There have been various discussions here and elsewhere regarding ways to value used Tealas to buy or sell/trade. Traditional guides like KBB, NADA, Edmunds, Blackbook, etc. don't necessarily reflect the Tesla market right now and I wonder if they are ever going to be a reasonable source to value Teslas even if/when the brand grows given how Tesla doesn't follow the model year formula.
Up to now it hasn't been an issue (the new nose facelift on the Model S was relatively minor) but If Tesla does any sort of major redesigns or overhauls during a calendar year, both cars will carry the same 'model year' which makes it more difficult for guides (and data used by those guides) to distinguish between an 'old' Model S and an 'all-new' Model S.
Adding options/features during the year is not an issue, that happens with many cars already, but major redesigns without changes to the year can complicate things for appraisals with price guides or other sources. Looking at auction results, price guides, etc., traditional ways cars are appraised at dealerships, insurance companies, and elsewhere, won't work well with Teslas if/when two same year models may be completely different in style, platform, desirability, etc.
I think this is always going to be a potential factor for Tesla valuations and style/cosmetic identification unless the company only does major redesign releases on/around January 1st or perhaps modifies the model name with each major redesign e.g. Model S 2.0, Model S 3.0, etc. Anything to better distinguish two 'very different' cars from each other if it's not going to be model years.
Thoughts?
Up to now it hasn't been an issue (the new nose facelift on the Model S was relatively minor) but If Tesla does any sort of major redesigns or overhauls during a calendar year, both cars will carry the same 'model year' which makes it more difficult for guides (and data used by those guides) to distinguish between an 'old' Model S and an 'all-new' Model S.
Adding options/features during the year is not an issue, that happens with many cars already, but major redesigns without changes to the year can complicate things for appraisals with price guides or other sources. Looking at auction results, price guides, etc., traditional ways cars are appraised at dealerships, insurance companies, and elsewhere, won't work well with Teslas if/when two same year models may be completely different in style, platform, desirability, etc.
I think this is always going to be a potential factor for Tesla valuations and style/cosmetic identification unless the company only does major redesign releases on/around January 1st or perhaps modifies the model name with each major redesign e.g. Model S 2.0, Model S 3.0, etc. Anything to better distinguish two 'very different' cars from each other if it's not going to be model years.
Thoughts?
