We're a few months away from any owners taking advantage of the Resale Value Guarantee (RVG) that was first offered in March of 2013. With the impending purchase of our Sig X we have the option to finance through Tesla vs. a lower rate elsewhere. So my simple question is, what is the true real world value of the RVG? Is it worth paying an extra $800-900 in interest over a five year term just to get the RVG at 36-39 months?
Our Own Data Point
We owned our Model S from January 2013 until May 2015 (28 months) when we sold it privately. We financed outside of Tesla (no such thing as Tesla Finance or even folding mirrors back in the early days). In May of 2015 we sold it for $68,800 or 77.7% of what we paid for it (sales tax excluded) and 84.9% of what we paid for it if you factor in Federal Tax Credit of $7,500.
Formula for the RVG: 50% of the base price of the 60kWh at time of original purchase (so 50% of $57,400=$28,700) plus 43% of all options including the upgrade to 85kWh battery.
In our case, the options totaled $29,950 (so 43% of $29,950=$12,878.50).
Had we taken advantage of a hypothetical RVG after 36 months, Tesla would have offered us $41,578.50.
I don't see how the RVG makes sense when the spread between the private market and what Tesla offers is so large ($27k in our case).
Are my numbers wrong? Am I missing something important in my decision making process?
Our Own Data Point
We owned our Model S from January 2013 until May 2015 (28 months) when we sold it privately. We financed outside of Tesla (no such thing as Tesla Finance or even folding mirrors back in the early days). In May of 2015 we sold it for $68,800 or 77.7% of what we paid for it (sales tax excluded) and 84.9% of what we paid for it if you factor in Federal Tax Credit of $7,500.
Formula for the RVG: 50% of the base price of the 60kWh at time of original purchase (so 50% of $57,400=$28,700) plus 43% of all options including the upgrade to 85kWh battery.
In our case, the options totaled $29,950 (so 43% of $29,950=$12,878.50).
Had we taken advantage of a hypothetical RVG after 36 months, Tesla would have offered us $41,578.50.
I don't see how the RVG makes sense when the spread between the private market and what Tesla offers is so large ($27k in our case).
Are my numbers wrong? Am I missing something important in my decision making process?