@Pandamoanium Glad to hear that it turned out well for you - congrats on the new car!
Here's my story in the hopes it helps someone out there. First all, it's stinks to be buying a used Tesla, especially so soon after they changed the warranty from 4y/50k to 1y/10k, CPO is no longer a term, no pictures, and the 7-day return window is gone (haha, did I really just buy one after all those negatives?). But for me, my car blew up at an inopportune time (is there every a right time?), and so I needed a car. After mulling over choices from super low end to new Model Y, I ended up buying a used 2015 Model S 70D (11/15). I did find the price history that
https://tesla-info.com/car/US-VIN helpful when shopping around.
Ordered the car (or bought a $500 lottery ticket) that was local on Nov 3rd, used car advisor reached out on Nov 4th, filled out the info, yada yada yada, picked up the car on Friday the 13th. One interesting thing that the used car advisor noted when I chatted with them a few days after I ordered was that they had not had a used car refusal since they started to do some cosmetic improvements/ cleaning in 2 mos (and I was thinking that I might be the first...) to their Tesla specs. Not sure if they really changed anything formally, but maybe they're not leaving cars as is and doing a little prep/ refurbishing/ cleaning than before. Communication is still spotty with your Used Car Advisor, the Used Car Team, some other random person on the email thread,
Pre-delivery issues: 1) Tesla could not deliver the car at the service center/ gallery I originally chose, 2) they needed the car added to insurance here in Texas so they can get the temp tag, 3) they needed funding to be complete before they would take the car out of storage and start the inspection, 4) I had to wait for the advisor to get the MVPA updated with new financing, so I would advise to choose the 'Other financing/ self-financing option' rather than just choosing Alliant. I would also recommend just financing the whole amount (minus taxes in Texas as those need to be paid to your county). It seems like adding a down payment (or trade-in) to the process can complicate things. You can just go and put your down payment to your principal on your car loan (unless you're fortunate to be a cash buyer on this depreciating asset).
Delivery day: Pulled into the Tesla service center, hoping I was not going to find some broken down junker that was in the color of my car. Walked up to the car, some minor paint chips on the front nose cone, did a belly crawl around to check the battery, wheels, etc. End result, the outside looked better than I expected. I walked in to ask if I could take a look inside, and the receptionist told me that I needed to log in and click the 'Accept Delivery' button. I asked her if that would mean I took delivery and if I could still back out of it - she stated that if I found something that they could reverse and refund the payment. I took a leap, clicked the button and walked back out to the car to take a look inside. Overall, some wear and tear, but it looked better than I expected.
Post-delivery issues: 1) Bubbles on the IC screen that the advisor said to schedule and that they would replace under warranty, 2) Rear passenger window would not auto-up or auto-down from the rear passenger control or front driver, and would after rolling it down, it would roll-up a little and then roll back down. They asked me to reset, didn't fix it, then with someone helping the window up, it went up all the way. They were nice that they could expedite a service appt in a week vs the standard 3 weeks, but I'm ok with not rolling it down so they can save the spot for someone in more dire need. I left the car there, and they actually had a mobile tech come out to try to fix the rear window, which was great, except they left the front passenger window rolled down. Thankfully it did not rain, and just had some tree sap that I had to wash out. Pretty annoying, but not long term damage & it did not rain thankfully 3) After driving for 4 days, I got a 12v battery replacement warning, so I added that to the list. 4) Used advisor said it takes 18-27 days for the Fedex paperwork, so I'll wait for that, then head to the county tax assessor and pay the taxes.
Financing: No Tesla financing options given, it was either Alliant or finance on your own - I searched/ called all around from Alliant, BoA, local CU and got rates from 1.95% to 3.24% for 60 mos with excellent credit. Ended up going with University Federal Credit Union (UFCU), and I'd recommend them if you're in Texas (and worth checking out if they will accept you as a member if you're out of state).
Insurance: Called around insurances with rates ranging from $700-$1500/ 6 mos.
Tesla thoughts: There's some super fan boys, super haters, and most reasonable people are in-between where the most people's reality lies. Overall, it's a dream car for me with some great tech and options. I haven't been too impressed with AP1, it's more stressful to let it drive since it just doesn't work well with sharper turns or construction zones and it doesn't seems to track in the center. It makes me nervous to see it drifting in the lane towards a car in the adjacent lanes. I got a base 70D, so coming from a rocket fast Prius, it's quick enough and the power is a little lacking once you're at highway speeds (still has plenty, but I'm sure the 85D or 90D would feel punchier). I still need to get a 14-50 outlet put in since I wasn't sure this purchase was going to go through, so I've had to plan my longer road trips with charging factored in.
Wow, that turned out longer than expected - hope there was something in there that helped someone out there. Good luck on that lottery ticket purchase if you decide to take the plunge!