Picking up a new to me 2020 Model S Performance and had a question....

[jasonfreed]

Hi all,

Agreed on a deal for a 2020 Model S Perfomance.

It is located in California and I'm in the Chicago area.

My question is this:

I'm going to fly out to complete the transaction and then take possession of the car. I will be taking it somewhere to store until a transport can pick it up.

I assume the seller will need to keep the car active on his account if I want to use a supercharger?

Will I need to have the app on my phone but logged in as him to charge?

I obviously would reimburse him for any charging costs accrued, but don't want to pick up the car and not have the ability to charge it if I end up storing it with a friend who lives far enough away that I could not make it without charging.

Has anyone had experience with this?

Thanks in advance.

 

[2101Guy]

Not sure Im understanding your question.
Since its being transported, you wont need supercharging.
ONce you have the car back in Chicago, you'd have ability to supercharge via paying for it.

 

[jasonfreed]

My question is:

If I pick up the car from his house and need to drive it somewhere further away to store it - far enough away from his place that I won't make it without a charge.

I'd need one charge prior to getting to my storage destination in CA - prior to transport - does that make more sense?

It is not going to sit in his garage until my transport comes.

 

[slainla]

The car needs to be active in his account but you don't need the app to charge. So as long as he doesn't remove it from his account, you should be fine. Just make sure you relay that information over before the sale because once he removes it, it may take some time for Tesla to add back.

And since you won't be needing app access, it won't matter if he has other cars in his account.

Another option is, why don't you have him charge it full when you get it? Then turn on power saving and turn off cabin overheat.

 

[jasonfreed]

The car needs to be active in his account but you don't need the app to charge. So as long as he doesn't remove it from his account, you should be fine. Just make sure you relay that information over before the sale because once he removes it, it may take some time for Tesla to add back.

And since you won't be needing app access, it won't matter if he has other cars in his account.

Another option is, why don't you have him charge it full when you get it? Then turn on power saving and turn off cabin overheat.

Makes sense - I'm not 100% sure how far from his home I'll be leaving it so really need to have the ability to charge just in case. He's a super nice guy so I'm sure will be fine leaving it active until I get it picked up.

Another friend of mine said the transfer of his used Model X took a bit and would not work until he showed title, etc....Apparently, the way it is supposed to work is that the seller takes it off his account and lists me as the new owner, then I activate it. But, this did not work for my friend who needed to do it the other way which took longer(showing title).

Might take a little bit since the car I'm buying has a payoff and he needs to wait for title.

 

[slainla]

Yeah, it doesn’t work like the way you said due to liability issues. Tesla needs proof of ownership which includes a scan of the registration and front and back of your ID.

And buying a car with a loan can be a headache. My friend agreed to buy from a seller not too long ago and it took 6 weeks from the payoff to actually receiving the title. Some banks may allow third party transfers but the seller’s credit union did not allow it.

 

[jasonfreed]

Yeah, it doesn’t work like the way you said due to liability issues. Tesla needs proof of ownership which includes a scan of the registration and front and back of your ID.

And buying a car with a loan can be a headache. My friend agreed to buy from a seller not too long ago and it took 6 weeks from the payoff to actually receiving the title. Some banks may allow third party transfers but the seller’s credit union did not allow it.

Yeah, I figured Tesla would need proof of ownership which I assume will take some time.

I've bought cars with liens before and it can be a pain. The bank releases title to the original owner of the car who financed it once it is paid off and then he needs to sign it over to me and fedex it - it's totally doable. Just a few hoops to jump through and involves some trust.

 

[beatle]

Yeah, it doesn’t work like the way you said due to liability issues. Tesla needs proof of ownership which includes a scan of the registration and front and back of your ID.

And buying a car with a loan can be a headache. My friend agreed to buy from a seller not too long ago and it took 6 weeks from the payoff to actually receiving the title. Some banks may allow third party transfers but the seller’s credit union did not allow it.

Ha, it took over 3 months for me to get my title from Tesla, and that was with a cashier's check, no lien, and several emails.

 

[jasonfreed]

Ha, it took over 3 months for me to get my title from Tesla, and that was with a cashier's check, no lien, and several emails.

The good news is that the guy financed through a local credit union (not Tesla directly) so they hold title.

Release will be within 10 days.

 

[slainla]

Ha, it took over 3 months for me to get my title from Tesla, and that was with a cashier's check, no lien, and several emails.

Haha, it took me about 5-6 months to get the title. Quite a few emails and two FedEx correspondences did they finally get it settled. I'm from LA and the car was in Washington state but I picked it up in Las Vegas because they didn't charge transport for "neighboring" states at the time. They would've charged me over $1k if I picked up in Burbank or San Francisco but free if in Washington, Oregon, or Las Vegas. The mileage was actually longer to LV than to me directly. It's funny and sad how Tesla operates!

 

[MSPFL]

The good news is that the guy financed through a local credit union (not Tesla directly) so they hold title.

Release will be within 10 days.

If he pays off his loan via wire transfer then lien release is 1-2 business days. At least that's been my experience in Florida when a bank holds the lien. For the purposes of loan payoff a cashier's check is treated basically the same as a personal check so wire transfer is really the only way to go. Well, I suppose a suitcase of cash would work as well

 

[domodan]

Whenever you buy a car and can’t take the physical title, always have the seller sign an application for duplicate title. This way you can take it and get your own title. It’s the same thing a dealership would have you do if you were trading in a car that had a lien (I was in the car business a long time).