Tesla kills resale value with the way it operates.

[PhilDavid]

EVs will follow the same price curve as cellphones when they first came out. (We are barely halfway there).

As with all tech, you pay a premium to experience tomorrow, today.

The best I can suggest is buy what you love and drive it forever.

We have zero regrets with our Model S purchase and happy that others can now experience the same for less.

If you like to buy new cars and replace them for newer cars often, pay to play.

 

[NoMoGas]

But wait, Elon said they are!

Not until FSD comes out

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

I get that, but the masses don't. My Subaru was constantly begged to be turned in and buy a new one. I laughed on a regular basis from the nice salesperson call. Even laughed harder at the offer. A perfectly maintained good working car that now has over 200k on it. Someone else owns it. I know them. They love the car.

Maybe the list of things to do on an EV might make that purchase of a used car a little better, and a little less knowledge on how to maintain it would be great for the masses.

You get _calls_ from car salespeople? Ugh. At least we only get junk mail.

 

[Uncle Paul]

Just sold my 17 Model X. Considering all the tax breaks, State refunds, Utility rebates, free tolls, access to car pool lanes, tax credits for installing garage charging, no tune ups, no oil changes,and not needing to pay for fuel, the cost of owning it for 30 Months was relatively little.
Got to drive one of the finest SUV's in the world the whole time. Lots of great trips and experiences.

I believe the ones getting hurt the most is those that purchased the optional large batteries, optional ludicrous, sports suspensions, premium interiors, better looking wheels, etc. Those heavily ladened premium configurations are getting battered. Believe this is not unusual for higher end vehicles.

Comparing my depreciation with my neighbors S65 AMG, I find it hard to complain.

 

[zanary]

But wait, Elon said they are!

Only after the final FSD feature set becomes available... Gotta read between the lines.

 

[IslandHydro]

Bingo. Better yet, get one for 70% off that's 3-4 years old and get a full factory warranty for a couple of years.

That's exactly what I did, love love love my P85D

 

[SilverGS]

Or just buy 1-2 yrs old at that 40-50% price depr and never look back lol!

Exactly what I did! I got a fully loaded (other than UHF and 21 inch wheels) 2016 75D AP1 that had only 16.75k miles on it for 40% less than what the first owner paid. And I got a 4 year /50k miles new car warranty included directly from Tesla.

 

[random155]

You're right, I see far more things going wrong on Tesla vehicles within the warranty period compared to every other vehicle I've owned, outside the warranty period we know the cost of replacement items for a Tesla is horrendous (far more than an ICE rebuild would cost).

I completely agree with this. Major engine problems on an ICE car can be repaired at a reasonable cost, outside of any warranty. Major problems with a Tesla (MCU, drive unit, HV battery) are over the line of unreasonable considering the probability of their failure (minus HV battery).

 

[Webeevdrivers]

Well, a used Model 3 in BC (if you can find one) is pretty much as much as a new one. Maybe it’s a regional thing.

Just sayin.

 

[Uncle Paul]

New/used delta will often depend of the skill of the buyer/seller in the process.

 

[afdfog]

My opinion is the way tesla operates kills owners resale values across the board. They lower prices and redo options and update things willy nilly so if you buy and want to resell you are forced to lower your price cause a new buyer can likley get a better car at a lower price with newer upgrades forcing you to sell at 50% what you bought at even after 1-2 yrs.
So i guess the only way to look at it is jump in whenever and drive it till it dies and hope it doesnt have any issues when out of warranty.
If you bought new in 2016/2017/even 2018 before raven and mcu2 Enjoy what you have and keep it clean and in top shape. Cause if you go to try to sell it you will take a massive hit. I am glad we didnt get the p100d or even 100d when we bought as we would take even more of a bath trying to resell or even trade.

All that you said is accurate but the picture is much bigger. I am one of those taking a hit on resale. 2016 Model X 90 D. Selling it for about half what I paid. Getting more EV's out there is Tesla's mission and I for one agree with it.

 

[SilverGS]

I completely agree with this. Major engine problems on an ICE car can be repaired at a reasonable cost, outside of any warranty. Major problems with a Tesla (MCU, drive unit, HV battery) are over the line of unreasonable considering the probability of their failure (minus HV battery).

What exactly is the probability of the MCU, drive unit, HV battery failure?

 

[P100D_Me]

HV Battery total failure is pretty low I would say.
MCU - Common failure, poor programming means they are all going to stop working in the future (read up on eMMC failure)
Drive Units - Well they are known to develop noises that require them to be replaced, beyond that I am not sure how often the break.

 

[David_Cary]

2015 77k miles - original DUs, MCU, HV battery - so I would say zero probability
MCU is like $3k new. No reason why you can't buy used. Less than a major engine repair. Or tranny. Catalytic converters are in this price range (but have long warranty in US at least). Maybe you will get a MCU2 for that $3k (some day)
Please proved "common failure" on MCUs. I will start - 0/1.
HV battery is of course under 8 year warranty. Rebuild cost unknown.
DU's develop noise that Tesla was replacing. That doesn't require them to be replaced. Also 8 year warranty. Rebuilds for relatively cheap is pretty likely. Certainly (over time) cheaper than a major engine or tranny repair on a premium car.

 

[David.85D]

I owned BMW before the Tesla, and being a Motörhead, my neighbors are always asking for help. The dealerships are <colloquialism for not nice>. One neighbor needed a new 12V battery on a 528i. Dealer wanted $1100. $600 for battery, $400 for new battery cables (!), tax, fees, etc. local auto parts shop was $180 out the door.

Another has a 2009 5-series BmW with awd. The oil pan is leaking. Dealer wants $4000 to replace the oil pan gasket. Car is essentially worthless since it won’t pass inspection with a big oil leak. Official procedure is 30+ hours (drop subframe, pull half shafts, remove front diff...)

Had an X5 myself. A little plastic gear in the transfer case goes bad. Leaves the car inoperable. Available on amazon for $12. BMW will tell you that you have to replace the entire transfer case for $3500+.

Nobody actually fixes cars. Just change parts. The owner pays. I’m assuming the parts vendors eat it during warranty, but that’s my guess. Tesla is no different.

 

[arghx7]

BMW is notorious for expensive 12V battery changes. You can't easily change the 12V battery yourself. It has to be done at the dealer.

 

[David_Cary]

BMW is notorious for expensive 12V battery changes. You can't easily change the 12V battery yourself. It has to be done at the dealer.

Well Tesla charged me $200 installed. So I guess Tesla is 80% cheaper than BMW which is pretty good.

 

[David.85D]

BMW is notorious for expensive 12V battery changes. You can't easily change the 12V battery yourself. It has to be done at the dealer.

Don’t believe the hype. It’s just a 12V car battery. Need some trivial software to tell the computer to reset the counter on its age which they use (supposedly) to modify the charge cycles. My paranoid brain thinks it’s designed to trigger a service reminder once it’s out of warranty so you get nailed for another $1100 battery. Either way, grass isn’t actually greener on the other side.

 

[arghx7]

Oh it's just a monetizing scheme for the BMW dealers of course. But most owners of newer BMW's cant be bothered trying to find an aftermarket tool to accept a new battery (assuming such a tool exists).

 

[Fobble]

New/used delta will often depend of the skill of the buyer/seller in the process.

And depending on how saturated the market is. Used Model 3 are still relative rare due to new model, while MS are plenty. Thus used MS are better deals in general.