Hello everyone. Just sharing my experience reg. buying used Model S. I have been doing my research for a month or so understanding the nitty-gritty stuffs. There is a very wide spectrum in terms of the overall experience already shared online. Unfortunately, I also had bunch of hiccups along the way. I live in California(bay area). Placed an order for 2018 Model S with FSD. Scheduled delivery for next week.
Hiccups along the way:
1. Specs based on which the Tesla site filters show a car didn't match with the specs shared by the assigned rep. after "Buy".
2. No communication from the assigned rep. other than just one text saying "Please give me a call if you don't hear back from delivery before so and so".
3. Tried texts, voice messages, emails - No answer.
4. Surprised to see even the folks who work at Tesla aren't super aware of all the features and terms.
What worked:
1. Scheduled a test drive. and met a rep. and exchanged emails. Kept in contact.
2. I was transparent with him that I am not here to buy a new one and not here to waste anyone's time. Told him that if he could help me confirm the specs at least for the used model S, I can proceed forward. He helped me a lot.
3. Also reached out to the "chat" on the used inventory page two or three times to confirm finance and related stuffs about the spec as well.
Suggestions:
1. Double + triple check specs.
2. Don't pay anything other than the deposit online before seeing the car - the ordering process itself was pretty much NNF online (Next - Next - Finish).
3. Understand the feature set evolution per module (MCU, Autopilot, Sound system, ... ) and correlate with model year - Helps a lot.
4. To ensure peace of mind, schedule a test drive, step in and kickstart a conversation with some rep. over there. Definitely helps.
5. Mindset about the process - Works both ways - We walk away with losing the deposit if it doesn't work out well.
Super stoked for the Model S. Will keep this thread posted reg. if I am actually driving the car out on delivery day. Hope this helps. Apologies if any info seems redundant. Please ping if any info is needed reg. specs or anything else. Thanks
Hiccups along the way:
1. Specs based on which the Tesla site filters show a car didn't match with the specs shared by the assigned rep. after "Buy".
2. No communication from the assigned rep. other than just one text saying "Please give me a call if you don't hear back from delivery before so and so".
3. Tried texts, voice messages, emails - No answer.
4. Surprised to see even the folks who work at Tesla aren't super aware of all the features and terms.
What worked:
1. Scheduled a test drive. and met a rep. and exchanged emails. Kept in contact.
2. I was transparent with him that I am not here to buy a new one and not here to waste anyone's time. Told him that if he could help me confirm the specs at least for the used model S, I can proceed forward. He helped me a lot.
3. Also reached out to the "chat" on the used inventory page two or three times to confirm finance and related stuffs about the spec as well.
Suggestions:
1. Double + triple check specs.
2. Don't pay anything other than the deposit online before seeing the car - the ordering process itself was pretty much NNF online (Next - Next - Finish).
3. Understand the feature set evolution per module (MCU, Autopilot, Sound system, ... ) and correlate with model year - Helps a lot.
4. To ensure peace of mind, schedule a test drive, step in and kickstart a conversation with some rep. over there. Definitely helps.
5. Mindset about the process - Works both ways - We walk away with losing the deposit if it doesn't work out well.
Super stoked for the Model S. Will keep this thread posted reg. if I am actually driving the car out on delivery day. Hope this helps. Apologies if any info seems redundant. Please ping if any info is needed reg. specs or anything else. Thanks