Buyer beware. Buying a CPO Tesla feels like a SCAM.

[banned-66611]

Aye, that's the biggest reason to buy CPO instead of privately. If the car is not up to scratch you can just reject it with CPO.

Considering the cost of Tesla repairs a private sale seems quite risky.

 

[DrMike]

Excellent tips barjohn. One additional thing that might be a good idea for people selling a Tesla is to put some kind of watermark on your photos, to discourage scammers from using your pictures. Many people have put their Tesla up for sale (here or elsewhere), only to find that some scammer took their photos and started advertising their car for much less on Craigslist.

 

[barjohn]

Aye, that's the biggest reason to buy CPO instead of privately. If the car is not up to scratch you can just reject it with CPO.

Considering the cost of Tesla repairs a private sale seems quite risky.

The same is true with a PP vehicle. When you go see it, if it isn't as advertised and expected you don't have to go through with the deal. Any deposit you make should be refundable if you don't accept the vehicle on inspection. Tesla may not refund your deposit but only allow you to apply to another CPO where the PP would have to refund your deposit. The risk of high cost Tesla repairs only applies if the vehicle has no warranty other than power train and battery or no warranty left at all.

One thing I forgot to mention is warranty and eligibility for the extended warranty. If the vehicle has only been in PP ownership then ti would have the remaining 4 year 50K mile warranty and be eligible for Tesla's extended warranty (assuming the car has less than 50K miles and is less than 4 years since first sold). As a seller, it is important to inform the buyer as to what warranty the vehicle has remaining through Tesla and whether it is eligible for the extended Tesla warranty. If you have purchased that warranty and or their prepaid maintenance plans those are big pluses too.

 

[matein8]

So much has been written and its shocking and not shocking to hear this.

All I'm saying is if I had spent 70k on a car and they sent it in that condition I would be there that night demanding my money back. I'd go to great lengths to reach ELON. Go to a few news stations and explain what is going on. See what happens

 

[HeinrichJ729]

So much has been written and its shocking and not shocking to hear this.

All I'm saying is if I had spent 70k on a car and they sent it in that condition I would be there that night demanding my money back. I'd go to great lengths to reach ELON. Go to a few news stations and explain what is going on. See what happens

Until they change the CPO program back to have standards beyond the wheels turning, inspect the car personally and don't buy a CPO car until you see the condition of the car. After you pay, it becomes a lot harder to unwind the deal if you find out the car is in such poor condition that you don't want to accept it.

I remember once when we bought a CPO Mercedes, it was in such good condition, that we didn't even want to do a test drive because we had researched the car so much and knew it was under full warranty for any issues. To our surprise, the dealer insisted that we at least take the car around the block to make sure that we were happy and there were no issues because they wanted us to be happy with the car. We took the car around for a quick spin and signed the paperwork.

From what we gather, good luck trying to get a test drive of a Tesla CPO car before you buy it. All we've managed to see are low resolution photos. For all the hate dealers get for how they sell used cars, the way Tesla currently sells used cars is so much worse.

 

[banned-66611]

Inspection isn't enough though. How are you supposed to know it doesn't need a new drive unit? The benefit of CPO is supposed to be that they check that stuff and fix it if required.

 

[HeinrichJ729]

Inspection isn't enough though. How are you supposed to know it doesn't need a new drive unit? The benefit of CPO is supposed to be that they check that stuff and fix it if required.

Doing a thorough inspection of the vehicle and rejecting/declining the sale if the car is not in great shape is sufficient because you have no idea if the CPO cars they deliver now are in great shape or horrible shape.

Realize even new cars have had drive unit replacements and they have gone through several revisions of the drive unit by now with each being better. This is an issue that is largely resolved by now. Also the drive unit is covered by a 8 year warranty. I would not worry about the state of the drive unit.

I'd be more concerned with ensuring the interior and the exterior are in great shape because some of the CPO cars have been beaten up after having being used as loaners cars for months. As others have said, don't pay until you see the car and you are happy with it because they no longer guarantee much more than the car passing inspection.

 

[PhilDavid]

Aye, that's the biggest reason to buy CPO instead of privately. If the car is not up to scratch you can just reject it with CPO.

Considering the cost of Tesla repairs a private sale seems quite risky.

It certainly makes sense to reject a CPO car if it is presented in not acceptable shape.

I have read a few stories about some people who have rejected CPO cars due to the poor condition of the car but I'm trying to figure out if you can then get your money back for the deposit. I can't imagine not being able to get the deposit back if they can't address the issues or find another similar car in acceptable condition.

So much has been written and its shocking and not shocking to hear this.

All I'm saying is if I had spent 70k on a car and they sent it in that condition I would be there that night demanding my money back. I'd go to great lengths to reach ELON. Go to a few news stations and explain what is going on. See what happens

I love Tesla and love what they have done for EVs, sustainable transportation, how you buy a new car, and generally how they gave the auto industry a hard core smack-down to innovate Tesla is 4 years ahead of any of the established car makers, who are still trying to build cars to match the specs of a 4 year old Tesla!

The only area I have seen them really fall behind the "dealership experience" is when it comes to their CPO/used car sales. I can think of a half a dozen significant things dealers do better when they sell used cars. Hopefully this is a temporary phase they are going through and they restore some reasonable standards to their used/CPO cars.

Customers buying a Tesla from Tesla should never have to, even for a second, worry about having to reject that car because it is in poor condition. The current program seems to be anywhere between an immaculate car to a vehicle in poor shape and hopefully they will improve the experience.

 

[maximumblue]

It certainly makes sense to reject a CPO car if it is presented in not acceptable shape.

I have read a few stories about some people who have rejected CPO cars due to the poor condition of the car but I'm trying to figure out if you can then get your money back for the deposit. I can't imagine not being able to get the deposit back if they can't address the issues or find another similar car in acceptable condition.



I love Tesla and love what they have done for EVs, sustainable transportation, how you buy a new car, and generally how they gave the auto industry a hard core smack-down to innovate Tesla is 4 years ahead of any of the established car makers, who are still trying to build cars to match the specs of a 4 year old Tesla!

The only area I have seen them really fall behind the "dealership experience" is when it comes to their CPO/used car sales. I can think of a half a dozen significant things dealers do better when they sell used cars. Hopefully this is a temporary phase they are going through and they restore some reasonable standards to their used/CPO cars.

Customers buying a Tesla from Tesla should never have to, even for a second, worry about having to reject that car because it is in poor condition. The current program seems to be anywhere between an immaculate car to a vehicle in poor shape and hopefully they will improve the experience.

+++++++++++++++++++++++
My experience has been wonderful, bought mine 2 years ago and the team could not be nicer, my problems were addressed immediately, several times they came to me to fix things. Report them to Tesla in California.

 

[HeinrichJ729]

+++++++++++++++++++++++
My experience has been wonderful, bought mine 2 years ago and the team could not be nicer, my problems were addressed immediately, several times they came to me to fix things. Report them to Tesla in California.

I bet you loved the experience 2 years ago but did you know that they are now basically selling CPO cars "as is" as long as they function mechanically? It's a completely different situation now because it's difficult to tell the actual condition of the car until you see it. Definitely not a comforting or reassuring way to spend over $50,000 on a used car as what you get is a bit of a gamble.

 

[PhilDavid]

Aye, that's the biggest reason to buy CPO instead of privately. If the car is not up to scratch you can just reject it with CPO.

Considering the cost of Tesla repairs a private sale seems quite risky.

I actually feel it is the opposite. Private party purchases still come with the balance of the manufacturer warranty and you can extend that warranty further.

With a private party purchase you can...

1. Look at the car personally in great detail.
2. Purchase the car immediately, as soon as the deal is finalized without waiting for weeks.
3. Take the car for a test drive and observe how it drives and get a sense for how the car was treated by the previous owner.
   
4. Have the vehicle inspected in great detail and look over all the service records,
5. and then buy a car that has not potentially been driven like it was stolen as a loaner.

Good luck with any of the above with what they have done to the CPO program. Mr. Gump summarizes quite well the current experience of buying a Tesla CPO

 

[banned-66611]

Maybe the secret is to reject the first one and then they will find a decent one the next time around. Might enciuenco them to fix the wrecks too.

 

[PhilDavid]

Maybe the secret is to reject the first one and then they will find a decent one the next time around. Might enciuenco them to fix the wrecks too.

A customer should not be in a position to reject a Tesla because it is delivered in bad condition.

They should just auction off their inventory of vehicles that were badly beaten up as loaners or by the previous owner rather than add them to the CPO inventory for sale rather than ruin their reputation when disappointed customers reject deliveries.

I hope they fix their CPO program because there will be lots of cars coming off lease starting the end of this year when some on the initial 2 year leases are due.

 

[TomServo]

Does Tesla disclose if the battery charging has been "throttled" due SC abuse by the previous owner? Do they provide a CARFAX?

 

[Russell]

I'm not sure about throttling, but they do provide a Carfax.

 

[PhilDavid]

Does Tesla disclose if the battery charging has been "throttled" due SC abuse by the previous owner? Do they provide a CARFAX?

Isn't the battery throttling issues limited to the 90 packs? I guess you can find out if the battery charging is throttled by taking the car to a supercharger but not sure how that is possible as they don't seem to be setup to allow test drives of cars before purchase. It seems to be Another important metric would be to determine the range at 100% to see if there is any battery degradation but they don't give you that information either.

Basically they are selling used cars sight unseen while providing as little information about the car as possible with no guarantees on the interior or exterior condition of the car.

 

[ElctrcBoogaloo]

Like @EVChris, I discovered this thread only AFTER putting down my $1000 deposit for a 2015 Model S P85, and now I'm super worried.
To their credit, one of the first things the OA did was send me pics of the car. As I reviewed them, I noticed what appeared to be water stains on the headliner. When I inquired about them, the OA confirmed they were the result of the sunroof leaking at some point. The sunroof has been repaired but cleaning the water stains would be left up to me after accepting delivery. This surprised me and prompted the Google search that brought me to this thread...

A colleague and good buddy of mine (who is also a car enthusiast) bought a CPO Tesla a couple of years back and had a great experience. The vehicle was delivered in pristine condition (he said it was like it was brand new) and when he noticed an issue early on, Tesla took ownership and fixed it right away. I've been a big fanboy of Tesla and Elon Musk's endeavors since the roadster came out and have been dreaming of getting myself into one for the past decade. All this to say, I put my money down assuming that Tesla's CPO program would match or exceed the level of quality you get from other luxury brands that do for their CPO programs. If this thread is correct, it appears I was a couple of months too late to the game.

In any case, this is still a story in flight so I'll post updates on how it goes for any who might be interested. Really hoping the OP's experience was a terrible anomaly...

 

[EVChris]

ElctrcBoogaloo, yes, CPO per se, doesn't exist anymore. It's now just Used from Tesla.
I bought Used from Tesla and I'm quite happy with my S85.

It has been reported (Owning Model S ?) that Tesla's basic pricing is:

List - ($1000/month + $1/mile)​

You should definitely take your time, cast your net wide and consider as many Teslas as possible. Tesla doesn't put every trade-in they get into the Used program. But when you get the photos, you should really pore over them. You should research the VIN. CarFax won't tell you much about a Tesla but it can tell you something.

Before I bought my Used Tesla, I knew:

• the mileage, 6700 mlles is really low. So the car should be really clean and it was.
• it had some passenger side rim rash. That's $100 for me to have fixed.
• license plate (even though it was removed on delivery) for me to research.
• location. Turns out this 2015 hadn't had an HOV sticker. So I'm applying.
• VIN tells you more about the options ev-cpo and also recall status (mine had one pending)
• manufacture date tells you a little more about features

Things I asked:

• Photos
• Did this 2015 have 3G or LTE?
• I asked for the Maroney sticker on delivery.

Things I had fixed after deliver:

• LTE upgrade
• Chargeport was not working properly. Replaced under warranty.
• Hatch didn't mate correctly and buffeted on 580. Fixed under warranty.

Things I didn't know:

• Panoramic roof meant sun roof.
• Why would someone lease a Tesla for 3 years and only put 6700 miles on it?
• I didn't look at used Teslas from other sources since I wanted a 4 year warranty.
• The S is a full sized car. That didn't really sink in until it sank in.
• and whole bunch of other things.

Things you just won't know:

• Service history. You can infer things (as you have) but that's pretty much it.

I'm quite happy with my S. Even when I look at the list on ev-cpo I feel like I got an outlier. It exceeded my option list in my color, had low miles and was decently priced ($67K vs $100K Maroney). It has a 4 year warranty. I put $1000 down on a Used car I hadn't seen even in a photo and certainly hadn't driven. Yeah, I did that. But I knew tons more about this S than I did about any used car I'd ever bought.

There is apparently a back list. Supposedly after you put your $1000 down and get an advisor assigned to you, you could talk to them and have them search the list for a perhaps a better match. Say something like I've changed my mind about this option. Do you have something else?

I may swap down for a Model 3 when LR+AWD+SAS becomes available. But I quite happy with my S and Tesla Service has been excellent to work with.

 

[HeinrichJ729]

Like @EVChris, I discovered this thread only AFTER putting down my $1000 deposit for a 2015 Model S P85, and now I'm super worried.
To their credit, one of the first things the OA did was send me pics of the car. As I reviewed them, I noticed what appeared to be water stains on the headliner. When I inquired about them, the OA confirmed they were the result of the sunroof leaking at some point. The sunroof has been repaired but cleaning the water stains would be left up to me after accepting delivery. This surprised me and prompted the Google search that brought me to this thread...

A colleague and good buddy of mine (who is also a car enthusiast) bought a CPO Tesla a couple of years back and had a great experience. The vehicle was delivered in pristine condition (he said it was like it was brand new) and when he noticed an issue early on, Tesla took ownership and fixed it right away. I've been a big fanboy of Tesla and Elon Musk's endeavors since the roadster came out and have been dreaming of getting myself into one for the past decade. All this to say, I put my money down assuming that Tesla's CPO program would match or exceed the level of quality you get from other luxury brands that do for their CPO programs. If this thread is correct, it appears I was a couple of months too late to the game.

In any case, this is still a story in flight so I'll post updates on how it goes for any who might be interested. Really hoping the OP's experience was a terrible anomaly...

Let us know what happens. In my opinion, it is completely ridiculous for Tesla to sell a car with water stains on the headliner. I'd be so embarrassed to buy a car with interior damage and then when friends inquire have to explain how Tesla does not have standards any more for the interior of cars they sell.

As much as I believe in Tesla's mission, I feel they are treating customers quite poorly with how they are selling these cars. It has been pointed out earlier that Tesla does not even meet the standards of Kia the way they are selling these cars as even Kia refurbishes the interior and exterior of cars they sell...

My advice is if the car is presented to you with a water damaged interior, I would ask them to fix it by making a note on the due bill, or I would reject delivery and ask for my money back. The other option is ask for a quote to fix the damage and have them reduce the sale price by that amount. Why should you pay for the damage caused by a leaky roof?

Something I learned in life is people will treat you as poorly as you allow them to treat you.

 

[PhilDavid]

On the plus side, I found out that from the time you put down a deposit they give you a couple of days to back out if the car is not in decent shape so there is at least that. The problem is it is very difficult to get high resolution photos of the car that can show the actual condition of the car. The photos we received are of very low resolution.

You are basically supposed to put down a $1,000 deposit and make a decision to buy a $50,000+ used car with hardly any information or assurance about the condition of the car.

It seems unless you put down a $1,000 deposit you can't get them to even follow up with you as some of our inquiries about a couple of cars we were interested are still unanswered. From what I can tell, they don't seem to care much about their CPO program or the customers who buy their CPO cars.

I wonder what they will do in about a year or so when they will likely have more than twice the volume of CPO cars to sell when they can't handle the cars they have now in a reasonable way.