Buying a used S from a Lexus dealership?

[Zorak03]

I’m in the market for a used S or X. I am very far away from the nearest Tesla store and a sales rep told me they will not do home delivery for CPO vehicles. A 2017 Model S has popped up at my local Lexus Dealership. It has 17k miles over it and is listed at a good price. Would buying a used Tesla from a third-party be a terrible idea? Also, how can I tell if it has FSD or EAP, is there a way to check from the car’s computer screen?

 

[Tam]

...terrible idea?...

No, if you know what you got into.

Yes, if you don't know what that involves.

...FSD or EAP, is there a way to check from the car’s computer screen?

No.

Currently, EAP and FSD with hardware 2.0 and 2.5 are exactly alike from the car screen menu. The only difference is the FSD is more expensive and is proven on a Monroney Sticker or a receipt.

 

[Zorak03]

No, if you know what you got into.

Yes, if you don't know what that involves.




No.

Currently, EAP and FSD with hardware 2.0 and 2.5 are exactly alike from the car screen menu. The only difference is the FSD is more expensive and is proven on a Monroney Sticker or a receipt.

thanks for the reply. Would Tesla by chance tell me if I called them with the VIN or would they likely not be any help here?

 

[Tam]

thanks for the reply. Would Tesla by chance tell me if I called them with the VIN or would they likely not be any help here?

Tesla can certainly tell you by the VIN and compare that with its own transaction records. However, Tesla may say that it respects the prior owner's privacy since you are not its current owner so it won't disclose the info.

 

[whitex]

I’m in the market for a used S or X. I am very far away from the nearest Tesla store and a sales rep told me they will not do home delivery for CPO vehicles. A 2017 Model S has popped up at my local Lexus Dealership. It has 17k miles over it and is listed at a good price. Would buying a used Tesla from a third-party be a terrible idea? Also, how can I tell if it has FSD or EAP, is there a way to check from the car’s computer screen?

How far is your nearest service center? New or used, a car will at some point need service, and besides things like tires or wipers, you will need Tesla service to do it.

 

[Zorak03]

How far is your nearest service center? New or used, a car will at some point need service, and besides things like tires or wipers, you will need Tesla service to do it.

It’s about 6 hours away. We have a mobile ranger in our area though.

 

[swegman]

Mobile service can not do everything. With a 12 hour round trip time (not counting the time needed to charge) between your home and the service center, I would not buy a Tesla.

 

[Zorak03]

Mobile service can not do everything. With a 12 hour round trip time (not counting the time needed to charge) between your home and the service center, I would not buy a Tesla.

speaking of this, what happens if you have a catastrophic failure in a remote area (under warranty), does Tesla send a flat bed for it? If so, do they bring it back to you or do you need to pick it up at the SC? I’ve heard they discontinued the loaner program. Luckily my 3 has been flawless so far.

 

[rhumbliner]

Mobile service can not do everything. With a 12 hour round trip time (not counting the time needed to charge) between your home and the service center, I would not buy a Tesla.

Contrast that with Jackson Hole where we have over 30 Tesla owners and the nearest service center is an 11 hour round trip. So far, I haven’t come across a single owner who doesn’t love what Tesla’s mobile service can accomplish. Our mobile service technician even has an arrangement with a local shop which enables him to use their hoist.

 

[swegman]

I have a model S P85 and a model 3. I am near a service center and am also serviced by mobile rangers. While the rangers can do many things, I’ve had many many occasions where the mobile people could not service the car and the car had to be taken to the service center. Replacement of the brake master cylinder on the model S being just one example. Another example being a strut replacement (3 times) on the model 3.

As for who pays for towing, I don’t know. I did have the car die (it would not start, giving a HV battery notice) when I was about 1 hour away from the service center in the Boston area. Tesla thought I might need a new HV battery but then determined that one of the connector pins on the wiring harness to the BMS was bad. Tesla towed my car and paid for the tow. However, I have read where owners had to pay hundreds of dollars for towing. So I can’t give a definitive answer to that question.

 

[Tam]

...do they bring it back to you...

In the old days they did but not for a very long for now.

Under the warranty, if your car is drivable, Tesla does not cover the towing fee. That means if your car is disabled, it would tow for free. However, once it is fixed and drivable, you need to come at your own expense and retrieve your car back if you do not want to pay for the towing fee.

 

[whitex]

It’s about 6 hours away. We have a mobile ranger in our area though.

Mobile rangers are great but they don't do everything. Personally, I would be anxious owning a Tesla as my primary car with SC 6 hours away. Teslas are a dream to drive, but if you end up needing a service center, SC 6 hours away can sour that dream very quickly. SC experience has been going down since M3's came out, but having it 6 hours away could make it a total nightmare. Of course, your car could end up being flawless too and service center availability never coming into play.

A as a side note, if I was buying a used Tesla from 3rd party, I would pay for an inspection by Tesla, maybe in a form of one of the major annual services (yea, it costs $700, but for me it would be worth to me as insurance - I'd do it only if I am ready to buy of course). I am not sure whether rangers can do a full annual service (things like alignment, drive unit fluid changes, etc), but maybe in areas without SC's they do more than where I live? Maybe call them and ask?

 

[Zorak03]

Mobile rangers are great but they don't do everything. Personally, I would be anxious owning a Tesla as my primary car with SC 6 hours away. Teslas are a dream to drive, but if you end up needing a service center, SC 6 hours away can sour that dream very quickly. SC experience has been going down since M3's came out, but having it 6 hours away could make it a total nightmare. Of course, your car could end up being flawless too and service center availability never coming into play.

A as a side note, if I was buying a used Tesla from 3rd party, I would pay for an inspection by Tesla, maybe in a form of one of the major annual services (yea, it costs $700, but for me it would be worth to me as insurance - I'd do it only if I am ready to buy of course). I am not sure whether rangers can do a full annual service (things like alignment, drive unit fluid changes, etc), but maybe in areas without SC's they do more than where I live? Maybe call them and ask?

After doing a little more research I think I’ve decided to pass up on the car at the dealership because the warranty is only for a few more months. I’ll just bite the bullet and pick one up from the nearest Tesla shop.

Rumor has it that Birmingham will get a Tesla service center before too long, if they do then the nearest center will only be an hour or two away. I know there’s something in Birmingham because some inventory cars have shown “Birmingham AL facility.” I don’t know exactly what that means, perhaps it’s the Ranger location?

These cars are mostly pleasure cars. Since late 2018 I’ve put less than 4k miles on my 3. I work entirely from home and do not have to do any commuting. Plus, in addition to the Model 3, I also have a Nissan Maxima and a Chevy truck 4 x 4 so I won’t be stranded.

 

[hmgolds]

Notwithstanding the fact the the OP has made his/her decision, what would be the difference between buying a used Tesla vs a used ICE? If the seller can provide documentation of any options when originally purchased, that leaves options purchased after the initial sale. Wouldn't they be visible on the screen?

Biggest thing in my mind is condition of the battery. A 100% charge should indicate computed range.

Am I missing something?

 

[whitex]

Notwithstanding the fact the the OP has made his/her decision, what would be the difference between buying a used Tesla vs a used ICE? If the seller can provide documentation of any options when originally purchased, that leaves options purchased after the initial sale. Wouldn't they be visible on the screen?

Biggest thing in my mind is condition of the battery. A 100% charge should indicate computed range.

Am I missing something?

Difference is not EV vs. ICE. It's Tesla vs. other guys. A number of Tesla options are purely software. There are 2 potential issues with that when buying used:

1. For vaporware options, there is no way to confirm whether the option is enabled, since it doesn't exist.
2. For other options, you might not be able to tell what may be removed at a later time by Tesla. A good example is FUSC, which used to be straightforward - either transferrable or not, but later Tesla hid that from being able to tell on the online account, and then made up a new policy that even transferrable option will be removed if car is sold through a 3rd party dealer. People have reported buying cars with FUSC only to have it removed few weeks later.