Would you price adjust for paintwork....

[deaddog]

I'm in the hunt and looking at many different cars. Putting aside the fact that the Tesla market is much different from any other car market (and I've purchased close to 40 cars in my life -- I like cars!), I have a specific question. In my experience, having any repair - however minor - that requires paintwork that shows up on a paint meter really knocks down the price, particularly on high-end cars. At least with dealers (and private guys who own paint meters), it can be at least 10% on a used car with market value that would be around $65K absent the paintwork.

My question is whether you all think that Teslas play under those same rules. I've had a few non-Tesla dealers and private sellers tell me no, all with no good reason (other than they want top $$!). What would you take off your offer for a car with paintwork that was done perfectly by a Tesla-certified body shop and that had no other structural damage (think a dented quarter panel in a parking lot speed accident)?

 

[Qbenjamin]

It really depends on if its something like a rock chip or a significant scratch or scuff. My car had 2 small paint chips from rock debris and Tesla wouldn't correct it. Unless you're buying brand new, some smaller things may be considered normal wear and tear despite the lofty price tag.

 

[deaddog]

Thanks -- I agree with you with respect to rock chips and normal road wear on a couple year old car - not looking for perfect. I'm talking about dents that require bodyshop work, including paint.

 

[cartwright]

Not sure, but my brand new MS75 had a ton of paint flaws from the factory. 6 Bubbles in the clear, a run, 4-5 little impressions or dents, and other issues. It is at a certified Tesla body shop now, and I assume they are going to have to repaint most of the car.

Should I be insisting on more than just the repair? These are factory flaws, no accidents or anything like that. Would be brutal if 5 years from now someone dings me on price because they say it was repainted.

 

[deaddog]

Speaking from lots of non-Tesla experience, I can almost guarantee that paintwork will hurt you on resale, no matter how well it is done. If discovered (and all dealers can easily discover) it likely will have the same impact as an "accident" on CarFax. Obviously, this won't apply if not discovered - or if the buyer is a "drive til die" guy. Two recent experiences - bmw 750 had hood resprayed by BMW body shop due to rock chips; audi s8 had quarter panel replaced due to dent (no other damage). Both took me down about 10% off expected trade-in, tested vs multiple dealers.

Again, to be clear, I have no idea whether Tesla will do the same on a trade. As Tesla is quite different from all other manufacturers in many respects (almost all positive) perhaps they will be more generous than other makes with respect to trade-in issues.