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CPO/Used Lessons Learned
- Thread starter drummerboy7816
- Start date
If I had to give a low-hanging-fruit advice to Tesla for their used program, it would be to spend more than 2 minutes taking pictures. Honestly, it's really bad when I can take 10x better pictures in 5 minutes of all the damages and imperfections of the car with my phone..
This would honestly solve so much of their complaints of expectations vs reality on delivery day.
This would honestly solve so much of their complaints of expectations vs reality on delivery day.
aerodyne
2 of 3 EV's - Defect Free!
All...this is really going to bite Tesla with the used model threes. They will not be in as good as the 100k cars coming off of lease agreement year or so ago. The better bring back the original full CPO program back!
Also, see picture of my order agreement circa Sept last year. Do you see the last sentence on your MVOA?
Also, see picture of my order agreement circa Sept last year. Do you see the last sentence on your MVOA?
Attachments
aerodyne
2 of 3 EV's - Defect Free!
Too bad there is so much onus on the buyer now. When I bought in 2017 it was understood that the reason the CPOs were so expensive is because they extensively restored them. In my case, for example they removed curb rash and buffed scratches before I picked it up.
Congrats!This community has been so helpful to me in my Tesla purchasing process that I thought I would share some recent lessons learned for future CPO/used buyers on the 2015 85D I picked up last week. This is obviously just based on my ONE experience, which could differ with a different vehicle or different sales rep.
Here we go..
- Really do your research on not just the year of the car you are buying but preferably pinpoint to the exact month that it was manufactured to understand what options you are really getting. Tesla, unlike other manufacturers, constantly make changes to their cars. The same year car manufactured a month apart, or even in the same month, may have differences in them that you would actually care about. In my case, the seats from original standard to nextgen which 2015 had both. Once you know the cars manufactured month/year, use this website to see what options you may have/not have: Model S - Options by Year - Tesla Motors Club Wiki. Alternatively, use the VIN number to try to find some clues via research on these forums of what you may/may not have.
- Good used cars do go fast. I've seen vehicles I wanted take down the same day it was listed. Do your research, know what you want, and be ready to pull the trigger. Tesla seems to use some sort of time based discount system where I see a lot of vehicles get cheaper every day it is not sold. Good strategy to keep down inventory.
- The $2,500 towards the used vehicle that you're required to make prior to even seeing the car is a down payment towards that specific vehicle and NOT a deposit. The sale rep originally make it sound like a deposit and if I don't like the car I see in person, I could easily change that deposit to another used vehicle. He even told me that of the 150+ used Tesla's he's sold, only a few refused the delivery, and one was an example where they decided to get another Tesla instead (forgot it was another new or used one), making it sound like it was easy to swap my "deposit" from one Tesla car to another. Later on when I was hesitating about the seat (gen 1 /1.5) potentially not meeting my needs and asked if it wasn't comfortable for me, can I move my deposit to another used vehicle with Nextgen seats, he then changed his tone from that first call and said that the $2,500 is a down payment and the seats are not fitting my needs would not be a valid reason to refuse delivery, even though I tried to test these seats out before I purchased, but they were not available at the centers for me to try, and I also said I would drive to the car's location to try out the seats, but the sales rep refused to let me do that. So I was committed to buying a car that I can not test out the seats for, because of the impression he gave me on the first call that it was easy to switch the "deposit/down payment" as long as it was a car directly through Tesla. Luckily I didn't have to push to return since my wife ultimately preferred the standard seats over the more restricting bucket type nextgen seats.
- The pictures they send may not at all capture the damages of the vehicle, even ones that are significant/obvious. Of the pictures they sent me, it only depicted one of the damages which were scratches on the body near the tire, I looked through the pictures with the sales rep and we both agreed that it looks good except for that one picture. The day I inspected it, these were the issues I noted: 1) 2 rims had severe curb rashes, which event though there were pictures of each rim, they were really low quality and impossible to tell (they later indicated that they would fix it for free at a later service date and noted it in my account for this), 2) scratches on the right back side of car (this was the pictured damage; however, the picture of this had water drops all over it still and it was impossible to tell the extent of the scratch, which was much worse than depicted. They took the car back after i mentioned it and and later on buffed most of it out), 3) Big scratches inside the trunk lift gate (they indicated they can't fix this and it was part of normal wear. I wasn't too concerned with this as the items I carry would eventually scratch this part up anyways, and being black interior, it wasn't super noticeable), 4) big white scratch on back seat leather (they took it back and probably used some type of liquid leather repair or something, but they fixed it enough that it wasn't noticeable anymore, it helped that it was black leather I guess, 5) looked like a bunch of damage of sorts on the driver side silver door trim (scratches, discoloration, hard to tell at the time). They indicated that they cannot fix that damage, I was ready to have to have that trim replaced, but when I got home, took a magic eraser to it, and it came right off.
- On delivery day, do not rush to sign the agreements/forms, take your time to inspect the vehicle and call out all the imperfections and have them attempt to fix them (or put it on a Due Bill on your account which they will fix for free on a later visit). Take a good flash light with you to inspect the interior carefully, Re-inspect what they "fixed" when they come back and make sure it is satisfactory to you or else have them fix it again. There's a 37 point check list posted on these forums some where that I used as a checklist to run through. DO NOT let them rush you to sign.. the person tried to get me to do the paper work while they where fixing it, I refused and insisted on waiting until all fixes are done and the car is in a condition satisfactory to me. Don't sign anything until they have fixed it to your satisfaction.
Super long winded.. but hope that helps prospective buyers! With all this considerations and stress I went through with the process, I am still beyond giddy with my beautiful Tesla!
View attachment 397594 View attachment 397595
Oh wow, nope, mine ends right after the cancellation part that I posted.. That would have been nice and I would have been able to switch my down by that time.
It does seem like a very deliberate change in Tesla's philosophy for their used inventory when they switched from CPO to Used. Instead of spending their time/money on getting that used vehicle to a high standard condition and charge higher prices for it, they sell it pretty much "as is" with general mechanical inspections only, but then passing some of that savings to us I guess.
aerodyne
2 of 3 EV's - Defect Free!
I think you're right that there are indeed savings, because the price of all the cars on EVCPO have been dropping rapidly. The problem is it leads to a pretty confusing process for me. The resale prices are also tanking I guess because of all the other actions Tesla's been taking, like dropping the prices on new MS's by huge amounts all of a sudden.
It's confusing me because I'm trying to figure out if I want to "upgrade" my CPO P85 to a slightly newer car with AP1 (like an 85D, P85D, 90D; I might also consider 70Ds if they're "uncorked"). They have dropped a lot in price and are now way south of 40k. but I have no clue how much id get for mine. something tells me I'll be quite disappointed
I think you're right that there are indeed savings, because the price of all the cars on EVCPO have been dropping rapidly. The problem is it leads to a pretty confusing process for me. The resale prices are also tanking I guess because of all the other actions Tesla's been taking, like dropping the prices on new MS's by huge amounts all of a sudden.
It's confusing me because I'm trying to figure out if I want to "upgrade" my CPO P85 to a slightly newer car with AP1 (like an 85D, P85D, 90D; I might also consider 70Ds if they're "uncorked"). They have dropped a lot in price and are now way south of 40k. but I have no clue how much id get for mine. something tells me I'll be quite disappointed
I'm staying away from checking prices now just to avoid the instant buyer's remorse factor haha.. I have no doubt that in a year, I could probably get a P85D, same mileage same condition, for what I paid for my 85D now, or less!
Yeah, I don't think they offer good trade-in values.. not sure on Teslas specifically, but I'm just basing it on what they offered for my 2010 VW GTI. They offered $5k whereas Carmax gave me $6.5k. They do price match though.
I had a poor experience with both the ordering process and delivery execution. I think I tried to send this feedback to the Tesla executive team but their form didn't even work. Anyway, here it is if you are interested (purchased 2015 90D in August 2018). It's a great car but there is something wrong with the culture at this company and how they treat people.
First, it was difficult getting a response when contacting Tesla about used vehicles listed on the website. More than once, the car was already sold by the time the sales advisor responded. The photos/information provided of the vehicles (located in another state) were inadequate. No photos of the dashboard, trunk, frunk, roof/sunroof or displays. It's also unclear which vehicles include the tech package features and which do not. You need to be more forthcoming with the information on a vehicle that cannot be inspected in person before placing a non-refundable deposit.
After I ordered a pre-owned Tesla Model S, I needed the signed contract in order to finalize my loan. I was told the contract could be delivered as late as 24 hours before delivery. This obviously does not give the customer enough time to finalize a loan, get a check, etc.. It's like you are purposely making the process difficult for the customer. You can automatically generate a sales contract instantly so this delay makes no sense at all.
I ordered the car on 7/29, and on 7/30 arranged a date/time for delivery (for Saturday, 8/18). Tesla failed to get the car from CT to VA in 3 weeks. My delivery appointment was canceled TWICE. A sales advisor even told me the car was en route when it was not (also known as a LIE).
I had to cancel/rearrange multiple meetings and appointments, as well as change my insurance 3 times due to this ridiculous mess.
When I went to pick up the car, I waited for half an hour for the delivery person to become available. When he was available, he immediately put all of the papers in front of me to sign. I had not seen the car in person at this point. Obviously, I'm going to want to inspect the vehicle in person before finalizing the purchase. I told him this and said I needed 15-20 minutes to inspect/test the vehicle before I'd be ready (I could have done this when I arrived, obviously, but this was not presented as an option). After a little while, he came over and said he needed to sign the papers NOW. Fine. I told him that I saw a bunch of scratches on the paint that were not shown in the photos I was given when asking about the car before the sale, and I asked if I could have a complimentary bottle of touch-up paint due to this. He responded no, the car is sold "as is" and I could refuse delivery if I didn't like the condition (and, presumably, forfeit my $1,000 deposit). What an asshole response this is!
No written information was provided about either warranty (I asked), map updates, Internet service, etc. I still don't know the answer to the last two.
You are selling luxury vehicles in the $50k-$150k price range. You really need to learn something about customer service because customers are expecting a much better experience than this.
First, it was difficult getting a response when contacting Tesla about used vehicles listed on the website. More than once, the car was already sold by the time the sales advisor responded. The photos/information provided of the vehicles (located in another state) were inadequate. No photos of the dashboard, trunk, frunk, roof/sunroof or displays. It's also unclear which vehicles include the tech package features and which do not. You need to be more forthcoming with the information on a vehicle that cannot be inspected in person before placing a non-refundable deposit.
After I ordered a pre-owned Tesla Model S, I needed the signed contract in order to finalize my loan. I was told the contract could be delivered as late as 24 hours before delivery. This obviously does not give the customer enough time to finalize a loan, get a check, etc.. It's like you are purposely making the process difficult for the customer. You can automatically generate a sales contract instantly so this delay makes no sense at all.
I ordered the car on 7/29, and on 7/30 arranged a date/time for delivery (for Saturday, 8/18). Tesla failed to get the car from CT to VA in 3 weeks. My delivery appointment was canceled TWICE. A sales advisor even told me the car was en route when it was not (also known as a LIE).
I had to cancel/rearrange multiple meetings and appointments, as well as change my insurance 3 times due to this ridiculous mess.
When I went to pick up the car, I waited for half an hour for the delivery person to become available. When he was available, he immediately put all of the papers in front of me to sign. I had not seen the car in person at this point. Obviously, I'm going to want to inspect the vehicle in person before finalizing the purchase. I told him this and said I needed 15-20 minutes to inspect/test the vehicle before I'd be ready (I could have done this when I arrived, obviously, but this was not presented as an option). After a little while, he came over and said he needed to sign the papers NOW. Fine. I told him that I saw a bunch of scratches on the paint that were not shown in the photos I was given when asking about the car before the sale, and I asked if I could have a complimentary bottle of touch-up paint due to this. He responded no, the car is sold "as is" and I could refuse delivery if I didn't like the condition (and, presumably, forfeit my $1,000 deposit). What an asshole response this is!
No written information was provided about either warranty (I asked), map updates, Internet service, etc. I still don't know the answer to the last two.
You are selling luxury vehicles in the $50k-$150k price range. You really need to learn something about customer service because customers are expecting a much better experience than this.
aerodyne
2 of 3 EV's - Defect Free!
In my case it was the reverse. Tesla offered me $8k for my car which the wackos at Carmax offered me something nutty like $1.5k for. That was definitely a joke and they thought I was a moron. It was a turbocharged convertible with 265hp. and it was June.
Tonic750
Member
Good initial post. I agree with most comments on here...poor pictures, hit and miss sales reps, etc. I'm early in the process, just paid deposit of $2500 today. Will do a write-up of my experience when completed. So far I've emailed and called my sales rep several times before putting down a deposit when I had questions about other cars (that all sold within a few days) and my sales rep has yet to contact me back at all other than the initial 1st email that is a copied and pasted response referencing various warranty and purchase info from their website. Luckily my local new vehicle sales dealership answered some questions for me and seemed genuinely interested in helping me as a customer.
Fingers crossed as each day passes....
Fingers crossed as each day passes....
aerodyne
2 of 3 EV's - Defect Free!
Be curious if you have a better experience, living in a relative "Tesla Desert"
The fact the deposit is now apparently non refundable would have been a deal breaker for me...
Best of luck!
The fact the deposit is now apparently non refundable would have been a deal breaker for me...
Best of luck!
hope it goes well for you...
I live in FL, picked up CPO in NY (pre delivery option), it was registered in NJ and was given CO temp plates...
purchased (in full) last Oct...got title and plates mid Jan...
so a total mess for me...and during the 7 days that I had from deposit to taking delivery, they lost the car, 48 hrs prior to my arrival, they hadn't located it (ended up they thought it was being delivered to them, but it sat at a Manheim facility and they had to go and get it themselves)....
reps are def on both ends of spectrum... I got both
best of luck...
and congrats!!
I'll say this... in the end, I could give 2 fks about the poor service (I left out other bs I experienced).... the car is so fkn awesome!
That's pretty much how I feel. It's hard to remember how crappy the process was every morning when I get in my car and drive to work haha..
