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What exactly am I looking for in a used Model S

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bakerboy

bakerboy

Member
Mar 2, 2017
288
123
So. Cal.
#1
Hello everyone,

I'm currently in the market for a used Model S, more than likely it will be a 2013/14. I have never owned an EV and of course have questions on the purchase of a used EV.

How many miles are "too many" miles?
What parts are "wear & tear" items that I should be looking at/for?
Are all Tesla service locations linked so that I can get an accurate service record of a vehicle?
Is there anything on the 2013/14 models that I should stay away from?


I think so far these are my 1st round of questions, I apologize I know these have probably been answered in various posts, but I would like to have all of my research & Q/A's in a handy place.

T.I.A.
 
#2
How many miles is too many miles completely depends. If a car has 200k miles but is only $10k, assuming there are no clear damages, I would buy it right away since drive train and batteries have 8 year unlimited mileage warranty. Since higher mileage cars are cheaper, it's a personal decision really.

Not much is wear and tear... many should be taken care of during annual servicing. Just take a look at the car to see if things look to be in good condition. I guess tires and break pads are always things to look at.

I would not get a 2013/14 since the seats were shitty and seating comfort is paramount to me. This is entirely personal opinion since comfort is 100% a matter of opinion. You may find 2013 seats to be supremely comfortable yet current seats to be shitty. I am just stating my preference but you will have to try it out to determine yours. Also from what I have read there were more little issues here and there since the car was still pretty new.
 
#3
Just got my CPO 2013 this past December. It is an MS85 and 22k miles on it. My general decision process was as follows:

1st - I actually love the original seats. As zer0cool mentioned, this is a personal preference item.
2nd - Assuming you are looking to purchase a CPO through Tesla, you get a 4 year, 50k mile warranty on the car beginning with your date of purchase and mileage at the time (therefore my warranty runs to 72k miles). With some minor exceptions (things like not covering rattles) it is the same coverage as the new car warranty. That takes a lot of the worry out of mechanical/system issues so the "wear and tear" stuff gets narrowed to cosmetic items.
3rd - As far as miles, I selected my car due to the low miles, but I believe that the consensus on the forum is that time would appear to have more of an impact on battery performance than mileage. Not sure which is true, but my car which was originally rated at 265 gets to 259 on a full charge after four years.
4th - Again, perhaps a matter of debate, but Consumer Reports has indicated that the 2014 Model S's frequency of repair record is rated as well below average while the 2013's are rated as just below average. That contributed to my decision, to save a few bucks and get the '13 especially since the mileage was so attractive.
5th - Tesla will not give you the service history of your car (which is total BS). They claim it would violate the previous owner's privacy (also BS). Once I got the car, when I brought it in for service (I updated the 3G to 4G/LTE), I had a nice chat with my service advisor and he looked up the history and gave me a run down on everything that had been done to the car.
6th - Features that are a must in my opinion are the tech package, pan roof. Features that were personally a must for me, air suspension, twin chargers and upgraded sound system.

This is off the top of my head. I will say, I absolutely adore the car! I know that just like most forums, as you browse through here there will be lots more complaints/problems being explored than positive stuff. Some of it will sound scary. Remember that for the most part, the folks with no/few issues are much quieter. I am one of those so far. All the stuff I read about on here is educational, but my car has had none of those problems. I even have the original door handles (which supposedly most of which had been replaced).

So have fun in your search and good luck. I'm sure you will get lots more helpful responses on here.
 
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#4
Thanks zer0cool!

The 2013/14's I'm seeing are all between 40k-80k, so it seems like a 2013 with about 70k on the clock isn't too bad? I guess because I have limited knowledge on EV's I dont know how many Model S's are lasting 100k miles and more!!!

Ok, thanks! I will keep that in mind.

Unfortunately, I think I will only be able to afford a Model S between those 2 years, I actually sat in a 14 and a 16 today and dont remember a big "difference" in comfort. I think at this point I'm just super excited to get a "new" used vehicle, I'm currently driving a 03 Camry. I've sacrificed on getting a "newer" vehicle for the wifey and kids. (wife drives a 2017 Infinity Qx60, just traded in a 2013 Q50)
 
#5
Thanks Jashev!!!

Very informative!!! Where can I look for a CPO? I think your 6th point of "must haves" are pretty much on my radar for "must haves".


Has anyone ever purchased out of state with out actually looking at the vehicle in person?
 
#6
You should get a CPO directly from Tesla.. flat out do not buy from a private party. My CPO only had 15k miles and was loaded to the gills. Tesla put four brand new 21in wheels and four brand new tires on it. Fixed all blemishes and gave me a car that looked straight out of the factory (or better the way Tesla QC has been running)

With above said.. Private party and 3rd party dealer prices for the same car were equal or higher. So it's a no brainer to buy from Tesla.
 
#10
bakerboy said:
Realistically, I'm trying to stay around 40k, I know that might be a stretch, but it's the reason I'm looking for a used 13/14.




What is a AP 1.0?
Click to expand...

Autopilot 1.0. The newer cars are now built with AP 2.0 which has 8 cameras as opposed to 4, but the software is behind and many people are frustrated. I am so glad I elected to buy a CPO with 1.0 instead of waiting for 2.0 to get its act together.
 
#15
bakerboy said:
there is nothing in my area that i like/fit my budget, is there any other way to find a CPO
Click to expand...

Other than ev-cpo, Tesla also has a list of cars for sale that isn't public. Thise cars often have issues such as accidents on their carfaxes or higher mileage than the CPO program allows, but they are cheaper. You have to get in touch with a CPO advisor to see those listings. Note they may not come with the CPO warranty, so that is a consideration.
 
#16
bakerboy said:
Thanks Jashev!!!

Very informative!!! Where can I look for a CPO? I think your 6th point of "must haves" are pretty much on my radar for "must haves".


Has anyone ever purchased out of state with out actually looking at the vehicle in person?
Click to expand...

I purchased mine without actually seeing the car. Go to the Tesla website, create an account and start looking through the extensive list of CPO vehicles on the site. When you find one you are interested in you can call a rep and have a conversation. It's a pretty easy process until you actually give them a deposit. Then as most people will tell you, the communications generally slows down after that. I found that by gently making myself a pain in the ass to my assigned delivery specialist it did seem to move things along. I gave them a deposit on Dec. 9th and picked up my car on December 27th.

You should be able to pick up a fairly low mileage CPO Model S fairly well equipped in the 50-55k range (I paid $54k for mine).

Happy Hunting!!!
 
#17
Kenriko said:
You should get a CPO directly from Tesla.. flat out do not buy from a private party. My CPO only had 15k miles and was loaded to the gills. Tesla put four brand new 21in wheels and four brand new tires on it. Fixed all blemishes and gave me a car that looked straight out of the factory (or better the way Tesla QC has been running)

With above said.. Private party and 3rd party dealer prices for the same car were equal or higher. So it's a no brainer to buy from Tesla.
Click to expand...

Ha! Yes, you are correct IF the prices for CPO and Private party are the same. No brainer. But I would argue there are plenty of lower priced private party (think high milage) Teslas around. Point is at least look at private party before pulling the trigger.

I bought mine used, with 35K miles private party before CPO was even an option... and I'm at 114K miles with very little maintenance cost and I didn't even opt for the extended warranty after 50K...so I've been out of warranty almost the entire time. Read my detailed cost write up here at 100K miles.
 
  • Informative
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#18
Wow Sasmania! That is an amazing story!!

I have a few more questions mainly pertaining to owners in California:

1. What are your tag renewal costs for a 13/14?
2. Does California still give the $7500 tax credit for purchasing an EV?

Thanks!
 
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Reactions: Sasmania
#20
Thanks for the info jankratochvil!!!

Can anyone comment on the yearly reg prices?

It seems that the 1st buyer of the car can only claim the federal tax credit, but what about the California $2500 rebate?

Also, how can I tell if the Tech package is installed on a car? I'm currently looking at a car about 300 miles away and they (Car sales man) are just agreeing on the options that I'm asking if they are installed.

Is there anyway to find out if a vehicle still has a warranty?
 
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