New M3 2020 Owner….Maybe…

[Nixxon]

Hello All,

I’m Nixxon and I’m a Teslaholic. I’ve always wanted on and finally at a point where I can get one….used but still good.
Anyway I found the 2020 M3 LR on Carvana of all places for a great price in my opinion. It’s out of CA and they are “scheduled” to deliver it Tuesday.
I’m hope to get some advice on what to look for and test when the drop it off and for the 7 day trial period. Anything anyone could recommend would be great.

one thing I’m kinda suspicious of is the mileage. It’s only got 2,500 miles on it…..makes me wonder what’s up with it. Per CarFax and Auto check websites it’s only had 1 owner. Any thoughts why it would be a year old and less than 3k miles? I thought maybe COVID remorse. Someone bought it then lost a job and couldn’t pay for it. It’s a long shot but my first theory.

I really enjoy the forum and look forward to participating more often.
Thanks!

 

[oreobbq]

Check to make everything is functional (windows, a/c, headlights, wipers, etc). Basically you're looking for any damage that won't be covered under warranty.

Let me drive it a few thousand miles if that'll make you less suspicious lol. If the price is way off, make sure the car you're getting is actually dual motor or whatever spec they said it is. Carvana often mislabels the trim on Teslas.

 

[Nixxon]

Check to make everything is functional (windows, a/c, headlights, wipers, etc). Basically you're looking for any damage that won't be covered under warranty.

Let me drive it a few thousand miles if that'll make you less suspicious lol. If the price is way off, make sure the car you're getting is actually dual motor or whatever spec they said it is. Carvana often mislabels the trim on Teslas.

Great advice. Come up to WI and we can do so day trip tests.
Actually I caught Carvana on my first attempted purchase. The said it was a 2020 M3 P model but the vin indicated is was a S+ model with a single motor.

 

[Idkorcare]

I was driving are 25k miles a year pre covid. In the last year and a half i put around 4k miles on my car. I had put 8k on it between 12/19 and 3/20 and just over 12k total.

 

[webwarmiller]

Make sure you are buying what you think you are buying. Carvana might list it as have Enhanced Auto Pilot (EAP) but it might only have basic Auto Pilot. Or they list it as have Full Self Driving (FSD) but it does not. Perhaps they claim it's a Performance but it's just the Long Range. There are plenty of stories on here of Carvana being clueless when it comes to Teslas.

 

[bjrosen]

I only put 2000 miles on my car in the last 12 months, I put 6000 on in the first 6 months that I owned it. The difference was covid so the mileage you are seeing is certainly possible. As everyone else has said check that the car is what the claim it is. They sold you an AWD, make sure it really is and not an SR+, this forum is full of stories about Carvana mislabeling cars. Also check that there aren't any serious fit and finish issues, chances are if there were the previous owner would have had Tesla fix them.

BTW you described the car as a LR but you didn't mention AWD. There are only three variants of the Model 3, SR+, AWD and Performance. There is no such thing as a 2020 LR RWD, the LR RWD was available very briefly in 2018 but it hasn't been offered since then. The LR is the AWD, make sure it says dual motor on the back and on the display. If it doesn't say dual motor what you have is an SR+, that's not a LR.

 

[joebruin77]

Not sure if you can do this, since I have never bought a used Tesla. But I would want to see the service records of the car. Once you own the car, it is possible but not guaranteed that the service records history will show up in your Tesla app. If the records do not show up there, I would drive to your local Tesla Service Center and ask them to look up the service history and provide it to you. Again, I do not know if this is possible, but if it were me, I would at least try. If you access the records within a day or two of taking delivery and you see something concerning, then you can decide if you want to return the car within the 7 day period or not.

 

[Nixxon]

Thanks everyone that’s all great information. Once it gets here I’ll poke around and see what the car info system says it is.
You guys are great!!!

 

[Mahamilto]

People flip cars all the time for a variety of reasons. Some people decide they need/want something different. Some people get something they can't afford, only to come to terms with that later (or have a change of employment etc that makes it so suddenly they can't afford it).

With teslas, I think some people don't realize what they are getting into. Some people buy it without planning ahead on how to charge. They think the trickle charge (using standard household outlet) will be enough and find out later its less than ideal (for some it may be ok depending on their commute etc). Some decide they want a road trip car and don't want to deal with supercharging, or don't have enough superchargers in their region (again, not an issue for me in NYC, but for some I could see this).

Its just a fact, people are fickle and there are a lot of reasons people flip cars. Some specific to Tesla. If the car has a clean VIN, I wouldn't be terribly worried. Just have it inspected, and know how you are going to charge.

 

[Nderdog]

Hello All,

I’m Nixxon and I’m a Teslaholic. I’ve always wanted on and finally at a point where I can get one….used but still good.
Anyway I found the 2020 M3 LR on Carvana of all places for a great price in my opinion. It’s out of CA and they are “scheduled” to deliver it Tuesday.
I’m hope to get some advice on what to look for and test when the drop it off and for the 7 day trial period. Anything anyone could recommend would be great.

one thing I’m kinda suspicious of is the mileage. It’s only got 2,500 miles on it…..makes me wonder what’s up with it. Per CarFax and Auto check websites it’s only had 1 owner. Any thoughts why it would be a year old and less than 3k miles? I thought maybe COVID remorse. Someone bought it then lost a job and couldn’t pay for it. It’s a long shot but my first theory.

I really enjoy the forum and look forward to participating more often.
Thanks!

That doesn't seem odd to me at all. My 2015 Mustang has less than 20k miles on it. I got it in 2016 with about 8k miles on it. Granted, the Tesla I'm getting will be much more suited to road trips and will become the preferred vehicle for longer trips now due to the added space and fuel savings, but COVID definitely put a damper on a lot of trips too.

 

[Nixxon]

Anyone had issues adding the car to their Tesla account? I know I get temp tags when they deliver it but am not sure if I can get it added with them. If not and I have to wait is there any major issues just using the keycard fob?
How do you charge it at a Tesla Charging station without it on your account?
Thanks!

 

[Mahamilto]

You have to have the car signed for on delivery to add is my understanding. I could not add till I took delivery. But that is admittedly on a new order so this may differ

 

[duanra]

It is unlikely considering the year of the car, but I would give a look to the degradation of the battery. Switch back and forth between miles and percentage and calculate what would be a 100% range.