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Getting a used Tesla, deciding between years VS budget

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Hi everyone,
I've been looking into Tesla for a couple months now , finally settled on getting a used Model S and adding the Jump Seats to it (if it doesn't already have it)

I'm stuck between 2 options and I've had a hard time tracking the various options and upgrades that happened during this time frame, the quality of the build and need for an extended warranty, etc.

Basically, I'm looking at the following 2 options:

2014-2015 P85D - no extended warranty available from Tesla, but can find really low miles, like 30-40k, for around $55k

2017-2018 75D - might qualify for their extended service contract, lose out on some battery and performance, and pay a premium for the lower miles options, so in my budget I'd probably have to get something with 90k+ miles.

I don't have a good sense of what these additional miles do to the car (normal wear and tear as well as battery degradation) VS the later production quality and features.

What would you choose and why?
 
Looks like $62k currently, so $7k more... but the OP is being told to "set aside twenty thousand dollars for battery replacement". So in total, the brand new Model Y sounds like a better deal. Everyone's entitled to their opinion, but I think ~$55k for a 6-8 year old vehicle whose battery costs almost half of the ~$55k sounds really dumb. Far too dumb for someone who can afford to spend ~$55k on a vehicle.

I got an older Model S as a loaner for a few days... it was serious dookie. It wasn't nice to drive, the interior wasn't nice, the "Mercedes" style turn signal stalk seemed majorly out of place, the MCU was sluggish, the tires peeled on quick acceleration, rattles galore inside, the frunk looked like a goofy DIY subwoofer box, and in general the vehicle was not nice to drive.

Even if the battery doesn't fail soon on that 8 year old Model S, it's still suffered degradation, and it's lower range to begin with. Perhaps I'm an oddball, but I just can't get over how someone could consider paying $55k for an old, used boat when a brand new one with a lot of newer technology, brand new battery, and full warranty is about the same price. Maybe it's a status symbol to own the S? Oh well, I won't have to drive that junker.
 
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Looks like $62k currently, so $7k more...
Yeah sorry, I got duped by that sneaky configurator option where they helpfully default select the $2k wheel option for you. 🙄

So $63k after you include the $1200 destination fee that they also helpfully don’t add to the displayed price.

At any rate, I generally agree with your reasoning. I own an old(er) Model S and wouldn’t buy another one at today’s prices.
 
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A "glass half empty" way of looking at it is... worst case scenario, you paid full new price for a very used vehicle.
Really, 9 year old Teslas sell for same price as the same model/options new Tesla? I tell you what, I will sell you my 2015 Tesla (still under 8 year warranty) for the only its MSRP right now, you can sell it for more and keep the profit. Are you in? Or are you comparing old top end model vs. new bottom model, like saying a 2022 VW Golf is worth more to you than a 2014 year old Bugatti Veyron because the Golf is new?
 
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@TSTitans, Are you combing through ev-cpo dot com for your potential candidates? You get Tesla's 1yr/10k mile warranty (although severly nerfed from a couple yrs ago), many of the older cars have had the MCU2 (Infotainment) upgrade - although some have not - read the details. If the row doesn't have a trim listed, it's the 100D model. Rear facing seats are a unicorn these days, although I do see one listed on the aforementioned site. See my sig for what I'm driving and will continue to drive until either the wheels fall off or the battery poops the bed. I prefer the ememy I know ... GL in your search.
 
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Not that often, no. But more so with the earlier cars, and numbers are definitely going up as the cars age. It’s a distinct possibility, and is a ~$12-20k problem if it happens out of warranty. So you should be prepared for that and confident you can afford it.

What do we define as "early" cars related to drive unit and battery failures? In that giant DU thread, some people were claiming you should *avoid 2012-2017* which seems like a very, very wide spectrum. Is it just 2012-2014? I haven't heard of that many refresh (2016.5+) 90D and 100D cars having massive DU and Battery failures....
 
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I'm not an expert, however my life's experience with smaller battery powered devices leads me to believe that all EVs will eventually experience HV battery failure.

Is that not the case?

Jay Leno can store hundreds of ICE vehicles indefinitely (and even those probably need tire/rim care, and possibly a humidity controlled facility), but won't battery chemistry slowly degrade naturally on its own?
 
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Definitely a loaded question and everyone will have a different opinion. I’d agree with a few of the posts that say choose the highest range model you can afford. Even still, the SC put me in a 16’ model S p100d as a loaner while in for service, (locked in chill mode) the car only had 46k miles and it rattled terribly. Creaks, groans and rattles. The suspension was all over the place and you could feel every bump. But it looked super sharp. And didnt most of those years come with free supercharging? I digress, but I’d always go with a newer unit then look for the best range. Just my .02
 
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I'm not an expert, however my life's experience with smaller battery powered devices leads me to believe that all EVs will eventually experience HV battery failure.

Is that not the case?

Over a long enough timeline, everything will fail. ;)

The real question is will every EV eventually experience HV battery failure during the expected useful lifetime of the car. I think the answer to that question is already “no”, and continuing to improve every year.
 
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I'm not an expert, however my life's experience with smaller battery powered devices leads me to believe that all EVs will eventually experience HV battery failure.

Is that not the case?

Jay Leno can store hundreds of ICE vehicles indefinitely (and even those probably need tire/rim care, and possibly a humidity controlled facility), but won't battery chemistry slowly degrade naturally on its own?

I would think so.....or at least significant degradation. I don't think there's any magical way around that, at some point the batteries will degrade beyond a reasonably usable point.

According to an Impact Report released by Tesla in 2019, Tesla Model S and X batteries retain over 80% of their range even after driving 200,000 miles, with a 'lifespan' of 300k-500k miles.

But generally speaking, with rare exception, lithium rechargeable batteries with carbon anodes offer 600-1,000 cycles before they're 'done.' But that's 600-1000 charges from empty to full, and partial charges only count as partial cycles.

I guess 300-500k miles is an extrapolation of how many miles you can get out of 1000 full cycles.


My P90D only has 50k miles.....my personal hope is that by the time I get to a level where it's heavily degraded there will be an aftermarket for battery repair/replacement that lets me just pop in another one and keep on driving. The P90D has enough technology and speed to keep me satisfied as a daily driver, and then just swap out weekend cars as needed to keep the mojo burning.
 
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Definitely a loaded question and everyone will have a different opinion. I’d agree with a few of the posts that say choose the highest range model you can afford. Even still, the SC put me in a 16’ model S p100d as a loaner while in for service, (locked in chill mode) the car only had 46k miles and it rattled terribly. Creaks, groans and rattles. The suspension was all over the place and you could feel every bump. But it looked super sharp. And didnt most of those years come with free supercharging? I digress, but I’d always go with a newer unit then look for the best range. Just my .02

My 16 P90D has 50k miles and not a single rattle or noise.......i think the service loaners live a hard life. Just like I'm sure you've had a Hertz rental with 3k miles on it that has bent tie rods, shakes like hell.....

I dunno. I wouldn't personally buy a nosecone car just because it looks a bit aged and you're getting the 'early year issues,' but I think the key with buying any used EV (just like buying any used expensive/luxury car) is having a bit of an engineery/technical mind so you can do your own diagnosis and troubleshooting before just throwing it to the Service Center.

I can't tell you how many people in my local Tesla group have no understanding of how cars work, they're sold on the thought that "EVs require no maintenance," and so when something inevitably fails they freak out, don't know what to do, dump $1k+ at the Service Center, and then threaten to sue.

A little bit of ingenuity and a copy of the service manuals goes a long way in keeping these things healthy.
 
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Thank you all for your input. I think with this feedback, I've definitely shifted my thinking to a new paradigm. I'm now trying to decide between an ~18 MS with under 50k plus the extended device or a new MY with the 3rd row. Basically the same price, one more sporty and the other more practical.

I'll keep searching for the right one, you guys have been super helpful!
 
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While waiting for our Rivian to deliver (guessing a couple of years), we recently purchsed a gently used 2017 90D to test EV life and the whole family is loving it! Also on a budget and not a big fan of the looks of the X or Y, I've always liked the S but can't afford/justify it's new car price. While doing my research I found some interesting selling points of a used S that made it worthwhile for me.
  • I wanted the biggest battery I could a afford. The advertised maximun range is a little deceptive, it's not recommended to keep it at 100% charge except for trips, and then charge time increases once >80% so don't expect 294 miles from a 90D on every charge, plus HVAC usage, plus going faster than the speed limit, etc...
  • 2016-17 to make sure it had plenty of drivetrain warranty remaining.
  • Tesla offered an extended "B2B" warranty from 2012-2020, I decided I needed that since the repairs can get very expensive. It's a $200 deductible per visit. - Extended Service Agreement
  • Free unlimited connectivity - $120/year value
  • Free unlimited supercharging - up to early 2017 should be transferrable as long as a dealer did't have it removed
  • FSD computer - I didn't even think I cared about this option but it's amazing and ultimately I believe Tesla is a tech/AI company and we're all just beta testers, but without Enhanced Autopilot, you just have a cool looking EV. Mine doesn't have the $6k or $99/month FSD software, but as I understand it there isn't much differnace. I suppose I can try if for a month but the previous owner tried it and didn't think it was worth it either.
  • MCU2 (original or upgraded) - I've read the original is very buggy and at times unusably slow.
There is a sweet spot or "unicorn" where you can find 2016-2017 with the upgraded autopilot hardware and unlimited transferable supercharging. I missed out on the supercharging but around town I have yet to charge it other than at home.

Take your time and test drive many, I shopped local but most dealers don't know what they're selling. I really wanted a P85D or faster but they're painfully quick and every one I drove felt beat up. A non P is still way quicker than anything I've driven on 4 wheels. So utimatly I fould a one owner car on a Tesla only used car website. This owner was knowledgeable about his vehicle and took good care of it, when you buy from a dealer, you can loose that information, and some valuable features. We don't regret out used MS purchase, so Best of Luck!
 
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