Some questions about purchasing and keeping MS

[rjcbox]

Yesterday I went for a test drive again. Robin, the product specialist, mentioned that the car can easily be kept for 20-25 years! I just wonder what you think of that statement. I know it is rust proof and that there are few moving parts in the car, however, 25 years seems very long.

She also mentioned that there are quite a few people who want a Model X, but who will get the Model S for now, only to trade it next year when the MX is available. She mentioned also that there was a guy who sold his car after one year of ownership wit a depreciation of only $5,000! The Model X is what I want, however, her remarks started me thinking...

Are these just sales tactics or is there truth about her remarks? I would love to here from people with experience with Model S's. Thanks!

Probably some truth, but at the better case scenario end of the spectrum. Overall I have found the sales reps and Elon's speeches/interviews/responses to be pretty straightforward and seem genuine. A breath of fresh air after dealing w/ the traditional snake oil folks from the traditional dealership model for the past 20 years.

 

[David_Cary]

The longevity question depends a lot on the alternatives 25 years out from now. But first and most important is that all things being equal, a more expensive car will live the longest for the simple reason that it is worth fixing.

Forget major brands, what percentage of corvettes are on the road after 25 years. My friends 1969 is worth $80k - obviously worth fixing the a/c. His 2004 Acura he is not sure it is worth fixing the a/c. (It is, but he had to think about it).

But if 25 years from now brings a 1000 mile EV with better performance stats for $30k, then there won't be too many Model S's getting new batteries....

I threw away a Toyo Celica because it needed a new steering rack. When car's value gets below $2000, lots of things can kill it. Will a Model S value ever be below $2k in our lifetimes?

 

[Lerxt]

I'm not trying to be a hater here, but a few of my points are below. (I don't own a model S, but plan to purchase a model E)

-How would the model S body be any different than the body of any other car? If a model S is driven in salty conditions, what prevents the car (body specifically) from rusting out other than good care / cleaning?
-Where did we learn the motor would run 1 million miles? Why not 2 million? Why not 100k?
-We all know batteries deterriorate over time and I've seen the roadster study. The 200k to 300k mile estimate seems reasonable, but was this published by Tesla itself?

I believe most cars will last 20 - 25 years if you take very good care of them. With the low maintenance and fewer moving parts, I haveno reason to doubt this. However, I'd like to encourage everyone to take the sales assocaite's data with a grain of salt. Just like the guy at the Verizon store doesnt know when the new iPhone comes out, the Tesla tech specialist won't be able to predict the future of a single Model S. AND,as always, YMMV.

cheers.

I find it pretty remarkable that you could visit this website and not know the answers to those questions.

 

[caddieo]

Question for the OP and all others, too:

How well do you keep up your ICE vehicles? Let's see: 25 years back was 1989. Just about every vehicle that was manufactured then should be on the road still, given good maintenance. This does not refer to Yugos....but, fortunately for the NoAm market, none was sold here then - other than some left-over 1988 models.

25 years isn't much of a hurdle.

I had 1973 BMW 2002tii and a 2000 Audi A8 that I kept until 2013.

 

[AudubonB]

My post used the word should, in conjunction with the supposition that one takes care of the automobile. I am very well aware that the latter rarely is the case, and that the number of 25 yo autos is grossly minuscule.

 

[Smelias]

I have an '88 Porsche 911 sitting in my garage. It runs very well but at a significant cost. I think that's where the comparison should be. I hope to own my M85 for 25 yrs and I fully expect not to have the same costs associated with maintaining my Porsche.

 

[GoBlue88]

I threw away a Toyo Celica because it needed a new steering rack. When car's value gets below $2000, lots of things can kill it. Will a Model S value ever be below $2k in our lifetimes?

Yeah, I KBB'd the 2003 Acura MDX that I'm replacing with the MS85 I ordered yesterday, and at 11 years old it is still worth $8K (original purchase price if I recall correctly was about $43K). Granted, the MDX only has 67K miles, but even with that comparison I can't see a MS ever approaching $2K unless it is in real bad shape from poor care and/or accidents and scrapes.

 

[VolkerP]

The Tesla Roadster could be looked at for longevity of a first model high value EV.
Having a Model S run for 25 years, I think Tesla has to guaranty that they supply and install parts, namely the battery pack, gearbox, touchscreen and dashboard screen, and a hoist of other critical parts that can only be sourced from them.

Motor bearings and gears will need maintenance. Check this overhaul of Roadster drivetrain after 106k miles:
TFF Forum - New bearings for my Roadster

 

[tga]

All this talk of longevity has me wondering - can anyone come up with any compelling reasons not to buy an inventory car? Assuming finding a good match (color/options/model), no damage, paint chips, etc, and full eligibility for the tax credit.

I'm leaning towards an inventory car (if possible) because (a) I'm cheap and (b) I'm impatient.

 

[jerry33]

All this talk of longevity has me wondering - can anyone come up with any compelling reasons not to buy an inventory car? Assuming finding a good match (color/options/model), no damage, paint chips, etc, and full eligibility for the tax credit.

The main two main reasons are that it wasn't exactly what you wanted and the newer cars will have improvements. Tesla puts in improvements as they are available and doesn't wait for the next model year to do so.