Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

Am I being an idiot trying to hold onto my p85dL outside of warranty?

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
83k miles, Dec. 2014 build, perf plus suspension, seemingly strong battery pack (I got 148kW at the super charging station last week).

My situation is somewhat unique. I love my current p85d but the warranty expired last week. It’s been a pretty darn reliable car since I bot used 4 years ago and the battery seems strong. But will it continue to be reliable, for the next 4 to 5yrs?

I put a deposit on a brand new 2023 demo performance model 3 that I could have picked up yesterday (total off msrp was 10k, price was $55,450), but I backed out because my longer term goal is to save money to buy a house. I make enough money now that I won’t qualify for the $7500 off next year. I just felt that given my situation, I shouldn’t be buying a new car and saddling myself with $1000 car payments for 5 years. On the other hand!…, if the p85d starts to break down, it won’t take much before buying the new car makes better sense financially! Like if the battery goes for example, or the drivetrain and a couple other things.

At this point I think I still have time to take it off “final hold” and buy the new car, and sell the old

Thoughts? Thank you
 
  • Like
Reactions: unk45
Financially, the best car to own is the one you already have.

Yes, you could have to replace a DU and the HV pack for like 35k tommorow, but is that likely?

And if so, you are like 20k ahead, less loss of use of money, lower back ratio, less insurance and depreciation.

You could subscribe to Jason's (Wk057) service to monitor and replace your pack if needed.

I frankly miss my old car, sunroof, light interior, leather...
 
Financially, the best car to own is the one you already have.

Yes, you could have to replace a DU and the HV pack for like 35k tommorow, but is that likely?

And if so, you are like 20k ahead, less loss of use of money, lower back ratio, less insurance and depreciation.

You could subscribe to Jason's (Wk057) service to monitor and replace your pack if needed.

I frankly miss my old car, sunroof, light interior, leather...
Thanks so I actually reached out to Jason and he said my battery pack is one of the good ones, so I should be fine. To be clarify though I don’t own the current car entirely… I have 19k left on the loan at 2.5% apr and 20 months remaining. It would sell for around 43k so I’ve got 24k in equity.

Not sure if any of that info would change your opinion
 
Thanks so I actually reached out to Jason and he said my battery pack is one of the good ones, so I should be fine. To be clarify though I don’t own the current car entirely… I have 19k left on the loan at 2.5% apr and 20 months remaining. It would sell for around 43k so I’ve got 24k in equity.

Not sure if any of that info would change your opinion
Honestly I would go for the newer car with newer tech if you still have a payment. Depends on what the current borrowing rates are for you now though…2.5% is nice
 
Thanks so I actually reached out to Jason and he said my battery pack is one of the good ones, so I should be fine. To be clarify though I don’t own the current car entirely… I have 19k left on the loan at 2.5% apr and 20 months remaining. It would sell for around 43k so I’ve got 24k in equity.

Not sure if any of that info would change your opinion

It does not, but that said, it's just an opinion.

A spreadsheet listing all the fixed and running costs will be very useful.

Sounds like the depreciation and finance costs are lower with the older car.

With FUSC, you will get to hang out with a lot of early adopters at the charging stations. They tend to show up a lot and stay longer than the newer cars, for some reason😉
 
  • Like
Reactions: jschimel
No, it aggressively tried to become one with another car along side me during a lane merge.

The old car only did that with K walls, and very gently.
With AP on
@tubaprde are on the original battery? Seems very unlikely to get 148kW on 85 packs. Not even 100D can go that high
I thought so too! And yes I’m on the original battery. That was the first time ever (I’ve owned the car for 4 years) that I got over 140… it was at 5% SOC and battery completely warm. I’ve got a picture of it somewhere, let me check
 
With AP on

I thought so too! And yes I’m on the original battery. That was the first time ever (I’ve owned the car for 4 years) that I got over 140… it was at 5% SOC and battery completely warm. I’ve got a picture of it somewhere, let me check

You naved to the SuC and found a unpaired, 250Kw stall?

Best I have ever seen is in the low 120's, but never been below 18%.

Might be worth keeping that 🦄!
 
  • Like
Reactions: tubaprde
Spending a guaranteed ~$70k to avoid potentially spending some portion of that on repairs is rarely if ever a smart financial decision.

Particularly now that you can expect that new P3D to follow much more typical (and likely even accelerated) depreciation curves in the coming years.

I would not buy a new car right now unless absolutely necessary. I’m near 160,000 miles on my 2016 S and it’s been very reliable.