Looking to possibly buy a 21/22 Model S. Worried there are so many being sold with low miles

[Propofoln]

Looking to move from my 2018 Porsche Panamera Turbo S to a used Plaid or LR. I am getting worried reading about steering column vibration and suspension issues. Then I see there a ton of lightly used Model S’s for sale. Should I be looking away for the time being? I really liked the test drive iof the MSLR and the plaid.

 

[ucmndd]

There are certainly some issues to look out for but I think what you’re seeing in the used market right now is people cashing in on the price increases and market craziness vs. dumping cars that are problematic.

 

[roblab]

Well, I'll say this: I'm not selling my Model S Long Range or my Model 3. Both cars are virtually maintenance free, both are quick and quiet and gorgeous. There are far fewer parts in the drive train, so they are far less likely to have trouble. The only thing is that they're expensive, but you get what you pay for. I can hop in my car and head off for a thousand-mile jaunt with no thought of needing a tune-up or a gas station card. My battery can get filled an any one of hundreds of FREE (for my S) charging stations, and even my 3 can get charged for a fourth of the price of filling a car with gas. My S carried my daughter's family of six AND their luggage -- with room to spare (didn't even use the frunk) -- back from the airport just a couple days ago.

I have experienced ZERO vibration or suspension issues on ANY of the four Teslas I've owned, but I would expect that Tesla would fix any problems WITHOUT COST to me. Of course, any car can have issues. It's the luck of the draw. But I would bet money that the Tesla will have fewer problems than your average Frod or Chebby.

 

[Propofoln]

A lot

There are certainly some issues to look out for but I think what you’re seeing in the used market right now is people cashing in on the price increases and market craziness vs. dumping cars that are problematic.

A lot aren’t dumping to make money. A lot of 2022s I see are selling for order price or under at the dealer meaning the seller lost money on the car with low miles

 

[ucmndd]

A lot


A lot aren’t dumping to make money. A lot of 2022s I see are selling for order price or under at the dealer meaning the seller lost money on the car with low miles

Not necessarily, if they ordered some time ago, before all the price increases…

 

[uscbucsfan]

Looking to move from my 2018 Porsche Panamera Turbo S to a used Plaid or LR. I am getting worried reading about steering column vibration and suspension issues. Then I see there a ton of lightly used Model S’s for sale. Should I be looking away for the time being? I really liked the test drive iof the MSLR and the plaid.

Every model year there's a list of issues with all cars. The Tesla ones seem to get more publicity. If you want a Plaid, I'd go new as there isn't a long wait time and most of the used prices are higher than new.

I had 1 issue with my 2022 where the door handle didn't always open the door. They didn't even try to repair it, just replaced it and sent me on my way with no appointment. The service depends on your closest service center.

 

[glide]

Looking to move from my 2018 Porsche Panamera Turbo S to a used Plaid or LR. I am getting worried reading about steering column vibration and suspension issues. Then I see there a ton of lightly used Model S’s for sale. Should I be looking away for the time being? I really liked the test drive iof the MSLR and the plaid.

You’ll likely be paying a $20-30K premium vs. the original sale price. I paid $79K for my LR and could unload it today for $100K, no questions asked. That’s why a lot of people are selling.

The suspension and vibration issues are also very real. But that’s maybe a different subject.

 

[mswlogo]

Well buying used period is a much larger risk than any of the pending issues.

I doubt most are selling due to any issues. They are either profiting, buyers remorse, wanted a X or different trim. etc.

 

[glide]

A lot


A lot aren’t dumping to make money. A lot of 2022s I see are selling for order price or under at the dealer meaning the seller lost money on the car with low miles

how do you know what others paid for their vehicles? Plenty of ‘22 owners paid $79K for their vehicles. And no one is selling them at a loss in this market.

*Maybe* some Plaid owners are taking a slight loss.

 

[uscbucsfan]

The suspension and vibration issues are also very real. But that’s maybe a different subject.

You say they are "very real"...This provides no context. Is it common? It doesn't appear so. Does it happen? Yes, there are owners who have experienced this.

how do you know what others paid for their vehicles? Plenty of ‘22 owners paid $79K for their vehicles. And no one is selling them at a loss in this market.

*Maybe* some Plaid owners are taking a slight loss.

$79K is such a steal for this car...lol. Only $10k than a MYP.

Crazy.

 

[Propofoln]

Every model year there's a list of issues with all cars. The Tesla ones seem to get more publicity. If you want a Plaid, I'd go new as there isn't a long wait time and most of the used prices are higher than new.

I had 1 issue with my 2022 where the door handle didn't always open the door. They didn't even try to repair it, just replaced it and sent me on my way with no appointment. The service depends on your closest service center.

Looking at 2 Plaids with FSD paid for , cream interior, one is white and one Is blue. Both with 21 arachnids for $126,000. MUCH cheaper than new. One has 9k miles one has 19k

 

[uscbucsfan]

Looking at 2 Plaids with FSD paid for , cream interior, one is white and one Is blue. Both with 21 arachnids for $126,000. MUCH cheaper than new. One has 9k miles one has 19k

Did these come from Tesla or are they at a dealership that purchased from Tesla? I ask because, you may lose FSD if you buy them. They are fine through a private sale. Check the titles, too...make sure they aren't salvage.

 

[mswlogo]

how do you know what others paid for their vehicles? Plenty of ‘22 owners paid $79K for their vehicles. And no one is selling them at a loss in this market.

*Maybe* some Plaid owners are taking a slight loss.

How do you know nobody is selling at a loss. One member claims he lost $40K on his Plaid. Not everyone got their S for $79K. I paid $117.5 with FSD (including tax) for my Refresh LR. Black interior 19” wheels. I’d lose money if I sold it today.

 

[SoCal Buzz]

Looking at 2 Plaids with FSD paid for , cream interior, one is white and one Is blue. Both with 21 arachnids for $126,000. MUCH cheaper than new. One has 9k miles one has 19k

If buying used, you have the benefit of seeing and checking the car beforehand hopefully. There are a few known issues typical of early Tesla model releases. Warranty helps, but Tesla service for things like Plaid vibration can be frustrating.

I would personally avoid… Plaid due to the $ premium, FSD because it’s almost useless, and 21” given the severe wear issues and short lifespan. The LR Refresh with 19” is my best Tesla to date and I love the car (except turn signals and horn ).

People buy cars they cannot afford and/or have changes in their financial circumstances. It’s not surprising to see newer cars for sale (including Porsches and such). Some are flipping for profit and perhaps a few can’t deal with the Yoke.

 

[uscbucsfan]

Saying FSD is almost useless is obviously subjective. I've owned 3 Teslas and wouldn't buy one without it.

 

[r3nd3r]

If buying used, you have the benefit of seeing and checking the car beforehand hopefully. There are a few known issues typical of early Tesla model releases. Warranty helps, but Tesla service for things like Plaid vibration can be frustrating.

I would personally avoid… Plaid due to the $ premium, FSD because it’s almost useless, and 21” given the severe wear issues and short lifespan. The LR Refresh with 19” is my best Tesla to date and I love the car (except turn signals and horn ).

People buy cars they cannot afford and/or have changes in their financial circumstances. It’s not surprising to see newer cars for sale (including Porsches and such). Some are flipping for profit and perhaps a few can’t deal with the Yoke.

i would avoid the 21" arachnids too. not only as you mentioned they have a short lifespan and wear issues... they also provide a much rougher ride than the 19". I can attest to this because I owned both cars, my 21' with 21" arachnids (which i sold), and my 22' with the 19" tempest. tempest ride so smooth and comfortable. arachnids you can feel every bump on the road.

 

[Murtaya]

I guess I'm not too surprised--there are a lot of potential compromises that the newly refreshed Model S requires owners to accept. There's no more 7 day trial period on these, and I have yet to find a place to actually test drive them before buying. As such, a lot of owners are forced to take the plunge and I can personally understand them quickly falling out of love with them for many reasons-

• Driver interface: Yoke, turn signals, horn placement, shifter, everything else behind touchscreen UI....don't need to get into this again, but some will adapt to it over time, and others will not find the point of adapting. Some will even find it gets worse the more you drive.
• Quality: You don't always get what you pay for. Some might get well put together cars, others, not so much...I originally thought I lucked out, but more and more things are coming to light on mine. My detailer mentioned it looked like my brand new car had already had its rear quarter panel repainted (and poorly, at that). I also have the vibration issue on mine. I don't mind it so much; I'm just hoping it doesn't get worse.
• Customer service: I've actively avoided going in based on just what I've heard...maybe it will be a good experience, but it seems that with Tesla's current success and backlog, they're not going to bend over backwards to help you like when they were struggling to sell cars. Not only that, but when a company is selling well, they have less motivation to improve designs, user satisfaction, and any other issues that their users or cars might have.
• Driving experience: A lot of people seem to confuse fast with fun, but when you realize it's the car doing all the driving, these cars can get boring quickly. If you use your car like an appliance, they're fantastic. But if you want an exciting driving experience that you might normally associate a 600-1000hp car with, you can quickly find that these cars leave a lot to be desired (at least if you've ever driven a really fun car). With this car, I no longer find myself going out on drives just for fun anymore, which is disappointing.

Of course, not everybody is going to have the same experiences, but I can totally understand why people might be ditching these cars after a short duration of ownership--moreso than other cars.

 

[Kan-O-Z]

A lot


A lot aren’t dumping to make money. A lot of 2022s I see are selling for order price or under at the dealer meaning the seller lost money on the car with low miles

As an example the Model X long range has gone up $30k. Add to that the wait times on the Model X long range is about 8-10 months if you order new. It's easy to see how some people are making a good bit of money selling "barely used".

 

[Kan-O-Z]

I guess I'm not too surprised--there are a lot of potential compromises that the newly refreshed Model S requires owners to accept. There's no more 7 day trial period on these, and I have yet to find a place to actually test drive them before buying. As such, a lot of owners are forced to take the plunge and I can personally understand them quickly falling out of love with them for many reasons-

• Driver interface: Yoke, turn signals, horn placement, shifter, everything else behind touchscreen UI....don't need to get into this again, but some will adapt to it over time, and others will not find the point of adapting. Some will even find it gets worse the more you drive.
• Quality: You don't always get what you pay for. Some might get well put together cars, others, not so much...I originally thought I lucked out, but more and more things are coming to light on mine. My detailer mentioned it looked like my brand new car had already had its rear quarter panel repainted (and poorly, at that). I also have the vibration issue on mine. I don't mind it so much; I'm just hoping it doesn't get worse.
• Customer service: I've actively avoided going in based on just what I've heard...maybe it will be a good experience, but it seems that with Tesla's current success and backlog, they're not going to bend over backwards to help you like when they were struggling to sell cars. Not only that, but when a company is selling well, they have less motivation to improve designs, user satisfaction, and any other issues that their users or cars might have.
• Driving experience: A lot of people seem to confuse fast with fun, but when you realize it's the car doing all the driving, these cars can get boring quickly. If you use your car like an appliance, they're fantastic. But if you want an exciting driving experience that you might normally associate a 600-1000hp car with, you can quickly find that these cars leave a lot to be desired (at least if you've ever driven a really fun car). With this car, I no longer find myself going out on drives just for fun anymore, which is disappointing.

Of course, not everybody is going to have the same experiences, but I can totally understand why people might be ditching these cars after a short duration of ownership--moreso than other cars.

I really think there are a lot of people trying to make a lot of money. Imagine if you got your car $30k cheaper and now you get to sell it for $30k more than what you bought it for.

The new LR and Plaid are the best cars Tesla has ever put out.

 

[SoCal Buzz]

Saying FSD is almost useless is obviously subjective. I've owned 3 Teslas and wouldn't buy one without it.

That’s true. I had EAP when available and liked auto lane change and simple Summon. So I’ll rephrase and say that FSD is not worth $12 K or even half that IMO.