I fully feel this way about ICE cars. There's just something about the high priced door handles, pano roof, and massive display that has me uneasy without an extended warranty as an option. Not saying that I will buy the warranty right away, but the option to do so is nice.
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Used Model S from Vroom.com?
- Thread starter professortech
- Start date
I fully feel this way about ICE cars. There's just something about the high priced door handles, pano roof, and massive display that has me uneasy without an extended warranty as an option. Not saying that I will buy the warranty right away, but the option to do so is nice.
I spoke with Tesla directly regarding CPO warranties. Here's what surprised me: when buying a CPO, the warranty is 4 years or 50,000 miles from date of purchase. Meaning, it doesn't ADD to the original factory warranty. This is different than some other car brands that add the warranty to the original, effectively doubling it if the vehicle is rather new with low miles. That is not the case here according to a very well-respected CPO sales advisor.
Regarding extended warranties for non-CPO vehicles bought from other dealers, I assume only the existing factory warranty applies.
My bmw was a 2011 model sold in 2015, so the warranty was up. While I agree that 2-year old cars are still relatively new and an inspection won't find anything major, I did not see them display any different behavior for picking up a 4-year old car out of warranty, particularly a BMW that is a brand known for issues soon after the warranty expires.
Trust but verify. I doubt the car has any issues that Tesla wouldn't cover under the default warranty but considering how critical an inspection is when buying a used car, I have my reservations about buying from Vroom if they can't even do that properly. Like the other posters said -- great for me as a seller, not a company I would necessarily trust as a buyer.
I would find a local Tesla-certified mechanic and pay them a bit extra to really go over the car in detail. If it looks good then you have a great deal on your hands.
Finding a Tesla-certified mechanic to do a PPI is harder than I thought. I've called several Tesla certified body shops but all they are certified to do is body work, not inspections on vehicles. Anyone have a contact?
I will definitely do my due diligence on this before signing on the dotted line. That said, I don't know that I would trust most pre-purchase inspectors to perform a thorough inspection on a Tesla. Would your perception change (specifically on the Tesla I'm looking at buying) if I told you that Vroom purchased the car directly from Tesla (and this was confirmed by a Tesla employee)?
Nope. A seller could tell me a grandmother only drove the car on sundays and I would still take it to do a proper PPI. I understand that Tesla-cert mechanics may be hard to find I think well worth it. Have you checked with Tesla themselves if they're willing to do a PPI?
The flip side of the coin is that Tesla is unique because of the powertrain. The other parts of the car -- suspension, steering wheel, windows, etc. etc are all standard auto fare, all of which a competent mechanic can easily check. The critical powertrain components are separately covered under Tesla's 8-year unlimited mile warranty so I wouldn't worry too much about finding a mechanic versed in that field.
In a perfect world, Tesla would pull the vehicle logs for that car and I can dig through looking for excessive acceleration, hard driving or any unusual activity -- those are historical stats that simply don't exist in other cars (or at least requires digging into the ECU). If you've got a silver tongue you may be able to convince Tesla to do that.
Either way, its wise to exercise an overabundance of caution for such a large purchase so I applaud your diligence. I think you'll be fine either way and don't let a couple peoples' bad experiences dissuade you from joining the Tesla fam.
Tesla won't do PPI - I called and asked them. Unfortunately I feel like a PPI is like playing Russian roulette. How do I know the mechanic will know Tesla enough to do a proper inspection? I guess I'm saying I agree a PPI is valuable but not sure I can trust 98% of PPI mechanics to properly evaluate the Tesla. Your points on the suspension, etc are well taken. I may end up doing one just for those aspects.
Why would it be russian roulette? There is no harm in doing a PPI and you can only gain more knowledge on your purchase. You are trading the risk of issues for the substantial savings of a used vs new car, a PPI serves to minimize that risk and the cost is trivial when compared against your savings over a brand new car. It's simply getting an unbiased second opinion on the state of the car. Whether you trust that opinion should be weighed against your desire to save money on a used car, the willingness to wait for a similar deal from a different seller, or just bite the cost and get a brand new car from Tesla. All are viable options and comes with its own pros and cons but none of them discount the value of a PPI.
Jashev
Member
However, Tesla starts the mileage clock at 0 which is something the other CPO warranties don't offer.
I will likely do a PPI for all the reasons you stated. That said, I can't help but wonder if a PPI on a Tesla is more likely to turn up false negatives. If they don't have experience wih Tesla, it could be a cheap feel good that doesn't identify a real problem. Once Model 3 hits and real world usage of Tesla increases in volume, I would feel better about independent third party PPI.
Very likely that you could get false negatives with the PPI -- for such a new car we're not expecting any issues to begin with anyways. I'd say that even 1 true positive would pay for itself as you can use that as leverage to negotiate the price down.
whitex
Well-Known Member
Especially the white ones (all but one older non-D pending sales). Their prices for some of the newer, low mileage cars seem very attractive. Too bad we don't have room for more at our stable
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Super_Popular
Well-Known Member
What about TRED. I saw this a few minutes ago and laughed.
2016 Tesla Model X 90D | Free Carfax and Inspection Report
2016 Tesla Model X 90D | Free Carfax and Inspection Report
whitex
Well-Known Member
Tred is a consignment type of model, they don't actually buy a car from you, they just facilitate a sale. Asking price comes from the seller, not Tred.
Those are lovely! I happen to have one of the white ones held.Especially the white ones (all but one older non-D pending sales). Their prices for some of the newer, low mileage cars seem very attractive. Too bad we don't have room for more at our stable
View attachment 222892
Are yours Pearl White or Solid White or one of each?
brucet999
Active Member
Super_Popular
Well-Known Member
whitex
Well-Known Member
One of each. Would have preferred solid white on both but it was discontinued. At least Tesla pearl white is pretty close to pearl while, so they don't clash when next to each other. Most other manufacturer's solid whites look yellowish when parked next to a solid white. In some lighting the Tesla pearl white also looks a bit darker, must mostly ok.Those are lovely! I happen to have one of the white ones held.