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

[bonnie]

Elon replied to this
Elon Musk on Twitter

Someone tweeted Elon AFTER the OP posted he'd reached a satisfactory conclusion with Tesla?

 

[dovclimb]

The advantage to a private party purchase is that it could still be eligible for the ESA, which could be good peace of mind for purchasing a used Tesla, and might even be more miles/time than the CPO warranty anyways (although it comes with the $200 deductible per visit).

AS a CPO buyer, I can tell you that this is not the case. Tesla has clearly documented standards for CPO refurbishment and as a buyer you can hold them accountable to these. If you go to pick-up your CPO and it is trashed you can walk away from the deal with no penalties. Alternately you can have Tesla repair the vehicle. In my case Tesla did the following for me:

1. Replaced front windshield due to chip rather than repairing the chip
2. Re-painted hood and nose to eliminate paint chips
3. Replaced driver's seat due to slight rocking
4. Replaced driver's and passengers windows due to slight scratching
5. Upgraded from 3G to LTE to correct issue with GPS

In addition to this they later covered the following under warranty

1. Replaced drive unit due to milling noise
2. Replaced side view mirror because it was loose
3. Proactively replaced electrical components due to over the air telemetry
4. Replaced heating/cooling system

So on the one hand they had to do a lot of work on this car, but on the flip side I always had a loaner and the car now looks like new and I bought it for 60% less than a brand new Tesla.

Realize that this thread started based on a bad experience, but have since seen a lot of FUD about the CPO program that is simply not true. Buying CPO was very similar to buying a new Tesla, it is a different model than going to a traditional dealership and yes there is a leap of faith as you do not see the car until it arrives. On the plus side Tesla delivered my car with a 4 yr warranty and their service team was very responsive and addressed all of my concerns. That said I did document these concerns when I picked up the car and took pictures.

 

[MIT_S60]

AS a CPO buyer, I can tell you that this is not the case. Tesla has clearly documented standards for CPO refurbishment and as a buyer you can hold them accountable to these. If you go to pick-up your CPO and it is trashed you can walk away from the deal with no penalties. Alternately you can have Tesla repair the vehicle. In my case Tesla did the following for me:

1. Replaced front windshield due to chip rather than repairing the chip
2. Re-painted hood and nose to eliminate paint chips
3. Replaced driver's seat due to slight rocking
4. Replaced driver's and passengers windows due to slight scratching
5. Upgraded from 3G to LTE to correct issue with GPS

In addition to this they later covered the following under warranty

1. Replaced drive unit due to milling noise
2. Replaced side view mirror because it was loose
3. Proactively replaced electrical components due to over the air telemetry
4. Replaced heating/cooling system

So on the one hand they had to do a lot of work on this car, but on the flip side I always had a loaner and the car now looks like new and I bought it for 60% less than a brand new Tesla.

Realize that this thread started based on a bad experience, but have since seen a lot of FUD about the CPO program that is simply not true. Buying CPO was very similar to buying a new Tesla, it is a different model than going to a traditional dealership and yes there is a leap of faith as you do not see the car until it arrives. On the plus side Tesla delivered my car with a 4 yr warranty and their service team was very responsive and addressed all of my concerns. That said I did document these concerns when I picked up the car and took pictures.

Those used to be the benefits for Tesla's CPO program. Unfortunately your first set of points are no longer valid under the new "Not Refurbished" "CPO" policy that went into effect this week, as they would either sell it "as-is" cosmetically or just dump it to auction. The 3G->LTE upgrade would cost $500 (if not covered by a warranty fix), and the warranty fixes would still be the same as a second owner if the car had less than 4 years and 50k miles, otherwise there would be a $200 deductible per visit between 4-8 years or 50-100k miles.

 

[Electricious]

AS a CPO buyer, I can tell you that this is not the case. Tesla has clearly documented standards for CPO refurbishment and as a buyer you can hold them accountable to these. If you go to pick-up your CPO and it is trashed you can walk away from the deal with no penalties. Alternately you can have Tesla repair the vehicle. In my case Tesla did the following for me:

1. Replaced front windshield due to chip rather than repairing the chip
2. Re-painted hood and nose to eliminate paint chips
3. Replaced driver's seat due to slight rocking
4. Replaced driver's and passengers windows due to slight scratching
5. Upgraded from 3G to LTE to correct issue with GPS

In addition to this they later covered the following under warranty

1. Replaced drive unit due to milling noise
2. Replaced side view mirror because it was loose
3. Proactively replaced electrical components due to over the air telemetry
4. Replaced heating/cooling system

So on the one hand they had to do a lot of work on this car, but on the flip side I always had a loaner and the car now looks like new and I bought it for 60% less than a brand new Tesla.

Realize that this thread started based on a bad experience, but have since seen a lot of FUD about the CPO program that is simply not true. Buying CPO was very similar to buying a new Tesla, it is a different model than going to a traditional dealership and yes there is a leap of faith as you do not see the car until it arrives. On the plus side Tesla delivered my car with a 4 yr warranty and their service team was very responsive and addressed all of my concerns. That said I did document these concerns when I picked up the car and took pictures.

So I wonder how you would feel if you picked up the same car and Tesla did not do any of the following because that's what will happen from now on where they only make sure the car functions mechanically. Worse yet, the car could have even more significant issues but none of those issues are disclosed on the car listing and for black interiors and lighting you may not know the true state of the car until you see it in proper lighting conditions.

None of the following is no longer being done...

1. Replaced front windshield due to chip rather than repairing the chip
2. Re-painted hood and nose to eliminate paint chips
3. Replaced driver's seat due to slight rocking
4. Replaced driver's and passengers windows due to slight scratching
5. Upgraded from 3G to LTE to correct issue with GPS

 

[MIT_S60]

So I wonder how you would feel if you picked up the same car and Tesla did not do any of the following because that's what will happen from now on where they only make sure the car functions mechanically. Worse yet, the car could have even more significant issues but none of those issues are disclosed on the car listing and for black interiors and lighting you may not know the true state of the car until you see it in proper lighting conditions.

None of the following is no longer being done...

1. Replaced front windshield due to chip rather than repairing the chip
2. Re-painted hood and nose to eliminate paint chips
3. Replaced driver's seat due to slight rocking
4. Replaced driver's and passengers windows due to slight scratching
5. Upgraded from 3G to LTE to correct issue with GPS

A private party preowned car would be easier to inspect cosmetically too, since you can take a look at the car (assuming doing a local transaction) in person as opposed to putting a non-refundable deposit down and waiting weeks to get to even take a look at the car.

 

[Electricious]

Maybe they should create an “approved by Elon” standard...comes with a badge that says “inspected by Elon” or something.

I would settle for a "Inspected by Kia CPO" sticker because Kia DOES refurbish cars they sell

 

[Electricious]

A private party preowned car would be easier to inspect cosmetically too, since you can take a look at the car (assuming doing a local transaction) in person as opposed to putting a non-refundable deposit down and waiting weeks to get to even take a look at the car.

Totally agree with you. Plus a private party preowned car would not be abused as a loaner either.

The previous Tesla CPO route was still a viable option when it came with the promise that they would recondition the car but now you pay a huge premium to buy one of these cars and then the first trip is to take your new baby to a body shop to get the car refurbished?

My problem is I love Tesla so much that there is no other car I will consider buying but this really sucks because it is going to be so difficult now to find a decent 2-3 year old car. Compare that to any of Tesla's competition and you can buy 2-3 year old cars that are reconditioned to be just like new.

I love Tesla the company but I wish they could come up with a more reasonable policy.

 

[bambam4171]

Someone tweeted Elon AFTER the OP posted he'd reached a satisfactory conclusion with Tesla?

I have no clue. Just seen this pop up in this twitter stream.

 

[b team]

Take a deep breath.

 

[Andris V]

I am probably gonna get it for this but...what does the acronym CPO stands for in the discussion. Thank you.

Certified Pre-Owned.

 

[dhanson865]

Someone tweeted Elon AFTER the OP posted he'd reached a satisfactory conclusion with Tesla?

Someone tweeted Elon after the OP said he hadn't decided what car he'd get next. He did say he was returning the first CPO but it was up in the air if he would ever deal with Tesla after that. Plenty of room for damage control even by the time Elon saw that tweet.

I sure wouldn't call it a satisfactory conclusion. More a mutually agreeable unwinding of the sale. The OP didn't sound satisfied, I don't think Tesla is satisfied losing a sale, I know Tesla CPO customers are wondering what the new normal is.

 

[Electricious]

Someone tweeted Elon after the OP said he hadn't decided what car he'd get next. He did say he was returning the first CPO but it was up in the air if he would ever deal with Tesla after that. Plenty of room for damage control even by the time Elon saw that tweet.

I sure wouldn't call it a satisfactory conclusion. More a mutually agreeable unwinding of the sale. The OP didn't sound satisfied, I don't think Tesla is satisfied losing a sale, I know Tesla CPO customers are wondering what the new normal is.

Especially in light of them making their used/CPO cars worse by not reconditioning the cars any more...

 

[bhzmark]

They pick up the loaner tomorrow.

How did they respond to your reasonable offer to buy the loaner that you loved?

 

[ToothSlayer]

How did they respond to your reasonable offer to buy the loaner that you loved?

I didn’t make an offer.
I’m not sure going with Tesla at this point is a smart move for me. If I lived by a SC, then maybe I would consider it.

Plus I’ll wait about a year to see how the company navigates their way around the current obstacles. All other premium car companies figured it out so I’m sure Tesla will too, but I’m not sure, with what I have seen, the current team will get them there.

 

[Dp7-81]

I didn’t make an offer.
I’m not sure going with Tesla at this point is a smart move for me. If I lived by a SC, then maybe I would consider it.

Plus I’ll wait about a year to see how the company navigates their way around the current obstacles. All other premium car companies figured it out so I’m sure Tesla will too, but I’m not sure, with what I have seen, the current team will get them there.

Did Elon try to reach our to you after someone tweeted about this?

 

[Doanster1]

I didn’t make an offer.
I’m not sure going with Tesla at this point is a smart move for me. If I lived by a SC, then maybe I would consider it.

Plus I’ll wait about a year to see how the company navigates their way around the current obstacles. All other premium car companies figured it out so I’m sure Tesla will too, but I’m not sure, with what I have seen, the current team will get them there.

You wanted a Tesla prior to this whole debacle so lack of a local SC was already factored in no? It sucks that they really lost a customer due to a handful of truly arrogant and ignorant staff.
If you can get past the already inflicted pain, you can win financially IMO. If not... do let us know what you end up getting instead.

 

[Electricious]

I agree. If I was the OP, I would have worked with Tesla to find a different car and they likely would have CPO'd the car for him and made sure he receives a quality car that is refurbished after all this hassle. I really believe Tesla would have made sure the OP is happy.

I can understand why the OP is upset but Tesla did do the right thing eventually and honestly there is nothing available to buy like a Model S.

 

[Emvdl]

Wow... I hope this gets resolved..

 

[GatorGuy]

I love my car but knowing what I know now about Tesla quality I'd never buy a Tesla not living in the same city as a service center.

 

[SethDiamond]

I purchased my CPO P85 last summer. Outside of a few “minor” issues, the car has been a gem. While (in retrospect) the process was alternately easy (deposit, details about the refurb process and tracking progress on the app) AND aggravating (establishing delivery date, time and location, and the registration in CT - where it is difficult to purchase ANY Tesla), the end result is that the car was worth the wait (and in retrospect the countless phone calls and uncertainty).