Buying a used Model S, need some input

[Centexsi]

Hi all,

New to the forum and to Tesla, and the community here seems great. I'm looking at buying a used Model S, and want to get everyones opinion on my two options. Both cars check out fine and are in excellent shape. Both cars are the same price. I like both color combos so thats not really a factor. Just looking for an opinion on what might be a better choice. Will probably keep for 2-3 years and get a new one if I like it - this is more for testing the EV waters.

Option 1: 2012 Model S P85, dark blue with grey perf leather/wood trim. 21", pano roof, all the goodies and 62k miles. Tires are good. Build date is August 2012 so drivetrain warranty good til August 2020. Previous owner bought CPO and has 11 months of that warranty included with it.

Option 2: 2013 Model S P85, white with black perf leather interior and wood trim. 21" wheels, pano roof, all the goodies. This one has 51k miles and a build date of May 2013, so drivetrain warranty good til May 2021. This is a one owner car and has no extended warranty left on it. Needs rear tires soon.

Any opinions appreciated! Thank you all!

 

[ambition]

Newer is better in the Tesla world, also the 13 May have folding mirrors and back up sensors and the 12 will not

 

[Centexsi]

Newer is better in the Tesla world, also the 13 May have folding mirrors and back up sensors and the 12 will not

So you'd rather have a little newer without warranty than old with one? They are only 7 months apart in age.

Good info on parking sensors and mirrors. Was there any other differences in the two years?

 

[ambition]

Having owned a dec13 p85 for about 3 years, I was always happy that I got the latest possible vin at the time. The early cars and even now, Are improved every week off the production line. Later vin =better

With cars that have this many miles on them a lot of the issues that would’ve come out under warranty would have done so already so I think the warranty is less of an issue considering it’s less than a year left. If you look at the service records you May get a better indication if one was taken care of more than the other.

If you research year opinions vary and whether a warranty past 50,000 miles is worth it or not if you had to pay for it. In my case I didn’t get it and it wasn’t an issue. If you get the service history you will get a better indication if one was taken care of more than the other.

 

[10dot]

11 months isn't that much warranty IMO. Newer one is 10K fewer miles and will benefit from any minor production advances in that time.

 

[henderrj]

Everyone is different but I will say that when I sat in a 2012 (was a loner) those seats were like torture machines to me. If the 2013 has the next-gen seats, it might be worth it. Make sure you sit in them both. Again, Tesla makes continuous improvements, that is to say no model year. Having bought third-party myself, the warranty isn't as big a deal as it sounds.

Also, at least when I bought mine, you could ask Tesla Service what has been done to the car. Not like that, you have to be specific. Ask them has the Drive Unit been replaced? Has the battery been replaced? You can ask any specific question and they would answer it back then. If they still do that it can be very useful. You can also ask them does it have the tech package? That sort of thing.

 

[Benjanos]

Model S - Options by Year - Tesla Motors Club Wiki

Worth a read if you've not already...

 

[Centexsi]

Thank you for all the input and information!

 

[JonathanD]

I support the consensus, more recent the better. Have you test driven them before? If you are only going to have it for a couple years anyway, you could probably get a newer non-P -- these are still very quick cars.

 

[Centexsi]

I support the consensus, more recent the better. Have you test driven them before? If you are only going to have it for a couple years anyway, you could probably get a newer non-P -- these are still very quick cars.

Yes I have driven a myriad of cars, including a P85, 85, X 90D, and a P100D. I'd love to buy the 100, but I don't want to spend that much money quite yet. The P85 is noticeably quicker to 30-40mph than the standard 85, and I like that feeling. I'm getting a "deal" ($40k) and didn't want to spend much more than that, and the newer cars are quite a bit more. I like the Alcantara seats/headliner, big wheels, etc as well that the older ones offer.

 

[JonathanD]

Yes I have driven a myriad of cars, including a P85, 85, X 90D, and a P100D. I'd love to buy the 100, but I don't want to spend that much money quite yet. The P85 is noticeably quicker to 30-40mph than the standard 85, and I like that feeling. I'm getting a "deal" ($40k) and didn't want to spend much more than that, and the newer cars are quite a bit more. I like the Alcantara seats/headliner, big wheels, etc as well that the older ones offer.

Well then by all means, have at it and don't look back!

 

[demundus]

2012-2013 does have some issues, theres alot of threads here regarding them. Infact I think theres a thread somewhere in which I gave a detailed list of issues on 2013. Specifically MCU and drive unit failures.

Having owned a 2013 for several years now, and if I have 40k to burn, I'd try to save a little bit more for a late year 2014 or newer.

 

[whitex]

Newer is better in the Tesla world, also the 13 May have folding mirrors and back up sensors and the 12 will not

No folding mirrors until Nov 2013.

 

[.jg.]

Ask to see the service history of both cars. Tesla issues a document listing all the work done in each visit - you would want to see these. It might be useful to know what items have (or have not) been replaced/repaired under warranty.

 

[Bebop]

I’d be super reluctant buying a 2012/2013. Have you considered a Model 3?

 

[Centexsi]

I’d be super reluctant buying a 2012/2013. Have you considered a Model 3?

I did consider a Model 3, but after driving a friends car I found it is just too small for my liking and I want the hatchback functionality. Wasn’t a big fan of the spartan interior either.

I’m not scared of having to fix it and I’ll probably attempt to fix stuff myself when it breaks. I’ve got several old Audi’s and an old Ferrari so it cant be much worse that that, lol.

I ended up going with the newer ‘13 white P85. Will post pics if anyone cares when the car arrives next week!

 

[henderrj]

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I did consider a Model 3, but after driving a friends car I found it is just too small for my liking

I’m not scared of having to fix it and I’ll probably attempt to fix stuff myself when it breaks.

I ended up going with the newer ‘13 white P85. Will post pics if anyone cares when the car arrives next week!

Congratulations! I think you'll find that you'll lose a little sleep between now and the time you finally get the car.

I agree on the size, I do like a big car! And, although it's, for some reason, looked down on on this site, I like working on my own car too. Done a few things to it, the engineering is amazing. I think it really helps to build an appreciation for the car.

Mine is a December 2014 rear wheel drive. I love the way that they corner. Yours, being a performance, will be just that much more fun! Although, white. Man you have to wash those cars a lot!

 

[demundus]

I did consider a Model 3, but after driving a friends car I found it is just too small for my liking and I want the hatchback functionality. Wasn’t a big fan of the spartan interior either.

I’m not scared of having to fix it and I’ll probably attempt to fix stuff myself when it breaks. I’ve got several old Audi’s and an old Ferrari so it cant be much worse that that, lol.

I ended up going with the newer ‘13 white P85. Will post pics if anyone cares when the car arrives next week!

Try to get the D/U revision number from the service center and post it here. A 2013 P85 is a driveunit time bomb

 

[Centexsi]

Try to get the D/U revision number from the service center and post it here. A 2013 P85 is a driveunit time bomb

Will do. Not worried about it though as it’s under warranty for awhile, and if it goes I can do the bearing replacement myself.

 

[demundus]

Will do. Not worried about it though as it’s under warranty for awhile, and if it goes I can do the bearing replacement myself.

Not the bearing thats the issue. The actual D/U goes, some internals they chose not to service but instead crate back to HQ for refurbishing. The halfshafts are a different issue. I was more suggesting that it leaves you stranded I had 3 replacements in my 2013 non P