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Buying Used

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Hi all, has anyone here bought a used roadster? I had a few questions about the process and about the following:

1. Warranty: I assume that the 3 year/36,000 mile base warranty is transferable. However, I read that there was a 5 year battery warranty. Is that the case and if so is that also transferable?
2. Tesla Inspection: Is Tesla willing to run diagnostics on a used car to determine how well it was maintained? I would especially be concerned to make sure battery pack was not abused and has been kept mostly charged up. I assume I would also want a carfax although given the few repair centers, Tesla probably already knows if the car was involved in an accident.
3. Price: What's a fair price for a used Tesla? Most of the listings I have seen for used roadsters are for about 10% less than retail. I would expect 1-2 year old cars to have depreciated more than that. Frankly at that price, given that the wait list has shortened (and time is not an issue for me), it would seem that buying new is a better value. I understand that they may one day become collectible but as long as they are still being produced I am not sure I understand the high resale values.

Any other insight on any other topic would also be appreciated.
Thanks,
Josh
 
Most of the listings I have seen for used roadsters are for about 10% less than retail. I would expect 1-2 year old cars to have depreciated more than that.

Josh, In general electric cars hold their resale value. Most Toyota Rav4s that come up for sale are nearly 100% of their original sales price and they are 10 years old.


The other thing to add into your new/used equation is the $7,500 federal tax credit (assuming you are in the US). some sates also offer tax bennnies as well. These only apply to new as far as I know.
 
Most Toyota Rav4s that come up for sale are nearly 100% of their original sales price and they are 10 years old.

Thanks VFX. I'm not sure that the Rav4 EV is a comparable situation as those are no longer made and stopped being sold while there was still a demand, not to mention the price was a lot more affordable. Per Wikipedia:

"Toyota then actually sold or leased 328 RAV4 EVs to the general public in 2003, at which time the program was terminated despite waiting lists of prospective customers."

At this point, it seems that the wait-list is negligible (for example in this thread) and there are even floor models you can drive home (albeit the more expensive Sport model). Now if Tesla does stop making the roadster, then I do agree that prices will stabilize or even go up over time if the quality holds up.

That being said, I hope this thread doesn't focus solely on pricing as I am curious about the process of buying such a unique used car.
 
Finding out options ordered on a used Tesla for sale

One of the things that you can do when buying a used Tesla is to get the seller to log in to the owners' portion of the Tesla website for you (or give you the sign in info) and look at the details of the car. It shows all of the extras ordered and the price paid. Read the information carefully as some of it can be confusing. Look for a price across from the option. One seller thought that he had some options which he did not really have.

Once Tesla finds out that the car has been sold, it removes the details of the car from the website, so print out a copy if you want to keep a record of the details.
 
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Tesla's attitude toward owners who buy used

Does anyone who bought a used Roadster have experience dealing with the Tesla store? In other words, do they treat you like second-class or hem and haw about warranty issues?
 
Tesla treatment of used Teslas

I purchased used and have seen no evidence that I have been discriminated against. I received the gift box and an IPO allocation. Furthermore, a technician was in town doing emergency repairs on another car and voluntarily gave my car a number of upgrades. (I live over 1,000 miles from the nearest store.)
 
I purchased used and have seen no evidence that I have been discriminated against. I received the gift box and an IPO allocation.

Gift box.. IPO allocation... does that mean you purchased it (used) from a Tesla Store? Oddly, that possibility hadn't crossed my mind. I asked the question with the intention of buying used from a previous owner.

I wonder if you had bought from a previous owner if the technician would have stopped by?
 
Hi all, has anyone here bought a used roadster? I had a few questions about the process and about the following:

1. Warranty: I assume that the 3 year/36,000 mile base warranty is transferable

2. Tesla Inspection: Is Tesla willing to run diagnostics on a used car to determine how well it was maintained?

3. Price: What's a fair price for a used Tesla?

I was very close to buying a used Roadster before I ultimately decided to purchase a new Roadster Sport. Based on my experience I found that the warranty was indeed transferable and that Tesla was also very helpful in assisting with diagnostics. They walked the seller through the process of downloading the data, reviewed it for potential problems and (with the owner's consent) spent some time on the phone with me to discuss the findings.

As for price, there was a more significant impact on the 2008 model given that the interior upgrade (seats, pushbutton trans, etc.) came in the next revision. I was looking at two cars, one a signature model and the other in the 400's -- both were priced in the mid to high $80,000's.

The most critical drawback to owning a 2008 v1.5 , at least for me, came when the Tesla engineer I was speaking to said that they were no longer continuing to develop updates on the 2008 firmware. Updates will only be available for the 2010 (2.0) model onwards.

For me this was the ultimate deciding factor to not buy a 2008. At the same time, pricing on the 2010 seemed to be holding within about 10% of current retail and therefore made my decision to buy new pretty easy.

Perhaps with the onset of v2.5 there may be some softening in the 2.0 pricing, but my guess is not much based on how few used 2010's there are out there.

Anyway, just my experience. I hope this helps.

PS
Candidly, had the price on either of those 2008's been $5-10K lower, I probably would have jumped on it regardless of my aforementioned concerns. This was 4 months ago, prior to the 2.5 release, so perhaps some of those owners are now a bit more flexible than they might have been previously. At the right price a 2008 should still be a real consideration. It may not be the latest and greatest... but it's still a wonderful car.
 
The most critical drawback to owning a 2008 v1.5 , at least for me, came when the Tesla engineer I was speaking to said that they were no longer continuing to develop updates on the 2008 firmware. Updates will only be available for the 2010 (2.0) model onwards.

For me this was the ultimate deciding factor to not buy a 2008. ...

I will have to say this is no the case. After you purchased your car I received a Firmware upgrade that now includes a VDS MPH readout and the ability to change driving modes on the fly.
 
I will have to say this is no the case. After you purchased your car I received a Firmware upgrade that now includes a VDS MPH readout and the ability to change driving modes on the fly.

Great to hear, Eric. I was simply echoing what I'd been told by Tesla. If they've had a change of heart that's great news for all 2008 owners. Pardon the pun, but thanks for the update. :redface:
 
Great to hear, Eric. I was simply echoing what I'd been told by Tesla. If they've had a change of heart that's great news for all 2008 owners. Pardon the pun, but thanks for the update. :redface:

Yeah, it's mostly a good thing that Tesla does not live in stone. They are more nimble than other car companies so you have to keep checking back. Policy one week can be thrown out the next. Usually for the better. :wink:
 
I'm surprised at the price some of the used 2008 Roadsters are still going for when I look online. The mileage is really low on most of them, but a few of them are only a few thousand less than the cost of a new base Roadster 2.5.
Of course some of them throw in a charger and a hard top but I would think the price would be driven down more by the newer models.

Telsa should have a few Roadsters (maybe old VPs or other engineering cars) they will lease to people for a month at a time. Would be something fun while I wait 3 years for my Model S. Considered leasing a Roadster until my Model S arrives but would end up spending $70,000 for a 2 year lease.
 
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Leasing in Germany is also totaly nuts !


Roadster non Sport 23499,00 EUR + ( 999,00 EUR * 42 month ) = 65.457,00 EUR
..... 65 457,00 Euros = 84.387,16 U.S. dollars

Roadster Sport : 24999,00 EUR + ( 1519,00 EUR * 42 month ) = 88.797,00 EUR
..... 88 797,00 Euros = 114.477,09 U.S. dollars
 
I've surprised at the price some of the used 2008 Roadsters are still going for when I look online. The mileage is really low on most of them, but a few of them are only a few thousand less than the cost of a new base Roadster 2.5.
Of course some of them throw in a charger and a hard top but I would think the price would be driven down more by the newer models.

Telsa should have a few Roadsters (maybe old VPs or other engineering cars) they will lease to people for a month at a time. Would be something fun while I wait 3 years for my Model S. Considered leasing a Roadster until my Model S arrives but would end up spending $70,000 for a 2 year lease.

The cheapest option would probably be to buy a new 2.5 and sell it after 3 years ? (if you can part with it....)