Help evaluating a 2014 MS 85 with 68k miles and advert says "free lifetime supercharge"

[bls72bmw]

Team,
Looking for some practical advice on evaluating the car below:
Never bought a used Tesla before, just new. The depreciation on new S is killer, so think I'll go used.
Ad is cut and paste below, here is what I "think" i know. It' from one of those 'big jim's used car bonanza places...."
1. check degradation at 100%SOC, and be sure miles are at real world setting
2. See if there are previous warning for battery or such (how do I see if there were past warnings if they were cleared by the selling dealer?)

$25,999

Seller's Description​

LIFETIME TRANSFERABLE FREE supercharging.Beautiful 2014 Model S. 1 Owner. Bought brand new in 2014. New Michelin tires, center screen replaced last year. Smooth air suspension, everything has been beautifully maintained on this car. Brand new Drive Unit installed by Tesla service center with 4 year 50,000 mile warranty in June. $6,000 fix done for you. Tesla service center said the Battery health is above par for this year and miles. Very low degradation on the battery.. less than 5%. This car was rarely supercharged even though it is free. $29,999. This is the prettiest Tesla I’ve owned. (NEW PRICE 25,999)

 

[Tam]

Team,
Looking for some practical advice on evaluating the car below:
Never bought a used Tesla before, just new. The depreciation on new S is killer, so think I'll go used.
Ad is cut and paste below, here is what I "think" i know. It' from one of those 'big jim's used car bonanza places...."
1. check degradation at 100%SOC, and be sure miles are at real world setting
2. See if there are previous warning for battery or such (how do I see if there were past warnings if they were cleared by the selling dealer?)

$25,999

Seller's Description​

LIFETIME TRANSFERABLE FREE supercharging.Beautiful 2014 Model S. 1 Owner. Bought brand new in 2014. New Michelin tires, center screen replaced last year. Smooth air suspension, everything has been beautifully maintained on this car. Brand new Drive Unit installed by Tesla service center with 4 year 50,000 mile warranty in June. $6,000 fix done for you. Tesla service center said the Battery health is above par for this year and miles. Very low degradation on the battery.. less than 5%. This car was rarely supercharged even though it is free. $29,999. This is the prettiest Tesla I’ve owned. (NEW PRICE 25,999)

There's a risk of expensive repairs when buying a used car either gasoline or EV.

The potential problem with free Supercharging transfer is: You are at the mercy of Tesla. Tesla might give you excuses why it's not transferred.

 

[ucmndd]

The potential problem with free Supercharging transfer is: You are at the mercy of Tesla. Tesla might give you excuses why it's not transferred.

There is zero risk with a one-owner 2014 car. Free Supercharging will transfer automatically and without drama.

There’s plenty of other risk with a 2014 Model S. Given the high propensity for battery failure on these early cars I don’t think I’d buy one today at almost any price.

How many miles on this thing? $26k seems very high to me for a 2014.

 

[Tam]

There is zero risk with a one-owner 2014 car. Free Supercharging will transfer automatically and without drama.

Last month, there's a 2016 Model S with SC01 ensured the Free Supercharging transfer in a private sale, but Tesla said that free supercharging only lasts 6 years:

SC01 changed to time-based which removed FUSC

Hi, I recently picked up a 2016 Model S for my parents with FUSC, however; upon transferring it got switched to pay as you go. We confirmed it with the original owner that on their account is a SC01 and confirmed in the history that it has never got in Tesla's hands. I called up Tesla and they...

teslamotorsclub.com

 

[PCMc]

I think the biggest risk for @bls72bmw is knowing the full details of how this "1 Owner. Bought brand new in 2014." car came to be in the hands of a dealer and now for sale. If they are selling it on consignment with the car still owned and titled in this original owners name and Tesla Owners account, then I would agree with @ucmndd that the risk of SC01 free supercharging being lost is low (I'd never say zero risk, but that's just me).

Now, if you it came into the dealerships hands via some other means, such as purchase at auction, then all bets are off. That's what I'd say needs to be fully researched and documented.

Now the other thing I personally would want to understand is the details behind the screen replacement. Is that alluding to MCU2 upgrade having been done, or was just the screen replaced but it's still the original MCU1 setup? If it's been upgraded to MCU2, then that could be argued as adding somewhere around $1500 to the value of the car.

Just my two cents. Good luck on the purchase decision.

 

[brainhouston]

Last month, there's a 2016 Model S with SC01 ensured the Free Supercharging transfer in a private sale, but Tesla said that free supercharging only lasts 6 years:

SC01 changed to time-based which removed FUSC

Hi, I recently picked up a 2016 Model S for my parents with FUSC, however; upon transferring it got switched to pay as you go. We confirmed it with the original owner that on their account is a SC01 and confirmed in the history that it has never got in Tesla's hands. I called up Tesla and they...

teslamotorsclub.com

did u read that full thread?..
its all explained there what happened

OP, best 100% way to check is to get SC01 code from owners account
Without that, its all a gamble...

Getting app access takes like 5min after submitting pics n changing car name so u could ask seller to do that all on the spot in front of SC before finalizing purchase...

 

[Tam]

did u read that full thread?..
its all explained there what happened

Yes. In the end, he accepted his loss although his mom urged him to keep fighting back to get his Free Supercharging back.

 

[brainhouston]

Yes. In the end, he accepted his loss although his mom urged him to keep fighting back to get his Free Supercharging back.

pretty sure there hasn't been a single case of getting FUSC back.
once its gone, its gone forever..
his beef is with seller who clearly misrepresented the car n took advantage of Teslas offer at that time

Tesla actually did pretty smart move to eliminate majority of FUSC cars with trading that feature for new car with 6yrs of SC
Many ppl didn't want to let it go but also didn't want to get stuck with old car/tech...
I see a lot of pre 2016 cars on auctions with stripped FUSC/Premium connectivity, so that strategy clearly worked in Teslas favor...

 

[ucmndd]

Last month, there's a 2016 Model S with SC01 ensured the Free Supercharging transfer in a private sale, but Tesla said that free supercharging only lasts 6 years:

That’s not at all what happened in that thread. The buyer got scammed by the owner who misrepresented the features of the car.

 

[ucmndd]

I think the biggest risk for @bls72bmw is knowing the full details of how this "1 Owner. Bought brand new in 2014." car came to be in the hands of a dealer and now for sale. If they are selling it on consignment with the car still owned and titled in this original owners name and Tesla Owners account, then I would agree with @ucmndd that the risk of SC01 free supercharging being lost is low (I'd never say zero risk, but that's just me).

Now, if you it came into the dealerships hands via some other means, such as purchase at auction, then all bets are off. That's what I'd say needs to be fully researched and documented.

Agree with all this if the car is actually being sold by a dealer. I read the post as the car was being sold directly BY the original owner.

 

[jjrandorin]

Agree with all this if the car is actually being sold by a dealer. I read the post as the car was being sold directly BY the original owner.

The OPs post read like it was at a "corner used car lot" to me:

here is what I "think" i know. It' from one of those 'big jim's used car bonanza places...."

 

[ucmndd]

The OPs post read like it was at a "corner used car lot" to me:

Yup, totally missed that. Thanks. In that case I would definitely be more skeptical.

 

[Tam]

Yup, totally missed that. Thanks. In that case I would definitely be more skeptical.

That thread never implied a non-private sale:

"We confirmed it with the original owner that on their account is a SC01 and confirmed in the history that it has never got in Tesla's hands."

It's the original owner's word against Tesla's explanation. Tesla never said it was a non-private sale: it explained the original owner gave up the unlimited for a time-limited Supercharging and the time had passed by the time that second owner registered.

 

[Darmie]

It sounds like a good deal but never trust a use car salesman. Most used cars are sold as is and most people will take a car to a mechanic to have it evaluated.
See if a local Tesla Service Center would have a moment to do that for you and bring them some donuts or breakfast kolaches. I understand taking advantage of the depreciation.
I know you're looking at the Model S but, my humble opinion would be to purchase a standard model 3 which is at a great price point with the latest technically along with a fresh battery. If you qualify, you would also receive the $7,500 tax credit too.

 

[supergeek]

I'd recommend watching Rich Rebuild's video on inspecting a used Tesla. Saved us a bunch of worry buying our 2014 S.

That price is a little high for that car, but in the right ballpark. I think you can offer $20k and haggle them to about $22k. If that air suspension hasn't been replaced it'll need fixing soon. MCU2 and the drive unit replacements are both musts, so it's nice that those have been done. Ask how many door handles have been replaced, etc.

I wouldn't worry much about the battery. If it hasn't broken yet it's probably good for the long term. Those batteries used to break more, but in 2019 the charge curve was updated to be slower and easier on the power electronics in the pack.

We own a 2014 car with a lot more miles, so here's some unsolicited expectation setting:
Pros: the car drives way smoother than a 3/Y and has more space. Having normal door handles, a normal key, and an instrument cluster is great.
Cons: The car phantom drains a lot, about 5-10 miles a day, and supercharges way slower than a 3/Y. This makes it a super commuter car, but a pretty bad road trip vehicle. Unless you have no home charging and are regularly at a location with a supercharger for 1 hour you're not going to get a ton of use out of the free supercharging.
The car is also going to have some rattles. The interior build quality is a lot better in newer cars.

 

[howardc64]

Brand new Drive Unit installed by Tesla service center with 4 year 50,000 mile warranty in June. $6,000 fix done for you. Tesla service center said the Battery health is above par for this year and miles. Very low degradation on the battery.. less than 5%.

The Large Drive Unit (LDU) is almost certainly remanufactured which seems to not very long (tech at local SC near me confirm that what he sees as well besides our limited statistics on the forums) But not much you can do about it anyways, probably most older MS ($25k price points) are now on reman LDU.

If any Tesla owner near you have ScanMyTesla and dongle, ask to help plug into the car and snoop battery pack info. Look for imbalance. % of DC charging etc. SC can also pull up the battery stats via their tools. Don't know if SC do anything such as a purchase inspection. Can also take a peek under the car just behind passenger front tire for the HV battery sticker. If it has Rn at the end. Its remanufactured. n = number of time remanufactured. TXX (XX = year of first manufacturing) Forum members recently have reported poor reman battery quality (high imbalance, high DC charge % - 50%) But yes, this inspection effort is more involved and need special tools and probably in the realm of enthusiasts/DIYers.

 

[cucubits]

Is free supercharging really worth that much here to take a risk of buying from a used car dealer? I don't see FUSC adding too much value to an old Model S. With its rather small range, it clearly won't be a roadtrip car (at least not a very efficient one) and if used a lot in a city, supercharing all the time is also not a great idea. Indeed, free is less than charging at home, but would it really save that much?

 

[Darmie]

Is free supercharging really worth that much here to take a risk of buying from a used car dealer? I don't see FUSC adding too much value to an old Model S. With its rather small range, it clearly won't be a roadtrip car (at least not a very efficient one) and if used a lot in a city, supercharing all the time is also not a great idea. Indeed, free is less than charging at home, but would it really save that much?

We just replaced our 2018 MX with close to 93,000 miles. Teslafi shows we added 13,498kWh at S/C's. If you were to use .32 cents that would be aprox $4,320 in 5 years or $850 per year. I'm sure some charge more and some charge less but that's what free supercharging would have been valued for us.

 

[bls72bmw]

Darmie, that is super helpful, that long term data. Thanks for taking the time to post!

 

[CarlW]

There is zero risk with a one-owner 2014 car. Free Supercharging will transfer automatically and without drama.

There’s plenty of other risk with a 2014 Model S. Given the high propensity for battery failure on these early cars I don’t think I’d buy one today at almost any price.

How many miles on this thing? $26k seems very high to me for a 2014.

I have a 2014 Model S 85D that I'm selling as I have a new MY on order. A Tesla rep just told me that Tesla no longer honors transfer of my lifetime free Supercharging to a new owner. I immediately stripped it from my ad to sell the car. Does anyone know what is going on? Wa

There is zero risk with a one-owner 2014 car. Free Supercharging will transfer automatically and without drama.

There’s plenty of other risk with a 2014 Model S. Given the high propensity for battery failure on these early cars I don’t think I’d buy one today at almost any price.

How many miles on this thing? $26k seems very high to me for a 2014.

I own a 2014 Model S with free lifetime Supercharging that I'm trying to sell as I have a new Y on order. A Tesla rep on their toll free line just told me that I cannot transfer the free lifetime Supercharging to a new owner. WTF? Is this rep uninformed? Can Tesla get away with this?