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Nycdoc

New Member
Jul 2, 2013
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NYC
Hello all Tesla roadster owners, I'm extremely close to buying a Tesla roadster but have a few reservations, Any light you can show this is a great

The roadster I'm looking model 2008 version 1.5

Being the car is five years old main concern for me right now battery

The car only has about 3500 miles on it

What do I need to look for when buying a roaster this old?

all of your advice is greatly appreciated
 
1) Get the owner to show you the ideal miles on a standard charge. Given the age of the car, it should be in the 160-190 range. Upper half of that is better.
2) Make sure it has never been in a serious accident
3) Get the VIN # and post it here. If it has had problems in the past - 50-75% chance we will know.
4) Inspect for the normal used-car things. Strange corrosion, brakes that look and feel OK, shimmies when you drive, etc. If you are really concerned - pay a Tesla service center for a once over.

All that being said - I bought mine sight unseen on Ebay and it's been great. There aren't really any "hidden" things to go wrong.
 
Ask the owner when the warranty runs out or has it run out already (they came with a 5 year warranty but it starts when the car was delivered which may be in 2009).
It should have had annual services every year to maintain that warranty.

Welcome to EV ownership and good luck with your search!
 
With mileage that low the battery should be fine, especially if it was kept in Storage Mode. Check with the owner to see if you can pull the log files for the car. It's easy to do, just create a directory called "VehicleLogs" on a memory stick, insert into the USB port and wait for it to stop copying. If you're able to get the logs we can help you extract Calculated Amp hour Capacity (CAC), brick balance and lifetime charge levels for the battery. If you can't get the logs then the Ideal miles in both Standard Mode and Range Mode is a good proxy for battery health.
 
I don't mean to hijack this thread, but I'm actually close to buying a Roadster 2.0 #501 from Tesla as a certified pre-owned (CPO). It comes with a 3-year warranty that includes the battery. It has 8100 miles and former owner was in Denver per CarFax. I had a 2011 LEAF and now drive a 2012 Volt, have a 6.9 kWh PV system at home, so I'm hooked on EV's.

I've asked about the CAC, service options (there don't appear to be any service stations in Phoenix, AZ yet), and battery replacement options.

Anything else I should ask about or inspect? Again, sorry about the hijack, NYCDoc. It looks like we're in similar situations, though, so good luck!
 
There is a temporary service location with a fairly large staff in Phoenix on W Knudsen Drive while they are still setting up their permanent location now. My #562 Roadster is getting an annual checkup there later this month. If you have questions, I'm sure they could help you.
 
There is a temporary service location with a fairly large staff in Phoenix on W Knudsen Drive while they are still setting up their permanent location now. My #562 Roadster is getting an annual checkup there later this month. If you have questions, I'm sure they could help you.

Thanks for the tip! Is that location along I-17, north of the 101?

CAC on #501 is 156.47. Can someone help me interpret that? I only knew to ask for the value, but I honestly don't know what the range is or what would be expected for a 2010 Roadster with 8100 miles.

One thing I don't like about these CPO Roadsters is the shipping fee is $990 with a doc fee of $180. That's apparently non-negotiable. At least it beats the outrageous $399 doc fee some of these local AZ dealers try to charge, but $990 to ship from Fremont, CA to Phoenix, AZ seems steep. Ah well...

Just an FYI to others looking at CPO Roadsters, I was told that service plans and battery replacement options are "no longer available, but we may make them available again going forward."

I just need to figure out what it's going to cost to insure this car, but I plan on completing this purchase.

I'm looking forward to joining this club!

Question for other AZ owners who may be reading this (again I apologize for thread hijacking - if inappropriate, please let me know and I'll stop and start a new thread), how is your battery holding up in our crazy desert heat? I know the Roadster TMS helps, but the heat sure has done a number on my LEAF battery. My Volt seems to be doing well after 13 months of ownership.
 
A CAC is pretty good - you can look at the Roadster battery survey results here - http://www.pluginamerica.org/surveys/batteries/tesla-roadster/vehicles.php?order=cac

So with a CAC of 156.47, your standard charge will get you about 190 miles and range mode 239 miles which is pretty close to brand new.


Thanks for the tip! Is that location along I-17, north of the 101?

CAC on #501 is 156.47. Can someone help me interpret that? I only knew to ask for the value, but I honestly don't know what the range is or what would be expected for a 2010 Roadster with 8100 miles.
 
I just purchased Roadster #532 as a CPO from Tesla, just waiting for the reconditioning to be done before I can accept delivery. Its a 2010 2.0, with under 12,000 miles. I was allowed to test drive it for over an hour on the highway. I do not know what a CAC is, but I did ask them to charge the car in range mode and provide me with the mile range. Came back at 220 miles of range. While at the Menlo Park service center, I got to meet the technician who reconditions each Tesla Roadster that is purchased, and it appeared to be extremely thorough. They were working on another CPO roadster, and were sending the front bumper to get repainted. They were also going to repair the leather wrapping on the emergency brake. From what I observed, and was told, they go through each CPO roadster pretty well.

If you can, I would definitely consider purchasing a CPO from Tesla rather than a private sale. They come with 37,000 mile / 37 month warranties, but this excludes the battery. With the prices where they are now, its very appealing compared to 4-5 months ago.
 
If you can, I would definitely consider purchasing a CPO from Tesla rather than a private sale. They come with 37,000 mile / 37 month warranties, but this excludes the battery. With the prices where they are now, its very appealing compared to 4-5 months ago.

Congrats!

I'm buying #501 as a CPO and the warranty includes the battery. This may be a recent change. I remember when I first looked at the CPO site, an additional battery warranty for $7500 was mentioned as an option. I asked about that in my initial inquiry and was told the battery warranty was included in the purchase price. I think the current CPO Roadster listings have since been updated to reflect the battery warranty.

In fact, pasted from the website:

Certified Pre-Owned | Tesla Motors

Extended Warranty Included
Every certified pre-owned Roadster comes with a 37 month, 37,000 mile, better-than-new extended warranty that begins the day you take it home. This warranty has the same coverage, including the battery, as the original warranty and is made possible by the proven reliability of the Roadster powertrain, with over 32 million electric miles driven and counting.

- - - Updated - - -

A CAC is pretty good - you can look at the Roadster battery survey results here - http://www.pluginamerica.org/surveys/batteries/tesla-roadster/vehicles.php?order=cac

So with a CAC of 156.47, your standard charge will get you about 190 miles and range mode 239 miles which is pretty close to brand new.

Great!

Thanks for the info and the link!
 
Hi shrink,

You are right, the CPO Roadsters now come with a battery warranty. I started my purchase just before this started. I have the option to add on the battery warranty for $3500. What I was told was that all the CPO Roadster prices were increased by $3500 and had the battery warranty added. I am not sure I will purchase it, especially since 532 already has about 12,000 miles and seems to have great range. I am anxious to pick it up.
 
I purchased CPO #115 I have been waiting a few weeks for delivery. I was told they are backed up getting the 214 point inspection done and that 4 Roadsters were in line in front of me. Do any of you know if they will waive the $990 destination charge if you pickup the car in Fremont?
 
All the CPO Roadsters get reconditioned and prepped for delivery at the Menlo Park Tesla. That is where they were all built, and there is only one person who does the work. Yes, it does take a while. I am supposed to pick mine up at Menlo Park next week. I don't believe that I paid a destination charge, since I am going to them to pick it up.
 
All the CPO Roadsters get reconditioned and prepped for delivery at the Menlo Park Tesla. That is where they were all built, and there is only one person who does the work. Yes, it does take a while. I am supposed to pick mine up at Menlo Park next week. I don't believe that I paid a destination charge, since I am going to them to pick it up.

Andy, I really don't mean to keep disagreeing with you, but I was actually told something different.

I'm in Phoenix, AZ and Ryan told me they were going to ship my car to Scottsdale, AZ and have it reconditioned by the tech there. He sent me final purchase paperwork over the weekend and I sent some back some questions Monday morning, but still haven't heard back. Specifically, the paperwork said there is no warranty on a used car, but I wanted the advertised 37 month warranty, including the battery, put into the documents before I signed anything.

Ryan also told me he'd get back to me yesterday with an estimate on how long reconditioning would take, and that 3-4 cars were ahead of mine. I was also trying to get a specific list of the what the reconditioning process entails, but I haven't heard anything yet.

Honestly, I think it makes more sense that all the reconditioning is done by the same tech locally at Menlo Park, but I'm just relating what I was told. I'll update the info as I receive it.

Maybe we should start a new CPO Roadster purchase thread for others who are considering them or rename this one?
 
Update on my situation - I was told my CPO Roadster was indeed being shipped today to Arizona and that reconditioning would be performed here by the local techs. I'm not sure if they ship out all CPO's to local service centers for the reconditioning or if CA-AZ proximity was a factor in my case, but I hope it takes some load off Menlo Park techs for local buyers. Actually, I did hear from another local Phoenix owner that a blue Roadster was being reconditioned at a Phoenix area service center last week.

Regarding the purchase paperwork and warranty, this is the boilerplate lingo in my contract:

"Warranty: You will receive the Tesla Motors New Vehicle Limited Warranty at the time of Vehicle delivery. If you are purchasing a used vehicle, you will receive any warranty coverage for the used vehicle if there is any left from the original ownership. Unless we make a written warranty, or enter into a service contract within 90 days from the date of this Agreement, there is no warranty, express or implied, given you in connection with the purchase of a used vehicle, there will be no implied warranties of merchantability or of fitness for a particular purpose, and you are purchasing the used vehicle AS-IS."

Tesla is not offering service contracts on the CPO Roadster, but they are advertising a 37-month, 37,000 mile bumper to bumper, including the battery, warranty on their website. In light of the verbiage above in the purchase paperwork, I have asked them for a written warranty in my contract of what they are advertising on the CPO website. I haven't signed yet and they haven't responded directly to my request yet. Interestingly, they did go ahead and ship the car.

I don't think this will be an issue and I'm sure it will be resolved shortly. I just don't want to sign the contract they gave me without the website advertised warranty in writing.

There was also a form entitled, "Outstanding Work to be Completed" and they put in the phrase, "Nothing else promised or implied." I wasn't sure if I should have asked them to put in 214-point inspection and reconditioning process (which it seems they are doing anyway) and the fact that my CPO Roadster comes with a hardtop.

Are any other CPO buyers dealing with the warranty language in the purchase contract?
 
I had them add "37 Month/37,000 Mile Warranty" to the "Outstanding Work to be Completed" doc (along with MD Tags and Title, and the Matching Color Hard Top (which got shipped to the wrong location)).

I later heard back that there isn't any document for the CPO Warranty, but that it is entered into their system for the Service Centers to see. At least I have it documented on my delivery paperwork, if there is any question.
 
I had them add "37 Month/37,000 Mile Warranty" to the "Outstanding Work to be Completed" doc (along with MD Tags and Title, and the Matching Color Hard Top (which got shipped to the wrong location)).

I later heard back that there isn't any document for the CPO Warranty, but that it is entered into their system for the Service Centers to see. At least I have it documented on my delivery paperwork, if there is any question.

Great info, Curt. I'll ask them to put that language into my contract. That was very helpful. Thanks!