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Buying "dead" Tesla

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I found a 2013 P85 that is going to go through a dealer auction next week. It has about 85k miles and some cosmetic issues. Known issues are a cracked windshield and the touchscreen has a crack in it as well.

I went to look at it in person yesterday and it was complete dead. The doors wouldn't open and the trunk would not close. I have learned that there is a 12v battery that is required for it to come alive. I don't know if that is the only issue or if it only needs a new 12v battery.

I know there is an 8 year warranty on the drivetrain but I don't know what is covered under this.

So, my question is - would you take the risk buying a MS under the circumstances and relying on drive train warranty? How much of a discount would you expect for you to buy?

This will be my first MS so I don't know what could go wrong to make it inoperable.

I was going to make another visit this weekend to see if I could "jump" it before it runs through the sale.
 
I found a 2013 P85 that is going to go through a dealer auction next week. It has about 85k miles and some cosmetic issues. Known issues are a cracked windshield and the touchscreen has a crack in it as well.

I went to look at it in person yesterday and it was complete dead. The doors wouldn't open and the trunk would not close. I have learned that there is a 12v battery that is required for it to come alive. I don't know if that is the only issue or if it only needs a new 12v battery.

I know there is an 8 year warranty on the drivetrain but I don't know what is covered under this.

So, my question is - would you take the risk buying a MS under the circumstances and relying on drive train warranty? How much of a discount would you expect for you to buy?

This will be my first MS so I don't know what could go wrong to make it inoperable.

I was going to make another visit this weekend to see if I could "jump" it before it runs through the sale.
Sounds like it was horribly abused... might be cheaper to buy a CPO car than deal with that mess..
 
Assuming it's functional I'd bet it'll go for the Mid $30s at the very least (probably higher). Initial repair costs would put it near buying a used one. Hidden repair costs might put it at CPO range. Why take the chance at all?

Or better yet, wait for the Model 3 so you can get a much better car at a similar price.
 
If Tesla, not sure why they wouldn't at least get it running. Sounds like there may be more hidden.

Tesla could get parts and labor at cost.
True. A lot of cars at auction sit for awhile before they are even brought there. Could have worked when traded but then the battery died as it made its way to auction.

I'm going to give it a shot to see if it's "running". If not I'll pass. Would like to go CPO but a bit out of my price range.

Thanks for the input!
 
A blanket "NO" is just silly. Surely it's worth $10, in parts alone. Okay. Now how about $400? Sure. See--an overall "no" is a waste of time. Considerations: are you able to part cars out? If so, you're looking at values of five-figures, assuming it's not wrecked or something. As for getting it running beforehand, YES! Bring a jumpstarter and plug it in under the nose cone. See if it'll run and I find it amazing that Tesla would not have replaced the 12-volt battery before trying to get sold at an auction--a waste of our TSLA value as it suggests terrible stewardship to not spend $180 for a new 12-volt and then getting a five-figure loss at auction . . . .
 
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A blanket "NO" is just silly. Surely it's worth $10, in parts alone. Okay. Now how about $400? Sure. See--an overall "no" is a waste of time. Considerations: are you able to part cars out? If so, you're looking at values of five-figures, assuming it's not wrecked or something. As for getting it running beforehand, YES! Bring a jumpstarter and plug it in under the nose cone. See if it'll run and I find it amazing that Tesla would not have replaced the 12-volt battery before trying to get sold at an auction--a waste of our TSLA value as it suggests terrible stewardship to not spend $180 for a new 12-volt and then getting a five-figure loss at auction . . . .

I agree with above assessment, esp on value of parting it out.

I could be wrong, but I doubt it's just bad stewardship in not getting the car running. There is likely more that they could see from the logs/history/whatever and they decided ditching it was the best course of action.
 
I agree with above assessment, esp on value of parting it out.

I could be wrong, but I doubt it's just bad stewardship in not getting the car running. There is likely more that they could see from the logs/history/whatever and they decided ditching it was the best course of action.

I did talk to a Tessa dealer about the car. They said they don't retail their cars with that many miles. They (Tesla) are actually big sellers at the auctions. I see them there all the time.

I appreciate everyone's input. I'm most likely going to pass unless the price is real right. Just trying to figure out the price that makes sense....
 
I did talk to a Tessa dealer about the car. They said they don't retail their cars with that many miles. They (Tesla) are actually big sellers at the auctions. I see them there all the time.

I appreciate everyone's input. I'm most likely going to pass unless the price is real right. Just trying to figure out the price that makes sense....
That's my point. Tesla doesn't want to make a high milage car a CPO and provide a warranty for it, and a Tesla without warranty can get expensive to fix quickly.

Good luck in your search.
 
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I agree with above assessment, esp on value of parting it out.

I could be wrong, but I doubt it's just bad stewardship in not getting the car running. There is likely more that they could see from the logs/history/whatever and they decided ditching it was the best course of action.

Tesla will not give you logs on a CPO car you are buying (or I am told you own one you bought from new) - so no chance there.
This is a part-out. If you cannot afford a CPO, then you cannot afford to risk this. If Tesla are really upstream, and they can't provide it in working state - then it's a part-out project only.