Buy a used Model S

[Parkjhmd]

Yes. I completed the 5 step process on the day one. I selected a pickup option and everything is listed in order. This morning I sent a semi-nasty email to the sales rep and asked him to forward it to the manager of the delivery team. Guess what... One hour later, delivery specialist called me to give me an update. She said that the vehicle is arriving today at the pickup location and that she would probably schedule a delivery for this Saturday "if everything goes well". I don't believe until I see... Fingers crossed...
Thanks

Congrats!!! I'm glad you finally found some resolution.

Tesla's process is a little disjointed... It seems like they do not have enough staff to handle things with the level of customer service needed for such a purchase, especially when you're buying based on low res pics.

I'm sure you'll love your S! Enjoy!

 

[Parkjhmd]

I bought a beautiful Tesla Blue 2015 S90 from the Las Vegas Dealership on Dec 9, 2018.....I still do not have the title. I need HELP !

That's too bad... I've seen a few other posts about people not receiving their registration/plates/etc.

I took delivery on March 30th and received my title, registration, and plates in about 3 weeks. Have you tried calling the delivery center and perhaps have them send copies of the registration/titling paperwork?

Good luck...

 

[Akikiki]

Folks, there are good stories and bad stories of buying cars. Please remember, we are not dealing with robo-advisor yet. People's skill set and follow-up motivations are different.

Back to the OP's questions. There's been some excellent replies here already. Here's my two cents.

If you are shopping for a '16 or later, buy only a '16 build only after Oct '16. This one has the AP 2.0 hardware. Those built after Oct '16 AND with FSD purchased then or now, will get the upgrade to the FSD chip. Even if you do not care for it yourself, - today, this month/year has an edge in resale value over earlier '16's.

If you buy from a non-Tesla dealer you will not be eligible to purchase the extended warranty from Tesla. If you are buying from private owner, ask that person to take a picture for you of his Tesla account where it shows their car is allowed/eligible to purchase the extended warranty. You want the choice to purchase it versus buying one that you are not allowed. Otherwise, you should be able to negotiate the price for the absence of the option to buy the extended warranty.

I don't see how any non-Tesla after-market extended warranties can operate or be practical. Personally, I don't think they would have access to Tesla repair cost records to offer a reasonable warranty. And I've seen no treads anywhere that report good or bad on Tesla after-market warranties.

If I found a car I like being sold by Tesla, I would work my deal to travel to whatever location it is and eyeball it, purchase it and drive it home. Besides matching your expectations to your goodie list, you have the adventure of driving it home. (Something we can't do where I live.) Makes a great beer-drinking story.

 

[Sunshine State]

If you have the choice buy a ‘16 refresh Model S because you get the all the new looks and all the versatility of the Model S. We have 3 S’s, two are AP1’s, one is an AP2.5, plus an AP1 X. I can attest from experience that you should be more than satisfied with the AP1. I’d recommend buying an earlier refresh 2016 because you can save some dollars getting AP1, plus you will get transferable Supercharging with flawless AP1 performance compared to sometimes glitchy AP2. I believe the hype of AP2 is way overblown and totally undeserving, thus the discounted AP1 prices make them a steal. As all cars continue to depreciate the actual difference in price between the AP’s get smaller so take advantage of the difference now and get the nicest low mile car you can find for the money. Refresh 2016’s are still eligible for factory extended warranties as long as they are less than 51,000 miles since original delivery mileage. Many argue that the extended warranty is questionable on the payback and they do have a point with the 8 year unlimited warranty being standard on battery and drivetrain you may never attain a payback for the expense.

 

[Parkjhmd]

If you have the choice buy a ‘16 refresh Model S because you get the all the new looks and all the versatility of the Model S. We have 3 S’s, two are AP1’s, one is an AP2.5, plus an AP1 X. I can attest from experience that you should be more than satisfied with the AP1. I’d recommend buying an earlier refresh 2016 because you can save some dollars getting AP1, plus you will get transferable Supercharging with flawless AP1 performance compared to sometimes glitchy AP2. I believe the hype of AP2 is way overblown and totally undeserving, thus the discounted AP1 prices make them a steal. As all cars continue to depreciate the actual difference in price between the AP’s get smaller so take advantage of the difference now and get the nicest low mile car you can find for the money. Refresh 2016’s are still eligible for factory extended warranties as long as they are less than 51,000 miles since original delivery mileage. Many argue that the extended warranty is questionable on the payback and they do have a point with the 8 year unlimited warranty being standard on battery and drivetrain you may never attain a payback for the expense.

Great points... That's why I got a 2015 model S...AP1 is fantastic plus the free supercharging

 

[gnsatterwhite]

Hello everyone,

I placed the online order for CPO Model S with Tesla over 10 days ago and I cannot make any of the delivery specialists return my emails. I have no clue what is the status of my order. I have no problem waiting, but I expect that someone there would at least let me know the status.
Did anyone had a similar experience? How long would delivery usually take place after the order?
I wish I read this forum before I placed the order. I would probably think twice...
Thank you all...

Just beware - it took almost a month to get the car - 3 weeks to get any answer - it's ridiculous good luck! and wasn't what pictures showed - rejected - reaccepted after tesla said would fix - they ended up buying the car back after the car showed to be wrecked...just be careful and fine tooth comb the car....good luck! We loved our S

 

[Parkjhmd]

Thank you very much Parkjhmd,
I placed the order for the vehicle that is located in Chicago area and I will pick it up at Tesla location in Chicago. I just chated with some customer service lady and she said that my vehicle is ready to be shipped to South Carolina. I'm now totally confused.
I'll wait few more days and then I will call every single number until I find the answers.
Best regards,

How's your S?

 

[mitchman123]

id go with the model s, its like buying a Mercedes C class vs E or may even S class for the same price...

Also, a 2016 is still the current model, no changes have been made to the car on the interior or exterior and over it just looks better then the 3. Not sure what your family situation is, but the extra leg room in the S is great if the rear seat will be used a lot, as well as the hatch for trunk access.

Completely incorrect. They changed from mcu 1 to mcu 2 in 2018.. it’s a night and day difference. And supercharging speeds have a huge difference as well.

 

[PDACPA]

I thought the MCU1 switch to MCU2 occurred on cars with a build date of August 2017 and forward (not 2018).

You want MCU2 as it is more responsive and a different chip. Sort of like using and old ipad vs a current one.

 

[Akikiki]

MCU2 - March 2018 - S/X.
MCU2 28 Jul '17 - 3

 

[Ostrichsak]

I thought the MCU1 switch to MCU2 occurred on cars with a build date of August 2017 and forward (not 2018).

You want MCU2 as it is more responsive and a different chip. Sort of like using and old ipad vs a current one.

Just like an iPad.

Well, except for the fact that one iPad that's a couple of years older & can be had for about $40k or so and the newer one that is 5% faster will run you about $65k or so.

Otherwise, same thing.

 

[PDACPA]

MCU2 - March 2018 - S/X.
MCU2 28 Jul '17 - 3

Just like an iPad.

Well, except for the fact that one iPad that's a couple of years older & can be had for about $40k or so and the newer one that is 5% faster will run you about $65k or so.

Otherwise, same thing.

My iPad reference was the difference in the responsiveness of the screen. The older screen is running on a different and older chip. As the operating system grows and adds features with updates, the older devices start to have a slower reaction processing the requests and become slower. I have an older iPad Air that cannot run the new iOS. It still works (does its one or two jobs that I use it for), but is much slower and not as usable as a newer one.

My comment really had nothing to do with the price and just trying to let him know there was a difference. Not like a non-facelift and a facelift that you can visually see the difference where the MCU is not something you can see.

I do agree, there is a price to get the newer screen.