How to sell a Tesla Model S?

[Mangmm62]

Where does one go to sell a Tesla? The dealers aren’t taking them.

 

[Ostrichsak]

Where does one go to sell a Tesla? The dealers aren’t taking them.

Sounds like you talked to a dealership run by idiots. Teslas have always been hot ticket items at dealerships being as it's one of the quickest growing segments in vehicles which has only been magnified by the shortage of production. If you found one dealership that doesn't want it, move along because 9 more will be more than happy to give you top dollar.

That said, I never ever trade a vehicle in because you cost yourself literally thousands to make life slightly easier. I get that in many instances some aren't equipped with the ability or time to sell themselves but if you are, there are far too many options these days to sell a car. Craigslist, is $5 each time you post/renew it, Autotrader is $50 until it sells if you renew it every 30 days, NextDoor and Facebook Marketplace are free. Create one listing, copy/paste across all of them and then sit back and wait to sort out the tire kickers and low-ballers. Avoid this forum's Marketplace like the plague unless you want 5 people to tell you that you should be selling it for $17.37 because they once saw a car sell for that so it HAD to be a legitimate deal and makes them an expert on the price YOU should take for YOUR item. That's another topic entirely.

tl;dr Find another dealership (or four to get the best price) or sell it yourself to put thousands in your pocket. Easy ROI to learn that skill.

 

[2101Guy]

Where does one go to sell a Tesla? The dealers aren’t taking them.

Carvana, Vroom, Carmax

Or like suggested above? Sell yourself via Craigslist

 

[Zishan]

I've had good luck selling my car, my dad's, and a friend that passed away....2 of his cars- using CarGurus.com. It's only costs like $5-6 bucks if I recall correctly.

 

[JimmyB]

Second vote for CarGurus. That’s where I found mine; it seems to appeal more to genuine buyers and sellers than the timewasters and scammers on Craigslist.

 

[2101Guy]

also, Im guessing (with no real basis, to be transparent) that there may be additional financial benefit in selling a Tesla with FSD, privately, as the FSD will definitely transfer to the buyer, thus, the FSD has added value on that vehicle.

Im not seeing any Teslas being sold by Vroom, Carvana, Carmax, etc being listed as with FSD. Not sure if that means the cars just never had FSD? Or dealers have gotten burned by advertising them with FSD, then Tesla yanking FSD weeks later, and the buyer coming back to the dealers wanting answers/restitution.

 

[Zishan]

Excellent point. FSD has been reportedly taken away once the car is sold through a dealership. And typically selling privately gets you the seller, the most money.

Carvana, Vroom, etc....bank on convenience and easy of transaction. Which is also a good thing....

also, Im guessing (with no real basis, to be transparent) that there may be additional financial benefit in selling a Tesla with FSD, privately, as the FSD will definitely transfer to the buyer, thus, the FSD has added value on that vehicle.

Im not seeing any Teslas being sold by Vroom, Carvana, Carmax, etc being listed as with FSD. Not sure if that means the cars just never had FSD? Or dealers have gotten burned by advertising them with FSD, then Tesla yanking FSD weeks later, and the buyer coming back to the dealers wanting answers/restitution.

 

[JimmyB]

Two further thoughts:

- Some on here have had good success with Tred, although others have not. It certainly claims to make the process easy for both buyer and seller, albeit for a price.
- carsandbids.com carries Teslas fairly frequently. I’m in the process of setting up an auction with them for another vehicle I own, and the process so far has been smooth.

 

[roblab]

Where does one go to sell a Tesla? The dealers aren’t taking them.

The way you sell is to price your product so it sells. If you price it too high, it won't sell, but if you price it right you won't be looking for a buyer. I've sold three Teslas, none of them to a "dealer". The first one I advertised on this forum and it sold in four hours. The second one I sold to my brother, who decided to buy in about five minutes. The third went to a friend who'd been wanting to buy mine for a year. The problem is that you want more for your car than the market is willing to pay, simple as that. I sell my cars at a price I'd want to buy at, and if that's lower than some might charge, I figure the more cars out there, the faster Tesla grows and the more EVs are on the road. It all depends on what your goal is.

 

[2101Guy]

onlyusedtesla.com also appears to be a popular place to buy/sell

 

[Sbaimo]

Maybe put a FOR SALE sign on it. You never know. Personally I like Carvana

 

[JamesAllen]

eBay, I've bought and sold several cars for top dollar. Just be sure to pay someone a few bucks to take high quality images of your car and write detailed description that talks about every aspect of the vehicle (good and bad).

 

[Jpandes]

also, Im guessing (with no real basis, to be transparent) that there may be additional financial benefit in selling a Tesla with FSD, privately, as the FSD will definitely transfer to the buyer, thus, the FSD has added value on that vehicle.

Im not seeing any Teslas being sold by Vroom, Carvana, Carmax, etc being listed as with FSD. Not sure if that means the cars just never had FSD? Or dealers have gotten burned by advertising them with FSD, then Tesla yanking FSD weeks later, and the buyer coming back to the dealers wanting answers/restitution.

These sellers also seem to be selling P100D's without Ludicrous mode enabled.