Getting my first Tesla (used): good deal?

[james2441139]

Hi everyone, I am looking to get delivery for a used 2018 75D tomorrow. It was local for me (Seattle) so no transport fee. AP 2.5, 19-inch wheels, dark cloth interior, midnight silver metallic outside, premium upgrade package, ultra high fidelity sound, subzero package, smart air suspension. One owner car, who bought it new in Seattle as well. 41,000 miles. $42K (excluding tax, registration).

What do you guys think about the deal? And, what specifically should I look for in a 2018 75D when taking delivery?

 

[BigNick]

Does it list "infotainment upgrade" in the equipment? If not, check the manufacture date, it's probably MCU1 unless 4/2018 or later. Not a deal killer but you'll probably want to budget $2000 for the upgrade to MCU2/HW3.

 

[james2441139]

Yup the manufacture is 3/2018. How important is the infotainment upgrade?

 

[BigNick]

If you're going to just drive, MCU1 is perfectly serviceable until its under-specced 8 GB eMMC fails, then things will break. You're at just 3 years so you probably have some time left on the eMMC assuming your car is MCU1.

MCU1 is less usable for some functions. Overall it has been very slow since V9.0 came in late 2018. Navigation still works (long trips take a while to calculate routes and charging stops) and I can still play music.

With MCU2, you get more overall speed, more games, Netflix, Caraoke and other stuff, plus a working web browser (MCU1 browser freezes on nearly everything now.) If you plan on playing games and stuff while waiting at a Supercharger, you'll probably want MCU2.

If you plan to "root" the car, or don't want to pay $1500-$2500 for the upgrade, avoid MCU2 and just get the 64 GB eMMC upgrade when your MCU1 starts to have issues (Tesla is recalling the MCU1 cars and replacing the 8GB eMMC with 64 GB eMMC.)

 

[james2441139]

Checking the VIN Recall search in Tesla's site shows no recalls found for the car. I am wondering if that means that the previous owner already took care of the recall or the car already comes with MCU2.

 

[gigawatt1010]

Congrats on your incoming Model S. If you have AP2.5, I think it's worth upgrading to MCU2 since you'll get Sentry mode, Tesla Theater, etc. That will cost $1,500 at the service center, and you'll get the much needed speed and usability of your screen. Like folks stated, the MCU1 on recent software versions became painfully laggy.

As far as it being a good deal or not, I think it's a little late to ask that question since you already pulled the trigger. As they say, there's a (model) S to every seat (see what I did there?). kidding of course. All seriousness, if it serves your needs and within your budget - it's a great deal.

 

[james2441139]

Took delivery of the car. Beautiful condition. Happy to see that the car already came with MCU2 (shows Intel atom processor), and AP3 (FSD capability). Now onto installing a 240v outlet in my garage.

 

[quickstrike12]

Took delivery of the car. Beautiful condition. Happy to see that the car already came with MCU2 (shows Intel atom processor), and AP3 (FSD capability). Now onto installing a 240v outlet in my garage.

That’s a pretty big deal having MCU2 and HW3 with FSD already in car. You will be enjoying that car for a long time. Congrats.
the learning curve for EV owning and driving takes a bit, but is lots of fun.

 

[gigawatt1010]

Took delivery of the car. Beautiful condition. Happy to see that the car already came with MCU2 (shows Intel atom processor), and AP3 (FSD capability). Now onto installing a 240v outlet in my garage.

Congrats! That is indeed awesome that you already have MCU2 and FSD installed. That is pretty much the same as the current MS, except for range. Good job!

 

[Science fan]

Seems like you have a three year old version of the best model car ever made (Motor Trend, I believe) for less than half of what it cost new. At 41,000 miles, it should give you at least another 200,000 and many years of enjoyment. Your purchase looks to me like it was a no brainer.

 

[Yanniz]

Congratulations . I just bought my first one 4 weeks ago, 2015 P85D w/ludicrous, 58K miles for $42K, I love it.

 

[gigawatt1010]

Glad to see the Model S still getting some love. I have over 120k miles on mine and it's 5 years old this year. 2016 Model S 60D with AP1 (see my signature for complete spec), and it still drives smoother than most newer cars. The design is truly timeless.

 

[james2441139]

Glad to see the Model S still getting some love. I have over 120k miles on mine and it's 5 years old this year. 2016 Model S 60D with AP1 (see my signature for complete spec), and it still drives smoother than most newer cars. The design is truly timeless.

Model S looks really smooth, unlike Model 3, which personally looks a bit bland to me. Also, I do not like the absence of a dash. So Model 3 was a no-no, for me at least. Looking forward to some quality time with the machine.