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

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I hear what you are saying but even the most unscrupulous car dealer has figured out how to sell used cars that are refurbished and still make a nice profit. Tesla should be able to offer a quality refurbished product at least as well as a used car dealer o_O

What makes this especially worse for Tesla is they don't show photos of the actual car or list the damage to the car nor how much it would cost to refurbish the car so you can drive home a car that you are not embarrassed by...

Oh and PS: I don't think they can sell used cars for any more than what they are trying to sell them for now :p

Sure, but what is the unscrupulous dealer paying for the car to begin with vs what the residual value is on a Tesla? With the $7,500 offset for buying a new EV, there is less margin to work with.

Long term: Either the prices will get lower, or the refurb will get better, or people will lower their expectations, or Tesla will have lots of cars in inventory... (how's that for covering my bases:))
 
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My concern is that if the CPO situation really does get to be notorious, the non-delivery of FSD options continues, and many more of Tesla's promised capabilities continue to not be met, they'll acquire a very bad reputation on the street. Once a company does that, it can take quite a while to reverse.

I think we are there already for the CPO cars. Someone started this thread due to an unfortunate situation with the car he bought and rather than things being made more reasonable for future customers, it has been made worse. With them not refurbishing cars any more it would be silly to put ~ $60,000 on the line without knowing the actual condition of the car that you are buying.

I really wish they would disclose the condition of the car up for sale along with how much it would cost to be refurbished. I don't think that is an unreasonable request.
 
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Well, I literally just put $1000 down 10 minutes ago and then I saw this thread. This is my first post.

I chose CPO over new. It's a low mileage (7000m) 2015 S 85 with RWD, AP, Premium, Smart Air, Leather, Dual Charger in my color. The 2015 is pre-facelift. So the frunk is quite large and the back seats fold flat. I didn't AWD at 85 > 75 and supposedly I can upgrade that to 90kWh for $500.

If I spec'd out the same car new, a 75D would be around $85k and this was $69k. Mine was the second lowest mileage CPO available. So price-wise, given that the specs I'm buying are what I want, I'm happy with that.

So I kinda did my homework on what I wanted. But I'll admit that I didn't do my homework on Tesla CPO itself. With that said, are there best practices for delivery+inspection+acceptance of a CPO? FWIW, I live near the factory.
 
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You should start a new thread entitled: “Diary: New CPO Policy Purchase” so that we can all see whether the fears of getting a car that’s in “crap” condition are true or whether it’ll mainly be in “great” condition and there will not be a suggested refurbishment list totalling $5K+. It needs to be separated out from this lengthy thread and the others regarding the new policy.
Congrats either way and I hope your experience is nothing but smooth.
 
You should start a new thread entitled: “Diary: New CPO Policy Purchase” so that we can all see whether the fears of getting a car that’s in “crap” condition are true or whether it’ll mainly be in “great” condition and there will not be a suggested refurbishment list totalling $5K+. It needs to be separated out from this lengthy thread and the others regarding the new policy.
Congrats either way and I hope your experience is nothing but smooth.

The OP created this thread because he received a car in "crap" condition and he thought that made the CPO process a scam. At least the OP had the comfort in knowing that the car he received was supposed to be refurbished so he had some standing to make a case to please have the car refurbished. It took him a while to get there but he got there.

The problem now is the cars are up for sale without disclosing any damage or how much the refurbishing will cost after purchase so it takes away any peace of mind customers have previously had in buying used cars.

So while the OP described what happened to him as a scam, the current situation is even worse IMHO because you don't know the condition of the cars being sold. Seems the current CPO policy is worse than anything a car dealer would come up with to sell used cars.

I really hope they make the CPO policy more fair so customers know what they are buying and offer a way to purchase a CPO car in good condition beyond the car functioning "mechanically."
 
Well, I literally just put $1000 down 10 minutes ago and then I saw this thread. This is my first post.

I chose CPO over new. It's a low mileage (7000m) 2015 S 85 with RWD, AP, Premium, Smart Air, Leather, Dual Charger in my color. The 2015 is pre-facelift. So the frunk is quite large and the back seats fold flat. I didn't AWD at 85 > 75 and supposedly I can upgrade that to 90kWh for $500.

If I spec'd out the same car new, a 75D would be around $85k and this was $69k. Mine was the second lowest mileage CPO available. So price-wise, given that the specs I'm buying are what I want, I'm happy with that.

So I kinda did my homework on what I wanted. But I'll admit that I didn't do my homework on Tesla CPO itself. With that said, are there best practices for delivery+inspection+acceptance of a CPO? FWIW, I live near the factory.

Congratulations! You are in a new world of CPO policy so I suggest you tread carefully. There are many people on this thread hyperventilating about all the awful things that might happen under this new policy. However, nothing awful has happened yet. So, yeah, start a new thread (and post a pointer to it here), document everything, make sure you inspect the car before you make final payment, and let everybody know how it goes. Best of luck!
 
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The OP created this thread because he received a car in "crap" condition and he thought that made the CPO process a scam. At least the OP had the comfort in knowing that the car he received was supposed to be refurbished so he had some standing to make a case to please have the car refurbished. It took him a while to get there but he got there.

The problem now is the cars are up for sale without disclosing any damage or how much the refurbishing will cost after purchase so it takes away any peace of mind customers have previously had in buying used cars.

So while the OP described what happened to him as a scam, the current situation is even worse IMHO because you don't know the condition of the cars being sold. Seems the current CPO policy is worse than anything a car dealer would come up with to sell used cars.

I really hope they make the CPO policy more fair so customers know what they are buying and offer a way to purchase a CPO car in good condition beyond the car functioning "mechanically."
It’s very clear the OP’s horrible situation was a comedy of (deliberate IMO) errors and I hope disciplinary action is taken.
My point is that we need @EVChris to shed light on this new policy with real-world feedback. Everything so far is just speculation based on very poorly-worded and contrite updates to the website. They will be providing pictures of the actual car, but should go further and provide examples of what will no longer be refurbished such as curbed wheels or heavily swirled panels. The fears of a car being delivered with major dents or a separated headliner won’t happen, IMO. Those cars won’t make it to CPO. Again, though, that’s just my opinion and is exactly why a new thread is needed since @EVChris is the first person to purchase a CPO under the new policy. I just want to see if Tesla really is losing their minds or not. I would hope there are enough “smart” people there who understand the basic principle that used car buyers are still discerning and don’t want to see a car for the first time and then demand a refund 5mins later. If it proves to be true, then I consider myself super lucky to have gotten in before the change in receiving a pristine car sight-unseen.
 
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Update:

I looked at a few cars and couldn’t get myself to pull the trigger on any of them.
Model S’s are hard to beat. So.... I got one in excellent condition from a private seller!!

Heres how I look at it - if the companies issue was with the product (the car itself) then the fix would be an uphill battle. But if the only issue is policy (CPO, service centers, etc...) then it’s a much more manageable fix. I have no doubt they will be able to tweak the details and adapt with time.
 
Update:

I looked at a few cars and couldn’t get myself to pull the trigger on any of them.
Model S’s are hard to beat. So.... I got one in excellent condition from a private seller!!

Heres how I look at it - if the companies issue was with the product (the car itself) then the fix would be an uphill battle. But if the only issue is policy (CPO, service centers, etc...) then it’s a much more manageable fix. I have no doubt they will be able to tweak the details and adapt with time.

Were the cars you looked at CPO cars before deciding to purchase private party?

The current policy of selling CPO cars "as is" without refurbishing is especially unnerving for anyone who has bought German CPO cars because you get used to being treated just as well as buying a new car and in fact the cars are reconditioned to look almost like new.

I bet most of the wear and tear and damage for the CPO cars is not caused by the previous owner but people who abuse loaner cars.
 
Were the cars you looked at CPO cars before deciding to purchase private party?

The current policy of selling CPO cars "as is" without refurbishing is especially unnerving for anyone who has bought German CPO cars because you get used to being treated just as well as buying a new car and in fact the cars are reconditioned to look almost like new.

I bet most of the wear and tear and damage for the CPO cars is not caused by the previous owner but people who abuse loaner cars.
Check who started this thread on page 1.
 
Were the cars you looked at CPO cars before deciding to purchase private party?

The current policy of selling CPO cars "as is" without refurbishing is especially unnerving for anyone who has bought German CPO cars because you get used to being treated just as well as buying a new car and in fact the cars are reconditioned to look almost like new.

I bet most of the wear and tear and damage for the CPO cars is not caused by the previous owner but people who abuse loaner cars.

Yes I looked at CPO and new bmws. The condition was excellent as one would expect, but the Model S is a much better car overall in my opinion. Plus the all electric feature is a huge factor.