Buying Used model s

[ruskii94]

Hello all!

Happy holidays!
I am interested in purchasing a used Tesla. I currently have two car leases that are ending and don’t have the need for two cars anymore and was thinking of picking up a used model S. I’ve been reading a lot on the forum about what to expect with the cars. I was looking at the 2017 - 2018 range.
I have two Model S’s that I’ve narrowed it down to but wanted some of your opinions.

Car #1 2017 Model s 75D
Air suspension
Cold weather package
Premium Audio
FSD included
AP 2.5 computer
MCU1
56k miles
Asking 28,000
Warranty expires 12/25

Car #2 2017 Model S 100D
Air suspension
Premium Audio
“FSD computer”
Autopilot is included but no FSD
MCU 1
89k miles
Asking 25,500
Warranty ends 8/25

I preferably would want a 100D since bigger battery is generally bigger. The range is my biggest concern if the 75D would work for me. I live in New York about an hour and change from the city so I do have cold winters. I commute about 90 miles per day for work.

Any insight is highly appreciated!
Happy holidays!

 

[brainhouston]

#2
nobody regrets bigger battery n re-sale value is better

 

[ruskii94]

A

#2
nobody regrets bigger battery n re-sale value is better

Aside from normal wear and tear and suspension wear, should I be concerned with the mileage? Does FSD package add value or not really?

 

[Unclepaul]

It is not the mileage on these cars but simply the age. A 7 year old EV can still be a great car, but technology has marched on rapidly since these were built. They are priced a fraction of buying a new one for a reason. The luck of the draw will often determine if your choice is a wise one.

 

[Fgpalmer71]

I agree with both above and I'd lean to the 100D. Personally, I'll never own another Tesla without warranty again. When I purchased mine awhile ago there were ZERO 3rd party options available that covered the HV battery and drive unit. Coming up with snake eyes on a roll of the warranty dice is an expensive proposition.

 

[ruskii94]

It is not the mileage on these cars but simply the age. A 7 year old EV can still be a great car, but technology has marched on rapidly since these were built. They are priced a fraction of buying a new one for a reason. The luck of the draw will often determine if your choice is a wise one.

I agree with both above and I'd lean to the 100D. Personally, I'll never own another Tesla without warranty again. When I purchased mine awhile ago there were ZERO 3rd party options available that covered the HV battery and drive unit. Coming up with snake eyes on a roll of the warranty dice is an expensive proposition.

Thanks for the replies everyone!

Yea I understand what you guys mean. That’s partially why I am hesitant and wanted advice. I don’t mind some repairs here and there but definitely don’t want a battery failure.

If I was to purchase a warranty from x care it would be a better buy? Comprehensive or just HV battery and DU?

Sorry to sound foolish just want to make the right choice lol

 

[Gumball]

I know they are different cars, but would a Model 3 be an option?

 

[howardc64]

Have 1.5-2yr remaining on warranty for both cars. However 6 year old HV batteryin NY's wet+salted roads likely will suffer some corrosion issues. Know if either car was kept out of rain+salted roads? Preferably parked indoors always at home and work. Unfortunately can't not tell 100% how much corrosion without opening up the battery. ScanMyTesla (SMC) and and knowledgeable front battery pack inspection may reveal some deterioration signs but no way to 100% confirm good condition inside the pack.

If get battery replaced under warranty, Tesla reman batteries seems to have seen some quality problems from threads here.

75D is doesn't use the problematic rear large drive unit (LDU). Although 100D's rear LDU cost $7k to fix after warranty to the latest rev (-U) introduced recently that may be more reliable (in theory, not much longevity history yet)

 

[ruskii94]

I know they are different cars, but would a Model 3 be an option?

I’ve considered it but since model 3 warranty ends at 100k I’m skeptical, I get more time but averaging 20-30k miles a year I would hit that quick since most of the used ones I’ve seen are around 50k miles. And I have two kids I feel the Mrs and I would be happier with the S?

Have 1.5-2yr remaining on warranty for both cars. However 6 year old HV batteryin NY's wet+salted roads likely will suffer some corrosion issues. Know if either car was kept out of rain+salted roads? Preferably parked indoors always at home and work. Unfortunately can't not tell 100% how much corrosion without opening up the battery. ScanMyTesla (SMC) and and knowledgeable front battery pack inspection may reveal some deterioration signs but no way to 100% confirm good condition inside the pack.

If get battery replaced under warranty, Tesla reman batteries seems to have seen some quality problems from threads here.

75D is doesn't use the problematic rear large drive unit (LDU). Although 100D's rear LDU cost $7k to fix after warranty to the latest rev (-U) introduced recently that may be more reliable (in theory, not much longevity history yet)

Interesting information! Thank you!
The 75D is a two owner and stayed in Florida up until October this year and was sold at an auction.

The 100D is also a two owner but was registered in Chicago and Missouri

 

[brkaus]

I agree with both above and I'd lean to the 100D. Personally, I'll never own another Tesla without warranty again. When I purchased mine awhile ago there were ZERO 3rd party options available that covered the HV battery and drive unit. Coming up with snake eyes on a roll of the warranty dice is an expensive proposition.

If that’s the example, the other 34 rolls you spent unneeded money on a warranty.

Only Tesla knows the real data.

 

[howardc64]

The 75D is a two owner and stayed in Florida up until October this year and was sold at an auction.

The 100D is also a two owner but was registered in Chicago and Missouri

Generally speaking, more owners = more parking outside. IL+MO car might have seen more moisture and salt (region + 100k miles) But its a coin flip even with knowledgeable inspections (Tesla won't do and capable aftermarket shops probably count on 2 hands in US)

100D will have LDU and battery covered for 2 years. 75D battery for 1.5. This will cover 40-50k miles on your mileage rate. Long distance vacation travel will gamble with moisture caused breakdown far away from home. I personally don't believe in aftermarket cost effective insurance on battery+LDU on this car from small companies (don't see how they can avoid losing $ given the high failure rate + repair cost). Post factory warranty ownership is likely not going to be trouble free or low cost in NY. But its a gamble and I guess depends on individual tolerance.

 

[ruskii94]

Generally speaking, more owners = more parking outside. IL+MO car might have seen more moisture and salt (region + 100k miles) But its a coin flip even with knowledgeable inspections (Tesla won't do and capable aftermarket shops probably count on 2 hands in US)

100D will have LDU and battery covered for 2 years. 75D battery for 1.5. This will cover 40-50k miles on your mileage rate. Long distance vacation travel will gamble with moisture caused breakdown far away from home. I personally don't believe in aftermarket cost effective insurance on battery+LDU on this car from small companies (don't see how they can avoid losing $ given the high failure rate + repair cost). Post factory warranty ownership is likely not going to be trouble free or low cost in NY. But it’s a gamble and I guess depends on individual tolerance.

I appreciate you keeping this honest so I’m not jaded by hopes of getting a model s.

My wife has a company car so for travel we would probably use that(it’s for personal too). I don’t necessarily plan on keeping the car past 2-4 years max. We got the 2nd leased car before she got her company car and her old car was totaled. I don’t have a need for the 2nd car. I’m currently trying to lower my monthly car payments from 1100$ a month

We’ve run conservative numbers, between insurance savings, gas savings, and not having a second car we would be saving about 1000$ month. So the plan would be to save for a couple years and then I could move into something newer.

That being said maybe I move into a normal ICE car and then look into an S once I save some more money.

 

[Fgpalmer71]

If that’s the example, the other 34 rolls you spent unneeded money on a warranty.

Only Tesla knows the real data

True. To each their own on the warranty aspect. My Model S has been the only car I've purchased used without an extended warranty. Again, it wasn't an option at the time I purchased. In MY case it'd have paid for itself twice. I can repair pretty much anything on my car except the HV battery and the LDU myself. If I decide to go with a newer, used Model S instead of a new 3 next year I'll be going with a 3rd party warranty.

 

[brainhouston]

Although 100D's rear LDU cost $7k to fix after warranty to the latest rev (-U) introduced recently that may be more reliable (in theory, not much longevity history yet)

Sorry ur incorrect... ur thinking of RWD or Performance versions
75D and 100D both have same exact drive units that are very solid
to be fair both 75/100kwh packs seem to be lasting pretty good with minimal failures.. 100kwh will get less cycles thru life due to bigger pack
85s seem to be the worst n 90s had less capacity to start with n worse degradation on earlier ones..

i have 90D X with 95k miles, no issues (same drive units as 75d/100d)
look up High mileage thread, lots of ppl have good reports

most common failure is door handles on S, fairly easy to fix

 

[gillmj24]

My perspective on this is not the popular opinion but hear me out.

If it does fail then will it suck, yes, but for the price of a used camry you will have a used tesla with a newly remanufactured battery that WILL have a fresh 4 year warranty.

And I *did* buy a 3rd party battery warranty that seems to be money totally pissed away now. So I was hoping to avoid the used camry expense for an extra 2 years but if it happens, it happens. Is it cheaper to put 20k into a 20k car, or to just "throw away" a 20k car....

 

[brainhouston]

If it does fail then will it suck, yes, but for the price of a used camry you will have a used tesla with a newly remanufactured battery that WILL have a fresh 4 year warranty.

Not within warranty period... u only get the rest of the original period... many ppl posted about it
If u buy new/reman pack out of warranty then u get 4yrs

 

[brkaus]

I have a 2017 S100D with 96k miles and it’s probably my favorite car I’ve had (mid 50s).

I did shell out the 3k for the MCU2 update. Few moss repairs over the years.

Been thinking about trading in for new, but just can’t quite justify it yet.

 

[gillmj24]

I'm out of tesla warranty now, and the 057 2 year I bought isn't worth the paper I printed it on.

 

[gsmith123]

Couple things I haven't seen mentioned yet:

How much do you want FSD? It's not worth that much if you resell the car again, so the value is mostly in using it.

Keep in mind that w/MCU1 you may not even be able to get FSD Beta. Are you planning to get MCU2? A lot of people report it's well worth the upgrade to improve the infotainment system. So you might want that regardless of FSD.

 

[Fgpalmer71]

That being said maybe I move into a normal ICE car and then look into an S once I save some more money.

I hope my comments in particular aren't going to dissuade you. I LOVE my Model S. I might've gotten lucky, the build quality of my particular 2014 is quite good. The car is rock solid. Bank vault quite. Rides exceptionally well. I have zero regrets and I save a bucket of money monthly over the Twin Turbo BMW I had previously. My 2 issues have been the sunroof (not an issue on either of the cars you're contemplating) and the LDU (also not an issue on either of your stated options). I have the MCU1 with the upgraded memory. My plan was always to keep the car a few years and upgrade to a Performance model (S or 3), so I didn't think the MCU2 was worth the cost in my use case. Truthfully speaking, unless your coming from another Tesla I don't think you're gonna miss anything at all if the car you choose has the MCU1.

I'm unsure of your financial situation obviously, but in another week....if you can get the price of that 100D down $500 you can take another $4k off the price with the POS tax credit. $21k for that 100D is honestly a crazy great deal and I don't think you can match that with ANY ICE car. Even a cheaper ICE option probably won't be cheaper in the end when you do the math on running costs and maintenance. If you were a friend or family member I'd say GET IT!!!

Good luck.