I’ll try this, just being conservative in my affordability estimates. And, two big not at fault claims in last 3 years and one minor at fault claim could damage that any way. I will speak to someone closer to Tesla-time!
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Buying advice from a company car to Tesla
- Thread starter bbtom10
- Start date
This is the answer. Car allowance is a flat extra payment in my pay check, which I pay 40% tax on! But means I am eligible to claim the TAX back on the difference in a mileage claim, as you state. Took me a while to get my head around!
F-pace was my original dream car, until Tesla crept in. And Greta.
I just think the model 3 compromises too much. I like the switches and dash on the model s. I know I would get used to a model 3 easily, but I think I want the corporate yacht, not the speedboat.
ThanksMost Insurers will allow an ‘introductory’ discount if you can provide a letter from your employer/fleet insurer to confirm you’ve driven claim free for X years. Some have a form specifically for this purpose, so worth investigating that - it will help with the spreadsheet
Insurance quotes on the Skoda and model S used are looking very similar at the moment. When will insurers recognise the safety and accident reduction benefits of the wonder machines?
Concerned I’d like AWD for safety. Got caught on motorways in the snow before now and hate FWD only (though not as bad as the 3-series I once had, snow death trap!)
Simple answer, insufficient patience!
Maybe used model s this year, maybe cheapest UK Tesla for around 30k, then save like mad and upgrade to model y in 2yrs, though market for used model s will probably have dropped by then, although I guess as the Tesla’s find their way into the affordable price range for the masses (I.e. 10-15k) perhaps their price will increase again. The million mile unbreakable service not required dream machines become accessible to Jo Public! (Trying to be gender neutral there)
This is news to me. Between my wife and I, that’s 175kg. 14yr old and 12yr old better stay lithe if we were to go model 3!
Seriously though, 375kg? And this is built for Americans? Could be a deal breaker.
I should add, main reason for 5k profit is the zenith lease company have charged my company on a contract for 120k miles, hence the low balloon payment. As it will have done 70k over the 4 years I’ve had it (16 plate) there is a big difference. Just need to make sure all the servicing, timing belt etc are done before I buy it!
I’m in the UK and my longest regular trips (maybe 3 times a year) are from wolverhampton to Plymouth, Newcastle and Brighton. Maybe 450 mile round trip max. Day to day I work from home 2-3 days a week. I’ll be relying on home charging on my drive if I can, and motorway superchargers.
Insurance quote with 0 NCD is about £1000, which I’ve factored in. Servicing continues to confuse me, don’t Tesla now say don’t bother, just keep your brakes refreshed once a year?
Warranty, I could go third party for about £80 a month, or I could buy from Tesla and get their boosted used warranty. 8 year battery warranty is great. Door handles are my biggest concern, and frunk locks, and the screen oranging. And pot holes, which I know wouldn’t be covered under warranty or insurance, or possibly may not be claimable from the council either, so could be a costly trip down the lanes, which I regularly use!
What have been people’s out of warranty experiences?
@bbtom10 Sounds like you have already made up your mind!!
I wouldn't worry about insurance, our X is due for renewal next few months, I just did a quick check on LV, £650, 37, full NCD, clean licence, a non fault write off claim a few years ago.
There is nothing to service, and some independent garages are appearing who can do repairs outside the Tesla network.
Good luck finding a car, the S is a fantastic bit of kit.
I wouldn't worry about insurance, our X is due for renewal next few months, I just did a quick check on LV, £650, 37, full NCD, clean licence, a non fault write off claim a few years ago.
There is nothing to service, and some independent garages are appearing who can do repairs outside the Tesla network.
Good luck finding a car, the S is a fantastic bit of kit.
Of course there is. There may be less to service but:
Even if you go with claims that brakes only need a check every 2 years that depends on where you live and how you drive - short journeys and cold starts = no regen so brakes. Hills and short runs/bends = brakes. Road salt = brakes.
The you have a/c filter changes, alignment checks, tyre wear, wipers quite apart from known problem areas that crop up now and again - memory storage failure on the main display screen, yellow borders (you can live with them but not so nice) issues with condensation in headlight or the halo lights failing, yes the door handles, And while Tesla warrant rhe motors and battery I have heard of arguments when motors failed that it was down to damp through seals which they then claim are 'wear items', There are also instances of charge port failures and charger failures as well as a need to renew the 12v. While these things may not all be common it's a personal decision as to how much such owner could cope financilly if it happened. Electrical stuff fails sooner or later - hopefully later. Ive cerainly experienced light bulbs burning out in my house - even leds;. PC's that get motherboard problems, memory corruptions, power supply failures... sh1t happens. I'm not just playing devil's advocate - just pointing out that tesla spares costs and service costs can be eye-watering and need to be planned for. Tesla's may not have combustion engines but they still have ball joints and steering racks and servo's and heating elements and seals and a/c coolant and they still have drive units bolted to the chassis so stress points. And whoever says they don't have gears is wrong - they do albeit a fixed ratio sealed inside the motor units. warranty or not it;s an inconvenience if/when they fail.
^Most people dont even check most of the stuff you have listed on a combustion car!
I cannot ever remeber doing an alignment check on any car, nor ball joints or seals, and servos, seriously who actually 'checks' a servo and for what?? If you dont like the 'look' of a servo do you replace it even though its working??
Yes things break, but they break on most cars, you deal with them as they come.
The actual life time running costs of these cars are hilarious tiny compared to combustion cars. Our Tesla has been by far the cheapest to run, and by a massive margain.
I cannot ever remeber doing an alignment check on any car, nor ball joints or seals, and servos, seriously who actually 'checks' a servo and for what?? If you dont like the 'look' of a servo do you replace it even though its working??
Yes things break, but they break on most cars, you deal with them as they come.
The actual life time running costs of these cars are hilarious tiny compared to combustion cars. Our Tesla has been by far the cheapest to run, and by a massive margain.
I was just making the point that things break and Tesla parts cost. As to pure servicing - ball joints and steering rack would be checks I'd expect and actually part of the MOT. The OP suggested financial care needed so legitimate to point these things out rather than think there are no forward costs on a Tesla
If your doing 1-2 road trips to France every year then bear in mind that a 2016 Model S with grandfathered ‘free for life’ supercharging might be quite an attractive bonus.
We have an Oct 2016 Model S 75 and it’s a great long distance cruiser that we have taken to France and Germany on several trips.... slightly cheaper and quieter than the AWD, still more than quick enough, reasonable range (could be better but fundamentally more than enough), face lifted and free for life supercharging.
Also look out for a second hand car that includes the bio weapons filter option. It’s the unexpectedly best bit... no stink of diesel particulates. No pollen, not even garden fire smoke smell gets through. Like magic ! It’s a bit of a shocker when we were given a 2019 Model S loaner that didn’t have it recently.
We have an Oct 2016 Model S 75 and it’s a great long distance cruiser that we have taken to France and Germany on several trips.... slightly cheaper and quieter than the AWD, still more than quick enough, reasonable range (could be better but fundamentally more than enough), face lifted and free for life supercharging.
Also look out for a second hand car that includes the bio weapons filter option. It’s the unexpectedly best bit... no stink of diesel particulates. No pollen, not even garden fire smoke smell gets through. Like magic ! It’s a bit of a shocker when we were given a 2019 Model S loaner that didn’t have it recently.
Especially as I am coming from a company car where everything was done for me. Only thing I’ve paid for on my current vehicle is fuel. Literally. No road tax, tyres, wipers, no servicing costs. So I appreciate the knowledge, even though it seems a little scary. I guess gangzoom was trying to provide some reassurance that it isn’t scary, but I am going to be financially stretched to achieve this, though my situation gets a little better through the year overall so I am not overly concerned or stretched.
Suspension joints will wear on any car, so unless you plan on leasing/buying new its a cost that you will have pay at some stage regardless of make/model.
To help with two posts in one, I fitted a third party HEPA filter my self to our X. The filter was £80 and all it takes to fit is a screw driver and 15 minutes it undoing screws.
I believe any post facelift S can have the HEPA filter retrofit the same way. If you look at the photo you can see just removing another panel will get you access to the suspension/steering joints.
Without a big engine in the way its very easy to access suspension parts.
Tesla's are actually very easy to work on, I've taken the whole A pillars apart installing speakers. So labour costs for repair woudlnt be high, parts might be more of an issue.
To help with two posts in one, I fitted a third party HEPA filter my self to our X. The filter was £80 and all it takes to fit is a screw driver and 15 minutes it undoing screws.
I believe any post facelift S can have the HEPA filter retrofit the same way. If you look at the photo you can see just removing another panel will get you access to the suspension/steering joints.
Without a big engine in the way its very easy to access suspension parts.
Tesla's are actually very easy to work on, I've taken the whole A pillars apart installing speakers. So labour costs for repair woudlnt be high, parts might be more of an issue.
It depends on what’s important to you as to how old/new you can go, and budget of course. A facelift car is a must if you want the potential of adding FSD at some point, as these are cars that have AP2 or higher. The MCU (Media Control Unit) or ‘iPad screen’ was updated to MCU2 in cars built after March 18. This is important if you want Netflix and some of the games, Sentry & Dashcam also need MCU2.
However, a 2018 car won’t have free Supercharging for life. If that’s important the you need a late 2016 very early 2017 car. These are also VED free but that’s a diminishing benefit as time passes I guess.
The newer cars will also have the Premium Upgrade Package, what was called Sub Zero (heated steering wheel, heated rear seats) and also the premium sound package included. I’m not 100% on the date but think on cars pre May 17 these were separate packs. Air suspension also became standard at some point around then I think.
There’s a Tesla/EV specialist in Cheltenham, so not too far from you. Matt Cleevely:
https://www.cleevelymotors.co.uk/
Many owners take their Tesla’s to him and he’s a fraction of the price Tesla charge. Often owners will get him to do a pre warranty expiry check up, and then take the car to Tesla before the 4 years or 50I miles are up.
The yellow screen is a great example of the not so good side of Tesla. Basically the glue around the edge between the glass and touchscreen didn’t always cure properly, and would produce a yellow border. Heat and sunlight being the suspected culprits. For a while they were replaced under warranty until Tesla decided that because it didn’t affect the functionality it wasn’t a warrantable item. BS in my opinion. They now have a UV machine that apparently sorts the problem out. Cars of the vintage you are looking at could be affected.