Buying a CPO....advice needed

[apples23]

Hey Guys

Im very new to the forum and was hoping that I could get some advice based on your experiences. Im currently driving a 2014 3 series BMW, and have been a long time fan of the Tesla. I put a deposit on the Model 3 first day, but am becoming skeptical that its coming any time soon....and with the recent price drops in the Model S CPOs have gotten the itch, as Im thinking the pricing may be pretty close at the end of the day.

I really like the staff at the dealership here, and they CPO manager has been very on top of telling me when they have incoming vehicles that are priced well. This week he called me because they had 2 Model S cars coming into inventory that are the lowest priced CPOs they ever had.

The first is a black 2013 60 KW, well equipped with Tech package, pano roof, piano black, cold weather package and paint armour. The car has just shy of 60000 km (37000 miles) and is priced at $58k

The other is a white 2014 85 KW, same equipment without paint armour with 68000 Km (44000 miles). Its priced $4000 higher.

Both are CPO with extended warranties.

I'm pretty stretched on the budget buying the 60 kw car, but much prefer the colour of the 85 and am debating whether to bite the bullet.

My questions are....firstly, Ive never purchased a car with mileage this high and am concerned. I would be doing a 6 year finance, and drive about 14000 km a year. Id probably trade after 4 years, and the mileage would be fairly high. Is this a bad idea?...obviously the 85 has higher mileage albeit a year newer. I keep hearing that mileage is less of an issue on these, but is that actually the case?

Secondly, how much of a real world difference will I notice between the 60 and the 85. My typical driving is in the city for a work commute w a drive to a cottage 3-4 times a year. Is it really worth the extra $4000 to bump up the range?

Lastly, are either of these cars worth buying in your opinion, or should I just hold out for something else as it seems that prices are falling?...or should I just wait for the Model 3

Thanks in advance. I know that all of this is very individualized decisions, but would love some insight based on current drivers.

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

1. get the 85 - the go pedal is more fun and i assume where you are is cold? you'll burn a lot more than 300wH/mile.
2. you get a bumper to bumper of 4 year, 50,000 from the date YOU buy it. so I wouldn't worry about it breaking.

 

[Boourns]

** I am presuming that the Canada CPO program offers the same warranty as in the U.S. If this is not the case my opinion would obviously change**

First check the giant CPO thread for lots of good information.

As long as the cars have the CPO warranty I would not worry about the mileage, since the warranty is 4 years 80km from the time you take delivery. Most people on the forum have had very good experiences with CPO purchases. I personally bought my 85 with about 51k miles in May. I'm now over 60k miles with very few problems, and the little things that have cropped up have been taken care quickly by Tesla.

I cannot constructively comment on the price, since I'm not really familiar with Canadian pricing.

I don't see that you mentioned how long your commute is or how far your cottage is. It will depend on how far away those two places are and whether there are superchargers along the route and whether destination charging available. An S85 should 230+ miles of rated rage at 90%. A 60 will show about 180. Count on getting those number minus as much as 20-30 percent in the dead of winter driving conservatively. Even less if you drive at 75 mph with the heater blasting. For a city commute 60 is plenty, but for road trips the 85 might be worth it or even necessary, depending on the charging situation.

 

[apples23]

The pricing seems good. Its actually lower then Ive seen from any dealers including non CPO models. The 85 would be = to $46000 USD...And in Canada the warranty program is the same....bumper to buyer 4 years, 80000 km which is 50000 miles

My commute to work is about 4 miles and the supercharger is about 5 min away so thats not an issue. The furthest I go is a 2.5 hour drive to the cottage...about 150 miles, so it would be tight. There is a supercharger on route, about 60 miles into the drive.

 

[abasile]

Waiting on the Model 3 would make sense if you value having the very latest features, including the promised full autonomy. Otherwise, getting into a Model S now, for no more than the price of a Model 3 with some options, would be quite nice.

For drives to the cottage, or other out-of-town trips, having the 85 kWh battery would be well worth the extra $4K, in my opinion. It'll give you significantly more flexibility in terms of where and when you need to charge. And it'll make Supercharging faster.

From a financial standpoint, however, I wouldn't buy a car with a six year loan if planning to keep it for only four years. Ideally, if you must borrow, it seems best to have the car paid off well before you're finished owning it. If you're motivated to buy a Tesla primarily because you want to drive electric, then it would be much cheaper to buy a used Volt or other plug-in hybrid, and do all of your in-town driving on electricity. Or keep your current car for trips and buy a cheap, used LEAF for around town.

On the other hand, I understand that we sometimes make decisions that aren't optimal financially, and the sky doesn't come crashing down. The experience of owning a Tesla is quite awesome.

 

[Boourns]

The pricing seems good. Its actually lower then Ive seen from any dealers including non CPO models. The 85 would be = to $46000 USD...And in Canada the warranty program is the same....bumper to buyer 4 years, 80000 km which is 50000 miles

My commute to work is about 4 miles and the supercharger is about 5 min away so thats not an issue. The furthest I go is a 2.5 hour drive to the cottage...about 150 miles, so it would be tight. There is a supercharger on route, about 60 miles into the drive.

I would probably spring for the 85, then. That is a good price, and, presuming you can charge once you arrive, you would not need to supercharge on the way to your cottage, even in cold winter weather. It seems like in very cold conditions the 60 might be a close call, but perhaps some people with more experience driving in Canadian-level cold weather can chime in.

 

[jbcarioca]

I would probably spring for the 85, then. That is a good price, and, presuming you can charge once you arrive, you would not need to supercharge on the way to your cottage, even in cold winter weather. It seems like in very cold conditions the 60 might be a close call, but perhaps some people with more experience driving in Canadian-level cold weather can chime in.

I agree with this. Cold weather tells me the 85kWh is well worth the extra. You, either way, do need your own electrical provision. If you have a heated garage it will be nice, but less critical. If anything less than that you really must have overnight electrical in order to allow preheating of the cabin and batteries, as well as avoiding the passive losses you would otherwise have as the car uses it's own power to keep the battery from freezing.

Having a Tesla in Canada, or anywhere cold, is really nice because you can have the car nice and toasty warm before you set foot in it. My own lives in South Florida were we pre-cool rather than pre-heat, but both ways are quite sybaritic.

 

[DiamondDave]

Welcome to the forum @apples23 !

For only $4k more not only do you get the larger battery but it's a year newer. I think that fit and finished improved a lot from 2013 to 2014. Also, some nice enhancements were phased in that you might appreciate. And you like the way it looks better. Definitely seems worth it. The mileage difference between the two shouldn't affect resale value much after you add 56k km over 4 years.

FWIW, I've had a great experience with my CPO. There have been a few minor issues, all taken care of quickly by my Service Center.

One suggestion: look at all the CPOs available, not just locally. In the US, max price for shipping is $1500. Not sure what the policy is for our friends in the Great White North.

 

[democappy]

For only $4k more not only do you get the larger battery but it's a year newer. I think that fit and finished improved a lot from 2013 to 2014. Also, some nice enhancements were phased in that you might appreciate. And you like the way it looks better. Definitely seems worth it. The mileage difference between the two shouldn't affect resale value much after you add 56k km over 4 years.

I would tend to agree with this. Just as a frame of reference, if buying new the cost to upgrade from a 60D to 90D is $16,500USD. That isn't apples to apples with the CPO 60 to 85 comparison, but it gives you a feel for how much folks value that extra range and performance. I say this as an owner of S60 who thinks you would be fine with the S60. However, if someone offered to upgrade my battery size for $4k I would have been all over that without hesitation. Add in that it is a year newer with only very minor extra mileage and as long as it is actually affordable it feels like the best choice.

I will also add in that a model 3 similarly equipped will probably actually cost more than either of these.

 

[ev-now]

1. get the 85 - the go pedal is more fun and i assume where you are is cold? you'll burn a lot more than 300wH/mile.
2. you get a bumper to bumper of 4 year, 50,000 from the date YOU buy it. so I wouldn't worry about it breaking.

Good advice. New owner, been low teens and 'only' as low as -8 over the last few weeks and that cold gobbles battery quick!

 

[ev-now]

Hey Guys
Secondly, how much of a real world difference will I notice between the 60 and the 85. My typical driving is in the city for a work commute w a drive to a cottage 3-4 times a year. Is it really worth the extra $4000 to bump up the range?

I didn't think I had range anxiety until I bought the S60 and used it in cold weather. My most aggressive battery depletion estimates were not enough for the below 0 day we had. It's not a big deal, I have the range I need but chose S60 so I could afford AP1 - definitely wishing I'd used the money for an 85 instead. AP not as good as I expected, range more of a concern than expected.

You'll be happy with either - but given you like the 85 better anyway IF you can really push yourself for the extra I'd go for it.

 

[David29]

Living in New England, I agree with the sentiment that the cold weather tends to consume battery power faster. But your commute is very short so range seems not to be a primary issue.
But -- the 85 is one year newer and as others said, the cars improved steadily from 2012 to the present, so for me the newer car would be more compelling despite the mileage difference.
I'd give both of them a thorough review. If the cars are not nearby, ask for lots of photos and be sure you understand exactly what features are on each car. The feature sets also varied over time so ask questions in case of any doubts.
Good luck!

 

[ev-now]

Good point on feature set, October 2014 was a key date - but with the price differential I assume the 85 does not have the AP hardware onboard, so is likely earlier. There's a list of features over time here somewhere.

Model S - Options by Year - Tesla Motors Club Wiki

 

[apples23]

I was able to see the 85 yesterday. The 60 would have to be transported from Montreal. The 85 quite honestly looked pretty worn. It had just come in and hadn't been detailed, but looked very used. Lots of scuffs and curb rash on the rims (which they told me would be removed", and the drivers seat looks pretty worn. The dealer told that its normal use for a car with this mileage. The leather looked a lil bit wrinkly. Also it was REALLY dirty.

I live in a condo downtown, so would store it in heated underground. It would sit outside during the day for a few hours at the office. In the short term I couldn't have a home charger, however next to my condo theres a parking lot with underground charging for a fee, and again the Supercharger is about 5 minutes from the office.

Im being told by the dealer that its unlikely that another 85 will pop up at this price, as its the lowest CPO 85 they've seen in the country.

 

[Boourns]

Not having a home charger is going to be an inconvenience for sure. But the 85 would help in that you can charge up to 90 and go a couple of days, given your short daily commute.

I would tend to believe them on the price. I snagged about the cheapest 85 I have seen ($42k USD), but mine had 51k miles and does not have leather or tech package.

I would not necessary be worried about the car being dirty. They will detail it and clean it up. But I would be concerned with truly worn items that can't simply be cleaned. Things like paint chips, curb rash, interior scratches, etc. can re-conditioned, but they won't appear new. Only you can answer whether you are OK with those things.

 

[Trnsl8r]

Just adding another vote for the 85. I stretched when I bought mine and have never regretted it. You will find the odd time and odd trip where you will praise yourself for getting the extra mileage. Plus it's newer and will have one extra year of warranty.
And sure, with that amount of miles on it, it will not look new. Likely neither will the 60.

 

[Ghosty]

Good point on feature set, October 2014 was a key date - but with the price differential I assume the 85 does not have the AP hardware onboard, so is likely earlier. There's a list of features over time here somewhere.

Model S - Options by Year - Tesla Motors Club Wiki

Thank you very much for the link. I know there are a few threads on this site discussing the VIN number - to determine the build date for the car - to get an idea if the car you are getting has any of the updated gadgets/software/improvements.

Anyone have a link to that thread? I've tried searching without success.

Thanks in advance,

 

[Az_Rael]

Thank you very much for the link. I know there are a few threads on this site discussing the VIN number - to determine the build date for the car - to get an idea if the car you are getting has any of the updated gadgets/software/improvements.

Anyone have a link to that thread? I've tried searching without success.

Thanks in advance,

I haven't seen the threads, but you can estimate build date by pulling the car fax or autocheck on the VIN. That will give you the date the car was delivered and first registered.

 

[ev-now]

I haven't seen the threads, but you can estimate build date by pulling the car fax or autocheck on the VIN. That will give you the date the car was delivered and first registered.

I found the Tesla staff were happy to give an ex-factory date for the cars I was considering. They were not as definitive on specifics as it seems Tesla does not retain the level of build information (or make it available to the staff) that you might expect - like what did the Tech Package mean on that specific date for example.

 

[skitch23]

Looks like several cars were posted in Canada today. This one is the cheapest at $58,400 - 85 kWh Performance Model S 5YJSA1DP2DFP04663 | Tesla Canada