Apples vs Apples - Questions about buying a P85D

[Seachange01]

Hi guys,
Im new, and this is my first post here.
I had a look around but couldnt really find a post that covers info that I am hoping to find out, So, I apologize upfront if I am asking about a topic covered somewhere already.
I had been thinking of buying a P85+ but after reading a fair amount online and in here, I have now decided on 2014/2015 P85D instead.

My "apples to apples" part of the post is the question - "Is there a particular version of the P85D I should look for that is better than others, or are they all the same?
I've seen mention of the P85+ suspension in early P85D models, (the "P85D+ unicorn")...Is this the only real point of difference "mechanically" speaking? Are other differences just cosmetic or things like difference in seat models etc?

Finally. Is there a site I can use to find which model of the P85D someone is trying to sell?
My budget is around $50k, I'm in Socal.
Any and all advise will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Alan

 

[sandpiper]

I had a 2014 ‘unicorn’. Actually it was a double unicorn in that it also had rear NextGen seats. Those were only made for a couple of months.

And in my 2018, I’ve also had the chance to drive with the new suspension.

My opinions opinion is that I’d get the lowest mileage, newest one that fits your budget and not worry about the suspension. And, were it possible, I’d like to see the maintenance records. Tesla has them, but may not give them out.

The early p85d’s were amazing but subject to a lot of teething issues that come with a new model. I’d want to avoid those or get one where those issues have been taken care of. Of particular note...

- rear gearbox failures
- many door handle failures
- steering gearbox failures
- mcu failures.
- ac heat exchanger failure

I had all of these and then some. Most of these are non issues (except door handles which you can expect to come back ) if the original part was replaced with a new part. I suggest looking for low mileage and newer because there have been issues with main batteries in higher mileage cars. It’s not an issue under warranty but a really really big biill off of warranty.

 

[BigNick]

I would suggest using the EV-CPO.com site.

You can select your must-have options and sort/filter by mileage and price. Plus you can subscribe to unlock more features.

Currently it lists 12 P85D available, far fewer than a couple of months ago. There are now P90D nosecone cars available in the same price range as the P85D which can help expand your choices a bit. The facelift P90D cars are a good bit higher than your desired price still as they are 2016s.

 

[dark cloud]

I am no expert on the history of P85D, but I know mine missed the heated steering wheel part of the sub zero package by one month. Being in California you might not care about that. I have a Dec 2014. There are plenty of the fully equipped ones out there, with power lift trunk, premium interior and lighting, air suspension, ultra hifi and the TPMS 2 system which displays each wheels pressure and not just a dummy light to show that one is low. Wheels can be changed so don't focus on that. I would suggest you just pick the exterior/interior colour you like. My finger was half an inch away from choosing a silver tan interior with wood trim P85D, but I am glad I waited for a white with black interior and carbon fibre dash one. The only other item I was missing on my car was the lower trunk lights; I just installed those last week.

If you can find one with the carbon fibre spoiler and centre console, like I did, there is 1K in savings.

 

[MC408]

I bought a dec 2014 p85d directly from Tesla in October. I was specifically targeting a + suspension model (mostly just based on research and others opinions). After driving a few loaners over the last couple months, I can say there is a noticeable difference, but not sure if I would ever know if I didn’t already have this info in my head.

I’ve had a few issues since purchase (door handles, air suspension, ect) so the warranty definitely makes this less painful or a concern than if I didn’t have the warranty.

Buying experience was not very good, but in the end, glad I bought it from Tesla and not a 3rd party.

Under $50 seems like a good target right now, seen a lot under $50k on Ev-CPO.com over the last few months.

 

[MC408]

Here’s a p90d listing in the for sale forum. Offer $50k, fly to the Bay Area and drive it home!

P90DL.. SF Area

 

[BrokerDon]

We bought our March 2015 built Insane P85D+ in July 2015 from Tesla inventory with 2,600 miles. It had every option (except 3rd row seats) including the rare NexGen ("Recaro" rear seats. Only warranty repairs in 46,000 miles are 1 door handle and quirky 3G cellular modem replaced with more reliable 4G LTE.

I upgraded the power to Ludicrous and replaced the square Turbines / Continental ContiSportContacts with staggered Arachnids / Michelin Pilot Super Sports. I really like the look and handling our our P85D+ better now, especially with the Plus Suspension combined with the much lighter Arachnids (lower unsprung weight). IMHO feels much more "connected" than the P100D I had for a 24 hour "extended test drive" 15 months ago. Sure the P100D was faster in a straight line but felt more "Cadillac-y" / Mercedes S Class "floaty" turning. Coming from a Corvette Z06 handling matters.

Best car I've ever owned... plus the most fun... and stupid cheap to drive too. LOVE IT !!!

 

[Seachange01]

Thanks for the information and feedback so far, I GREATLY appreciate it and the time you guys have taken to write.
I am looking at a P85D that is a December 2014 build and seems to check all the right boxes that I want... as far as appearance (color and wheels etc), and the seats look like the next gen seats based on the height of the rear head rests/restraints... my ONLY concern seems to be... that it would be from a private dealer and not direct from Tesla. The selling dealership says they bought it direct from Tesla here in CA and then took it back to their state. I guess I am just wondering if it is in good shape... Why did Tesla sell it rather than keep it for themselves to sell as a CPO.
I Love how it looks etc, but the lack of CPO warranty, or even having to buy an extended third party warranty worries me a bit.
One last thing.... The reason I am looking at a P85D rather than the P90D.. is because I had read of more battery issues with the 90's than the 85's... Can anyone else confirm that to be right, or is that something I shouldn't let stop me... especially if buying a CPO?

 

[HankLloydRight]

I had been thinking of buying a P85+ but after reading a fair amount online and in here, I have now decided on 2014/2015 P85D instead.

Good call!

I am no expert on the history of P85D, but I know mine missed the heated steering wheel part of the sub zero package by one month.

Tesla prioritized the heated steering wheel to colder climates. My P85D is a Dec'14 build and has the heated steering wheel (and OMG, it's the best thing). It was delivered in Boston. Also has the next-gen rear seats (although I rarely have rear passengers).

TPMS 2 system which displays each wheels pressure and not just a dummy light to show that one is low.

All VINs over 50,900 have the V2 TPMS, which includes all P85Ds.

I am looking at a P85D that is a December 2014 build

Pretty much all P85Ds from Dec'15 through and including April 2015 are the same basic build including the P+ suspension and Next Gen seats. The rear next-gen seats are less common, but IMHO pretty low on the priority list. The rear NG seats do have little side bolsters so the rear seat isn't flat all the way across, and which also causes the fold-down seats to not lay flat as much as a flat rear seat would allow.

've seen mention of the P85+ suspension in early P85D models, (the "P85D+ unicorn")..

Just to clarify, the P85D+ is not a 'unicorn' although a lot of people still call it that. Tesla made thousands of these units and they were in regular production for 5 months. They're still pretty easy to find. A real unicorn is something like the P85+ with Autopilot, which only about 300 were made and delivered to the last few folks who ordered a P85+ before the P85D and AP1 was announced. Those are very rare cars which couldn't be ordered that way.

Now don't get me wrong, I have a P85D+ and I think it's still the best Model S Tesla has ever built, and don't think I'll ever sell mine. But it's not a 'unicorn'.

Finally. Is there a site I can use to find which model of the P85D someone is trying to sell?

Yes, you can read this thread: https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/performance-plus-upgrade.85204

Since the option code for the + suspension (PX01) was applied randomly to P85Ds during the production run (some cars have the code, some don't), you can't go by the option code alone. The only sure-fire way to confirm a P85D has the + suspension is to turn the wheels all the way to the right or left, and look to see the air shocks part numbers. See the thread for all the details you need to know about the + suspension.

I had all of these and then some.

And I've had none of those problems with my P85D+, so it can go both ways.

If you can find one with the carbon fibre spoiler and centre console, like I did, there is 1K in savings.

You can get a third-party CF spoiler for $150 which looks identical to OEM. And when I got my P85D+, I ripped out the center console and sold it for $600 because I love the clean open look of the car with the yacht floor like I had in my P85+ I upgraded from.


Good luck on finding the perfect P85D+, and shoot us any other questions you may have.

 

[commasign]

This may help though most of the points are already covered in the above replies.

https://www.teslaadviceblog.com/blog/buying-guide-model-s-versions-1-2-3-and-4

 

[BlueOvalFan]

Funny. I just went through the same analysis. After much shopping around I discovered the best value was buying a used Tesla which comes with a 4yr/50k mike warranty in my case. I settledmon a late production run 2015 P85D (November build in my case) because I wanted LTE connection, along with version 2 of the sunroof. I understand the earlier ones were problematic.

They changed how the body and rear taillights integrate to minimize water intrusion. Seems it was/is a common problem.

In fact there is a website around here that list all the minute changes along the production runs of these cars broken down to the month and year. Could be very helpful.

Paid $51k for a loaded MS with 34k miles. prices in the Bay Area, or California’s area for that matter are slightly higher. The only thing is you have to rely on half ass pictures (<—check for yourself) when plunking down your deposit.

The ‘+’ suspension wasn’t really a consideration for me, but YMMV.

 

[HankLloydRight]

because I wanted LTE connection,

Good point. Early P85Ds had the 3G cell modem. It costs (around) $500 to upgrade to the LTE module. I did that and found it well worth the upgrade cost. People have been reporting a lower cost to upgrade, but it's really service center dependent.

 

[bhzmark]

I think the main difference in the + suspension is with the pre mid 2015 non plus suspension -- those were pretty soft and floaty. I think when they took away the + suspension it was because they tightened up the non+ suspension and met somewhere in the middle. I notice a big difference when driving an older non-plus pre mid 2015 S compared to my P85D+, but much less of a difference with the latest 100D models. I can still tell a little difference, and am always pleased to be back in my + car after a ride in non-plus, but the difference is not that great with the newer ones.

Rear passengers do like the higher bolsters in the early P85Ds Next gen rear seats.

I think hard sometimes about upgrading to either a P100D or a P3D, but still see the P85D+ as a great value to hold on to. All the Tesla improvements like HW2/3, the S improvements, and the track mode and batteries in the 3 just doesn't seem worth it for my use. If somehow my P85D got totalled I probably try to get another one unless they revamped the model S to get faster supercharging like the 3 and I might be tempted.

 

[Seachange01]

Good call!






Yes, you can read this thread: https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/performance-plus-upgrade.85204

Since the option code for the + suspension (PX01) was applied randomly to P85Ds during the production run (some cars have the code, some don't), you can't go by the option code alone. The only sure-fire way to confirm a P85D has the + suspension is to turn the wheels all the way to the right or left, and look to see the air shocks part numbers. See the thread for all the details you need to know about the + suspension.



Can I ask what I should be looking for when the wheels are turned? I followed the link and put in the VIN of the car I am looking at, but it didn't show the PX01 as an applied option, so I think I am going to need to get the dealer to do a hard lock and take a look and tell me what he see's. Maybe he can even put it up on a hoist to look if he has one.

I found it interesting that listed in the options were the "21 in wheels" , yet the door sticker showed Tyre measurements for 19's. No big deal, am happy enough with either, although I am struggling to find too many people who say the 21s are BETTER than the 19's, most seem to say they just wear out quicker, and have more puncture issues quicker. Still, anytime I can pick up a 4,500 option for around the same price as a car without it.. that has to be a bit of a bonus.

Can anyone else advise.. did it hit you hard in the hip pocket when it came to insurance compared to your previous vehicles?
Thanks again,
you guys are all GREAT. Its so cool being able to talk to people who have been through what I am going through, and to be able to learn from your experiences.
All the best,
Alan

 

[HankLloydRight]

No lift necessary. See post #14

Turn the wheels all the way left or right and look at the shock tower for those part numbers.

But if you're looking at a Dec'14 P85D, there's a 99.999% chance it has the + suspension.

h I am struggling to find too many people who say the 21s are BETTER than the 19's,

Oh, count me as one of those. I love the 21" Turbines in the summer with summer performance tires.

Tire wear is a function of your right foot, not (so much) the wheel or tire size.