Thinking of getting a Tesla

[2krazykats]

It's not required for warranty.

I've read different posts where people were told different things by Tesla SC. Maybe that's been cleared up by Tesla but you can read posts here Maintenance Service Fee and here Thoughts about Tesla Warranty, CPO, Service, and Other Policies and come up to your own conclusion. Regardless, it's a cost to consider with owning a Tesla.

 

[smsprague]

My Tesla is by far the most expensive car to maintain than anything I have ever owned. But I have never owned a Bentley. I was fully aware of the costs and would still buy it again.

 

[JenniferQ]

My Tesla is by far the most expensive car to maintain than anything I have ever owned. But I have never owned a Bentley. I was fully aware of the costs and would still buy it again.

Need more specifics. Please tell us what makes it so expensive to maintain. I am a new owner. Thanks!

 

[brkaus]

I'm told service is not required for warranty, but is required for the buy back guarantee.

 

[smsprague]

Need more specifics. Please tell us what makes it so expensive to maintain. I am a new owner. Thanks!

The $600 per year check up fee. I know you can blow it off but.

 

[Zybane]

The $600 per year check up fee. I know you can blow it off but.

What do they "check"? And you are suppose to do this check every year of ownership starting at year one?

 

[smsprague]

Every 12K miles or one year. A bunch of inspections.

 

[2krazykats]

What do they "check"? And you are suppose to do this check every year of ownership starting at year one?

I would read the threads I referenced above. It will be very informative! It also seems like Tesla needs to do a better job being consistent across their SCs on the types of things they perform during the annual inspection so it's best to get your SC to tell you what they will perform for the annual.

 

[2krazykats]

I wanted to update my post regarding the annual service and warranty since I didn't want to publish misinformation and speculation... This is from an official Tesla website "Annual maintenance is recommended to ensure that your Model S is always in the best condition but even if you never bring it in, your warranty is still valid." - Ref: Annual and recall service | Tesla Motors. Which does give me a better feeling about needing to pay for the $600 annual service (or rather to not pay for it).

 

[Zybane]

$600 every year for a possible wheel alignment and windshield wipers? No thanks. Not even sure why they mention software upgrades as that's done automatically.

 

[Drucifer]

How bad $600 is varies on reference point.

My Saab went through about $1800 in scheduled maintenance in year 1 (I drove it almost 25k miles and went into a service interval around every other month that was between $200-$500 each time)

My Chevy Volt in 3 years and 30k miles took 3 tire rotations and 1 oil change - total cost in 3 years $120 or $40/year

Assuming you just do warranty repairs with Model S and skip the service (or do it less frequently), the most expensive thing becomes keeping rubber on the tires. If you have 21" wheels with ContiSportContact tires, you are in for 10 cents a mile - over twice what "fuel" costs!

 

[Navyguy]

Well, Although income would allow it, my credit would not. at least not yet. Damn Navy wish I knew better when I was younger about those stupid places like USA Discounters :/ never would have used them. guess I will be waiting a while lol.

 

[S'toon]

Well, Although income would allow it, my credit would not. at least not yet. Damn Navy wish I knew better when I was younger about those stupid places like USA Discounters :/ never would have used them. guess I will be waiting a while lol.

Oh yes. I read about those predatory swine and how they target servicemembers. Sorry to hear about your troubles with them.

 

[Navyguy]

Its paid off, but have never had good credit ever since lol.

 

[2krazykats]

Well, Although income would allow it, my credit would not. at least not yet. Damn Navy wish I knew better when I was younger about those stupid places like USA Discounters :/ never would have used them. guess I will be waiting a while lol.

This might be a fortuitous and saving grace development... You could put what you would've put on the loan in a savings account and in a couple of years, afford to buy it outright!

 

[Navyguy]

Does any one know where a sub prime lender that would lend out 70-100K+ loan?

 

[Max*]

Does any one know where a sub prime lender that would lend out 70-100K+ loan?

Many lenders will lend out to a person with less than ideal credit. Those same lenders will raise your interest rates, and require lower DTI ratios, which likely means you need to put more money down.

 

[Xenius]

Does any one know where a sub prime lender that would lend out 70-100K+ loan?

If you do manual underwriting you can likely still get a loan. One of the real stupid things about credit score based loans is that a guy with 1mill in the bank but a **** credit score can't get a 100k loan. If you have the income and assets to back the loan, find a place that will do manual underwriting.

 

[S'toon]

On the other hand, if you got a cheaper economic ICE car now, in a couple of years you could save enough to buy a Model 3 outright. Invest the money in a safe investment (or heck, if you're gung-ho and wiling to take a risk in the short term Tesla).

 

[GasKilla]

Does any one know where a sub prime lender that would lend out 70-100K+ loan?

Did you already try the Tesla lending? They use several different lenders, one might work for you.