Looking for CPO - Any Advice?

[thegooch49]

Hello, I'm wanting to pull the trigger on a pre-owned CPO Model S. I'm on a somewhat tight budget (I must stay under $45K), and was hoping to get some advice from anyone who has made a CPO purchase, is familiar with high mile model S, and is familiar with the earlier builds. My goal is to make a really narrow search criteria, feed it into ev-cpo, and be ready to pull the trigger as soon as the perfect car comes up. In order to dial in my criteria, I was hoping to sort out a couple of questions to get started.

-Should I avoid early build 2012's? I really only have anecdotal info here, but I read the early 2012 Model S has some minor fit and finish imperfections. Is there anything wrong with the early build 2012? They seem to be way cheaper than any of the 2013 and newer.

-Along the lines of my first question, are the VIN's sequential? Again, this is anecdotal, but I've read to avoid the first couple thousand 2012 (again, fit and finish). How would I avoid the first couple 1000?

-Since I'm tight on budget, I'll probably end up with a CPO with the 2-year 100,000 odometer warranty. So I can get the best bang for my buck, I'm aiming for a car with around 60,000 miles on it (that would give me 2 full years, I wouldn't drive more than 20K/yr). Any holes here in my plan?

-Again, due to budget, I may end up with a 60kWh car. It seems that the 85's have a better Drive Unit and Battery warranty. The 85's get an 8-year unlimited miles warranty, and a 60 would get 8 years 125K mile. It's safe to say that I'd hit 8 years before I hit 125K miles basing my buy in at 70,000. With all that said, I think a 60 more than fits the bill for my use.

Those are my major questions, any help would be much appreciated. I'm new to the Model S, so I may be mis-informed on some of this stuff. I really just want to cast a very small net on ev-cpo so I can be ready to jump immediately. If anyone has been in the same boat as me, and has any tips, I'm all ears!

 

[RichardD]

I like this one for the budget.
85 kWh Model S 5YJSA1CN4CFP02492 | Tesla

It has the 2 year 100k warranty and only had 21k miles.. with the suspension and upgraded radio. It also has the upgraded roof.

But for the money this would be my choice:
85 kWh Signature Performance Model S 5YJSA1DP8CFS00925 | Tesla

Best of luck.. Fit and finish shouldn't be an issue with a CPO.

 

[thegooch49]

Thanks for the reply! Both of those came up on my search, and look awesome. I kinda like this one, which also has the glass roof and air suspension. I'm in Portland, OR, so this has a $0 delivery fee attached to it. I LOVE this color too.

2012 w/ 28,069 miles in Bellevue Washington

 

[HankLloydRight]

I don't have any experience with cars with VINs < 15000, but my July 2013 P85+ was a well built car. I sold it this year to someone on Arizona (he drove it back home cross-country) -- the car had 43,000 miles on it, and while the fit and finish didn't match the P85D (Vin 65xxx) or later cars which are even better, the P85+ was still a great car - no real quality issues to mention. The buyer was very happy with it. So I'd say from what I know, anything built near or after that are probably decent cars on a budget.

 

[HankLloydRight]

My goal is to make a really narrow search criteria, feed it into ev-cpo, and be ready to pull the trigger as soon as the perfect car comes up.

I would suggest simply setting an alert for all CPO cars under $45k, and then evaluating each one as they are listed. You never know what narrow criteria you may put in disqualifies a car you might actually buy. Good Luck!

 

[thegooch49]

I would suggest simply setting an alert for all CPO cars under $45k, and then evaluating each one as they are listed. You never know what narrow criteria you may put in disqualifies a car you might actually buy. Good Luck!

Thank you! I love ev-cpo BTW....fantastic tool. I'll be sure to kick some subscription money your way.

 

[RichardD]

Thanks for the reply! Both of those came up on my search, and look awesome. I kinda like this one, which also has the glass roof and air suspension. I'm in Portland, OR, so this has a $0 delivery fee attached to it. I LOVE this color too.

2012 w/ 28,069 miles in Bellevue Washington

thats a nice car too.. I still like the P85, i had one as a loaner and loved every minute of it..

 

[Nick B]

As far as tesla's go the most recent the better but I wouldn't be worried about buying an older tesla. Do they only offer the 2 year 100k warranty on older models now? The 4 year 80k would make more sense for you.

I'm very satisfied with my CPO bought 2014 P85+.

Edit: those are the warranties we get in Canada and they are in km's

 

[thegooch49]

As far as tesla's go the most recent the better but I wouldn't be worried about buying an older tesla. Do they only offer the 2 year 100k warranty on older models now? The 4 year 80k would make more sense for you.

I'm very satisfied with my CPO bought 2014 P85+.

My used car buying strategy has always been to get the newest car possible w/ the lowest miles on the odometer. With my budget, I'm more or less forced to get an older car, or one with high miles. I would definitely want the full two years to 100K, so I wouldn't want a car with say 90K miles on it. The CPOs currently either have 2-year 100K odometer, or 4-year 50K mile warranty. I have yet to see a 2012 w/ the 4-year. Most 2013's are 2 year, but there are some with the 4.

 

[thegooch49]

Have you guys ever seen pricing errors on Tesla's website? Or possibly price errors in ev-cpo? Looking at archived sales, there are some crazy outliers......

Examples:
2012 P85 51K miles 4-year 50K warranty, dual chargers, Air Suspension, Upgraded audio was $30,500
2012 P85 48K miles 4-year 50K warranty, dual chargers, Air Suspension, Upgraded audio, Glass Roof, 21" Turbines was $35,000

Are these unicorn cars, that go immediately? Purchased by Tesla employees, before any of the public truly gets a chance to buy them? Or are these cars out there, and you just gotta be ready to pull the trigger quick?

 

[Nick B]

Have you guys ever seen pricing errors on Tesla's website? Or possibly price errors in ev-cpo? Looking at archived sales, there are some crazy outliers......

Examples:
2012 P85 51K miles 4-year 50K warranty, dual chargers, Air Suspension, Upgraded audio was $30,500
2012 P85 48K miles 4-year 50K warranty, dual chargers, Air Suspension, Upgraded audio, Glass Roof, 21" Turbines was $35,000

Are these unicorn cars, that go immediately? Purchased by Tesla employees, before any of the public truly gets a chance to buy them? Or are these cars out there, and you just gotta be ready to pull the trigger quick?

You'd have to verify with Tesla but I would really doubt that a 2012 would have such a low price. Seems more like an error to me. Could it be possible that they were salvaged cars?

 

[Lifeinabox]

I just picked up a 2012 P85 CPO (VIN mid -000s) and had all the same concerns you did. I love my car and don't regret the decision especially for the price! A few thoughts:

-Any of the common issues with 2012s (drive unit, door handles) presumably have been fixed under warranty by the previous owner or through the reconditioning process. The drive unit on mine was replaced last year under warranty, so that gives me peace of mind. The car so far (knock on wood) is solid as a rock and looks and drives new.

-I prioritized battery range and so quickly ruled out the 60 and focused solely on 85s (and eventually P85s). Mine charges to a max 255, which is pretty darn good for a 5 year old battery. I was worried the 60 would drop below 200 miles, which is my anxiety threshold.

-I targeted 50k or less mileage and mine ended up at 47k. I've seen some in your price range as low as 30k so I'd lower your mileage target.

 

[BoerumHill]

Have you guys ever seen pricing errors on Tesla's website? Or possibly price errors in ev-cpo? Looking at archived sales, there are some crazy outliers......

Examples:
2012 P85 51K miles 4-year 50K warranty, dual chargers, Air Suspension, Upgraded audio was $30,500
2012 P85 48K miles 4-year 50K warranty, dual chargers, Air Suspension, Upgraded audio, Glass Roof, 21" Turbines was $35,000

Are these unicorn cars, that go immediately? Purchased by Tesla employees, before any of the public truly gets a chance to buy them? Or are these cars out there, and you just gotta be ready to pull the trigger quick?

Real cars, they go within minutes. HLR will have to confirm but I believe there have been at least two under $30K.

 

[thegooch49]

You'd have to verify with Tesla but I would really doubt that a 2012 would have such a low price. Seems more like an error to me. Could it be possible that they were salvaged cars?

Hard to say, but I doubt any automaker would do a CPO for a salvaged car......

 

[Chaserr]

Call your local Tesla Store and ask to talk with a CPO Sales Advisor. They get access to cars in the system before they can be scraped by EV-CPO, so that can give you an edge on people who only rely on the website Stay on the website searching as well, in case your Advisor falls asleep at the wheel, but definitely give them a call.

Really, my recommendation is to list everything you need the car to have, then everything you want the car to have, and your budget. When those circles overlap, you look at buying the cars that fit your criteria. Wait long enough and you should be able to get a needs + wants car in your budget. It shouldn't be too tough, the cars are dropping over time and many are already in budget, so hold out for the right P f you want. Mostly, watch for 50K is miles or less, as that seems to be the warranty cutoff for how long the CPO coverage goes. Also ask about extended warranty, I don't know if CPO does it but that might bring peace of mind. Also verify any car you look up has supercharging enabled, and has the 8 year unlimited mile powertrain warranty, as earlier cars may not have those things.

Hold out for a Performance model, they're in your range and imho worth every penny. But don't sacrifice your wants & needs if it comes to P over things like tech package or pano roof, the slowest Tesla still hauls rear end just fine!

 

[thegooch49]

Real cars, they go within minutes. HLR will have to confirm but I believe there have been at least two under $30K.

Yes, there have been a few sub $30K. But the last one had 98,942 miles on it. That means the CPO warrantee (2-years 100K) would last you the trip home from the depot.

 

[stan23]

When I took delivery of my car, someone was picking up their CPO S40 they scored for 20K.

 

[thegooch49]

Call your local Tesla Store and ask to talk with a CPO Sales Advisor. They get access to cars in the system before they can be scraped by EV-CPO, so that can give you an edge on people who only rely on the website Stay on the website searching as well, in case your Advisor falls asleep at the wheel, but definitely give them a call.

Really, my recommendation is to list everything you need the car to have, then everything you want the car to have, and your budget. When those circles overlap, you look at buying the cars that fit your criteria. Wait long enough and you should be able to get a needs + wants car in your budget. It shouldn't be too tough, the cars are dropping over time and many are already in budget, so hold out for the right P f you want. Mostly, watch for 50K is miles or less, as that seems to be the warranty cutoff for how long the CPO coverage goes. Also ask about extended warranty, I don't know if CPO does it but that might bring peace of mind. Also verify any car you look up has supercharging enabled, and has the 8 year unlimited mile powertrain warranty, as earlier cars may not have those things.

Hold out for a Performance model, they're in your range and imho worth every penny. But don't sacrifice your wants & needs if it comes to P over things like tech package or pano roof, the slowest Tesla still hauls rear end jsut fine!

Awesome advice, thanks for the tips. I actually called the 1-800 from the website two days ago. The person I spoke with, was passing my info on to a CPO advisor. I haven't heard anything since. That's a little odd, usually once a potential buyer shows even the slightest interest, they beat down your door immediately. I totally get that Tesla does things a bit differently though.

I think hitting the local Tesla Store and getting some face to face is the way to go. That way we can feel eachother out a bit, and see if we can get the right fit.

 

[stan23]

By far, the best strategy to scoring a CPO is getting an adviser assigned to you. They also have a list of scratch and dent cars (repaired cars that may or may not have carfax history) They discount those significantly. I found one that had the front bumper cover repainted and they dropped the market price by 10K.

 

[RichardD]

My CPO advisor was great, in fact I still chat with him. He got a great letter from Fremont for the my interaction. Give him a call:
Brent Seavey
847-579-0028 ext 72102
[email protected]
his cell:
630-849-4233

Very responsive and all around a great guy.