Which Used P Models Will Give the Best "Safest" Bang for the Buck?

[Deaf Paul]

TLDR: Which "P" model S cars would give most decent performance for the money without being too scary to own?

Explaination/Thought Process: Been reading and reading the past 2 weeks, made one offer on a LR that wasn't accepted, am engaged in a possible trade+cash for a P100D depending on seller's paperwork however just got updated that it's pending being sold to somebody else so I'm resuming my search and at the same time figuring out options. Stumbled into so many horror stories here that involve issues with getting parts/support from Tesla on repairs which sent me looking at other EV options for the past two days, but I'm back to looking at Tesla again because I feel that the best possible bang for the buck with solid performance lies with Tesla and the risks can somewhat be minimized by buying into the right year/model, or even an even more recent model with some warranty left. Do I only need a battery/drivetrain warranty or do I want the basic car warranty still active (especially for the door handles, sunroof if equiped, and trunk locking mechanism)?

I live on an island that's 43 miles wide at it's widest and have been using a BMW i3 BEV with a 65 miles range as my daily beater for the past two years so I'm not concerned about range as long as the car's battery is not going to degrade into the double digits in the next several years.

0-60 3.1 sec or below much preferred.

Don't care about SC1 but possibly nice to help with resale if I don't run the car into the ground first.

FSD or good AP is a must. We have some of the worst traffic in the US.

Thoughts/Feedback?

-Paul

 

[dwbv]

Here, read my story... I'm brand new EV owner, just shy over of 3 weeks of physical ownership thus far: Advice: BMS_w035 - battery coolant heater? Causing other alert codes too.

If you can stomach that as early as I had to then you'll be fine. There is no "safest" car out there aside from the ones with full warranty across the board and those come at a premium price (plus warranty just means it'll be fixed but no guarantee when it will be fixed). You can always purchase extended warranties outside of Tesla when the time comes so it really comes down to how deep your pockets are and how willing you are to deal with the potential problems and expenses that come with owning one of these cars, let a lone a performance-version. It's not an "if" but more so of a "when".

I went into owning an EV knowing they were going to be expensive so I just "smiled" when my P85D bit me within 9 driven miles...

 

[SoCal Buzz]

It really depends on how much you want to spend obviously, especially with that performance spec. Assuming you want an S, and don’t want to purchase a new LR, the oldest model I would personally consider is a 2018 100D. Make sure it’s March mfg. or later to get the MCU2 central processor. I had this car before upgrading to 2021 Refresh (and a 2013 S before that).

The 2018 100D is very quick at 3.9 sec 0-60, has the newer MCU, AP2.5, 335 mile range, and overall is awesome car. I only had a few minor issues over 3 years, so I think it’s a stable build. You get a lot of bang for the buck with this model, and benefit from much of the AP, Sentry Mode and other software advances. PS, don’t bother with FSD. Enhanced AP on that car will provide everything you need to manage stop and go traffic.

 

[gillmj24]

AP1 is fine for traffic, love my 2015 non performance 85.

 

[DayTrippin]

Honestly, if the refreshed LR is in your budget, I'd go with it. Low 3's 0-60, pulls from 50 mph harder than any past performance versions and quicker in the 1/4 than any past P version. You also have real world 350 mile range. I really like the new dash setup.

I know range isn't as important to you but less cycling of the battery helps with longevity. It will still run low 3.4s to 60 even at a 40% charge. You can run back to back to back to back hard acceleration runs and the power doesn't fade. It is based on the energy platform of the Plaid but only has to supply about 66% of the power.

I must have made back to back runs for 30 minutes in the hot Florida heat and the power never faded. The performance was pretty much the same if at 70% charged or 100%. Even at 40% charge, I smoked a Hellcat Redeye. I must have ran him 4 times in a row and each time he lost worse.

The current LR is a performance bargain.

 

[VegarHenriksen]

Another vote for refreshed LR. It's just such a good car and I'm certain there are things about it that will make you appreciate it over a faster 0-60 on a P100D. Matter of fact, the LR pulls harder in higher speed and has better thermal management.
That's not even considering warranty, newer tech and so on.