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Looking to by Model S (our first Tesla)! Advice/leads?

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Hello everyone,

My husband and I are looking to buy our first Tesla. We live in the LA area and need to be in the under $45k zone. Any suggestions on what we should be looking for? Would like AP1 and would love 85 battery...is that realistic in our price range? If we had to pick one or the other, would rather have AP and 60 battery.

Thanks in advance for the help!!
 
Actually I just finished a week in a 2013 Model S 85, my S85D was in for steering column problems. I want to reassure you that the RWD with Pirelli winters up a steep hill in two inches of snow no problem. Also on dry pavement any car nut will appreciate the oversteer that puts the car right into the turn. Never did I feel out of control, perfect weight distribution helps a lot.

I would have the 85 battery over the AP for sure.

Don't be shy to buy from Tesla owners, most ruffians follow the herd, so when they get into money they will go for the 100k Caddy/Lincoln/Euro guzzler ICE.

NEVER let your heart do the thinking, ask a lot and keep your guard up. Remember, you are not buying, but are in the process of buying, so a few months spent browsing befpre bedtime missing one or two good deals will educate on how to get the best results.

Gute Jag!
 
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Hello everyone! Thank you for all the advice.

I have access to a 2013 S 60 locally. 36k miles for $39k. Supercharging for life enabled. We are going to see the car today. I'd appreciate any insight as to whether this is a good deal (seems like it to me!) or anything we should look out for.
 
New here. Great reading here. We are also looking for aTesla. Have one on order, but we live in Vermont, so I don't expect to hear for a while. Darn. How do I recognize battery degeneration? Are there visible signs? Sorry, 'newbe' here, I need to learn about these cars before i buy one.Thanks.
 
Others would know more details, but early cars suffered from door hand, screens, battery and drive units failures. Look for those to have been replaced. A door handle repair costs thousands. Cars with an existing warranty and less than 50k miles might qualify for an Extended Service Agreement of 2yrs/$2600 or 4yrs/$4750.f I believe that if the car was ever purchased from a dealer would be one disqualification. Most people are looking for a warranty, so resale drops quickly on older cars. Check the kbb.com value for the car and then recheck the value for a 2012 and 2014 model. Might give you some insight into the value one year from now.
 
Others would know more details, but early cars suffered from door hand, screens, battery and drive units failures. Look for those to have been replaced. A door handle repair costs thousands. Cars with an existing warranty and less than 50k miles might qualify for an Extended Service Agreement of 2yrs/$2600 or 4yrs/$4750.f I believe that if the car was ever purchased from a dealer would be one disqualification. Most people are looking for a warranty, so resale drops quickly on older cars. Check the kbb.com value for the car and then recheck the value for a 2012 and 2014 model. Might give you some insight into the value one year from now.
I thought they fixed the door handle problem with gen 3 door handles? Unless those are only available on 2016 and up? And even then I thought Tesla repairs older Tesla's by replacing the components with up to date components?
 
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