Used buying advice

[Jeff Davlt]

I’m a couple months out from starting a hardcore purchase search for my first model 3. I’d love an AWD but it’s just not practical within our budget. I’m waffling between a new SR+ and searching for a LR RWD on the used market. I will be perfectly satisfied with a SR+ but I’d like the extra range and few perks of the LR AWD and am more than willing to trade a bit of mileage for a lower price.

I need tips on where to find used model 3s with realistic prices. It seems carvana has reasonable prices if you jump on it early. Truecar also seems solid though the cars all seem quite far away. Where else has decent used model 3s? Have others had much success negotiating down used model 3s? How do I get information on battery health when buying used? I’m not too worried about degradation but how can I check on it just to be safe?

 

[Sandiegodoug]

I’d go for new sr+

 

[lithium1330]

“Good deals” seem to go quick... regardless there they’re listed. I haven’t had luck with carvana in last month - everything seem to say pending or something as they come online.
Local transactions can be found on CL, fb marketplace, cars.com & carguru.com. Expand nationwide can be the FS section here, onlyusedTesla.com and tezz.la (if Tesla-own inventory).
You may want to factor in ease of transaction, like easy to meeting locally to inspect car and fund-title exchange, or cross country transaction with someone you don’t know,.. then have to pay more to fly & drive/transport back.

btw, on batt health.. should be non-issue in most cases, esp if they follow best practices. My friend has 55k on his ‘17 M3 and notices no meaningful degradation. There are model S’s with 100-200k+ miles and owners are happy.

 

[ZappCatt]

Everything which looked doable for me on Carvana was a "repaired" vehicle.

I used https://ev-cpo.com/hunter/ and https://tezz.la/?market=US&region=KS to see that the prices they are asking on Used Cars is higher than I am willing to pay.

So I am leasing(if they ever deliver it) a new SR+

 

[Jeff Davlt]

Everything which looked doable for me on Carvana was a "repaired" vehicle.

I used https://ev-cpo.com/hunter/ and https://tezz.la/?market=US&region=KS to see that the prices they are asking on Used Cars is higher than I am willing to pay.

So I am leasing(if they ever deliver it) a new SR+

I’ve seen some decent prices on Carvana, but they are always pending. I thought Carvana only sold accident free cars. Is this not the case?

 

[OCR1]

The pricing on used Model 3’s is too high to make sense right now. And it will likely firm up even more starting next week when sellers are no longer competing with the tax credit available to new car buyers. Eventually this will change but the car has only really been around in quantity for 2 years, so there just aren’t that many owners looking to sell right now. You can keep checking all the sites you’ve mentioned but those cars go quickly at not very attractive prices.

If new car sales slow down next year you may see some incentives around middle to end of March when end of quarter sales goals become a factor.

 

[Agie]

I’m a couple months out from starting a hardcore purchase search for my first model 3. I’d love an AWD but it’s just not practical within our budget. I’m waffling between a new SR+ and searching for a LR RWD on the used market. I will be perfectly satisfied with a SR+ but I’d like the extra range and few perks of the LR AWD and am more than willing to trade a bit of mileage for a lower price.

I need tips on where to find used model 3s with realistic prices. It seems carvana has reasonable prices if you jump on it early. Truecar also seems solid though the cars all seem quite far away. Where else has decent used model 3s? Have others had much success negotiating down used model 3s? How do I get information on battery health when buying used? I’m not too worried about degradation but how can I check on it just to be safe?

I have a mid range tesla model 3 for sale.
But it does not have EAP & FSD.
I am in South Seattle area.
Let me know if you are interested in.

 

[T3SLAROD]

I would go through Tesla and skip everyone else. Reason I say this is because I bought used from Tesla and have been treated like I bought a new car.

For example, Tesla switched out a steering wheel with slight peeling, scuffed taillights, scuffed chargeport Dior at delivery. You might find some good prices on their used inventory list also. Good luck!

 

[Jeffrios]

I am in the same boat. I have been generally looking at used LR's and in the past few weeks, nothing has looked like a good deal. A local guy wants 56K for his, great car, but too high for what I want to pay. I think a new SR+ will be the way to go when I am ready to take delivery in March or April.

 

[hari-bhari]

I bought a used LR RWD from a private party and I’ve been very happy with it. It was worth the cost savings. Hunt around on the forums and post that you’re looking and people will contact you. FSD is the highest ticket item so figure out if you want it or not. Then figure out the interior and exterior color options you are ok with. Don’t compromise on features or color because although it may feel great to save a few bucks now, you’ll be driving it for a long time and don’t want to be disappointed. I would say go for the long range personally, always better safe than sorry. Then take the money you saved and splurge on some upgrades or accessories guilt free

I would recommend against buying from a dealer or online sales due to huge markups. I contacted several dealers and none of them could give me accurate answers about FSD and premium versus partial premium interior. Tesla won’t tell you either since you’re not the owner. The only way to know is from the original owner or invoice. Dealers don’t know how to price these cars (just going based on NADA value) and people are way overpaying without understanding what exactly they are getting. Also my friend had a nightmare experience with a model X demo from Tesla and ended up having to return it. He said the SC could have cared less, so YMMV.

Find a private party car here on the forums at a reasonable price and enjoy it!

 

[Jeff Davlt]

I have a mid range tesla model 3 for sale.
But it does not have EAP & FSD.
I am in South Seattle area.
Let me know if you are interested in.

I am completely ambivalent about FSD at this point. Would it be nice? Yes, but I’m going to love the car either way. Is EAP basically what is included now with every model 3? What is Tesla charging to upgrade now? Didn’t it used to be a $3,000 option? As I said, I’m still a few months out. If I go non LR then I’ll just buy new from Tesla.

 

[UCF3]

The pricing on used Model 3’s is too high to make sense right now. And it will likely firm up even more starting next week when sellers are no longer competing with the tax credit available to new car buyers. Eventually this will change but the car has only really been around in quantity for 2 years, so there just aren’t that many owners looking to sell right now. You can keep checking all the sites you’ve mentioned but those cars go quickly at not very attractive prices.

If new car sales slow down next year you may see some incentives around middle to end of March when end of quarter sales goals become a factor.

You’ll see people dumping M3s when the MY hits production

 

[Jeff Davlt]

I bought a used LR RWD from a private party and I’ve been very happy with it. It was worth the cost savings. Hunt around on the forums and post that you’re looking and people will contact you. FSD is the highest ticket item so figure out if you want it or not. Then figure out the interior and exterior color options you are ok with. Don’t compromise on features or color because although it may feel great to save a few bucks now, you’ll be driving it for a long time and don’t want to be disappointed. I would say go for the long range personally, always better safe than sorry. Then take the money you saved and splurge on some upgrades or accessories guilt free

I would recommend against buying from a dealer or online sales due to huge markups. I contacted several dealers and none of them could give me accurate answers about FSD and premium versus partial premium interior. Tesla won’t tell you either since you’re not the owner. The only way to know is from the original owner or invoice. Dealers don’t know how to price these cars (just going based on NADA value) and people are way overpaying without understanding what exactly they are getting. Also my friend had a nightmare experience with a model X demo from Tesla and ended up having to return it. He said the SC could have cared less, so YMMV.

Find a private party car here on the forums at a reasonable price and enjoy it!

Is there a screen shot that would show FSD? It’s a $7,000 option! It’s pretty hard to accurately price a car if you don’t know whether or not the car has it.

Should I not assume that every LR has premium interior? I thought partial was only on SR or SR+

 

[Jeff Davlt]

You’ll see people dumping M3s when the MY hits production

Yeah. It feels it might be good to wait, but I really don’t want to wait that long. Hopefully they ramp up Y production quickly.

 

[hari-bhari]

Is there a screen shot that would show FSD? It’s a $7,000 option! It’s pretty hard to accurately price a car if you don’t know whether or not the car has it.

Should I not assume that every LR has premium interior? I thought partial was only on SR or SR+

You would have to get a screenshot from the owner from their app or their purchase invoice. It’s nowhere in the car unfortunately, which is really annoying.

I think you’re right about LR and premium interior but I didn’t research it myself. That one is easier though because you can just look for rear seat heater options in the HVAC settings

 

[lithium1330]

Do a search and learn the difference between AP (standard feature on all new M3's), Enhanced AP (option in early M3's) and FSD (optional on all new M3's).. b/c they differ in capabilities. And if you intend on wanting FSD... may want to factor in upgrade cost - upgrade from non-AP to FSD: $10k, from AP to FSD: $7k, EAP to FSD: $4K.
Note that FSD prices has been going up... once or twice just this year.

 

[Wnuk]

Good deals on used can be had out there, you just need to act on them quickly. Know what you want, what you can afford and be ready to commit when you see an opportunity.

I had been searching autotrader, car gurus, only used Tesla, EV cpo, and eBay. Car dealers tend to not know what features these cars have so going private party seemed like the best bet. A car I was interested in showed up on eBay and I reached out to the seller with some questions. Within 2 hours someone else hit the “buy it now” button. When the seller got back to me advising the car had been sold, I congratulated him and suggested if the deal didn’t go through to reach out to me.
A week later I received a message from the seller asking if I was still interested. So next week I pickup a 2018 MSM LR AWD that was purchased new by the seller end of January 2019. 10K miles, FSD, full frontal Xpel along with rocker panel and rear bumper protection also. He was selling it because he upgraded to a P3D. Bought for $44K which is much better than most of the advertised cars out there.

So do a lot of research, and be patient. Good luck in your search.

 

[hari-bhari]

Good deals on used can be had out there, you just need to act on them quickly. Know what you want, what you can afford and be ready to commit when you see an opportunity.

I had been searching autotrader, car gurus, only used Tesla, EV cpo, and eBay. Car dealers tend to not know what features these cars have so going private party seemed like the best bet. A car I was interested in showed up on eBay and I reached out to the seller with some questions. Within 2 hours someone else hit the “buy it now” button. When the seller got back to me advising the car had been sold, I congratulated him and suggested if the deal didn’t go through to reach out to me.
A week later I received a message from the seller asking if I was still interested. So next week I pickup a 2018 MSM LR AWD that was purchased new by the seller end of January 2019. 10K miles, FSD, full frontal Xpel along with rocker panel and rear bumper protection also. He was selling it because he upgraded to a P3D. Bought for $44K which is much better than most of the advertised cars out there.

So do a lot of research, and be patient. Good luck in your search.

Dang that's a steal. I paid $43,500 for a LR RWD with FSD and 22k miles and I thought that was a pretty damn good deal.

 

[toolman335]

Definitely don't buy from a dealer. The local BMW dealer had an S. The saleswoman started off by telling me they could offer free oil changes for life

 

[ZappCatt]

I would go through Tesla and skip everyone else. Reason I say this is because I bought used from Tesla and have been treated like I bought a new car.

For example, Tesla switched out a steering wheel with slight peeling, scuffed taillights, scuffed chargeport Dior at delivery. You might find some good prices on their used inventory list also. Good luck!

Was this recently, or "back in the day" when they considered their used offerings CPO and would perform cosmetic fixes? I personally would buy directly from Tesla due to the warranty they add, but when I contacted them, they make sure to clarify that cosmetic issues are NOT covered under any of their warranty, nor do they fix those before selling....and since they have been able to keep moving their used inventory, it seems like a good change for them.