Must have options for resale value / what a first time Tesla owner may not know?

thgchris · Dec 12, 2015

Looking to buy first Tesla MS. Going to test drive on Tuesday at Tesla store. I've been leaning towards CPO or buying an inventory car they are trying to push out (e.g. the $1,000 per month saved and $1 a mile or whatever the equation is now) mainly to avoid the 1st and (maybe) 2nd year depreciation hit.

Because Tesla seems to have a fair number of different options that have come in during varying years (I know there is a Wiki) but do you have any suggestions on what you think are the must have options both for resale value or that a non Tesla owner just may not know.

e.g. 2013 =
2014 = Tech package, Supercharger, Glass pano roof, etc
2015 = Autopilot, Supercharger, Glass pano roof, etc

I figure seats are preference (but most people prefer leather), maybe smart air suspension not worth?

AMPd · Dec 12, 2015

For me, in order of importance.

1. Battery size, I want the biggest!
2. Leather seats, no matter the color.
3. Autopilot or Tech package for older vehicles.
4. Pano Roof.

Air suspension is nice, but I live in a place where I haven't found a need to raise my car a bit for clearance, so to me that only adds a potential problem in the future.

KJD · Dec 12, 2015

Some people may not want to hear this, but I will say it any how. Buy the car that YOU will love to drive every day.

Forget about what everyone else wants, let them buy their own dang car.

Last May I bought a 2012 Model S 85 with no Tech package. Everyone here said do not buy an early car ( less reliable ) and do not buy one without the tech package. Guess what I bought the car anyhow and I LOVE this car. I have a car that I can actually make the payments on and not be broke. Something to think about.

The car is very reliable and the local service center fixes what ever I find wrong and they are great to deal with. The Tech package not being there is a big so what. I have an iPhone with google maps and that is all I need. There are plenty of threads here from people complaining about the Tesla Nav system. When I read those postings, I just laugh and say, glad I did not pay extra money for that option.

Have fun shopping for that dream car and as they say "Your mileage may vary"
:smile:

bhzmark · Dec 12, 2015

Get the cheapest with autopilot and 19" wheels.

Config · Dec 12, 2015

KJD said:
Some people may not want to hear this, but I will say it any how. Buy the car that YOU will love to drive every day.

Forget about what everyone else wants, let them buy their own dang car.

Last May I bought a 2012 Model S 85 with no Tech package. Everyone here said do not buy an early car ( less reliable ) and do not buy one without the tech package. Guess what I bought the car anyhow and I LOVE this car. I have a car that I can actually make the payments on and not be broke. Something to think about.

The car is very reliable and the local service center fixes what ever I find wrong and they are great to deal with. The Tech package not being there is a big so what. I have an iPhone with google maps and that is all I need. There are plenty of threads here from people complaining about the Tesla Nav system. When I read those postings, I just laugh and say, glad I did not pay extra money for that option.

Have fun shopping for that dream car and as they say "Your mileage may vary"
:smile:

Nicely said. I think cars should never be looked at as an asset or investment.

jerry33 · Dec 12, 2015

KJD said:
Some people may not want to hear this, but I will say it any how. Buy the car that YOU will love to drive every day.

^^^^ This. The different options won't make or break the ability to sell it later because Tesla purchasers come from a wider spectrum of lifestyles than purchasers of other cars.

JPUConn · Dec 12, 2015

I'm in a similar situation as yours where I am attempting to factor future resale into my purchase - this is a car and I won't be keeping it forever.

Options like SAS, Dual Chargers, Sound Studio, Fake wood /CF trims, extended leather, are a bonus and not deal makers or breakers for me.

All Gens:
- Warranty for at least 50k miles from my start of ownership - this way I can drive 2 yrs /40k miles and sell it with an existing warranty
- Pano Roof
- 19" wheels (many factors for not wanting 21's)
- Rear facing seats b/c I have 3 young kids
- Tan or Black leather
- Subzero (I want the package and it also indicates a newer build on pre Ap cars)

Pre Dual Motor:
- 85 kWh non A battery (more for battery warranty and supercharge rate than range)
- Parking Sensors
- Tech Package
- not brown, green, or white

Post Dual Motor:
- 70D
- Autopilot can be turned on so not a deal breaker
- not titanium or white
- Next Gen seats

FloridaGary · Dec 12, 2015

In my opinion, must-haves are the Tech Package and Leather. Autopilot is not ready for primetime so I will wait until I purchase my next Tesla. Dual motors would be the only other option I would consider if I lived up north. Fortunately I don't need it living in the sunshine state.

CmdrThor · Dec 12, 2015

The best car for resale value is the absolute base model with zero options. Every single option will depreciate faster than just the base car itself. Therefore as it is mentioned up thread, get the car you want. If resale is your sole concern, do not get any options.

thgchris · Dec 12, 2015

JPUConn said:
I'm in a similar situation as yours where I am attempting to factor future resale into my purchase - this is a car and I won't be keeping it forever.

Options like SAS, Dual Chargers, Sound Studio, Fake wood /CF trims, extended leather, are a bonus and not deal makers or breakers for me.

All Gens:
- Warranty for at least 50k miles from my start of ownership - this way I can drive 2 yrs /40k miles and sell it with an existing warranty
- Pano Roof
- 19" wheels (many factors for not wanting 21's)
- Rear facing seats b/c I have 3 young kids
- Tan or Black leather
- Subzero (I want the package and it also indicates a newer build on pre Ap cars)

Pre Dual Motor:
- 85 kWh non A battery (more for battery warranty and supercharge rate than range)
- Parking Sensors
- Tech Package
- not brown, green, or white

Post Dual Motor:
- 70D
- Autopilot can be turned on so not a deal breaker
- not titanium or white
- Next Gen seats

Agree with:

All Gens:

Warranty 50k miles (so that makes me a CPO buyer or inventory)
Pan roof
19 wheels (mainly because I don't see value for the price) but what are your factors?
Rear facing seats - same [2 twins and one on the way in early 2016]
Must be black interior in my opinion
Sub zero take it or leave it WA isn't that cold

Pre Dual

85 kWh (I agree) - what do you mean by non A battery?
Parking sensors - is this an independent option apart from tech package then I guess?
Tech also agree

Post Dual

70D would also be enough for me here
What is the deal with the next gen seats?

JPUConn · Dec 12, 2015

19 wheels (mainly because I don't see value for the price) but what are your factors?
21's look best in my opinion but come with lower range (3%), lower tread wear, higher tire cost, more prone to damage on potholes, etc.

Rear facing seats - same [2 twins and one on the way in early 2016
I'm rethinking if rear facing is a deal breaker as my kids are so young and I'll probably only keep the car for 2 years (3 yr old and 1 yr old twins)

85 kWh (I agree) - what do you mean by non A battery?
A batteries are the first gen battery identified by a sticker visible from the wheel well. A batteries have a lower supercharging rate amongst other negatives of just being early gen but do carry the same warranty

Parking sensors - is this an independent option apart from tech package then I guess
yes - they along with folding side mirrors weren't standard until August or so 2013. And Tesla made them standard in the tech package at some point but for a period of time they were a stand alone $500 option or just not offered at all

What is the deal with the next gen seats?
beefier bolsters and in my opinion more comfortable- not a deal breaker for me but a very nice to have

bhzmark · Dec 12, 2015

FloridaGary said:
Autopilot is not ready for primetime so I will wait until I purchase my next Tesla.

Said no one who has AP, ever.

AP is second best feature of the Tesla -- second only to the BEV concept generally.

clyjr · Dec 12, 2015

This 100% correct. Options depreciate at a faster rate than the base car. So, what he said, get the car you want unless resale is your only concern then don't get any options.

CmdrThor said:
The best car for resale value is the absolute base model with zero options. Every single option will depreciate faster than just the base car itself. Therefore as it is mentioned up thread, get the car you want. If resale is your sole concern, do not get any options.

FloridaGary · Dec 13, 2015

bhzmark said:
Said no one who has AP, ever.

AP is second best feature of the Tesla -- second only to the BEV concept generally.

Your opinion. Nice to have but its not fully developed which is why recent changes were made.

cab · Dec 13, 2015

So,as someone considering a pre-owned Tesla, I find things like battery size, color and leather to be non-negotiable must-haves. Beyond that, since, as others note, the options depreciate more rapidly, I find myself zeroing in on high option cars because they just end up offering more "value" for the money. The end result is I am barely considering "low option" cars. Now, if there was a greater price disparity between high/low option cars, it might be different...but there isn't.

Now, this could all be skewed as the early buyers seemed to pony up for a lot of options. I suspect as time has progressed, there are a few more folks squeaking in to a Model S and that has them being more selective. As to autopilot, I really have almost no interest in it, BUT consider it a must-have for resale value in any new car order...just look at the press around this one feature (nothing else save ludicrous speed testing) comes close.

Vince Cobelo · Dec 13, 2015

Config said:
Nicely said. I think cars should never be looked at as an asset or investment.

Definitely not a investment but definitely a asset albeit a rapidly depreciating one. I agree with anyone that says...buy the car you want. Extend the time of ownership as long as possible and the only way to do that is having something that you are excited about. Depreciating means nothing if every time you get into the car you feel like a million bucks. Screw resale outside of maintaining the car you love.

thgchris · Dec 13, 2015

JPUConn said:
19 wheels (mainly because I don't see value for the price) but what are your factors?
21's look best in my opinion but come with lower range (3%), lower tread wear, higher tire cost, more prone to damage on potholes, etc.

Rear facing seats - same [2 twins and one on the way in early 2016
I'm rethinking if rear facing is a deal breaker as my kids are so young and I'll probably only keep the car for 2 years (3 yr old and 1 yr old twins)

85 kWh (I agree) - what do you mean by non A battery?
A batteries are the first gen battery identified by a sticker visible from the wheel well. A batteries have a lower supercharging rate amongst other negatives of just being early gen but do carry the same warranty

Parking sensors - is this an independent option apart from tech package then I guess
yes - they along with folding side mirrors weren't standard until August or so 2013. And Tesla made them standard in the tech package at some point but for a period of time they were a stand alone $500 option or just not offered at all

What is the deal with the next gen seats?
beefier bolsters and in my opinion more comfortable- not a deal breaker for me but a very nice to have

A batteries = never knew that. Is there a known VIN number that these were changed over to?

Parking sensors = same thing... Is there a known VIN number that these were changed over to?

(Guess I'm asking anyone as if you knew you'd have said something in original reply)

Thanks

tga · Dec 13, 2015

jerry33 said:
^^^^ This. The different options won't make or break the ability to sell it later because Tesla purchasers come from a wider spectrum of lifestyles than purchasers of other cars.

CmdrThor said:
The best car for resale value is the absolute base model with zero options. Every single option will depreciate faster than just the base car itself. Therefore as it is mentioned up thread, get the car you want. If resale is your sole concern, do not get any options.

Options may depreciate faster than the base car, but, IMHO, a couple are necessary for quick resale - Tech and (to a lesser degree) Pano.

I've spent a lot of time studying the used S market. I've seen cars without Tech package languish in the market, even at reasonable prices. I think the educated used buyers who will take a car without Tech are few and far between. Lack of Pano also seems to make a car much harder to sell.

FloridaGary said:
Your opinion. Nice to have but its not fully developed which is why recent changes were made.

Well, if autopilot 2.0 doesn't need new hardware, there's value in future-proofing by getting a car with autopilot, even if you don't use the current version. Is it worth ~$15k extra? Hard to say.

Model S M.D. · Dec 13, 2015

I briefly looked at CPO vehicles upon my initial search for a Model S and discovered that most of my "must haves" were not available, these included a combination of:
-color (common colors are more popular obviously, like black)
-Next Gen seats
-Pano
-Premium
-Autopilot (a moot point with the newer models, since you can these after the fact)
(Optional: Air, UHFS, 21s, rear facing seats, subzero)

I actually wanted black/black/black (exterior, seats, headliner), making it more difficult for me to find a CPO or loaner/inventory car. Therefore, I just ended up ordering a new Model S

Good luck!

Beryl · Dec 13, 2015

cab said:
As to autopilot, I really have almost no interest in it, BUT consider it a must-have for resale value in any new car order...just look at the press around this one feature (nothing else save ludicrous speed testing) comes close.

You aren't interested in TACC (bundled with autopilot)? I think that is a must-have even for those unterested in autosteer.

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