Buying a used model S - need advice

[AllanTX]

I have been looking at buying a Tesla and I am thinking of a 2016 model. Any comparison with 2015 and 2014 models? I went to a used car dealer today who was selling for 2016 model S 70D RWD with autopilot for 42K (35K miles). Is that a good price for a this car. The car had some paint job on the rear bumper from a previous owner which was completed. The dealer was honest to share this. Is the 2016 auto pilot reliable in comparison to the later models.

I know that is a lot of questions. Appreciate any insights or guidance with my purchase.

 

[geoffmanley]

There was a mid year auto pilot improvement. It depends on the build date of the one you are looking at. Is it a refreshed front fascia, or the original nose cone? I would go on Tesla.com and look at their used cars. They have amazing deals there sometimes.

 

[geoffmanley]

Also, if it's a 70D then it's all wheel drive and has slightly quicker acceleration than the RWD 70.

 

[Tes*la*rosa]

Second that for looking at Tesla’s website. Bought a CPO P85+ from Tesla.com, paid with ApplePay, and picked up at one of their delivery centers. Experience was seamless and the most enjoyable car buying experience I’ve had.



All CPO’s from Tesla undergo a multipoint inspection, come with the remainder of warranty, and was as new inside and out as one could expect from a preowned car. Financing was very reasonable and there a lot of cars to compare and choose from. I’d give it a look before committing. Price was favorable compared to similar vehicles listed by local dealers.

Assuming you've made a checklist of what’s most important (color/trim, air suspension, premium sound, dual motor, facia, panoramic roof, battery capacity, autopilot, etc.) its easy to have a handful of choices to choose from all in a similar price range within a half hour or so. Good luck with your search and no matter what you choose, it’ll be a good one- after all, it’s a Tesla!

 

[Big Toys]

"All CPO’s from Tesla undergo a multipoint inspection, come with the remainder of warranty, and was as new inside and out as one could expect from a preowned car."

YIKES!

Tesla has not sold a CPO car in some time. You are buying a used car and depending on who handles it, it may not even be vacuumed or cleaned. The pics they send you may or may not reflect a true visualization. Yes, you get the warranty, but "new inside and out" should be a surprise, not an expectation. Mine came with the screen already bubbled, which they cleverly hid by switching to night mode.

 

[geoffmanley]

Buying directly from Tesla also gets you an extended warranty.

 

[technoz]

Get at least a 2016 December build with AP2 then you can ass FSD whenever that comes out.

 

[_jal_]

I just turned in my Dec 2016 MS75 a month or so ago. 2016 was a crazy year as they consolidated the lineup to what would end up being the 75 and 100. There was the facelift, but then also the change to AP2. There were RWD vehicles in addition to the AWD cars, and then there may have been a half a dozen different battery options. I think that was the year the next-gen seats came out too. Then there are all the options that got rolled into standard equipment that you need to pay attention to: cold weather package, premium upgrade package (PUP) that was the only way to get a power trunk, premium sound, air suspension, etc.

2016s could have still had AP1 which is a dead end. There are some here on TMC who still claim it is better than anything Tesla has put out yet, but I'd disagree with that. By the time I turned in my car, AP2 was better. But, that being said, AP2 is sort of a Frankenstein. It was a stopgap solution after Tesla's agreement with MobilEye went south. AP2.5 with its different sensor suite came out not much later and that looks more likely to have an easy upgrade path to AP3 and FSD when available. I think that came out in 2017.

It's too bad because they're much more expensive, but the 2018s have MCU2 which is way more responsive and lets you get Netflix and all that entertainment stuff, dashcam, and sentry mode. There are still rumblings of being able to upgrade to MCU2, but it's all conjecture at this point.

I loved my 2016 MS. I should have gotten the AWD and air suspension, but I still loved it. And for the price of a used one from Tesla, it's hard to go wrong. Just pay attention to all the different options or else you'll be stuck slamming your trunk closed by hand like a caveman.

 

[cucubits]

I'm in the middle of the process of buying a used S from Tesla. In Texas they're not allowed direct sales (thank your beloved politicians with hands in the pockets of dealers). If you decide to go this way, I can tell you about the process in detail. I'm going through it the hard way, without any clear guidelines.

 

[KalJoMoS]

I’m that caveman and honestly it’s no different if you you use your own force or power to close the trunk. I have always preferred my own force... And I have bought pretty much similar car you have looked at. I don’t know anything in person about AP2 or above, only have seen posts and videos here. But the first version is doing everything it stands for, even here in EU. If you choose any vehicle make sure that all listed function are really present, especially AP. If the previous user have not activated it then you need to do this. Just for the sake of TACC.
Like other have pointed that AP2 started from autumn 2016 and old nosecone was used until May. It all comes to what has been added to the base model, I have all the different options mentioned in OP posts (apart power lift-gate, smart-air-suspension and dual charger). Decision is yours, make a note this car is not a Performance model!
And run some VIN check to get clean with the history!

 

[Ostrichsak]

"All CPO’s from Tesla undergo a multipoint inspection, come with the remainder of warranty, and was as new inside and out as one could expect from a preowned car."

YIKES!

Tesla has not sold a CPO car in some time. You are buying a used car and depending on who handles it, it may not even be vacuumed or cleaned. The pics they send you may or may not reflect a true visualization. Yes, you get the warranty, but "new inside and out" should be a surprise, not an expectation. Mine came with the screen already bubbled, which they cleverly hid by switching to night mode.

This is exactly why I've been trying to increase awareness of the CPO program being no more on these forums where people routinely call them CPO even though they're not.

 

[ZappCatt]

"This is exactly why I've been trying to increase awareness of the CPO program being no more on these forums where people routinely call them CPO even though they're not." Ostrichsak

What is the difference between CPO, and a Used Tesla with a new 4 year warranty(late 2015 and up, under 50,000 miles) and the remainder of the original 8 year powertrain/battery warranty?

I honestly am not sure what the CPO offering means.

I used: VINCheck® | National Insurance Crime Bureau for a quick and free vin check


As was mentioned up higher, it can not be a "70D RWD" I am not sure if that is a typo in your post, or the dealer is misrepresenting it. Some 70D's can actually be upgraded to a 75D(though not seen to be currently offered at this time)

 

[Tes*la*rosa]

"All CPO’s from Tesla undergo a multipoint inspection, come with the remainder of warranty, and was as new inside and out as one could expect from a preowned car."

YIKES!

Tesla has not sold a CPO car in some time. You are buying a used car and depending on who handles it, it may not even be vacuumed or cleaned. The pics they send you may or may not reflect a true visualization. Yes, you get the warranty, but "new inside and out" should be a surprise, not an expectation. Mine came with the screen already bubbled, which they cleverly hid by switching to night mode.

Gross. I would not accept a car that was not vacuumed or cleaned. That’s the very least anyone would expect from a used car dealership. What do you mean “depending on who handles it”? If you’re buying from Tesla, they are handling it. If it is being delivered in the condition you stated, I would speak with the delivery manager and expect better. Hopefully this is not how vehicles are now being delivered to customers now. If so, I am sorry your experience was not as mine was and if this is consistently happening, I won’t be recommending anyone buying from Tesla used inventory going forward. I assure you that.

If your screen was bubbled, would that not have been taken care of under warranty? What state and delivery center did you pick yours up from btw?

 

[Tes*la*rosa]

"This is exactly why I've been trying to increase awareness of the CPO program being no more on these forums where people routinely call them CPO even though they're not." Ostrichsak

What is the difference between CPO, and a Used Tesla with a new 4 year warranty(late 2015 and up, under 50,000 miles) and the remainder of the original 8 year powertrain/battery warranty?

I honestly am not sure what the CPO offering means.

I used: VINCheck® | National Insurance Crime Bureau for a quick and free vin check


As was mentioned up higher, it can not be a "70D RWD" I am not sure if that is a typo in your post, or the dealer is misrepresenting it. Some 70D's can actually be upgraded to a 75D(though not seen to be currently offered at this time)

Sad they are no longer offering CPO. Hopefully they bring it back, in some quantity or capacity. I’d definitely pay more for a CPO than a used one that didn’t even get the courtesy of a vacuum. Shows how little else went into the care of the vehicle.

Thanks for sharing the free VIN check info. I’ll share it with friends who plan on a future used purchase.

Yes, I see typos from local dealerships all the time. One had a P85 for sale but failed to realize what the P stood for and quoted the non performance specs. Another had the range of a 60 listed for an 85. Its a little painful to see misquoted specs, but expected from used car lots that don’t come across these often. I suppose their lack of experience or knowledge could play into a keen buyers advantage though.

OP appears to have found a somewhat fair price on a low mileage S, though a bit high for that battery capacity. There was a 2013 Model S listed here in SoCal last month for $26,500 with 85kWh/19’s/Black, standard audio/suspension/roof with ~85,000 miles iirc just for comparisons sake. Fairly basic as far as trim goes but one of the most affordable ones I’ve seen recently.

Some also might balk at the “higher” mileage Tesla’s as most warranties expire after 100k from my understanding, but Evannex has extended warranties as on option if one feels the need. I’m sure someone here can confirm that. I might be mistaken, but I recall that 70kWh on up, the motors and powertrains have an unlimited mileage warranty or something to that effect. Batteries are expected to last up to 500,000 miles with normal degradation also iirc, which is longer than most people keep their cars, and with far less to maintain compared to ICE, I feel there should be much less to worry about beyond 100k miles. Not sure 3rd party extended warranties are a good ROI, but if anyone has experience or knowledge about Evannex extended warranties, I’d like to know as I wouldn’t mind extending service coverage beyond 100k, as that’s when mine expires. Thanks.

 

[Big Toys]

Gross. I would not accept a car that was not vacuumed or cleaned. That’s the very least anyone would expect from a used car dealership. What do you mean “depending on who handles it”? If you’re buying from Tesla, they are handling it. If it is being delivered in the condition you stated, I would speak with the delivery manager and expect better. Hopefully this is not how vehicles are now being delivered to customers now. If so, I am sorry your experience was not as mine was and if this is consistently happening, I won’t be recommending anyone buying from Tesla used inventory going forward. I assure you that.

If your screen was bubbled, would that not have been taken care of under warranty? What state and delivery center did you pick yours up from btw?

"Who handles it" means which service center takes possession of the car. Some appear to be better than others. Mine was fine except for the bubble, but you will find pics on the threads here of not-fine condition at delivery. You will also find pics of the car sent to you before purchase that show a very dirty, used car. I'm in Florida, picked up at West Palm center.

As for my bubble, yes it was replaced under warranty, but it was after I got it 2 hours home, and about 6 months into ownership due to distance to the center and no Saturday appointments, thus a day off from work. They deliberately hid the bubble at the top of the screen by switching to night time view at pick up, which made the bottom edge of the bubble appear like a road against the dark background. When switched to daylight mode, the road didn't move, which is how I noticed it a week later.

 

[Big Toys]

What is the difference between CPO, and a Used Tesla with a new 4 year warranty(late 2015 and up, under 50,000 miles) and the remainder of the original 8 year powertrain/battery warranty?

Back in the day, a Tesla CPO meant any defect or needed upgrade was fixed before you got it, and you essentially got a brand new car. They no longer do this, and you are truly buying a used car that comes with the new warranty.

 

[BulldogsRus]

"This is exactly why I've been trying to increase awareness of the CPO program being no more on these forums where people routinely call them CPO even though they're not." Ostrichsak

What is the difference between CPO, and a Used Tesla with a new 4 year warranty(late 2015 and up, under 50,000 miles) and the remainder of the original 8 year powertrain/battery warranty?

I honestly am not sure what the CPO offering means.

I used: VINCheck® | National Insurance Crime Bureau for a quick and free vin check


As was mentioned up higher, it can not be a "70D RWD" I am not sure if that is a typo in your post, or the dealer is misrepresenting it. Some 70D's can actually be upgraded to a 75D(though not seen to be currently offered at this time)

From my understanding they were originally reconditioned to literally showroom condition, which included paint work, part replacements, and any outstanding issues affecting the vehicle. Now you need to call out everything upon delivery/get it in writing or you could have issues getting warranty work performed in a timely manner.

 

[dsnows]

I have a Dec 2016 Model S 75D, possibly going to upgrade to a new Raven long range. Key features: AP2 hardware with Enhanced AP and FSD active (eligible for FSD computer upgrade), Free unlimited supercharging that transfers with the car, sunroof (no longer an option), ceramic coating and full frontal PPF, solid black paint with multi pattern black interior, cold weather package... $58,500. Let me know if interested.

 

[Big Toys]

From my understanding they were originally reconditioned to literally showroom condition, which included paint work, part replacements, and any outstanding issues affecting the vehicle. Now you need to call out everything upon delivery/get it in writing or you could have issues getting warranty work performed in a timely manner.

Yes, that is the way it was, the way we all think it still is, the way we wish it to be. Now, it is a used car, not a made-new, showroom ready car. It was my "understanding" too, and was disappointed to find that such service stopped even in January 2019.