Used S vs New Y - 7-seat commuter

[fstock]

I appreciate the several threads already comparing ownership of an older S to a new Y, and some replies to a post over in the Model X area. Curious to look at it from a slightly different take to see if anyone has experience with it.

I need a commuter, for about 12k miles a year. It’s a third car for the house. I have a family of 6. I drive with all 6 of us in the car about 15% of the time.

I have an immediate Model Y 7-seater delivery pending. I rented one with the family for a weekend and it did not go well. No one but me was comfortable enough, car seats were a pain to organize with the mix of ages and kid size we have. Buckle positioning made buckling for kids not in car seats really difficult. Third row, and second row didn’t work great together. But I loved it, from the driver’s perspective.

I’m also considering an old 2014/2015 MY (85 or 90) with rear facing jump seats. Seems rare, but the few I’ve seen were in the $40k range with ~70k miles on them. With the jump seats, we know it’ll be less comfortable for the two in the back, but at least it’s expected rather than having hoped for a great experience in the Y and being let down.

I’m compromising either way, a new car that will annoy my passengers or an old car that is halfway through its life, or more.

Is a new Model Y 7-seater worth $30k more than a 2015 Model S 7-seater?

 

[Huachipato]

I can't speak for the Model Y - but with a family of 6 myself, I was kind of eyeing a 7-seater Y too.

That said, I do have a 7 seater 2015 Model S now, ha d it for the last 3.5 years and it is fun to drive. The jumpseats are cool, but only my younger 2 kids (5 and 9 y/o) fit there anymore. It used to be something fun they wanted to do but now they gripe if I don't re-arrange the seats to let them into the proper cabin part of the car. In most cases, If I'm taking the 3 or 4 kids somewhere it usually means my wife is somewhere else, so it kind of works out. Otherwise if we are all 6 going somewhere we take the minivan (just better at the task all around). I still use them every once in a while, and it is nice to have, but not a great solution if you are traveling more than 10 miles. The last few uses for me have been the 9y/o wanting to bring a friend over to the house and just wanting in the back for the half mile drive...

Also of note though, the car seats (forward facing) fit nice in the back seat. The back seat is split in thirds (as opposed to 40/20/40) so you can squeeze them in fairly well. I do have seat belt extenders for this kids using booster seats now, which makes gives the kids the ability to easily buckle themselves now.

The other thing to take into consideration - and the main reason I've thought about switching to the Y myself, is the charging speeds when traveling. I used the S once for an overnight travel with my wife, and my wife hated the need to stop for 45 minutes or more while traveling. The Model Y would probably drop the charge time significantly and with it's longer range it would also reduce the amount of needed stops. After that trip, the S is just not considered for travel much at all. Just something to keep in mind.

That all said, the Model S fits the bill for me 99% of the time. I normally only put about 50 to 100 miles a day on the car and charge overnight at home in the garage. But it's a Telsa - and the bias is normally to go with the newer product. If I was in your shoes, assuming getting the kids into the Y wasn't too challenging - I'd be biased toward the Y just because it's newer tech all around. If the kids really don't fit (which is sounds like that is the case) then I'd be really torn on what to do.

 

[Destiny1701]

Is a used 7 seat model X not in consideration?

 

[teslick2]

I love the S but the slow super charging speeds are getting annoying. That being said, I prefer sedans and am not a fan of SUVs.

Not sure if it will tip the scales, but as of yesterday Tesla is offering $3750 off if you take delivery of a Y or 3 in December.

 

[fstock]

Is a used 7 seat model X not in consideration?

Used X is coming in at the same price point as New Y. It’s in consideration, but I posted in the X area about that one. Similar considerations, I worry about the maintenance and FWDs.

 

[fstock]

Not sure if it will tip the scales, but as of yesterday Tesla is offering $3750 off if you take delivery of a Y or 3 in December.

That’s interesting. I was wondering if they’d react to lower deliveries due to people waiting for potential tax credits in now less that 4 weeks. Hasn’t been offered to me yet.

 

[teslick2]

That’s interesting. I was wondering if they’d react to lower deliveries due to people waiting for potential tax credits in now less that 4 weeks. Hasn’t been offered to me yet.

Check the inventory. It mentions it there:

 

[ucmndd]

The only bigger joke than the third row in the Y is the jump seats in the S. If you regularly need to transport 6 or more humans neither of these cars is a good choice.

Unless you don't like a couple of your kids and actively want to make them suffer, in which case, go for it.

 

[fstock]

Not sure if it will tip the scales, but as of yesterday Tesla is offering $3750 off if you take delivery of a Y or 3 in December.

That’s interesting. I was wondering if they’d react to lower deliveries due to people waiting for potential tax credits in now less that 4 weeks. Hasn’t been offered to me yet.

The only bigger joke than the third row in the Y is the jump seats in the S. If you regularly need to transport 6 or more humans neither of these cars is a good choice.

Unless you don't like a couple of your kids and actively want to make them suffer, in which case, go for it.

I don’t need to regularly transport that many kids in this car. I’m buying a commuter, that I’d only be using the extra seats in 10-15% of the time like going to dinner, lunch, weekend drive to grandmas house. My family mover is currently a Pilot with horrible gas mileage so for around town one of these might save me some gas.

 

[fstock]

Check the inventory. It mentions it there:

View attachment 880737

Thanks for the heads up.

 

[fstock]

That all said, the Model S fits the bill for me 99% of the time. I normally only put about 50 to 100 miles a day on the car and charge overnight at home in the garage.

Thanks for this perspective. I really have the same gut feeling, that the S will fit my needs nicely, and I can use the extra $30k for some pretty decent family trips. We have a big car for longer distance travel, also have done some Tahoe trips in a Leaf… so slower charging isn’t going to bother me at the moment. Combined with free supercharging, the S seems to be a very attractive commuter.

 

[Keeganm]

Thanks for this perspective. I really have the same gut feeling, that the S will fit my needs nicely, and I can use the extra $30k for some pretty decent family trips. We have a big car for longer distance travel, also have done some Tahoe trips in a Leaf… so slower charging isn’t going to bother me at the moment. Combined with free supercharging, the S seems to be a very attractive commuter.

I’m not sure what you decided, but I just listed my 2017 model S that has the jump seats. Only 26,000 miles… Feel free to message me if interested and if you did not already purchased another S or Y!