades adding things like electric boot opener, heated steering wheel etc. so it's not really about a year to avoid or to go for but more about if you want and are prepared to pay for any of these things. Newer cars will naturally have a longer Warranty Period left and this may also sway you.

All Model 3's come with the glass roof and Basic Autopilot as standard, you main decision is Performance V Long Range V Standard Range, they are all very fast.

The main thing to try to check with an EV V ICE car is Battery Health, displaying both the Battery % and miles left at any reasonable State of Charge and doing so Man Maths and a little research will help.

Almost inevitably the price cuts to New cars will find their way into the prices of Second Hand cars but suggest you check this.

Good luck !

cheers Alan

 

[Jason71]

I am probably going to move over to tesla from my Audi and would like some advice on what to look for.
1st of all i probably want a performance model or the long range
Is there a year to avoid or to aim for - i understand (But this maybe internet bilge) that usa made cars had issues and that vehicles are now made in China - therefore is there a model year and over i should be looking at

also does the glass roof come as standard on all model 3's

also i will probably go for a Tesla approved vehicle ( i know nothing about EV's so the benefits of a years warranty from Tesla appeals to me- does anyone know if the current used prices on the site now reflect the discounts that have been applied to new models etc

They all come new with a 4 year 50K warranty + the 8 year 120K battery one so unless you are after an old high miler you should get the Tesla warranty where ever you buy so not sure there is much benefit buying from Tesla direct except being over charged. You would get EAP thrown in though if that matters to you.

 

[Jason71]

I may be wrong but it has been suggested that Tesla always start used cars out at a high price then incrementally reduce it till they sell. like a Dutch auction. Not sure if correct but it would explain apparently very similar cars on very different prices.

 

[Alan J]

also when were the sonic sensors removed as i have always found them handy

USS were only removed on late 2022 cars anything prior to November 2022 should be OK.

 

[2020M3SR]

I am probably going to move over to tesla from my Audi and would like some advice on what to look for.
1st of all i probably want a performance model or the long range
Is there a year to avoid or to aim for - i understand (But this maybe internet bilge) that usa made cars had issues and that vehicles are now made in China - therefore is there a model year and over i should be looking at

also does the glass roof come as standard on all model 3's

also i will probably go for a Tesla approved vehicle ( i know nothing about EV's so the benefits of a years warranty from Tesla appeals to me- does anyone know if the current used prices on the site now reflect the discounts that have been applied to new models etc

I think generally speaking, the newer the better for getting bang for buck

Eg, a SR M3 when looked a few days ago was around £31k for a 2019 with 35k miles or so, and £37k for a 2022 SR with less than 3k miles. So only a 6k gap for a difference of 3 years and over 30k miles. That car is gone now though and the rest of those 2022's will probably sell through quicker than the 2019's for this very reason.

In my personal opinion, used prices have a good bit more to drop overall. A sweet spot might be a 2020 with low miles (will still have a years warranty) but those cars all seem to be at elevated prices still. I expect them to drop.

Tesla have been selling here in the UK at end of each quarter for a few years now, so its reasonable to expect a fair chunk of used lease/PCP Teslas to be hitting the market to line up with those quarters. Eg, come March/early April 2023 we can expect to see March 2019/March 2020/March 2021 cars hitting the used market. Same again in June, same again in September, etc etc

So anyone selling a Tesla now might be better off selling before March, and anyone looking to buy used, waiting until at least April when another chunk of used cars will be filling the already bloated used market.

 

[Jason71]

So what is the sweet spot then?
is it Q4 2020 to late Q3 2022?
That way you get the MiC build quality, updated interior, electric boot, heated steering wheel and heatpump and you keep the ultrasonic sensors?

 

[Burley]

Q4 2020 cars were from Fremont and there were issues with paint quality in that batch. 2021 onwards were from Shanghai and the build quality is definitely better, I’ve looked at two side by side and the difference is noticeable. Tesla add a year’s warranty onto any existing one if you buy 2nd hand from them, but you will pay more for it than if you go to a second hand dealer.

 

[Js1977]

So what is the sweet spot then?
is it Q4 2020 to late Q3 2022?
That way you get the MiC build quality, updated interior, electric boot, heated steering wheel and heatpump and you keep the ultrasonic sensors?

You only get heated steering wheel and all else with MIC which did not arrive until later in Q1 2021. Easily identified by having the dashboard trim extended to the front door cards.

 

[Rooster6655]

They all come new with a 4 year 50K warranty + the 8 year 120K battery one so unless you are after an old high miler you should get the Tesla warranty where ever you buy so not sure there is much benefit buying from Tesla direct except being over charged. You would get EAP thrown in though if that matters to you.

Good point, Tesla do seem to now include an additional year + 10k miles to whatever is left on the warranty, if the warranty is expired then they seem to only offer the 1 year 10k warranty

I may be wrong but it has been suggested that Tesla always start used cars out at a high price then incrementally reduce it till they sell. like a Dutch auction. Not sure if correct but it would explain apparently very similar cars on very different prices.

Yes the definitely used to do this and I expect its still the process

 

[WannabeOwner]

1st of all i probably want a performance model or the long range

I think that is very important (unless your longest trip is tootling into the local town )

You need 30 - 40 miles of reserve. That's more percentage of a smaller battery.

You will get some degradation ... so if your trip is borderline today it will need a stop at some point in the future.

But the main thing is the number of trips, especially the sort of out-and-back ones we do in the UK, that you can either make without charging or just need a splash and dash.

I went from 240 (real world) mile range to close to 300 mile range. Doing 35K miles a year my supercharging reduced from 2 days a month to a couple of times a year. Superchargers are becoming more clogged with vehicles, most especially at holiday times - as you will have no doubt read in the Daily Mail recently

Depends on the trips you will make of course. Suggest you have a go with ABetterRoutePlanner and try simulations for both the 3P and the LR on the common longer trips that you would make, to see where you would have to charge and for how long.

For John O-Groats to Lands End:

M3 LR 4 stops, 1h14m charging, 250 Wh/mile, 220.7 kWh
M3P Same 4 stops, 1h21m charging, 269 Wh/mile, 237.3 kWh (so fuel cost is a £fiver more, over 800+ miles )

I doubt the difference between M3 LR and P would make a material difference to your journeys - "bad luck" would be the only player, with Superchargers at a distance that exactly suited LR and not the P

The M3SR+ needs 6 stops, 1h54m charging, 246 Wh/mile, 218.3 kWh - so saves a single £quid on fuel but takes 50 minutes longer charging, and an additional 2 stops.

 

[GeorgeSymonds]

The dechromed cars from 2021 with heat pumps are the better cars in the sense they deal with the wi fee a bit better. You may also find a later RWD car (used to be called the SR+) with the heated steering wheel and good range make a better buy than an older LR for similar money, similar working range and higher spec - they’re just not as much fun.

If used from Tesla I’d sit tight for a week until they adjust the prices, last time I checked they’d not reflected the price cuts on the new models in the used prices.

 

[GRiLLA]

So what is the sweet spot then?
is it Q4 2020 to late Q3 2022?
That way you get the MiC build quality, updated interior, electric boot, heated steering wheel and heatpump and you keep the ultrasonic sensors?

Depends on people's opinion of having the Ryzen CPU and LiPo battery which started in Jan '22

So far Ryzen gives you nothing in the UK, in the US it's required for Zoom and for WeChat in China but those are hardly essentials. Might be more in the future.

Hopefully time will show that the LiPo battery will last better than the old-style car batteries which might save hassle down the line.

 

[WannabeOwner]

M3 LR 4 stops, 1h14m charging, 250 Wh/mile, 220.7 kWh
M3P Same 4 stops, 1h21m charging, 269 Wh/mile, 237.3 kWh (so fuel cost is a £fiver more, over 800+ miles )

Sorry, that's an M3P with 18" Aero wheels - which seems unlikely!

M3P 19" 4 stops, 1h27m charging, 279 Wh/mile, 246.6 kWh - range 248 - 275 miles

M3P 20" 4 stops, 1h31m charging, 285 Wh/mile, 251.9 kWh - range 244 - 269 miles

All based on ABetterRoutePlanner data, which should be reasonable representative for a comparison like this.

 

[Jason71]

Depends on people's opinion of having the Ryzen CPU and LiPo battery which started in Jan '22

So far Ryzen gives you nothing in the UK, in the US it's required for Zoom and for WeChat in China but those are hardly essentials. Might be more in the future.

Hopefully time will show that the LiPo battery will last better than the old-style car batteries which might save hassle down the line.

it makes the regular reboots a lot faster

 

[Jason71]

Sorry, that's an M3P with 18" Aero wheels - which seems unlikely!

enter @ACarneiro stage left to defend the honour of the M3P-

 

[ElectricIAC]

enter @ACarneiro stage left to defend the honour of the M3P-

I call it plus plus for the range benefit.