Future Buyer

[bubafett]

Hey everyone , im new to this forum and not sure if this is best place to post this but have some questions. Im seeking advice on all the little details on what to look for when shopping for a used Tesla. I will be looking for a MS p85d probably around 2014-2016 later this year and need all the little things like how to find out whether the free charging is transferable, all the nuances of the software and whatnot. Ive read some forums and videos so know a little but dont want to be making a big purchase, to me, and end up overlooking something major.

Thanks in advance for any help anyone gives me

 

[dabbler]

Maumee Ohio? If that is the case you are in my neighborhood. PM me if you want to get more info.

 

[TESLER2013]

Kinda vague, but I'll bite. The free unlimited supercharging is transferrable for cars made in 14-16, however, if Tesla ever had possession of it after sale (lease return etc), they probably removed it. If you buy through a private seller, or dealer and the car never went back to Tesla, the free unlimited supercharging as well as the Premium Connectivity should come with it for life. These are the things that need to be verfified when buying a Tesla. If you are buying a Tesla, and more importantly, a P85 with the 21" rims or 20" you will be buying tires more frequently than a normal person. Tesla sells their used cars with an extended warranty but their cars are surely stripped of the free supercharging unless its a high priced model. And you have to decide, I think the 2014 still had the nose cones, I'm not sure if the 2016 had nose cones or not. All vehicles in the range you are talking about have the regular computer "MCU1" You have to buy late 2018 to get the MCU2.

 

[bubafett]

Kinda vague, but I'll bite. The free unlimited supercharging is transferrable for cars made in 14-16, however, if Tesla ever had possession of it after sale (lease return etc), they probably removed it. If you buy through a private seller, or dealer and the car never went back to Tesla, the free unlimited supercharging as well as the Premium Connectivity should come with it for life. These are the things that need to be verfified when buying a Tesla. If you are buying a Tesla, and more importantly, a P85 with the 21" rims or 20" you will be buying tires more frequently than a normal person. Tesla sells their used cars with an extended warranty but their cars are surely stripped of the free supercharging unless its a high priced model. And you have to decide, I think the 2014 still had the nose cones, I'm not sure if the 2016 had nose cones or not. All vehicles in the range you are talking about have the regular computer "MCU1" You have to buy late 2018 to get the MCU2.

Sorry for being too vague. Good info on what you said. So whats the real difference between MCU1 and 2? is the jump from a 15/16 with MCU1 worth the price change? Id find that the unlimited charging and the premium connect for life 2 really important details, so that basically means that id be better off trying to buy from a private seller instead of tesla or 3rd party dealer?

 

[TESLER2013]

Yes, you're better off with a 3rd party or private seller if you want the free supercharging. You'll have to verify with carfax and/or Tesla customer service. Verify for sure if you really want the free supercharging as it was also important to me... MCU1 supposedly has a chip that dies quickly although my 2013 chip is just fine. MCU2 lets you use a faster responding browser and let's you play the extended games. The value to upgrade to the MCU2 computer is $2500. So that is the value. You can decide if the faster processor, more reliable chip and increased resolution, and game improvements are worth it. Just FYI, if you do upgrade to MCU2, you will lose the Radio and XM Radio. (If you care)

 

[TESLER2013]

Model S - Options by Year - Tesla Motors Club Wiki

Read that. It will help you out.

 

[bubafett]

Yes, you're better off with a 3rd party or private seller if you want the free supercharging. You'll have to verify with carfax and/or Tesla customer service. Verify for sure if you really want the free supercharging as it was also important to me... MCU1 supposedly has a chip that dies quickly although my 2013 chip is just fine. MCU2 lets you use a faster responding browser and let's you play the extended games. The value to upgrade to the MCU2 computer is $2500. So that is the value. You can decide if the faster processor, more reliable chip and increased resolution, and game improvements are worth it. Just FYI, if you do upgrade to MCU2, you will lose the Radio and XM Radio. (If you care)

thanks for the info. I defiinitely like the idea of faster and reliable chip, almost nothing more frustrating with tech then when it oeprates slowly. Annoying losing radio though, is there a app or something that can be downloaded?

 

[kev1n]

thanks for the info. I defiinitely like the idea of faster and reliable chip, almost nothing more frustrating with tech then when it oeprates slowly. Annoying losing radio though, is there a app or something that can be downloaded?

there is a tesla app and the mcu can be upgraded in the near future

 

[Deanm0000]

I just bought a 2015 P85D that I was searching/waiting to buy for over 6 months from a private party (original owner). As far as the free supercharging and premium connectivity (whatever it's called), it's not accurate that if Tesla ever owned it that they would have stripped those features. I can't pinpoint the exact date they started doing that but it seems to be mid 2019 so if you're buying a car that someone has owned at least a year then, even if they bought it used from Tesla, it should still has those features. Obviously you should not take for granted that that is true and confirm before buying. If you buy it from a private party who bought it from Tesla then that means there is likely some bumper to bumper used car warranty remaining while still maintaining the free super charging and connectivity services.

Another tidbit is that all the 2014 P85Ds, from what I could tell, were built in December of 2014 so don't pay up for a 2015 relative to a 2014, you may only be getting something a few months newer.

In my searches, it seemed like all of the P85Ds had Autopilot but it wasn't actually standard back then so make sure you're getting AP, assuming that is something you want.

If you decide to buy a used car from Tesla, just know that it is often a fraught process. They don't let you test drive the car or even look at it in person before you buy it. Some people, myself included, have dealt with really bad customer service and failure to deliver the car in a timely manner. I ended up canceling my direct from Tesla car because it was so frustrating but I digress.

 

[bmah]

In my searches, it seemed like all of the P85Ds had Autopilot but it wasn't actually standard back then so make sure you're getting AP, assuming that is something you want.

When it was first released (like on those 2014 P85Ds), AP was originally a part of the Tech Package, which was a grouping of features until about March 2015. A large fraction of Telsas from that era had the Tech Package (cars that didn't have it were notable exceptions). After some point in March 2015, AP became its own separate option, and the features that were in the Tech Package were either made standard or incorporated into other packages (the power liftgate, I think, went into the Premium package, for example).

Choosing options on Teslas were somewhat more complicated (but more interesting IMHO) than today.

So the relevance to buyers is that if you're shopping for cars in the early AP1 era, you might see AP listed one of a couple different ways in the options / features of a given vehicle.

Bruce.

 

[josh3thayer]

Got a lead on a "project" P85 if interested. Was going to buy it but am locked in to another car.

2014 P85 with AP1
Clean title
140k miles
Dirty, dent on hood, MCU needs replaced (blackout)
$28k

 

[EV-Fixme]

We offer MCU upgrades/repairs. Any pre 2016 S/X should consider upgrading the chip in the mcu that will go bad. Consolidated eMMC Thread (MCU repair) (Black Center Screen)

 

[Fragger]

Welcome and good luck with your search. It's an exciting feeling. The process of learning and searching. This board is amazing too, wealth of knowledge and nice folks.

As an owner of a P90D, starting from a P85D like yourself, couple of quick hitters on my lessons learned:

- Tesla warranty outweighs any private party purchases that are tempting you with free supercharging and free premium connectivity. Trust me . So if you have more warranty over those two benefits, choose the former.

- Buying direct from Tesla could be a serious head/heart ache as others mentioned. But, my personal experience so far says... The warranty is worth the pain.

- 14' to (April 15') P85Ds come with the + Suspension. Definitely read or ride it to see if you fancy it.

- Power of a PD model is undeniable. I love it. But, if you'll drive a lot... Consider the range of a non P (still fast) over a P. I think the speed vanity also wears quick for the practical nature of having range, especially if you drive a lot.

- Last, big thing from my side... Do the math on free Supercharging benefit for the trips you may take... The costs may surprise you in their insignificance ...

- Read here from others... Very knowledgeable, nice people here like @Geek190 ,@HankLloydRight, @Alysashley79, @Ostrichsak and many others!

Good luck with your search and purchase!