Used MY buying advice - undercarriage condition

[ljm42]

Hi all - first time posting after lots of lurking.

Here's the situation - I'm looking at buying a '23 MY LR with 7k miles. The car, however is in Idaho, and I am in Oregon. I've been trying to find a mechanic who is willing to look at the car, but no one is comfortable with inspecting an EV. After talking with a Tesla service mechanic - the advice was to inspect the undercarriage for any signs of impact that would damage the battery, and to put the car in service mode and run both Thermal and HVAC tests.

I had the owner send pics from under the car, and did spot what looks like *some* degree of impact. I've highlighted the area below. So, my question is - how concerned should I be? Is this something that obviously needs to be looked at by Tesla, and/or would it potentially void the battery warranty?

Any advice on next steps? I can imagine asking the owner to make an appointment with Tesla Serivice to check out the highlighted area, but I'm not sure what is typical wear and tear etc. If all turns out okay - I'll be flying to pick up the car next week, but want to do as much due diligence as possible before then.

Thanks in advance!! I've been reading this forum for years, and finally ready to pull the trigger on my 1st EV.

 

[evrepair]

Most likely not an issue of concern. But hard to say from pictures, theoretically there could be more damage on the other side of that hole through the plastic aeroshield, but unlikely.

 

[ljm42]

Most likely not an issue of concern. But hard to say from pictures, theoretically there could be more damage on the other side of that hole through the plastic aeroshield, but unlikely.

Really appreciate the response. That sounds encouraging, and at least worth continuing along the process to find out for sure.

Thanks again!

 

[howardnj]

Don't buy used.
Buying new comes with all new parts and a warranty

 

[ljm42]

Don't buy used.
Buying new comes with all new parts and a warranty

Believe me, I have thought a lot about this. It's a 16month old car, saves over 20k vs. buying new, and the warranty does transfer... so, for my situation, I feel like it is an okay tradeoff.

 

[Owner4523]

I

Don't buy used.
Buying new comes with all new parts and a warranty

This is a silly comment. I bought used and got a great car.

 

[ljm42]

Closing the loop here. Everything checked out totally fine, and I couldn't be happier with the car and the price I paid. Happy to finally join the Tesla owners club!

 

[TesLEEZ]

Believe me, I have thought a lot about this. It's a 16month old car, saves over 20k vs. buying new, and the warranty does transfer... so, for my situation, I feel like it is an okay tradeoff.

Brand Model Y Long Range is $40,500 after the tax credit but with better financing rate than used.

The car would need to be like $30k to make it worth my while. If it's between $35-40k, then it's not worth it given the finance rate.

 

[Eto Demerzel]

looks like he bottomed out on a speedbump or driveway. Pretty normal looking for the underbelly of a car.
Nothing looks distorted but the battery is crucial so if costs you a $100 for Tesla to unscrew the belly pans and take a look, it would be good peace of mind.

 

[ljm42]

Brand Model Y Long Range is $40,500 after the tax credit but with better financing rate than used.

The car would need to be like $30k to make it worth my while. If it's between $35-40k, then it's not worth it given the finance rate.

Yeah, new vs used is just a choice re: trade-offs. All else equal, I assume we'd all go new. A 10k savings in your scenario makes sense, but the math can be different for people.

In my case, not tax credit eligible, I paid in cash, and wanted fsd paid up front (but not at 8k). So the difference was >21k vs new with the same setup.

Anyway, going into that detail I guess because both a) the math and b) what's worth the hassle can be pretty different in a given situations/point in life.

 

[Owner4523]

Brand Model Y Long Range is $40,500 after the tax credit but with better financing rate than used.

The car would need to be like $30k to make it worth my while. If it's between $35-40k, then it's not worth it given the finance rate.

Your comment assumes everyone is buying the same car the same as you. I don't qualify for the tax credit and I paid for the car in full. (Well, I financed the car and paid off the loan the next business day I believe.) If someone is financing a car and paying for it over 5,6,7 years and they are getting a tax credit and the payment is just a hand full of dollars difference, I guess it makes sense. However, if you're looking at just purchasing a car outright, and you save 10K used and get a good deal, I'd rather have the car and my 10K...

 

[Owner4523]

Yeah, new vs used is just a choice re: trade-offs. All else equal, I assume we'd all go new. A 10k savings in your scenario makes sense, but the math can be different for people.

In my case, not tax credit eligible, I paid in cash, and wanted fsd paid up front (but not at 8k). So the difference was >21k vs new with the same setup.

Anyway, going into that detail I guess because both a) the math and b) what's worth the hassle can be pretty different in a given situations/point in life.

This. It seems like everyone assumes everyone qualifies for the tax rebate...and if they don't then they make enough to not care about how much they spend. This is not true. I don't qualify for the tax rebate, and I cared how much I paid for the car (thus I bought a used MY and am happy with my purchase.)

 

[TesLEEZ]

This. It seems like everyone assumes everyone qualifies for the tax rebate...and if they don't then they make enough to not care about how much they spend. This is not true. I don't qualify for the tax rebate, and I cared how much I paid for the car (thus I bought a used MY and am happy with my purchase.)

That's because the people that don't qualify only make up 5% of the population. Congratulations.

 

[jkdman123]

Is there some overarching reason you're considering a used car from so far away? I don't care how many pictures the owner sent me, I'd never buy a used car sight unseen.