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buying a lemon?
- Thread starter bzhang9
- Start date
Just my two cents... but the discount would have to be pretty significant to take the risk and deal with the hassle... significant as in greater than 50%.
Usually a lemon buy back is something like three or more failed attempts by the manufacturer to repair, or more than 30 days in service within the first X days of ownership.
It might be wishful thinking that this vehicle couldn't be repaired within those constraints the first time, but that it's all been fixed now.
That said, and this is totally random, I read a post on here from a new Model 3 owner whose car had been sitting at the service center for more than a week because the screen said something like 348 miles at 100% charge instead of the 353 miles that it should have been. If I was offered *that* vehicle for a significant discount I'd jump on it.
For me, I'd probably only take this vehicle if I knew the reason it was lemon'd so that I could feel confident it wasn't going to be a persistent issue.
Usually a lemon buy back is something like three or more failed attempts by the manufacturer to repair, or more than 30 days in service within the first X days of ownership.
It might be wishful thinking that this vehicle couldn't be repaired within those constraints the first time, but that it's all been fixed now.
That said, and this is totally random, I read a post on here from a new Model 3 owner whose car had been sitting at the service center for more than a week because the screen said something like 348 miles at 100% charge instead of the 353 miles that it should have been. If I was offered *that* vehicle for a significant discount I'd jump on it.
For me, I'd probably only take this vehicle if I knew the reason it was lemon'd so that I could feel confident it wasn't going to be a persistent issue.
I bought my 2013 MS 85 a few months ago and it was bought back by Tesla and has a "Lemon" mark on the title. It was purchased back by Tesla in 2020, yes, 7-8 years after they originally sold the car. I don't think it was so much a Lemon Law buyback as it was a way for Tesla to get the car back in its inventory and strip out the unlimited free supercharging and the free unlimited premium connection.
Tesla refunded you the original purchase price and took the car back? What was the reason for the buy back?
No, I bought it used back in July. There are no signs of why the buyback occurred. The battery is the original, all of the paint marks are all over everything, etc... I can't explain why the title is branded "Lemon" other than Tesla buying it back to remove the free supercharging and free premium connectivity. It just doesn't make sense.
To the OP: If it still has warranty left on it, I'd say if you could get a reduction in price of $5000 or so I'd buy it. However, dealers are all over the place with pricing on the Model S. There are too many options (premium sound, air suspension, Autopilot, extreme cold weather package, MCU I or MCU II, wheel size, freebies, etc... That it takes a lot of work by you to compare pricing between 2 Model S of the same year and trim. I find many Model S listed as dual motor but they are really just RWD. Dealers really don't know what they have and the pricing websites (KBB, Car Fax, etc..) really can't accurately give you a good price comparison.
To the OP: If it still has warranty left on it, I'd say if you could get a reduction in price of $5000 or so I'd buy it. However, dealers are all over the place with pricing on the Model S. There are too many options (premium sound, air suspension, Autopilot, extreme cold weather package, MCU I or MCU II, wheel size, freebies, etc... That it takes a lot of work by you to compare pricing between 2 Model S of the same year and trim. I find many Model S listed as dual motor but they are really just RWD. Dealers really don't know what they have and the pricing websites (KBB, Car Fax, etc..) really can't accurately give you a good price comparison.
Unless you have the capability to work on the car yourself, my opinion is the answer to this question is "Yes" (its a bad idea to buy a tesla with prior buyback lemon history).
If you are able to work on it yourself, then sure. Otherwise, there has to be plenty of other Teslas without that prior history (and you signing disclaimers saying you know its a lemon etc etc when you purchase it).
I would agree with the above.
Don't do it unless you're able to work on the car yourself. Tesla's can be very expensive to fix and you can easily spend more on it than you can possibly save.
Unless you live near a reputable third-party bodyshop that are experts at servicing Tesla at decent prices - then that may work too, but I would advise against it.
Don't do it unless you're able to work on the car yourself. Tesla's can be very expensive to fix and you can easily spend more on it than you can possibly save.
Unless you live near a reputable third-party bodyshop that are experts at servicing Tesla at decent prices - then that may work too, but I would advise against it.
As a huge car nut that spends way too much time working on his and other family member's cars for decades, there really is no such thing as a "lemon" car, but there is definitely such a thing as a lemon mechanic. Some people get the notion that some cars are literally cursed in the religious sense and can never be right. But every car is made up of parts and if it's not working right it's a matter of fixing or replacing the bad parts. Not everyone knows how and/or takes the time to do that well.
So if you get a good deal on a lemon, and you aren't worried about the hassle of reselling a lemon, then just know it can be a good car as long as the right mechanic fixed it or you have access to a good mechanic that can fix it.
So if you get a good deal on a lemon, and you aren't worried about the hassle of reselling a lemon, then just know it can be a good car as long as the right mechanic fixed it or you have access to a good mechanic that can fix it.
They can remove any features they like without labeling it a lemon. FSD, Fusc, heck, they can rip out the inside and slash the tires. Lemon would likely kill the warranty.
Lemon would kill the resale. 50% or better off compared to a similar car currently on the market for me. And trend then, probably no.
Lemon would kill the resale. 50% or better off compared to a similar car currently on the market for me. And trend then, probably no.
