Story of my CPO

[EVChris]

Longtime Leaf driver, I punched the button last night (April 29, 2018). I chose CPO over new for a few reasons I'll get into.

It's a low mileage (7000m) 2015 S 85 with RWD, AP1, Premium Interior, Leather, Smart Air, Dual Charger in my color, silver. The 2015 is pre-facelift. So the frunk is quite large and the back seats fold flat. I didn't want AWD and 85 > 75 and supposedly I can upgrade that to 90kWh for $500 (BR01). Of the cars on ev-cpo, it stuck out significantly as low-mileage and matching my specs to a T.

If I spec'd out the same car new, a 75D would be around $85k (less tax credit) and the 85 was $69k (no tax credit). Mine was the second lowest mileage CPO available. So price-wise, given that the specs I'm buying exceed what I want, I'm happy with that. One reason I chose CPO was that the wait for a new S was 2 months. I would think a CPO would be much sooner. The car is down in Buena Park (LA).

So I kinda did my homework on what I wanted. But I'll admit that I didn't do my homework on Tesla CPO itself. With that said, are there best practices for delivery+inspection+acceptance of a CPO? FWIW, I live near the factory and I was planning on having it transferred there.

I have a Leaf which I could trade in or send to CarMax myself. The advantage of trading in is less sales tax but if the grief exceeds the savings, I'll just deal with that myself.

So far, I've only received the automatic forms. I took at test drive at the Fremont factory store and I talked to someone at the (888) 518‑3752 number who knew very little about CPOs.

I don't know if the car has had the 3G to LTE retrofit. That doesn't show up on ev-cpo.
Dunno about diamond stickers (but I do know that that program is ending for white diamond stickers on Jan 1).

CarFax was clean. Actually, it was pretty much empty especially compared to the CPO Leafs I had been looking at. Apparently, the 85 was a low mile lease return but that's all I know for now.

Any CPO and general newbie advice would be appreciated.

 

[HankLloydRight]

Congrats on the CPO!

I don't know if the car has had the 3G to LTE retrofit. That doesn't show up on ev-cpo.

The LTE upgrade does not have an option code, so it will never show up. I don't have handy the year/month or VIN cutoff they switched over to LTE. But if it doesn't have LTE, it's a $500 upgrade and well worth the cost (although this is controversial, since some people claim the opposite). With the latest browser and MCU Version 1 updates, the LTE might now make more of a difference over 3G. LTE also future-proofs you against the 3G phase out.

 

[Olds442]

i don't think you can upgrade from a 85 to a 90 pack for $500. as wrong as i'm known to be, I think i'm right about that.

congrats on your CPO! i love the large frunk and RWD dynamics as well.

i paid for the LTE upgrade, $500. i'd rather be as up to date as possible on the 2013 CPO i purchased.

 

[Bet TSLA]

Longtime Leaf driver, I punched the button last night (April 29, 2018). I chose CPO over new for a few reasons I'll get into.

It's a low mileage (7000m) 2015 S 85 with RWD, AP1, Premium Interior, Leather, Smart Air, Dual Charger in my color, silver. The 2015 is pre-facelift. So the frunk is quite large and the back seats fold flat. I didn't want AWD and 85 > 75 and supposedly I can upgrade that to 90kWh for $500 (BR01). Of the cars on ev-cpo, it stuck out significantly as low-mileage and matching my specs to a T.

If I spec'd out the same car new, a 75D would be around $85k (less tax credit) and the 85 was $69k (no tax credit). Mine was the second lowest mileage CPO available. So price-wise, given that the specs I'm buying exceed what I want, I'm happy with that. One reason I chose CPO was that the wait for a new S was 2 months. I would think a CPO would be much sooner. The car is down in Buena Park (LA).

So I kinda did my homework on what I wanted. But I'll admit that I didn't do my homework on Tesla CPO itself. With that said, are there best practices for delivery+inspection+acceptance of a CPO? FWIW, I live near the factory and I was planning on having it transferred there.

I have a Leaf which I could trade in or send to CarMax myself. The advantage of trading in is less sales tax but if the grief exceeds the savings, I'll just deal with that myself.

So far, I've only received the automatic forms. I took at test drive at the Fremont factory store and I talked to someone at the (888) 518‑3752 number who knew very little about CPOs.

I don't know if the car has had the 3G to LTE retrofit. That doesn't show up on ev-cpo.
Dunno about diamond stickers (but I do know that that program is ending for white diamond stickers on Jan 1).

CarFax was clean. Actually, it was pretty much empty especially compared to the CPO Leafs I had been looking at. Apparently, the 85 was a low mile lease return but that's all I know for now.

Any CPO and general newbie advice would be appreciated.

Congrats! I got an inventory S100D for the same reason -- I wanted it sooner.

In comparing prices did you include the CA $2500 rebate and the PG&E $500 rebate? You might still be eligible for the PG&E one if it hasn't been taken on the CPO car.

Very unlikely the car has the LTE upgrade if it's coming off a lease.

There's no break on sales tax with a trade-in in California, so far as I know. Tesla offers trade-ins as a convenience, so if you want a good price for your Leaf do it yourself. I sold my previous Model S to a friend.

Best practice is to inspect your new car using a written checklist before you pay. Especially in this new unknown CPO policy world, you might need to negotiate something. While Tesla will want to make you happy, it's usually best to negotiate from a position of strength. So hold on to your money until you're happy. If you can get service records, do that, but you probably can't.

One other critical thing, I think, is to set your expectations that you're buying a used car. It won't be perfect. But if you are reasonable in what you expect, you will probably be thrilled.

 

[Doanster1]

Watching/subscribing! Inquiring minds want to know.
Congrats once again. I had already been working with an OA when I found my car on my own, so I got contacted pretty quickly after placing the deposit.

 

[EVChris]

As for LTE, I got phased out on my 2013 Leaf SV when they switched over from 3G to LTE. Since CarWings was pretty limited, I never upgraded. But on the S85, if it isn't already upgraded which for a lease-return is unlikely, that'll be done immediately.

As for 85->90 Battery Range Upgrade (BR01) for a 2015, having scoured the forums, I'm pretty sure that's possible.
But if it isn't, then so be it.

Best practice is to inspect your new car using a written checklist before you pay.

Can you point me to a checklist for this? I've paid my $1000. I'm supposing I get photos next. The car is in Buena Park and I don't think I'll get to inspect it there. My guess is that it gets transferred to Fremont first.

My expectation is that it is a low mile lease return. 6,788 is not a lot of miles.

I did look at CarFax. It has an odometer reading (50m) on 03/12/2015 and DMV registration on 03/27/2015. That's it. Is this normal for Tesla? Doesn't Tesla service enter maintenance events into CarFax?

 

[Doanster1]

There was a post a few weeks ago alluding to a possible lower price for the LTE upgrade. Something like $350? (Sorry, can’t search right now.)
As for CarFax, that’s normal. Mine also showed the usual 50mi registration and and a couple of car washes/details, which surprised me. Service doesn’t report to CarFax.
As for the checklist, PM me and I’ll send you a sanitized checklist that was performed on my car. One thing I noticed now is that at the very bottom, there’s a “Final Assesment” section with two checkboxes - “Vehicle Qualifies as CPO” or “Sell vehicle As-Is”.

 

[Bet TSLA]

But on the S85, if it isn't already upgraded which for a lease-return is unlikely, that'll be done immediately.

I don't follow. Can you expand on your thinking here? My guess is that a low mile car means "not an enthusiast" so probably no upgrades of any sort. And Tesla is unlikely to mess with hardware changes unless required.

I'm supposing I get photos next. The car is in Buena Park and I don't think I'll get to inspect it there. My guess is that it gets transferred to Fremont first.

I don't think they ever provide photos unless you ask. I wouldn't presume to guess what happens next. Ask your Tesla liaison for a detailed timeline. You probably won't get one. Communications is one thing that Tesla truly fails at.

My expectation is that it is a low mile lease return. 6,788 is not a lot of miles.

Ah, so you're guessing. You may be right. I would guess less and ask more.

 

[hmmm]

Congrats and thanks for starting a separate thread/diary to document your CPO experience. Out of curiosity, do you know how long your car "sat" in the inv. pool? I would be curious to know whether your car went through the old/good refurb process, or the new one.

 

[Doanster1]

I don't think they ever provide photos unless you ask. I wouldn't presume to guess what happens next. Ask your Tesla liaison for a detailed timeline. You probably won't get one. Communications is one thing that Tesla truly fails at.

They will be providing pics as part of this new policy. I spoke to my OA to pass on the displeasure/surprise of the new policy a couple weeks ago and she said pics would be included. Whether they follow through on that or not is why we are all here following the OP’s experience.

 

[Bet TSLA]

They will be providing pics as part of this new policy. I spoke to my OA to pass on the displeasure/surprise of the new policy a couple weeks ago and she said pics would be included. Whether they follow through on that or not is why we are all here following the OP’s experience.

Good to hear. One positive....

 

[EVChris]

I got my first phone call @ 9:46 AM. I tried calling back but his phone was busy.
I'm at 5/6 for tasks completed. Valuing the trade in for my 2013 Leaf SV is 6.

FWIW, it was the same sales guy (OA) who gave me the test drive at the Fremont store.
I mentally walked through my decision tree on why I didn't buy new and came to the same decision.
I just prefer RWD pre-facelift. Hopefully, 2015 is the best of the pre-facelift.

Bet TSLA: CarFax says it was a lease. My guess is that a low mile car means "not an enthusiast" so probably no upgrades of any sort. And Tesla is unlikely to mess with hardware changes unless required. Yeah, that's my thinking as well. But if it is upgraded already, great. If it isn't then I'll definitely be upgrading to LTE.

hmmm: Awesome point. CarFax said it was registered 03/27/2015 which could be a 3 year lease, no?
However, I'll see if I can pry it out of the OA.

Outside of the LTE Upgrade and the Battery Range Upgrade, I scoured the forums and web but I couldn't find any Tesla-performed upgrades that I thought were worthwhile. Any ideas here?

AAA quoted me 2220/yr for liab/comp/collision or $2002 with a $1000 deductible.

I suppose there are entire threads on the value of the Maintenance Plan and Extended Service Agreement.
I'll read up on those.

 

[Doanster1]

Glad to hear they already reached out. Bonus that it’s the same OA you dealt with in person.
You can only purchase the Maintenance Plan. The 4yr CPO warranty is it. You can’t buy an ESA even if you wanted to.

 

[Bet TSLA]

AAA quoted me 2220/yr for liab/comp/collision or $2002 with a $1000 deductible.

Definitely shop around for insurance.

 

[EVChris]

LTE upgrade is currently about $326.

LTE Upgrade cost has gone down :)

 

[Don TLR]

I asked for the LTE upgrade on my CPO purchased in September and when I checked the paperwork I was never charged so either a freebie of was installed and just not on the listed items included with car. Congrats and I hope your experience goes as well as most of us previous CPO folks..

 

[hmmm]

hmmm: Awesome point. CarFax said it was registered 03/27/2015 which could be a 3 year lease, no?
However, I'll see if I can pry it out of the OA.
/QUOTE]

Yes, it does sound like a 3yr lease return. This could mean that 1) the car was "idle" for a month and 2) you may very well have a car that went through the "old" refurb program since the new one was only announced a couple of weeks ago.

You should be able to confirm that based on the items that were addressed before delivery. If any of the work was "cosmetic", then this was likely the old program. They should/will give you an itemized list of things they did to the car before you take delivery.

 

[thegooch49]

I suppose there are entire threads on the value of the Maintenance Plan and Extended Service Agreement.
I'll read up on those.

I can tell you that the Extended Service Agreement is not available on CPO cars. Once the CPO warranty is done, that's all you will get for covered warranty.

 

[EVChris]

The salesman who gave me the test drive of a new S isn't handling the CPO delivery.
I dunno if the new crew is my OA or just handling the delivery.

And there was a flurry of activity today. I'm still at 5/6 for tasks complete but I got the photos + trade-in offer.
The trade-in offer for my 2013 Leaf SV was in the ball park: $6300.
The photos are gorgeous with a smidgeon of rim rash.

Interestingly, the photos didn't show a CA HOV sticker but they did show license plates.
The delivery person said the stickers are not valid once ownership changes as you get the car without plates.
Without plates is new to me. They aren't vanity and I've bought a few used cars over the years. Guess I'll find out.
I'm hoping the S has never had an HOV sticker which would allow me to apply for new stickers valid for 3+ years.

Unless I'm mistaken, it looks as if the S (2105) has the Integrated Console Retrofit. It was a low mile lease so I'm puzzled.

So far things are looking very good.

 

[croman]

I have a refresh S, I'd kill for the yacht floor. The console is nice with kids (I store their stuff in it) but I also installed kangaroo pouches and the car has 4 other cup holders (the modern ones), so its not like I needed 2 more. To be able to stretch my legs out more on long drives would've been great. Especially with AP2 doing so well now.

I think you'll love your car, the megafrunk is definitely a great thing to have along with AP1. I have a 2014 leaf and the only thing I miss is the chintzy wake up music and the heat pump...