Buying a Used Model S

[Bobby_Dazzler]

Reposted to UK & Ireland Group

Hi Forum Members

Newbie here starting the journey doing the figures and tons of research like most of you have probably done already....

The situation - I have currently paid off my Lexus NX300 Hybrid which is worth about £20K

I was waiting for the Model Y to launch and to either sell my NX and put that forward as a deposit and I was starting to see that if my existing Car was a Tesla I would be making savings each month on fuel as I currently am reimbursed 45p from work with no car allowance so from what I understand after I get a Tesla that 45p per mile will continue and I will suffer Tax on the overage over 45p for the first 10k and 25p thereafter.

I was speaking to my brother and he suggested getting a used Tesla prior to getting a Model Y and at first I thought no way but the more I have thought about it the more feasible I becomes....

I have found a Model S 100D 2017 Plate for around £48K I it looks like that the monthly cost in PCP may well be the same as the cost to fill up my NX

Can you make any recommendations or tips on things to consider just in case I am missing anything

I gather that the Supercharging for Free would not be included as its only for the original purchaser of the vehicle?
I've not factored servicing into the equation but currently I pay around £400 per service

I was thinking of buying a home charger with the highest KW I can get on a single phased supply to charge overnight on a lower charge with British Gas Electric Vehicles Owner Tariff.

Probably the longest journey I would be have to do regularly is around 90 miles each way with the occasional 120 mile each way journey to the south coast.

Any big negatives that anyone can think of with buying a 2017 plate instaed of sticking with what I have until the Model Y is available?

Thanks

Bobby

 

[OfficialMark_H]

Obviously not aware of your circumstances, but most employers only pay 4p per mile to electric car employees.

I wish you well on your Tesla journey, they’re amazing.

 

[Glan gluaisne]

I can't really offer any help with buying a Model S, but can offer some advice on home charging. The maximum charge current possible with a single phase domestic supply (which is what most UK homes have) would be 32 A, which is roughly 7 kW (in practice it's usually slightly higher than this, depending on the local grid voltage). That would charge the car at a rate of roughly 28 to 30 miles of range gained per hour spent charging, so a 7 hour, cheap rate, overnight charge could add around 196 miles of range, more if the charge was over a longer period and the battery had the capacity available.

Before assuming that you can easily have a 32 A charge point installed, it's worth doing some checks to see what the rating of your incoming electricity supply is. On newer houses this tends to be either 80 A or 100 A, which is usually fine, but some houses may have lower rated supplies. There are ways around this, but some may make the charge point installation more costly. As an interim measure, it's possible to charge the car with the portable charge point that it's supplied with, which plugs into a 13 A outlet. That will charge at 10 A, or about 9 or 10 miles of range added per hour. This needs an outlet close enough to the car, that's in good condition (the latter is important, a 10 A load for hours on end will exacerbate any potential shortcomings in the outlet, by causing it to run a bit warm).

 

[Jason71]

I don't know about the British gas tariff but the majority of people on here seem to find Octopus Go or Agile the best bet for electricity. Go is 4 hours per night at 5p + a good day rate of about 13p dependant on where you are. 4 hours per night is enough for most. Agile is more complex, ill let others explain that one.
Many many people here ( myself included) would happily offer you a referral code to save £50 if you switch

 

[Jason71]

Obviously not aware of your circumstances, but most employers only pay 4p per mile to electric car employees.

I wish you well on your Tesla journey, they’re amazing.

if you genuinely pay over 4p and can justify that to the tax man your employer can pay a higher rate with no BiK but the tax man would want receipts

 

[HenryT]

Speaking as a used model S owner I would say go for it.

Servicing costs are likely to be negligible by comparison to your current car, running costs in terms of fuel and 'road tax' will also be way lower. Depreciation should be far better too.

Important you check the warranty position as there may be some manufacturer's warranty still current, particularly if the car was sold by Tesla as a used car at some point.

Insurance quotes if you need them tend to be pretty good from here - https://www.directline.com/tesla

Plenty of chargers are available with a government grant towards the cost if you don't already have one.

 

[Mr Miserable]

That British Gas tariff offers an off-peak rate of 4.7p between 00:30 and 07:30 however the peak rate is 20p which soon adds up.
For most people Octopus Go, Scottish Power's Smart Green EV or Tonik Home & Smart EV would work out cheaper.

 

[pgkevet]

My 100D S gets 21/22 miles of range /hour from a 32A supply. Figure quoted above was for a Model3

 

[Glan gluaisne]

My 100D S gets 21/22 miles of range /hour from a 32A supply. Figure quoted above was for a Model3

Good point, I'd forgotten that the Model S uses more energy per mile than the Model 3. Surprised the difference is that much, though, equates to around 320 Wh/mile, is that right?.

 

[name you wish]

if you genuinely pay over 4p and can justify that to the tax man your employer can pay a higher rate with no BiK but the tax man would want receipts

Company cars have this 4p style rate.

Private cars on company business can be paid up to the 45p without issue.

If you own your own car and your employer pays you less, you can recover the rest on your tax return.

 

[SergeyP]

I cannot comment of 2017 plate, but I had a loan Model S 90D 2016 plate with over 40K miles and... I hated it! It looked dated (inside), old, worn out, squeaky, noisy, overweight and bulky, and I could not wait to get my new Model 3 back from the service. But I have to confess, when I test drove the brand new Model S 2020 plate that was great, just a notch better than my model 3.

 

[Bobby_Dazzler]

Obviously not aware of your circumstances, but most employers only pay 4p per mile to electric car employees.

I wish you well on your Tesla journey, they’re amazing.

Yes that’s right but my company decided not to give me a car allowance so have no control on what car etc I choose. If they did pay a car allowance then I think they can start to be more demanding and a rate based on a particular car and engine size etc. They just pay me to drive my own car without any questions luckily.

 

[Bobby_Dazzler]

I can't really offer any help with buying a Model S, but can offer some advice on home charging. The maximum charge current possible with a single phase domestic supply (which is what most UK homes have) would be 32 A, which is roughly 7 kW (in practice it's usually slightly higher than this, depending on the local grid voltage). That would charge the car at a rate of roughly 28 to 30 miles of range gained per hour spent charging, so a 7 hour, cheap rate, overnight charge could add around 196 miles of range, more if the charge was over a longer period and the battery had the capacity available.

Before assuming that you can easily have a 32 A charge point installed, it's worth doing some checks to see what the rating of your incoming electricity supply is. On newer houses this tends to be either 80 A or 100 A, which is usually fine, but some houses may have lower rated supplies. There are ways around this, but some may make the charge point installation more costly. As an interim measure, it's possible to charge the car with the portable charge point that it's supplied with, which plugs into a 13 A outlet. That will charge at 10 A, or about 9 or 10 miles of range added per hour. This needs an outlet close enough to the car, that's in good condition (the latter is important, a 10 A load for hours on end will exacerbate any potential shortcomings in the outlet, by causing it to run a bit warm).

Any ideas how I check if I have 80 or 100A is that written somewhere in the meter box do you think ?

 

[Bobby_Dazzler]

I don't know about the British gas tariff but the majority of people on here seem to find Octopus Go or Agile the best bet for electricity. Go is 4 hours per night at 5p + a good day rate of about 13p dependant on where you are. 4 hours per night is enough for most. Agile is more complex, ill let others explain that one.
Many many people here ( myself included) would happily offer you a referral code to save £50 if you switch

Good stuff - We are kind of tied in until March but if I do take the plunge I will have to pay the early termination fee as I expect the higher energy cost will cost more!

 

[beansnchips]

I was in the same boat at one stage. Even to the point of driving around the country test driving a few.. But what I cam to realise is that for the same amount of money I can get a brand new car, with more modern AP and HW, better efficiency, more modern motors/battery etc. That made me lean to buy the M3. Also some other things like I prefer the sleek M3 interior, and cabin size feeling the same as an MS but smaller footprint. I had visions of the MS being bigger inside based on its footprint but found it wasn't by much.

 

[Slow_Lane]

I'd echo a previous post and check the warranty point. Wasn't sure if you were buying direct from Tesla or not.

The big differentiator for me was the boot, I needed a bigger boot for a big dog and the 3 was just too small. The downside is the car is very wide and I'd be tempted with a Y when they land, but I didn't want to wait a few more years.

On the mileage side, my company didn't reimburse the full 45p, it was short by a bit, I think from memory it may have been 40p, I think there was a tax reason.

Otherwise its a great car!

 

[Bobby_Dazzler]

Any ideas how I check if I have 80 or 100A is that written somewhere in the meter box do you think ?

I can confirm my Main Switch in my consumer unit is 100A Rated if that confirms it?

 

[Bobby_Dazzler]

I'd echo a previous post and check the warranty point. Wasn't sure if you were buying direct from Tesla or not.

The big differentiator for me was the boot, I needed a bigger boot for a big dog and the 3 was just too small. The downside is the car is very wide and I'd be tempted with a Y when they land, but I didn't want to wait a few more years.

On the mileage side, my company didn't reimburse the full 45p, it was short by a bit, I think from memory it may have been 40p, I think there was a tax reason.

Otherwise its a great car!

No it’s not from Tesla it would be a private dealership

 

[Glan gluaisne]

Any ideas how I check if I have 80 or 100A is that written somewhere in the meter box do you think ?

Unfortunately, it's rare to find the fuse rating labelled. I make a point of putting a label on the fuse holder once the rating's known, but the only way to know for sure is to get the DNO out to cut the seals and pull the fuse to check. If you've got a copy of the last EICR for the installation, or an EIC for major work, then there's a chance that the fuse rating may be shown, but often it's not. There may well be "100 A" printed on the main fuse holder, but that's the maximum rating of the holder, not the fuse inside it. Same goes for the main switch in the CU, that will be rated for 100 A, irrespective of the incoming supply rating.

 

[pgkevet]

Good point, I'd forgotten that the Model S uses more energy per mile than the Model 3. Surprised the difference is that much, though, equates to around 320 Wh/mile, is that right?.

As you know 'it depends'. I've had summer 70mph cruises on flattish motorway at 300-310wh/m. About 320 miles on a full pack was the stated range.. improved on the Raven later model.