Seeking Advice on Purchasing a Used Tesla Model Y - Which Model Year Offers the Best Value?

[nylon6154]

Interested in buying a used Tesla Model Y and want to get the best value for my money. Considering models from 2020 to 2023. Would like to know which year had the most significant hardware upgrade & which model year would give me the best value if I were to buy one today?

 

[jjrandorin]

Considering models from 2020 to 2023. Would like to know which year had the most significant hardware upgrade & which model year would give me the best value if I were to buy one today?

A brand new one (not used).

 

[BitJam]

Interested in buying a used Tesla Model Y and want to get the best value for my money. Considering models from 2020 to 2023. Would like to know which year had the most significant hardware upgrade & which model year would give me the best value if I were to buy one today?

If you qualify for the federal tax rebate, a new Model Y can cost you less than $37K. This is comparable to the price of many used Model Ys.

Tesla is constantly improving their cars throughout the year so model year does not suffice to tell you the features. In July 2021 they added bioweapon defense mode which would be handy to keep out smoke from forest fires. It added a large HEPA filter in the cabin air intake and will run the fan at high speed to pressurize the cabin to ensure all air entering comes in through the filter.

Around the end of 2021 they added a Ryzen processor for the info-tainment system which makes the touch screen a little faster. In 2023 they upgraded the FSD hardware from HW-3 to HW-4. This includes 2x faster processing and cameras with higher resolution.

Tesla also made the suspension more comfortable. I don't remember exactly when. Maybe late 2022, early 2023.

Radar was dropped in the spring of 2021 but I don't think it's used even if your car is equipped with it. Ultrasonic sensors were dropped in the fall of 2022. Tesla says the functionality will be replaced with their vision-only system but that hasn't happened yet. I don't find these sensors useful but some people want/need them.

There were many other changes but the ones above are the most important to me. I'd want bioweapon defense mode. I'd want the Ryzen processor and I'd want HW-4 which means I'd want to get a recent 2023 model.

IMO the white interior is well worth the price especially in sunny California. The midnight silver metallic color is free so I would go with that. It's a great color. I'd stay away from the performance model with larger wheels and lower range. Likewise I would stick with the standard 19" wheels. If you hate the look, you can buy black aftermarket wheel covers that look terrific IMO. Kind of a toss up between the standard and the long range. Depends on if you want to do a lot of road trips or not. The cheaper standard range is a better deal as long as you don't need the extra range.

The real world highway range is significantly less than the EPA ranges listed on Tesla's site. In addition, people almost never charge to 100% at superchargers during a road trip because charging gets really slow as the battery gets full so you will want to charge every 150 miles or so. The navigation system can handle this for you automatically.

 

[neezer]

Interested in buying a used Tesla Model Y and want to get the best value for my money. Considering models from 2020 to 2023. Would like to know which year had the most significant hardware upgrade & which model year would give me the best value if I were to buy one today?

Brand new, especially if you have state incentives you can use. They are discounting almost all the models and trims by 500-5000$ these days in the new inventory listings.

 

[fholbert]

Interested in buying a used Tesla Model Y and want to get the best value for my money. Considering models from 2020 to 2023. Would like to know which year had the most significant hardware upgrade & which model year would give me the best value if I were to buy one today?

Simply put, a new purchase may be you best value.

You’re in California, on a new purchase.

• State rebate $2,000 if your married gross income is under $200k
• Federal Tax Credit $7,500 if your married adjusted income is under $300k.

Check my numbers to be sure nothing has changed or if you file other than married jointly.

 

[nylon6154]

I don't qualify for the state rebate or federal tax credit. I'm wondering if I should just get the newest 2023 model, or if I can get a better deal on an older model.

Is it worth it to save a few thousand dollars on an older model i.e. 2022, 2021?

 

[fholbert]

I don't qualify for the state rebate or federal tax credit. I'm wondering if I should just get the newest 2023 model, or if I can get a better deal on an older model.

Is it worth it to save a few thousand dollars on an older model i.e. 2022, 2021?

Maybe, the next hurdle will be sellers who purchased before the price reductions. They often try to sell for the same price as new. Owners of ‘21 and ‘22 models paid a lot more for their cars. You won’t want to exclude used 2023 vehicles.

Let us know what you find.

 

[Unclepaul]

With the recent price decreases, buying new is often the better deal.

If you are insistant in buying used, you just gotta shop around to find one in your value range.

With technology changing so fast, later models will have the most features, and save you some $, but you will lose terms of warranty and have a used car with used tires.

 

[MacO512]

If you qualify for the tax credit I'd say the best value is buying out of new inventory where there are discounts up to $5k. So MYLR is 50k -5k discount -7.5k credit = $39k. Used your probably not saving anything especially considering when you eventually sell the vehicle it will be older and worth less at that time.

If you are under or over income limits I'd seriously consider finding a close friend or family that buys it, immediately rents it to you, and sells it to you once titled a few months later where you split the tax credit.

Best value used is if you personally know the owner and they took very good care of the battery as well as entire vehicle. Second best is probably buying from a private party where you can meet and ask questions of the original owner. You can interview them since this is the person who owned an item your physically going to spend many hours in. I just don't see the discounts on used model Y being worth it right now but some people just dont want to ever buy a new car even if its the most miniscule savings. I guess next best option is buying used from Tesla, a large new car dealership (Chevy Ford BMW etc) or large reputable used car dealership (carmax, carvana, etc)

I'd be very weary of small dealers where the car may have gone through auctions and has risk of unreported damage or damage that will be reported at a later date. Plenty of horror stories in threads here or elsewhere of people who get super charger access removed and don't know their vehicle had extensive damage. Also I'd not do a sale if its an individual that you meet and don't have a good impression of. I wouldn't buy from individuals online or at ebay, etc. I'd buy local and meet in person.