Need some help/advice from all you experts!

[Vino&chanel]

Hey all! Have been lurking for a while, finally got the ok from my hubby to purchase! Although he is not making it easy ha.

I currently drive a BMW i3, want to trade it in for a Model S. Carvana offered me $15k. Trying to find a Model S for around $30k, preferably under and I am wondering if this actually even exists lol! Is my search unrealistic? Am I able to find a quality vehicle at that price point? I have been wanting a Tesla for a long time now so really trying to make this happen.

 

[stevebouff]

Sure you can find a decent Model S for around $30k, but that depends on the model year you are looking for and whether you want AP1, or Enhanced Auto Pilot with hardware 2.5 +. Besides looking at the Tesla used inventory site, direct sellers can be found at this website:
Listings | Only Used Tesla

I recommend getting the largest battery that is affordable to you. As far as locating a "quality vehicle", it may take a while and you may be looking at 2015's and older. It may be unrealistic to find a quality model S for under $30k.

Best of luck,
Steve

 

[stevebouff]

In re-reading my post, I doubt you will find any Model S for the $30k price point that has Enhanced Auto Pilot, you're most likely looking at AP1 or no autopilot.

 

[Ostrichsak]

Welcome and if I were you I'd focus all of my free time on using the "search" function of this forum as it's a gold mine for information for someone like yourself setting out on your journey. Each hour you invest learning now will make your search exponentially easier and save you from making a very big mistake that could cost you tens of thousands of dollars ultimately.

Your search with that budget will likely land you something in the 2013 range and I can tell you, having owned one, you'll want something newer. Sure, it will absolutely stomp every other car in at that price point but you'll quickly wish you had spent a little bit more to get something newer as they made changes monthly for the first few years. An early 2014 car is better than a late 2014 car. A 2015 car is far better than a 2014 car and so on.

The other important factor to consider of car ownership is resale. If you get a 2015 car that at least has the Autopilot hardware installed it will be infinitely more sellable in a few years than a 2014 or 2013 before AP came into existence. There are lots of other quality if life improvements that were made between those two cars that will make your time owning it more enjoyable.

As someone who has owned used 2013, 2014, 2015 & 2016 Model S cars I would HIGHLY recommend getting something made in 2015 as the starting point of your search but this will also increase your buy-in cost a fair amount. I feel like this is the current sweet spot though in how much car you get for your buying dollar plus it will be far easier to sell in a few years.

Just my worth exactly as much as you paid for it.

 

[Ostrichsak]

In re-reading my post, I doubt you will find any Model S for the $30k price point that has Enhanced Auto Pilot, you're most likely looking at AP1 or no autopilot.

Most likely no AP for $30k and even then it's going to have higher miles with smaller battery and limited features. I'd be afraid to see the car that exists for less than $30k that has AP1 hardware even if it's not enabled. Add another $3k-$5k to enable it and you might as well just shop of cars that have it enabled in the first place.

 

[Geek190]

You can find them for about 30k, but it's going to be older with high miles and possibly without autopilot.
Everything at ev-cpo.com is over 35k, but the local classifieds up here have a couple, and there might be half a dozen if you went to 35k.
Try checking out www.ksl.com classifieds and see what's available there.
It's not quite your back yard, but SLC is only a short SW flight away.

 

[Vino&chanel]

In re-reading my post, I doubt you will find any Model S for the $30k price point that has Enhanced Auto Pilot, you're most likely looking at AP1 or no autopilot.

Thank you for your response! I actually have no interest in AP, hoping that may help me in my search.

 

[Vino&chanel]

Welcome and if I were you I'd focus all of my free time on using the "search" function of this forum as it's a gold mine for information for someone like yourself setting out on your journey. Each hour you invest learning now will make your search exponentially easier and save you from making a very big mistake that could cost you tens of thousands of dollars ultimately.

Your search with that budget will likely land you something in the 2013 range and I can tell you, having owned one, you'll want something newer. Sure, it will absolutely stomp every other car in at that price point but you'll quickly wish you had spent a little bit more to get something newer as they made changes monthly for the first few years. An early 2014 car is better than a late 2014 car. A 2015 car is far better than a 2014 car and so on.

The other important factor to consider of car ownership is resale. If you get a 2015 car that at least has the Autopilot hardware installed it will be infinitely more sellable in a few years than a 2014 or 2013 before AP came into existence. There are lots of other quality if life improvements that were made between those two cars that will make your time owning it more enjoyable.

As someone who has owned used 2013, 2014, 2015 & 2016 Model S cars I would HIGHLY recommend getting something made in 2015 as the starting point of your search but this will also increase your buy-in cost a fair amount. I feel like this is the current sweet spot though in how much car you get for your buying dollar plus it will be far easier to sell in a few years.

Just my worth exactly as much as you paid for it.

Thank you so much this is really helpful! I’ve seen some 2014s close to $30k with higher mileage. I’m trying to figure out what my mileage cut off point should be??

 

[Vino&chanel]

You can find them for about 30k, but it's going to be older with high miles and possibly without autopilot.
Everything at ev-cpo.com is over 35k, but the local classifieds up here have a couple, and there might be half a dozen if you went to 35k.
Try checking out www.ksl.com classifieds and see what's available there.
It's not quite your back yard, but SLC is only a short SW flight away.

Thank you!! Yes I have realized that I need to consider traveling to get what I want. I actually do not want AP so hoping that will help me out. My friend has a Tesla and I used the AP and honestly found it terrifying lol

 

[Vino&chanel]

I love driving electric and my i3 has been a lot of fun but I feel like even getting a 2013/2014 model S is going to be a whole new experience for me!

 

[Ostrichsak]

You can find them for about 30k, but it's going to be older with high miles and possibly without autopilot.
Everything at ev-cpo.com is over 35k, but the local classifieds up here have a couple, and there might be half a dozen if you went to 35k.
Try checking out www.ksl.com classifieds and see what's available there.
It's not quite your back yard, but SLC is only a short SW flight away.

Be VERY careful with used Teslas priced low. My experience has been that most are scams and it's rare to find a low priced Telsa that's a legitimate deal. They're super popular for scammers for some reason right now.

 

[Ostrichsak]

Thank you for your response! I actually have no interest in AP, hoping that may help me in my search.

You say that now having not experienced it long-term but you will change your mind and wish you had got a car with it at some point. Ask me how I know.

 

[AMPd]

How long are you planning on keeping the model s?
Another thing to consider is the price you purchase might be at 30k but maintenance and repair prices are not that of a 30k vehicle. Since that price point puts you in a 2014 vehicle at best, you’re looking at 2 years remaining on the drivetrain and battery warranty, a completely out of warranty model s is not a place I’d like to be.

 

[AMPd]

You say that now having not experienced it long-term but you will change your mind and wish you had got a car with it at some point. Ask me how I know.

I had a model s with Autopilot. Eh nothing special and didn’t care for it. I used it once on my 40 mile work commute. Turn on autopilot and just sit there... boring as hell, because it’s not like you can use your phone

 

[Ostrichsak]

Thank you so much this is really helpful! I’ve seen some 2014s close to $30k with higher mileage. I’m trying to figure out what my mileage cut off point should be??

I wouldn't be as concerned about "higher" miles on a Tesla (or EV in general really) as I would on an ICE car. Sure, miles are still an indicator of use which equates to a rough idea of repair/maintenance costs but with fewer parts that can fail this figure isn't as punitive as it would be on a comparable ICE car. Really focus on getting the largest battery and most features for your money as you can even if it means spending a little bit more. As you go to resell it you never know when that last feature you spent a little bit more for on the front end lands your car in a buyer's search pool because it was a MUST have feature for their search. You'll also get the bonus of being able to enjoy said feature for the duration of your ownership.

My first car was a higher mile 2013 60kwh RWD and relatively low optioned Model S. It was a mistake. My ONLY focus was price point and as a result I ended up selling it shortly after buying it and investing more money to get something better. Don't make that same mistake I did. I could have spent more money but didn't as I was laser focused on the price point I had made up. It's difficult to explain coming from ICE cars but there's just some aspects of these cars that shouldn't be glossed over as it's more important than you'll realize until you actually own one.

 

[Geek190]

I think that how much I like AP is directly proportional to how long my drive is.
If I'm driving around town I never use it. If I'm on a 400+ mile trip, I am so glad I have it.

 

[Vino&chanel]

You say that now having not experienced it long-term but you will change your mind and wish you had got a car with it at some point. Ask me how I know.

Lol!! I drove a friends Tesla and tried it and it totally freaked me out ha. I figure if I really love the car in a few years can get a newer one that has AP right!

 

[PWlakewood]

Heres one

https://www.mudarrimotorsports.com/details/used-2015-tesla-model-s/61090711

Heres another one

Used 2013 Tesla Model S 4dr Sdn Performance at In And Out Auto Sales Puyallup WA 5YJSA1DP7DFP04576

.....and another

PRE-OWNED 2014 TESLA MODEL S BASE RWD 4D SEDAN

If your willing to travel there are plenty of used model S around. I would definitely recommend driving it and not buying it just using pictures for reference

 

[Ostrichsak]

I think that how much I like AP is directly proportional to how long my drive is.
If I'm driving around town I never use it. If I'm on a 400+ mile trip, I am so glad I have it.

I use mine all of the time now. I've found that even around town it's been quite helpful and, even though I'm a safe driver, it adds a margin of safety that I wouldn't get with it disabled. It also lowers my road-rage units noticeably.

 

[Vino&chanel]

How long are you planning on keeping the model s?
Another thing to consider is the price you purchase might be at 30k but maintenance and repair prices are not that of a 30k vehicle. Since that price point puts you in a 2014 vehicle at best, you’re looking at 2 years remaining on the drivetrain and battery warranty, a completely out of warranty model s is not a place I’d like to be.

That is a good point. I’m embarrassed to admit I’m not known for keeping cars very long ha. I think 2 years is probably a realistic amount of time to have it. I have seen an extended warranty mentioned on here so maybe that is something I will need to consider too.