As a future buyer of a used Model S (I have a 15 year old that my Honda will pass to in just under a year), I am watching very closely what appears to be an acceleration of P85 depreciation. I see this mostly as a result of P85D deliveries. It seems that P85s prior to the announcement were selling in the mid 90-100 range and now can be had for mid 75-85k range. In trying to time my future purchase to capture the best car for the best price without waiting too long to,own my dream vehicle.
I see three events over the horizon which I suspect will put further price pressure on the used market and I am curious as to what everyone thinks will be the net results.
The events are:
1. Actual delivery of the Model X. I imagine a very high percentage of the people that have put down deposits are existing S owners as early adopters that will look to sell their S's when they receive their X. This should add to the supply side of the equation and push prices down.
2. The Tesla Resale Guarantee. I believe this was announced in April 2013 and owners that signed up for the program need to exercise this option between 36 and 39 months. This means that starting in May of 2016 we should see added supply as those folks decide to sell their vehicles back to Tesla and upgrade to a new S,X or just take the money and run (doubtful since Consumers found 99% would buy a Tesla again). How do you all feel this will effect the depreciation curve, increase or decrease the value of a MS that is not eligible to be repurchased.
3. CPO program. I assume the vehicles Tesla will be buying back with go through a refurbishment process and then go online a Certified Pre Owned and come with a new warranty etc. A CPO vehicle will be far more attractive to a used buyer like myself especially if it comes with a warranty (if Tesla extends and already amazing warranty). How will a CPOrogram effect the value of a used S from a private seller?
4. When model 3 is announced and people see what the next gen is like will they want the older technology or will they elect to buy the smaller cheaper version even if it lacks some of the higher end features of the S like the aluminum construction?
5. Small point. Gas is under $2 in many states ($1.72 Denver, $1.47 Atlanta, $2.49 here in San Luis Obispo). If I recall, Tesla like to crunch their value proposition numbers using $5.50 per gallon. I honestly don't think most buyers think they are saving money by buying a Tesla for the fuel economy over a Prius etc so this point is weak but still one to discuss.
What appears to be going on is analogous to iphone resale values. An iPhone 4 today in great shape can be had for under $100 on Craigslist because it was superseded by the 4S and the 4S for $125 because of the 5 and so on and so forth. The latest and greatest iphone 6 used still sell very close to what they cost new but the day after a future iphone 7 is announced the market value will take a 30-50% instant depreciation from what I have observed. It seems this is happening to the Model S. If my observations are correct for my first 3 points then I am assuming within a year's time I will be able to find a clean, low mileage, well loved 2013 P85 for under $50k, a S85 for under $45k and a S60 in low 30's (remember, they don't have the same warranty as the 85kwh version so used car buyers will be afraid to buy a higher mileage S60) which will put it right in line with the Model 3 if not lower.
I would enjoy other people's opinions and ideas around this topic and better understand what current owners plan to do as the technology progresses and the value/performance equation further changes.
I see three events over the horizon which I suspect will put further price pressure on the used market and I am curious as to what everyone thinks will be the net results.
The events are:
1. Actual delivery of the Model X. I imagine a very high percentage of the people that have put down deposits are existing S owners as early adopters that will look to sell their S's when they receive their X. This should add to the supply side of the equation and push prices down.
2. The Tesla Resale Guarantee. I believe this was announced in April 2013 and owners that signed up for the program need to exercise this option between 36 and 39 months. This means that starting in May of 2016 we should see added supply as those folks decide to sell their vehicles back to Tesla and upgrade to a new S,X or just take the money and run (doubtful since Consumers found 99% would buy a Tesla again). How do you all feel this will effect the depreciation curve, increase or decrease the value of a MS that is not eligible to be repurchased.
3. CPO program. I assume the vehicles Tesla will be buying back with go through a refurbishment process and then go online a Certified Pre Owned and come with a new warranty etc. A CPO vehicle will be far more attractive to a used buyer like myself especially if it comes with a warranty (if Tesla extends and already amazing warranty). How will a CPOrogram effect the value of a used S from a private seller?
4. When model 3 is announced and people see what the next gen is like will they want the older technology or will they elect to buy the smaller cheaper version even if it lacks some of the higher end features of the S like the aluminum construction?
5. Small point. Gas is under $2 in many states ($1.72 Denver, $1.47 Atlanta, $2.49 here in San Luis Obispo). If I recall, Tesla like to crunch their value proposition numbers using $5.50 per gallon. I honestly don't think most buyers think they are saving money by buying a Tesla for the fuel economy over a Prius etc so this point is weak but still one to discuss.
What appears to be going on is analogous to iphone resale values. An iPhone 4 today in great shape can be had for under $100 on Craigslist because it was superseded by the 4S and the 4S for $125 because of the 5 and so on and so forth. The latest and greatest iphone 6 used still sell very close to what they cost new but the day after a future iphone 7 is announced the market value will take a 30-50% instant depreciation from what I have observed. It seems this is happening to the Model S. If my observations are correct for my first 3 points then I am assuming within a year's time I will be able to find a clean, low mileage, well loved 2013 P85 for under $50k, a S85 for under $45k and a S60 in low 30's (remember, they don't have the same warranty as the 85kwh version so used car buyers will be afraid to buy a higher mileage S60) which will put it right in line with the Model 3 if not lower.
I would enjoy other people's opinions and ideas around this topic and better understand what current owners plan to do as the technology progresses and the value/performance equation further changes.