Buying A Used Model S From A Private Party - Things To Look For?

[darkart]

I'm looking at buying a used Model S from a private party and have been reading, watching, and otherwise consuming as much info as I can, but so far have only found a few things on what to look for in a used Tesla.
I've found a 2015 P85D (built in Apr 2015) that is very tempting (if stretching the budget a bit), any particular things to look for in those, or things to look for in general?

 

[P85_DA]

I'm looking at buying a used Model S from a private party and have been reading, watching, and otherwise consuming as much info as I can, but so far have only found a few things on what to look for in a used Tesla.
I've found a 2015 P85D (built in Apr 2015) that is very tempting (if stretching the budget a bit), any particular things to look for in those, or things to look for in general?

P85Ds are good cars ..other than checking for accident record etc ..those cars have been known to be solid ..maybe list the features the car has and price and folks can chime in

 

[maximizese]

Please don't stretch your budget. If repairs are necessary you may loathe your decision. I'd say budget $5K for an emergency fund in case an MCU, DU, etc goes bad. Insurance might also catch you by surprise; most of us are paying around $1,300 a year for coverage.

Aside from that, I'd look for any accident reports and vehicle maintenance history. Tesla will not provide the later for private sale or their used inventory. Inquire why the person is selling it. Check the rated range for the car and Trip computer for Wh/mi. Excess consumption of >340 Wh/mi for its lifetime might indicate something is wrong. Check the tire wear to see if the suspension might be off.

 

[darkart]

P85Ds are good cars ..other than checking for accident record etc ..those cars have been known to be solid ..maybe list the features the car has and price and folks can chime in

P85D
Just shy of 50k miles
Autopilot w/ Convenience Features
All Glass Panoramic Roof
Next gen seats
21" wheels
Obeche Wood Matte Decor accents
Ultra High Fidelity Sound
Premium Interior and Lighting
Standard Suspension
Supercharging
Single charger
Subzero package

Asking 53k, KBB says that's in range.

 

[darkart]

Please don't stretch your budget. If repairs are necessary you may loathe your decision. I'd say budget $5K for an emergency fund in case an MCU, DU, etc goes bad. Insurance might also catch you by surprise; most of us are paying around $1,300 a year for coverage.

Aside from that, I'd look for any accident reports and vehicle maintenance history. Tesla will not provide the later for private sale or their used inventory. Inquire why the person is selling it. Check the rated range for the car and Trip computer for Wh/mi. Excess consumption of >340 Wh/mi for its lifetime might indicate something is wrong. Check the tire wear to see if the suspension might be off.

Thanks for the ideas and info!

Yes, definitely keeping a reserve fund for the fun surprises that can happen with any car, and have considered that insurance will likely be higher than what we're currently paying - haven't gotten far enough into the process to get numbers on that.

Having not dealt with consumption status of an EV, what does >340 Wh/mile indicate? If that's a long list of possible issues, no need to list them out (I'm starting to imaging far too many things that could mean). That does lead to another question - for ICE cars I've had an inspection done ($100-$200 to have the car looked over by someone who knows them is a pretty cheap investment). Is there anywhere other than a Tesla SC that can do such an inspection (SF Bay Area), and will a Tesla SC do such a thing (making a note to call them up and find out...).

 

[maximizese]

Thanks for the ideas and info!

Yes, definitely keeping a reserve fund for the fun surprises that can happen with any car, and have considered that insurance will likely be higher than what we're currently paying - haven't gotten far enough into the process to get numbers on that.

Having not dealt with consumption status of an EV, what does >340 Wh/mile indicate? If that's a long list of possible issues, no need to list them out (I'm starting to imaging far too many things that could mean). That does lead to another question - for ICE cars I've had an inspection done ($100-$200 to have the car looked over by someone who knows them is a pretty cheap investment). Is there anywhere other than a Tesla SC that can do such an inspection (SF Bay Area), and will a Tesla SC do such a thing (making a note to call them up and find out...).

It sounds like you're doing your due diligence from researching Tesla owners' experiences here. More than 340Wh/mi consumption could simply mean the previous owner drove the car harder than most or that they recharge beyond 90% SOC often (and don't utilize the regen). However, it could also indicate a dragging brake system, friction in the drivetrain, or other issue. It seems like most 85D owners average between 290-330 Wh/mi when I Google searched the average:

What is your 85D model average power consumption ? | Tesla

I haven't looked for 3rd party Tesla specialists, but I was hoping there would be more at this point.

 

[nguyentoogood]

Hey some insight,

I bought my P85D, 50k miles for $49,000 from tesla


Autopilot w/ Convenience Features
All Glass Panoramic Roof
Next gen seats
21" wheels carbon
Carbon Fiber Decor accents
Ultra High Fidelity Sound
Premium Interior and Lighting
Air suspension Suspension
Supercharging
Single charger

(pretty much the same as you but i have air suspension and you got the subzero package)
best feature, With 2 YEAR BUMPER TO BUMPER.
honestly, this is important because I already getting a few things fixed. (i immediately scheduled everything wrong with the car that i can find on day 1).

- 1 Door handle welcome light not working
- Laminating Windshield
- Slight curb damage
- Sunroof vibrating/squeak
- Taillight had condensation and actually one led burnt out.

This is with Tesla's "This Model S has passed a full 70 point mechanical and cosmetic inspection"

Peace of mind is key. All the things I have listed are being taken care of. I have had my loaner for since Tuesday, and my car is expected to be done Monday.
I found my car with using ev-cpo -> tesla.com

 

[P85_DA]

P85D
Just shy of 50k miles
Autopilot w/ Convenience Features
All Glass Panoramic Roof
Next gen seats
21" wheels
Obeche Wood Matte Decor accents
Ultra High Fidelity Sound
Premium Interior and Lighting
Standard Suspension
Supercharging
Single charger
Subzero package

Asking 53k, KBB says that's in range.

Pricing a little higher considering no air suspension or dual charger ....would negotiate since private party to 48k range otherwise..buy used from Tesla

 

[Geek190]

I got mine from Tesla a month ago:

03/15 P85D
62k miles
Autopilot w/ Convenience Features
All Glass Panoramic Roof
Black next gen seats
White headliner
19" wheels
Carbon Fiber Decor
Premium interior with lighting
Ultra High Fidelity Sound
Air Suspension
Sub zero package
Supercharging
Dual charger

I think I pretty much got every option.
It was/is in fantastic condition.
I paid $47k and got the 2 year warranty.

I would definitely try to use the lack of a Tesla warranty to get the price down a bit.

 

[Geek190]

My prior post didn't really help to answer your question.....

I'm only a month into owning a Tesla, so I've not got tons of experience of what to look for.
Battery degradation would be the top of the list. Have it charged to 100% and see how much range it has. Brand new was 253 miles. Mine at 100% charge is 239 miles, which is about 5.5% loss after 4 years and 66k miles. I felt that was pretty acceptable.
Excessive noise from the motors would be a red flag. Mine does make some noise, like a high pitch whine, but it's not very loud. I believe it's normal to hear the motors to some degree.
Some common issues are for handles that don't present, yellow border around the screen, noisy/squeaky sunroof and air suspension noise.

I believe that the factory battery and motor warranty should still be applicable, but for anything else you are on the hook. The price doesn't seem to high, but you could probably find something in that price range directly from Tesla, which would include a 2 year, up to 100k mile warranty. I would want to be at least $5k under what I could get from Tesla directly to make up for the lack of warranty.

Hope all that helps

 

[HillClimb]

Are they increasing prices on the P85D, I have been browsing for some and the 47-50k range seems untouchable recently.

 

[Geek190]

I've not looked a whole lot since buying mine (don't want to second guess myself) but I have looked a couple of times and it seems that the pricess have jumped, and selection is a whole lot less.
I couldn't find a single P85D at all tonight....

 

[bigdave79]

Got my 12/2014 P85D a couple of months ago for $50k ($55k incl tax)
50k miles
Autopilot w/ Convenience Features
All Glass Panoramic Roof
Black next gen seats
21" wheels
Carbon Fiber Decor
Air Suspension
Performance plus suspension package
Sub zero package
Supercharging
Dual charger
Rear facing seats (this was the main thing as I have 4 kids)

Unless your car has the extended warranty it's probably a little overpriced IMHO.

 

[johnnyS]

With 21" wheels, 340/mile is not unusual consumption.

 

[hpartsch]

I'm looking at buying a used Model S from a private party and have been reading, watching, and otherwise consuming as much info as I can, but so far have only found a few things on what to look for in a used Tesla.
I've found a 2015 P85D (built in Apr 2015) that is very tempting (if stretching the budget a bit), any particular things to look for in those, or things to look for in general?

Don't get it unless it has an extended warranty. These cars are not as maintenance free as advertised (at least that is my experience). You might end up spending thousands. Plus with an extended warranty, you have to pay 200 bucks each visit.

 

[nguyentoogood]

@Geek190 my 2015 with 50k~ miles got 239 miles at 100% (first time since i bought it which was 1.5 weeks in).
A few days later i charged it again and to my surprise 244 miles :O . Went up 5 miles. So i guess it takes account of a lot of things. I'm on version 2019.16.3.2

 

[BlueOvalFan]

I think your price is a bit high considering it does not come with a warranty. I’d wait until another slug of P85D hits the market through Tesla used car sales. Assuming, that is, next quarter, or next year, will see the lease returns hit the market. When I bought mine in April there were dozens, now there is but one. If the seller dropped it by $4k-5k then maybe I’d say go for it.

I paid $51.3K with 34k miles on the speedometer and the car is in near perfect condition. Comes with a 4yr 50k mile warranty to boot.

SoC 90% = 224 miles
100% = 247 miles

Options were:
Autopilot w/ Convenience Features
All Glass Panoramic Roof
Next gen seats
21" wheels carbon
Carbon Fiber Decor accents
Ultra High Fidelity Sound
Premium Interior and Lighting
Air suspension Suspension
Spoiler

 

[Geek190]

@nguyentoogood
That's encouraging!
Now that I have a 100 amp charger at home, I'm planning to try the trick of running the battery down to 0 and then back up to 100 to see if it changes the max miles at full charge. Hopefully it will go up a little bit.

 

[George II]

I'm looking at buying a used Model S from a private party and have been reading, watching, and otherwise consuming as much info as I can, but so far have only found a few things on what to look for in a used Tesla.
I've found a 2015 P85D (built in Apr 2015) that is very tempting (if stretching the budget a bit), any particular things to look for in those, or things to look for in general?

How about checking the battery condition, the capacity when fully charged. A lot of owners beat the dog s**t and abuse them.

 

[darkart]

Thanks everyone for the info so far, its really helpful. Hopefully I'll get to go see and drive this one - haven't had a chance to drive a performance S yet (test drives in a Model S 100D and a Model 3 Performance so far) and I'm not in any rush to get a car. Haven't seen many on Tesla's used site nor on ev-cpo, hopefully (as was mentioned above) there will be a new batch soon.