Worst car shopping experience ever

[PhilDavid]

Since Tesla is obviously losing their a$$ on CPO, I have an idea.....

If Tesla isn’t going to rehab/recondition CPO to any degree beyond road worthiness, why not post high res photos of the car as-is leaving any reconditioning/cleaning/fixing to the buyer. The photos would have to at least be standardized with respect to lighting, angle, sufficient number, etc. At least this is up front and honest. With this system, perhaps instead of the reverse auction sales system (where Tesla drops the price a little each night until someone bites) they start them off at a bare minimum price and have a 10 day “bidding” period where highest bidder takes the car as is.

If the cars a little rough and someone’s willing to put some elbow grease in, you pay a little less. Don’t mind those rock chips and curb rash, save $4-5k over the pristine one... If you want that low mile cream puff, get ready to open your wallet!!!!

I know your mean well but oh lordy yikes! What you propose would make the current program even worse.

It is bad enough that they are selling damaged cars without refurbishing them but under what you propose, customers are expected to fall allover themselves bidding for the cars too? It's like who wants to bid more for the car that had the sh!t beaten out of it?! Why not instead price cars in a rational way so that they sell?

Also I hope you realize that what you call "cream puffs" are basically EVERY SINGLE car that is offered as a CPO car by a car dealer. They are all refurbished to look decent and vehicles that are in poor condition are auctioned off because it is considered unreasonable by car dealers to sell CPO cars in poor condition.

How did Tesla end up in a position where you have to look to a car dealer to see how to treat customers in a reasonable manner? Isn't their whole premise supposed to be that car dealers are horrible and that they take better care of customers?

We are in the market for a second Tesla and expect it to look as pristine as our almost 3 year old car and will reject any cars that are damaged. We've taken great care of our car and would like to buy a car that is similarly in good condition.

I feel they should bring back the CPO program and charge whatever they need to refurbish the cars to be respectable and add that cost to the price of the car. They can then sell badly beaten up cars either as "used cars" or auction them off. This way customers know what they are buying. Is that really unreasonable?

I do agree with you completely about offering high resolution photos in good lighting that clearly show the state of the car. Photos of some of the CPO vehicles we were interested in look like they came from a digital came made in the 90s.

 

[Skeeboe]

Ultimately the problem is that Tesla lacks the infrastructure to manage a high quality CPO program. Outsourcing repairs & reconditioning has proven to be a dagger. Tesla has done a fabulous job at managing its new car process from a customers standpoint (not to be confused with perfection)... While Tesla’s efforts at creating a similar CPO experience are admirable, the fact is that there are simply too many variables with the reconditioning process to ultimately offer the same Tesla experience.

It’s no big secret there’s been a recent shake up within the ranks at Tesla. No doubt CPO has been and will continue to be affected by these changes. I have faith that Tesla will eventually “figure it out”. After all the most important part of any CPO program is the underlying quality of the product being offered....Tesla’s are great automobiles!

A super clean and shiny CPO Oldsmobile is still just a polished Oldsmobile at the end of the day...No Thanks!

 

[Shock-On-T]

Because people who have bad experiences are more likely to talk about it then people who have normal/good experiences. confirmation bias. That's like going to a domestic violence shelter and polling women to see what they think about men. You'd assume all men are terrible with that kind of sample size. If there was a systematic issue with Tesla used vehicles then nobody would be buying them, but they clearly are.

Technically that's publication bias, not confirmation bias.

 

[PhilDavid]

Ultimately the problem is that Tesla lacks the infrastructure to manage a high quality CPO program. Outsourcing repairs & reconditioning has proven to be a dagger. Tesla has done a fabulous job at managing its new car process from a customers standpoint (not to be confused with perfection)... While Tesla’s efforts at creating a similar CPO experience are admirable, the fact is that there are simply too many variables with the reconditioning process to ultimately offer the same Tesla experience.

It’s no big secret there’s been a recent shake up within the ranks at Tesla. No doubt CPO has been and will continue to be affected by these changes. I have faith that Tesla will eventually “figure it out”. After all the most important part of any CPO program is the underlying quality of the product being offered....Tesla’s are great automobiles!

A super clean and shiny CPO Oldsmobile is still just a polished Oldsmobile at the end of the day...No Thanks!

The problem with this argument is you can always say Tesla can't do "x" because of "y" and at the end of the day if customers are subsequently being treated poorly, it is nothing more than an excuse for poorly serving customers.

Anyone buying a Tesla from Tesla deserve the pleasure of buying a car they are delighted with and the whole purchase experience should not be like you are buying a vehicle from a shady guy on Craig's List who wants a deposit for the car before you really know what it is that you are buying.

If every shady and underhanded car dealer can have standards and refurbish used cars they sell, I just can't understand why Tesla can't treat customers at least as well.

For the world class company Tesla is, and for all that they do to innovate, and for all the reasons we love Tesla, they really need to hire someone who can implement a world class CPO program that Tesla can be proud of. The good news is I feel like they can only go up from here as I can't imagine how they can make the CPO program any worse.

 

[HeinrichJ729]

We are going through the process of finding a CPO Model S at the moment and I will post a summary of our experience shortly. I just feel so bad for the Tesla employees tasked with implementing this awful CPO program.

They mean well but are tremendously overworked and this is why you oftentimes don't get a response. Their hands are tied for what they can do to help you because most reasonable requests you can make when buying a car turn out to be an ordeal with no clear processes.

I wish whoever is in charge of the CPO program could go through the process of buying a Tesla CPO with their own money so they can appreciate how awful it is with how difficult it is to figure out the condition of the car combined with no clear standards for the condition of the car.

 

[dark cloud]

I gave up trying to get a car through the Canada CPO program. I had some communication from a heavy French-accented Tesla employee 6000 km away on the other side of the country who was working Monday to Friday from 6 am to 2pm my time, and then the western CPO accounts were transferred to a "new" Tesla CPO employee where the communication was more efficient, but after I expressed interest on a particular CPO (that was not even listed in the system) there were no returned texts or emails; dead end. I never heard back, and no more CPO's were listed in the coming days through Tesla used. About 2-3 months ago there were about a dozen of them shown in the website, and then all of a sudden there were none. I think they slashed the CPO program and his position. I am also pretty certain they did not sell a dozen CPO's in a day, so where did they go? imported them all to China? Sold to other used car dealerships?

I bought my ex lease model S through a 3rd party dealership. They have sold about 20 used Teslas and will probably sell more going forward by the looks of things. Not to mention the fact that they gave me 22000 for the trade-in. Tesla offered $6000. The extra warranty the website shows that they offer would have been nice, but I have my fingers crossed.

 

[S'toon]

This is exactly why I only buy new cars lol. In all seriousness though, buying a Tesla is not going to be like the hand-holding butt smooching experience you'll get at a car dealership.

That's not the experience I've ever had at a stealership. I've always left feeling bitter and ripped off.

 

[Az_Rael]

I have a question re the new CPO program, they say the cars go through a "70 point inspection process", when I bought my CPO Cadillac I was provided a copy of the CPO Check List prior to me agreeing to buy the car. Does Tesla do the same thing?

We know they don't provide CarFax, Service History and won't disclose if SC'ing has been throttled due SC abuse by the previous owner but I hope they at least provide a prospective buyer a copy of the CPO checklist. Would be nice to see the condition of the brake pads/tires etc before buying.

Not always. They refused to provide the inspection sheet to me when we bought our 2015. I got it for my 2013, but my advisor the 2nd time insisted the person who gave it to me should have been fired.


I just hope CarMax gets their program up and running nationwide. They are currently testing the waters on Tesla sales just in So Cal. They even sell extended warranties for them.

 

[TaoJones]

Not always. They refused to provide the inspection sheet to me when we bought our 2015. I got it for my 2013, but my advisor the 2nd time insisted the person who gave it to me should have been fired.


I just hope CarMax gets their program up and running nationwide. They are currently testing the waters on Tesla sales just in So Cal. They even sell extended warranties for them.

Interesting. They were less than competitive last year when I shopped my last S around a bit to see how bad Tesla's trade in offer was. So maybe they've got some margin with which to work - heh.

(I was going to ask) if you off the top of your head happened to recall the vendor/source/strategic partner that CarMax uses to provide those extended warranties (- however, please see the update below). If not, I'll make a note to give one of their stealerships a call. Just the thought makes me want to take a shower, but I'll borrow a stiff upper lip from a visiting British friend and take one for the team if necessary.

Per the other forum (tesla.com), members have received generic responses dating back to April of this year ("we offer an extended warranty to 125,000 miles for $2K-$4K) but zero details.

I wouldn't mind going through one of those line by line to see what's covered and in particular, what's not.

Update: So the British friend told me it was the 21st century and thus we proceeded to consult the Google, which noted that:

1. MaxCare provides CarMax's extended warranties.
2. There are 87 reviews and complaints about MaxCare extended warranties here.
3. Someone did attempt a dissection of the MaxCare product, but it was 5-ish years ago - still and all..
4. Some slightly more recent and favorable discussion courtesy of ye olde reddit.

Will have to give this some thought, especially if, for example, half shafts are not covered as part of the 8-year drive train warranty despite it being apparent that I'm due for set #3 in less than 40,000 miles. I wouldn't have thought they would be, but evidently there's some discussion related thereto given the failure rate lately.

 

[Az_Rael]

(I was going to ask) if you off the top of your head happened to recall the vendor/source/strategic partner that CarMax uses to provide those extended warranties (- however, please see the update below). If not, I'll make a note to give one of their stealerships a call. Just the thought makes me want to take a shower, but I'll borrow a stiff upper lip from a visiting British friend and take one for the team if necessary.

Yes, it appears to be their own subsidiary for the extended warranties. I do not know that you can purchase them for a car that wasn’t bought at CarMax.

I can say we had a MaxCare warranty from a CarMax Honda Accord years ago, and when the transmission completely failed, they paid to replace it at the dealership with very little hassle. Overall, I think it is a reputable extended warranty company, and would feel perfectly comfortable buying a CarMax Tesla with MaxCare.

As far as the CarMax dealership experience - I am a fan. It is similar to Tesla - no haggle, and the sales people are salaried, so they don’t care if you buy a BMW or a Yaris. And they somehow manage to take lots of clear pictures of their used cars. We had them ship us a Tacoma across the country and it was an awesome process. We had lots of photos of the truck before paying the shipping fee (only $500) and got to TEST DRIVE it before buying once it arrived at our local CarMax. Shocking, I know.

 

[PhilDavid]

Yes, it appears to be their own subsidiary for the extended warranties. I do not know that you can purchase them for a car that wasn’t bought at CarMax.

I can say we had a MaxCare warranty from a CarMax Honda Accord years ago, and when the transmission completely failed, they paid to replace it at the dealership with very little hassle. Overall, I think it is a reputable extended warranty company, and would feel perfectly comfortable buying a CarMax Tesla with MaxCare.

As far as the CarMax dealership experience - I am a fan. It is similar to Tesla - no haggle, and the sales people are salaried, so they don’t care if you buy a BMW or a Yaris. And they somehow manage to take lots of clear pictures of their used cars. We had them ship us a Tacoma across the country and it was an awesome process. We had lots of photos of the truck before paying the shipping fee (only $500) and got to TEST DRIVE it before buying once it arrived at our local CarMax. Shocking, I know.

I've been keeping an eye on the CarMax Tesla inventory and they seem to be turning around the vehicles and selling them quickly. I hope they start selling used Teslas nationwide. Imagine being able to see high resolution photos and buy a used car that has been refurbished after a thorough inspection and test drive. It's a miracle

Wish Tesla would outsource all their CPO business to CarMax or hire someone from CarMax to run the CPO Program.

Does anyone know if the CarMax extended warranty covers the air suspension and half shafts?

 

[TomServo]

The Pentagon Federal CU offers an "extended warranty" for hybirds and EV and the ONLY exclusions were by name. Tesla wasn't included. But the question remains "will a Tesla Service Center accept payment for repairs from a third party". To me it should make NO difference if I pay with a CC or they call a 1-800 and they pay with a CC. Money is money and you'd think Tesla would want to generate as much revenue as they can. BTW CARVANA told me the same thing in an e-mail, they will sell an extended warranty but they are not sure Tesla accepts them.

 

[PhilDavid]

The Pentagon Federal CU offers an "extended warranty" for hybirds and EV and the ONLY exclusions were by name. Tesla wasn't included. But the question remains "will a Tesla Service Center accept payment for repairs from a third party". To me it should make NO difference if I pay with a CC or they call a 1-800 and they pay with a CC. Money is money and you'd think Tesla would want to generate as much revenue as they can. BTW CARVANA told me the same thing in an e-mail, they will sell an extended warranty but they are not sure Tesla accepts them.

I can't imagine Tesla not accepting money for a repair from a third party. How could that ever be rationalized?

What if you were short on funds and simply did not have enough money for a repair and a friend offers to pay the repair bill? Of course they would accept the money from your friend. I don't see how this is much different... You'd go to pick up the car, they will tell you the amount due, you tell them the car is covered by a third party warranty and that the warranty company will provide a credit card number for payment.

If anyone finds a third party comprehensive warranty for Tesla, please let us know. It has to cover half shafts, MCU, air suspension, door handles, etc.,

All this would be moot if Tesla would just sell CPO cars with guaranteed standards and quality.

 

[dethman]

As far as the CarMax dealership experience - I am a fan. It is similar to Tesla - no haggle, and the sales people are salaried, so they don’t care if you buy a BMW or a Yaris. And they somehow manage to take lots of clear pictures of their used cars. We had them ship us a Tacoma across the country and it was an awesome process. We had lots of photos of the truck before paying the shipping fee (only $500) and got to TEST DRIVE it before buying once it arrived at our local CarMax. Shocking, I know.

You got to see high resolution photos of the actual car before dropping a grand, didnt get ripped off on transportation and got to drive the actual vehicle before signing delivery paperwork?

I call BS, no car purchase process should be this easy. Next you'll be telling me they even washed and cleaned the car before giving it to you.

 

[Darren Donovan]

You got to see high resolution photos of the actual car before dropping a grand, didnt get ripped off on transportation and got to drive the actual vehicle before signing delivery paperwork?

I call BS, no car purchase process should be this easy. Next you'll be telling me they even washed and cleaned the car before giving it to you.

That's what a "traditional dealership" does! You know, the kind that many Tesla supporters despise. Tesla has said that they don't want to be like a typical car dealership.

 

[iaflyer]

I bought a 5 year old Audi with over 100k miles from a local Audi dealer a couple of years ago. It had too many miles for the CPO program, but they detailed that car like it was brand new! It was sparkling inside and out, and I got to test drive it. AND they printed out the service records to look at! I Before I put a dollar down in it.

I just see limited value in the Tesla “CPO” programm nowthat it’s just a 70 point mechanical inspection.

 

[Don TLR]

Has anyone looked at the Carvana website. Its well done and wish Tesla would do the same. The car has detailed pictures of any paint/body imperfections and listing what they are.. I've been sent pictures of 2 different cars and asked about the detailed pictures as they were poorly done and couldn't make out if it was a dent or a scratch, I didn't get any response so I passed.
This is after going through the old CPO program and got a car that was like new, I'd just like to upgrade to a P85D that's in similar condition..

 

[barcagp]

im pretty sure these stories of horrible condition "used" teslas are the exception and not the common experience. Most people who buy a car and have a happy experience expect as such, and thus are not going to go online and report "hey guys just to let u know I bought a car and nothing went wrong. okay see ya."

I'm willing to wager if we went to any other car enthusiast forum, we'd see similar horror stories of people buying used cars as well. But that in itself does not represent a systematic problem. People are buying used teslas nonstop. Just go to any of those used-teslas tracking websites, that number goes down everyday.

When they reconditioned the car- yes I’ve read great experiences.
Ever since they don’t. All I read is horrible stories

 

[dark cloud]

That's what a "traditional dealership" does! You know, the kind that many Tesla supporters despise. Tesla has said that they don't want to be like a typical car dealership.

Yes, pros and cons. As much as I like this commission free method in theory, sometimes there is something to be said for the ass-kissing sales guy who is trying to make a couple hundred bucks. The service could be better.

 

[PhilDavid]

When they reconditioned the car- yes I’ve read great experiences.
Ever since they don’t. All I read is horrible stories

I feel like the condition of the CPO cars are getting even worse as people pick through cars and accept cars in good condition and reject delivery of cars that are badly beaten up. Hopefully we will reach a point where things can't get any worse than they are now and they start selling cars in a reasonable way.

Yes, pros and cons. As much as I like this commission free method in theory, sometimes there is something to be said for the ass-kissing sales guy who is trying to make a couple hundred bucks. The service could be better.

We are having a hard time just getting emails replied with questions about cars available for sale