I am looking at my first Tesla purchase. I found a 12/14 Model S P85D+. Private seller. Has 130K miles, screens and computers upgraded by Tesla. Supercharging, LTE and streaming for life. Fully loaded, 38K. Don’t know what to look for if any problems or concerns. Any advice will be appreciated. Car appears in good condition aesthetically. Thanks in advance.
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Purchase or Run?
- Thread starter DocZammie
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Personally, I wouldn’t spend 38k on that car due to being able to find newer model S’s for a similar price. I only say this because battery and motor warranty are likely to be expired for this car and those are major expenses (approx. 20k for battery 6-7k for motor). I would spend a little more and get a newer car. That’s just me though, and people will now be buying more and more out of warranty teslas since the earlier model S’s are coming out of warranty.
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Is it the original HV battery? If so, be prepared that it could go bad on you b/c of design flaws affecting that model:
teslamotorsclub.com
Without a thorough inspection by an EV specialist, be prepared that you might find some things post-purchase that could add up to ~$4-5K, such as:
-- Suspension links - torn bushings
-- Air suspension struts (sagging struts are only evident when the car is first started up in the morning)
-- Drive axle seals leaking
At 130K miles, if it's on the original battery, I would suggest that the price should be no higher than the low 30s.
Good luck if you go forward with this - I have this same car and love it, but I did have to deal with some repairs in the first 6 months.
Vendor - Preventative Maintenance regarding Battery Failures in early Model S vehicles (2012-2014)
There are some definite trends with early battery packs failing in earlier Model S vehicles... from day 1 builds up to about Q4'2014 and some even Q1'2015... and any cars that have had Tesla-refurbished packs installed. The issues are all pretty much the same thing in one form or another...
teslamotorsclub.com
Without a thorough inspection by an EV specialist, be prepared that you might find some things post-purchase that could add up to ~$4-5K, such as:
-- Suspension links - torn bushings
-- Air suspension struts (sagging struts are only evident when the car is first started up in the morning)
-- Drive axle seals leaking
At 130K miles, if it's on the original battery, I would suggest that the price should be no higher than the low 30s.
Good luck if you go forward with this - I have this same car and love it, but I did have to deal with some repairs in the first 6 months.
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Check the speed sensor on the motor for coolant leak, since this car has a Large Drive Unit (LDU) in the rear.
Fixing it the right way at QC Charge in San Marcos, CA costs about $5,000. Ask me how I know.
Fixing it the right way at QC Charge in San Marcos, CA costs about $5,000. Ask me how I know.
- eMMC problem, see more eMMC info here. This is now a recall. Contact Tesla to see if your car needs this recall.
- Large Drive Unit (LDU) coolant leak, see more LDU info here, here, and a YouTube video here. As of September, 2022, a motor rebuild on a large drive unit (LDU) motor is $4,750.
- Instrument cluster screen leaks glue, see more instrument screen info here. It is best to replace the screen with an aftermarket replacement to prevent future glue issues.
- Suspension problems
- Front Suspension
- Rear Suspension
- Lower control arm failures here. Technical Service Bulletin SB-19-31-001
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