Purchasing a used model S

[Gardea7]

Hello I am looking into purchasing a used model s but there are no pictures. I read in one of the forums that people will post the location and if someone lives near it they will go look at the car for them and take pictures. I am not sure if this is something members do for each other but I would appreciate it and I am a little hesitant on buying the car since there are no pictures. The car is located in California, Lathrop. If you guys know any other way to get pictures it is appreciated and thank you.

 

[Ostrichsak]

I assume you're talking about buying a used car directly from Tesla? If so, there's no good way to inspect a used car sold by Tesla prior to putting the deposit down and going through all the hoops that will take weeks. Even then, you may have to demand to inspect the vehicle in person prior to signing paperwork legally taking delivery. It's a pretty messed up way to conduct business (IMO) that Tesla has devolved into on their used car department that makes it pretty clear they don't want anything to do with selling used cars. They continue to make the process worse and worse and yet people still line up to throw their money at them blindly. Do yourself a favor and search this forum (and others) for used car buying experiences. Place more weight in the newer ones as the process is NOT what it once was just a few years ago and has only gotten worse since. Short of investing the time to do that, I would HIGHLY recommend you simply buy from a 3rd party private seller. This may seem like more of a risk (and it is risky) but going straight to Tesla because you think the name will somehow protect you and make it a better experience w/o effort on your part is setting yourself up for a world of regret and stress.

 

[uspearls]

Are you looking to buy from Tesla? I assume so since Lathrop is a primary storage location. If so, nobody can get access to Tesla's used cars (unless you know somebody working for Tesla ). You buy "sight unseen" and your best bet is to demand to see the vehicle at your local delivery point before you accept it.

 

[Huachipato]

I would recommend looking for a private seller if you can. Tesla seems eager to remove car functions/features from used cars that pass through them or third party sellers. Private sellers seem to be the best bet.

I got mine used from 3rd party and FUSC was removed. But I was at least able to kick the tires and test drive it before I put any $$ down.

 

[GeorgeSymonds]

If you're looking to buy from Tesla, find the car on one of the 3rd party inventory sites like tesla-info.com and you'll get much more detail on the car than Tesla show you, and more importantly if there are pictures associated with the car, they'll show them. The number of cars with pictures is reducing as Tesla don't seem to take them anymore, but more more annoying is that even when they do have pictures, they don't share them with you via Tesla.com.

Also, if you're buying from Tesla I don't think anyone can go an inspect the car before purchase even if they stood outside the storage yard and asked.

If you're buying privately then there is no good reason why a seller can't send you pictures.

 

[N8Howell33]

Try plugging the VIN into Teslacpo.io. I bought a used model S in early October (right before the warranty change over). I was able to see pictures of my car before it was sent. It was in Lanthrop, CA as well.

 

[gnomee2]

I bought my 2017 MS 100D in November Used from Tesla. I've not posted about it but I'll throw in my experience now. My car was listed in September just before they stopped posting pictures so I could still see pictures on ev-cpo. I was adamant about only picking a car I could see pictures for. I read plenty of horror stories on the forums about issues with the cars when they went to pick them up even when they had pictures. Sort of baffles me that there could be these issues with pictures. All the pictures seemed to do a great job of highlighting any issues. The lack of pictures is crazy and I fully understand how it seems a bit risky.

I honestly believe I put too much emphasis on this and would like to think the cars they are selling Used are not going to be junkers, especially if they are only a couple years old. Most of them are off lease and I think a majority of Tesla owners take good care of their cars. That could be naïve though.

I'm in Oklahoma and they wouldn't bring the car to our new SC in Tulsa so I had to drive to Missouri and my pickup was at 4:30pm which was right at dusk. After driving over 3 hours combined with the excitement of getting the new car, I did a HORRIBLE job of looking it over. AKA, I saw it shining there and just got in and drove off for the most part LOL. That being said, I made out just fine. One little issue with chrome on the mirror and a loose tail light. They fixed the tail light but refused to replace the mirror since I didn't catch it on delivery.

Super weird since I've bought other used cars and made them put it on a lift before I'd leave. Not sure what came over me.

I can confirm, I could have walked away when I picked the car up and at most lost my deposit and delivery fees. That would have been $3k for me and that's nothing to sneeze at but I could have still walked if it truly was unacceptable I would have. I think most things within reason I could have found would have been documented and fixed though. I do not think they are in the business of just ripping people off. Might just be my optimism though.

I opted for direct from Telsa for the confidence there would be no games with the options like FSD and the additional warranty.

Private party seems like a perfectly good option if your not worried about FSD or free super charging or the now tiny additional warranty.

I agree Tesla seems to have made it clear they really don't want to sell used cars. That is a bit disappointing since they initially spent so much effort guaranteeing pricing by essentially controlling the used market for the cars and keeping depreciation at a minimum. That couldn't last forever though I guess.

Not sure this is a huge help to your question but I think taking the plunge if you have decided you want one is not a huge risk and you should just go for it!

 

[Ostrichsak]

Private party seems like a perfectly good option if your not worried about FSD or free super charging or the now tiny additional warranty.

Why specifically do you say this? You do realize that 3rd party private sale represents your BEST bet of getting/keeping these exact options (as well as premium data for life, etc) of all of the buying possibilities... right?

 

[2101Guy]

Why specifically do you say this? You do realize that 3rd party private sale represents your BEST bet of getting/keeping these exact options (as well as premium data for life, etc) of all of the buying possibilities... right?

"best" seems to imply that when buying a used tesla directly from Tesla and that particular Tesla vehicle is advertised as having FSD included and/or FUSC, that the car may not actually have FSD and/or FUSC even if Tesla advertises the car as such.

I've not seen any evidence that supports this scenario.

 

[beatle]

Tesla has taken away things post sale, even when they've been advertised as having that feature. Ludicrous mode was taken away from me a couple months after purchase. Fortunately I had correspondence with the sales advisor saying that it had ludicrous, and they were able to reinstate it. If you document the features of the car when you make your deposit, you should be okay.

 

[Huachipato]

The problem with 3rd party sales is you don't know if they got the car from an individual or from Tesla Wholesale. When I was asking for Tesla to reinstate my FUSC they asked me multiple times where I bought if from. They (Tesla) in emails to other buyers has flat out said they removed from the FUSC from third party sales. In my case I later learned my car was a Tesla Lease that was wholesaled to the dealership I bought it from - and timing just sucked since Tesla implemented this policy change right about the time I bought my car.

But that is why I think that private individual sales are probably the safest bet if you want to keep some of these features.

 

[Ostrichsak]

"best" seems to imply that when buying a used tesla directly from Tesla and that particular Tesla vehicle is advertised as having FSD included and/or FUSC, that the car may not actually have FSD and/or FUSC even if Tesla advertises the car as such.

I've not seen any evidence that supports this scenario.

Actually, I retract my statement as I believe I missed your "not" of your post which basically makes it the opposite of what I thought you said. I thought you were saying that if those were things that a potential buyer had high on their list the best and only option was direct from Tesla which would be counterintuitive to what we know to be true these days. That said, I'd rather have the possibility of having these features as well as knowing the history even if it's not 100% clear as it's still better than the 0% chance I get from Tesla on any of that.

While I agree that if you're not worried about those things then maybe Tesla is an option to buy a used car I won't agree that it's the best one even in absence of requiring those items. Having bought three used Model S cars from Tesla myself... it's not worth it. If you buy private and pay more for a similar car or get less for the same money it will most likely be SO much better of an experience.

Much like their "Customer Service" support, their used car division is a nightmare factory. Anything to avoid either one.

 

[Ostrichsak]

The problem with 3rd party sales is you don't know if they got the car from an individual or from Tesla Wholesale. When I was asking for Tesla to reinstate my FUSC they asked me multiple times where I bought if from. They (Tesla) in emails to other buyers has flat out said they removed from the FUSC from third party sales. In my case I later learned my car was a Tesla Lease that was wholesaled to the dealership I bought it from - and timing just sucked since Tesla implemented this policy change right about the time I bought my car.

But that is why I think that private individual sales are probably the safest bet if you want to keep some of these features.

Know that when you're buying private party a big part of what you're agreeing to is the person selling the car. Not just for these few features but you're really putting a LOT of trust in the seller and what they say. You also need to do your due diligence.... trust but confirm and all that. In the end, you're hitching your star to the seller though so you really need to vet them out.

These are the same reasons that buying from Tesla starts off as a giant red flag given what we know to be true about their honesty in dealing with potential and existing customers. They have done a masterful job of running the Tesla name through the mud of nickel and dime BS. The damage they've done long-term to their previously loyal customers is nowhere near what they may have gained in short term quarterly profits. They'll learn that, eventually.

 

[DBO.]

I took delivery of my used model S on 12/31. Don’t pay too much attention to the horror stories. Ive come to find it’s mainly the same folks repeating their story over and over, and usually the issue at hand was the car had scratch or two, or someone didn’t treat them like a VIP enough. While it is strange to pay a transport fee and delivery deposit for a car you haven’t seen, you will still have the option to deny delivery if the car is in bad shape assuming you elect to secure your own financing or pay cash. With any large transaction, don’t pay for anything until you’ve seen it in person.

Yes, it is a used car. There could be small cosmetic defects like small scratches or small smudges on the seats. If that is something that would really upset you, you shouldn’t be buying any type of used car. Also remember, often times buying Tesla 3rd party doesn’t get you any kind of warranty. But dealing direct with Tesla, you get a 1yr or 10000mi warranty. While I’d like the longer warranties they used to offer, this is nothing to sneeze at.

Between ordering and delivery, all communication was fast, efficient and friendly. My sales person answered calls, texts, and emails usually within minutes. I specifically asked him what would happen if there were listed features missing at delivery and he ensured me that a full refund of my deposit and transport fee would happen. I got this in writing as well.

When I showed up for delivery, the car was as advertised and in great shape cosmetically and mechanically. I payed with a cashiers check and told them I’d like to inspect outside and in before handing the check over and they had no problem. Found a pretty big crack on a mirror cap and they gave me a due bill to have it fixed. Mobile service took care of it in my driveway this past Thursday for free.

This was the easiest car buying experience I’ve ever had and I couldn’t be happier with the car. I’m sure some folks have had bad experiences, but remember, angry people are usually the loudest.

 

[ahhlun]

I took delivery of my used model S on 12/31. Don’t pay too much attention to the horror stories. Ive come to find it’s mainly the same folks repeating their story over and over

Yup, Ostrichsak is a Tesla Short

 

[Ostrichsak]

Yup, Ostrichsak is a Tesla Short

aHahahahahaha!

Thanks, I needed a laugh on a Monday morning.

You'd do best to try not to guess the personal motivations of people you don't know.

 

[Huachipato]

Know that when you're buying private party a big part of what you're agreeing to is the person selling the car. Not just for these few features but you're really putting a LOT of trust in the seller and what they say. You also need to do your due diligence.... trust but confirm and all that. In the end, you're hitching your star to the seller though so you really need to vet them out.

These are the same reasons that buying from Tesla starts off as a giant red flag given what we know to be true about their honesty in dealing with potential and existing customers. They have done a masterful job of running the Tesla name through the mud of nickel and dime BS. The damage they've done long-term to their previously loyal customers is nowhere near what they may have gained in short term quarterly profits. They'll learn that, eventually.

Vetting out the seller is something that should be done for a dealer or private seller... Dealers can embellish the sale as long as it is not written down in the sales docs. What really helps, if you can get the seller to agree to it (and no reason they shouldn't assuming they are being honest) is have the car taken to a mechanic to get checked out. I know on a Tesla it is a bit different, but they can still check the suspension components and for any coolant leaks or damage to the battery casing from underneath.

What I hate is that Tesla holds all the data and history on their end and don't provide a way for a buyer to look at. Benefit vs. Tesla is still that you can see the car and test drive it and do all the "normal" checks you would do when buying a used car.