Keep or trade up?

[eyedrop]

I bought a CPO 2014 P85D back in Feb 2018 for $72k OTD. Ive put 20k miles on it (I drive alot). Car has 65k miles right now, runs out at 90k.

I've taken a massive depreciation hit in just a year. Now you see some full warranty CPO P85D in the high 40s??? (Scratches head...)

I've been through 5 door handles, an MCU, window regulator, tons of fit and finish issues, bad security module, and a replaced rear DU. All in just a year. All things fixed by local service which in my experience is almost always great in Scottsdale AZ.

I've checked out the other luxury brands and models, including X and 3. But nothing does it for me quite like the Model S. It's the combo of space, performance, luxury, practicality, etc... The Model S really is truly a special thing to me.

My delima:
I'm afraid that my warranty will soon run out within a year (big plans this year), and im afraid I'll be paying thousands a year to keep fixing dumb stuff like door handles and MCUs.

I normally wouldn't mind turning my own wrenches, but the SC is still needed for programming software for hardware replacements, I believe. How far along is the DIY repair community?

Literally the only thing I don't like about mine is the fit and finish. New Tesla's are alot better, but I'm not gonna just go buy the same 7 year old car if I already have one. I've actually been attacking my older car with foam and dynamat to help.

I've been hearing rumors of an S refresh. I may or may not like it. And I will probably wait a year after it comes out to actually buy one. Meanwhile my CPO warranty is long gone...

What would you do in my situation? Trade up for a random Leaf, Audi, ipace, etc? I simply need a decent size hatch but don't want an SUV or crossover.

Thinking about just keeping mine and footing repair bills when it comes time since I've already taken such a hit on depreciation. Might make the most sense, especially considering the car is otherwise perfect for me.

 

[FURY]

Hi Eyes!

If they replaced the door handles with the current version, the longevity should be fine, AFAWK, at this time, which may be of help to you...

Not sure about drive institution. My 85S just had a drive unit replacement and I couldn't get a clear answer on whether the "appropriate unit for your car" is the most current drive unit, vs. older vs. rehab...

Thank you very much

FURY

 

[P85_DA]

I would keep and wait for possible refresh ..I had early VIN 62k P85D and drove to 70k miles only thing did to car was change tires a few times ...the P85D was a good car so odd to see that u are having lot of issues

 

[eyedrop]

Hi Eyes!

If they replaced the door handles with the current version, the longevity should be fine, AFAWK, at this time, which may be of help to you...

Not sure about drive institution. My 85S just had a drive unit replacement and I couldn't get a clear answer on whether the "appropriate unit for your car" is the most current drive unit, vs. older vs. rehab...

Thank you very much

FURY

That's actually very good to know as the door handles of course are most common problem with these cars. Another good bit of news is supposed confirmed MCU2 retrofit?

To be clear, my DU was replaced because of a top speed issue and not outright failure.

 

[abasile]

Thinking about just keeping mine and footing repair bills when it comes time since I've already taken such a hit on depreciation. Might make the most sense, especially considering the car is otherwise perfect for me.

We're keeping our 2012 Model S 85, and it's up to almost 150K miles. The battery and drive unit continue to be covered under warranty, and the car has been very economical to drive lots of miles, so I'm not worried about comparatively minor repairs.

My guess is that, going forward, the depreciation won't be as bad as it's been during the last year. Over the last 12 months, the Model 3 has cannibalized some Model S sales, and more recently, there've been significant price reductions on the S. The situation has probably more or less stabilized.

In my opinion, the biggest reasons to upgrade would be for Autopilot and more range. For us, Autopilot still doesn't work so well on two lane mountain roads, so it would be mainly for road trips, but it's not like we're road tripping all the time. Range-wise, 250 miles is still quite usable.

 

[eyedrop]

Performance wise, the only upgrade I would care about is higher Supercharging speed and more locations.

I could give a rats ass about range, or the phantom braking autopilot (won't bother until FSD is matured). I'll gladly pay less for a lighter car with less range. As long as I can charge it super fast, at most convenience store locations.