-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Considering buying a CPO and driving it home 800 miles
- Thread starter Chapulin
- Start date
sure you can. just keep in mind you will lose much leverage in refusing delivery if there is anything wrong with the car (unpictured damage, mechanical issues) as you won't have an easy way home.
as long as you're ready to walk away and buy a same day plane ticket home.
as long as you're ready to walk away and buy a same day plane ticket home.
Vinc
Member
I pretty much did that. Plan ahead and get yourself familiar with the car beforehand if you have never driven a Tesla for more than test drives. You can find very good tutorials on using the car online. More than issues with the car you will probably have a bit of a learning curve with some of the quirks of Teslas.
And have fun!
And have fun!
tstafford
Active Member
dedicatedtek
Member
I bought a one way ticket to pickup my car 1100 miles from home. of course it was my second Model S, so I was familiar with the car and trips and charging. The only CPO issue I had was a paperwork.
Go for it. I picked up in Denver and drove to St Louis. Nav on autopilot was fantastic. I was ready to stretch by the time I reached each supercharger.
If you're the type that drives until you can't hold it anymore then might not be your kind of trip.
If you're the type that drives until you can't hold it anymore then might not be your kind of trip.
dhrivnak
Active Member
dhanson865
Well-Known Member
Tesla doesn't sell CPOs anymore, they sell used cars that haven't been prepped in any way. So just be realistic that you might have to buy tires or get an alignment or deal with other damage when you pick it up.
Just as possible that you get there and it's pristine with no issues. It's purely random.
Last edited:
I drove home: CPO purchase and driving 2,100 miles home
If you are 800 miles from Seattle is the pickup in CA? Then look for threads about CA sales tax as you can't always get that tax back when you register it back in WA. I had to pay an extra 10$ for VA inspection fee which included a sticker on lower windshield to which I had to scrape off when I picked up mine in VA. Taking it off the window was a PIA.
If you are 800 miles from Seattle is the pickup in CA? Then look for threads about CA sales tax as you can't always get that tax back when you register it back in WA. I had to pay an extra 10$ for VA inspection fee which included a sticker on lower windshield to which I had to scrape off when I picked up mine in VA. Taking it off the window was a PIA.
I did the same thing - purchased my CPO in Phoenix and drove 1500 miles back to St. Louis. First time I had driven a Tesla (ridden in a few prior, but never drove). It was an amazing journey, and really got to know the car and solidified my love for it. Of course, you will want to do plenty of research before hand read up on the tips that have been shared here (and others around these forums). It will be a great trip, just know it takes a bit more planning and patience.
You won’t have any difficulty actually operating the car for the trip. The brakes, turn signals, etc are the same as all other cars. Read about the wipers if you expect rain. If you plan to use autopilot, read about setting the speed before setting off. 800 miles will entail use of supechargers on the way so you’ll need to know how to plug it in and then unplug it. It’s easy but you want to know before having to do it. Also it’s worthwhile to know how to display the manual. At your first supercharger stop, you can look up whatever you need.
Sometimes it’ll take a day or so for new software options to be installed. With new cars, the music streaming takes a day. If your car didn’t have autopilot installed before and you have it, then it might not work right away.
Run the VIN through Carfax. If there’s an insurance claim it’ll hopefully show up. Not always, though. Keep in mind they seem to report about everyting as a collision. It may or may not be. Tesla won’t tell you the history of the car so it’s up to you to find out all you can.
Look at the car carefully before signing the papers. Once you sign, it’s yours, warts and all. The time to look the car over and discover any issues is before you sign, not after you get it home. Most people take great care of the cars, not everyone, though. Look the car over in good light, not in the rain. If the car is wet, ask them to dry it. You cannot see paint issues with a wet car. Look at the interior in detail, if paint is important to you look that over as well, look for door dings. Check all the sheet metal gaps, that can indicate body work. Check bumper gaps. Look under the front, these cars are low, it’s easy to scrape the bottom of the front bumper on a concrete parking stop. Check hood fit, glass fit, check for glass cracks, windshield chips, wheels for curb rash, sidewall rips in tires, etc. Check for general cleanliness. If the previous owner kept it scrupulously clean, he probably took the same care of the car. If it’s not clean, well... Look to see if there’s XPel or a wrap on the front bumper and hood. If so, that owner really cared. Check tires for tread. It’s $1000 or so for a set. If tires are worn, look at the wear pattern. Make sure you get all the parts to the charger. Look at the 17” screen, the edges. Depending on the age of the car there can be discoloration.
Smell the car. If it’s a smokers car, you’ll smell that for as long as you own the car. No one will ever get that smell out. Ever.
Read through this site for issues. Keep in mind people that find things tend to be vocal. Just because someone else had an issue doesn’t mean you will have a similar issue, most of our cars are absolutely perfect. But it will alert you to things to check. I’d make a checklist. It’s easy to leave things out if you don’t have a list.
Finally don’t let anyone rush you. Getting the car papers signed quickly benefits the seller, never the buyer. If the delivery person seems pushed for time, that’s his problem, it’s certainly not yours. Tesla has a lot of cars. There might be another one that’s a better fit for you. Or this could be the one. You should love the car, you should be absolutely sure this particular one’s for you.
It’s a used car, expect some minor issues but at the least, know before signing what all those issues are. Any issues are likely to be cosmetic. Cosmetic flaws are generally fixable. Not all of them, though. Tesla no longer fixes the flaws, if you find ones that you’ll want to fix, get an idea of how much it’ll cost. If parts need replacement, well, Tesla parts aren’t quick nor are they cheap and there are no secondary suppliers.
You’ll be 800 miles from home. Check for local hotels, if there are issues that you’d like to think about before signing, you’ll have time to think about it. Having a place to spend the night gives you an option and avoids feelings of pressure to sign right then.
The car itself should be good for as long a trip as you want to take.
Welcome aboard, these are absolutely great cars.
Sometimes it’ll take a day or so for new software options to be installed. With new cars, the music streaming takes a day. If your car didn’t have autopilot installed before and you have it, then it might not work right away.
Run the VIN through Carfax. If there’s an insurance claim it’ll hopefully show up. Not always, though. Keep in mind they seem to report about everyting as a collision. It may or may not be. Tesla won’t tell you the history of the car so it’s up to you to find out all you can.
Look at the car carefully before signing the papers. Once you sign, it’s yours, warts and all. The time to look the car over and discover any issues is before you sign, not after you get it home. Most people take great care of the cars, not everyone, though. Look the car over in good light, not in the rain. If the car is wet, ask them to dry it. You cannot see paint issues with a wet car. Look at the interior in detail, if paint is important to you look that over as well, look for door dings. Check all the sheet metal gaps, that can indicate body work. Check bumper gaps. Look under the front, these cars are low, it’s easy to scrape the bottom of the front bumper on a concrete parking stop. Check hood fit, glass fit, check for glass cracks, windshield chips, wheels for curb rash, sidewall rips in tires, etc. Check for general cleanliness. If the previous owner kept it scrupulously clean, he probably took the same care of the car. If it’s not clean, well... Look to see if there’s XPel or a wrap on the front bumper and hood. If so, that owner really cared. Check tires for tread. It’s $1000 or so for a set. If tires are worn, look at the wear pattern. Make sure you get all the parts to the charger. Look at the 17” screen, the edges. Depending on the age of the car there can be discoloration.
Smell the car. If it’s a smokers car, you’ll smell that for as long as you own the car. No one will ever get that smell out. Ever.
Read through this site for issues. Keep in mind people that find things tend to be vocal. Just because someone else had an issue doesn’t mean you will have a similar issue, most of our cars are absolutely perfect. But it will alert you to things to check. I’d make a checklist. It’s easy to leave things out if you don’t have a list.
Finally don’t let anyone rush you. Getting the car papers signed quickly benefits the seller, never the buyer. If the delivery person seems pushed for time, that’s his problem, it’s certainly not yours. Tesla has a lot of cars. There might be another one that’s a better fit for you. Or this could be the one. You should love the car, you should be absolutely sure this particular one’s for you.
It’s a used car, expect some minor issues but at the least, know before signing what all those issues are. Any issues are likely to be cosmetic. Cosmetic flaws are generally fixable. Not all of them, though. Tesla no longer fixes the flaws, if you find ones that you’ll want to fix, get an idea of how much it’ll cost. If parts need replacement, well, Tesla parts aren’t quick nor are they cheap and there are no secondary suppliers.
You’ll be 800 miles from home. Check for local hotels, if there are issues that you’d like to think about before signing, you’ll have time to think about it. Having a place to spend the night gives you an option and avoids feelings of pressure to sign right then.
The car itself should be good for as long a trip as you want to take.
Welcome aboard, these are absolutely great cars.
SCEV
Member
All great advice! I did exactly the same thing, flew/uber'd to pick up my CPO last November, then drove it home 800 miles. I'll emphasize a couple points D.E. made:
1) The location I picked up from (Mt. Kisco, NY) has you sign all paperwork at lone location, then shuttles you to another location to pick up the car. In hindsight, I would have refused to sign before seeing the car.
2) It was night and raining when I picked up. They drove the car inside for me to look at, but it was wet. In my excitement, I missed some damage on front corner...noticed it the next day while super charging on the way home. Even looking back at the pics they sent me, this was not visible. I'm still in contact with Tesla trying to get them to pay, they haven't said yes or no, but I'm not too optimistic. Got a quote from a Telsa certified body shop, and it's ~$2,700.
3) I didn't notice until I got home, but the mobile charger was missing the 120V adapter. Not a big deal, since I had a 14-50 installed already, and they sent me a new one in the mail.
One other thing to note, it took them just over 2 months to send me the title. If you have a loan, the bank may not be happy about that...
When we sold a car last year, the buyer flew in to pick it up. We drove him to the bank and did the sale. We then swapped the license plates in the parking garage and then he drove the 750 miles home. He was able to Supercharge for free the entire way home without any issues.
The car was still on our Tesla account but we were able to link his account so he could see the car before it was officially moved to his account a few weeks later.
The car was still on our Tesla account but we were able to link his account so he could see the car before it was officially moved to his account a few weeks later.
