Looking for an older Model S - Do I understand the differences? What amenities can I skip?

[OldCreek]

I'm planning on buying an older Model S hopefully in the near future and while I have done a lot of research, I was hoping y'all could inform me if my understanding of the differences is correct and advise if there are any amenities that I can pass on.

I live in metro Atlanta, Georgia and the car will be my primary vehicle as a replacement for my aging Acura. My elderly mother lives with me and sometimes uses the Acura to meet up with friends, go to appointments and such. I'd like some extra razzle dazzle in the car but I don't want it to be so much it overwhelms her or that it will cause unnecessary expensive repairs in the future.

I have a healthy budget but don't really want too much more than $45,000 - $50,000 if possible. Closer to $30,000 is ideal but I know that might result in a much older car with more problems. I've been looking at 2013-2017 models.

Can y'all confirm if what I've read is true :

- The moon roof leaking is a known issue in areas with heavy rain, so best to not use it.
- The new front end without the black bubble grill is only available from mid 2016 and beyond and it called "the raven"
- The software that comes with the car isn't really a big issue because it can be ordered "over air". This would include all forms of autopilot, the audio package and the suspension settings? It does not include the MCDU - the actual operating system that has to be physically changed by Tesla.
- There is no need to fret about the battery needing replacement because there are multiple 3rd party insurance companies that make replacement more affordable and most owners don't have issues until they are well into the 200,000 mile range.
- Searching for a car with transferable supercharging is a waste of time, because it doesn't save you that much and it would be better to get a car you want, rather than settle for one just because it had free charging.
- Only the cars with the Raven grill AND Autopilot 2.0 have eight cameras.
- Full self driving is able to be added on for $10,000 or $15,000 more at a later date but enhanced auto pilot will be sufficient for most people.
-Performance mode isn't needed for the average driver and it uses more battery life.
- The most popular models are the 75 and this is because it relates to driving range but a 75 will do for most city driving. But a 90 or 100 might be better for sitting in Atlanta traffic with the AC on.
- Tesla owners getting their car keyed by random people is common, but the sentry mode is able to record the incident and the police take this very seriously.

Am I on the right track?
Thanks for any help!
-Kit

 

[SO16]

I own a 2017 MS90D with over 100k miles. So far I’m pleased.

Also have pano roof and so far so good there too but be sure to lubricate track and clean drains. The later cars do have an updated pano roof design.

I wouldn’t go any older than a 2016.

Very early models (2013) had design flaws like AC drain on top of battery.

You won’t get sentry mode, EAP or FSD on really old models. You need at least HW 2.0 with cameras around the car and have MCU2 which is an upgrade for sentry. So, late 2016 is the oldest I’d go for sentry mode.

So far I haven’t been keyed. Knock on wood. I think keying is about the same as other cars but the difference is sentry mode catches people in the act.

Free supercharging value depends how much you’ll use it. A round trip from Michigan to Banff, Canada (~4k miles) saves about $450 in super charging costs.

The bigger the battery, the better. Range does drop a bit. But mostly in first couple years.

If you get an out of warranty battery/drivetrain car check out wk057 for a battery warranty plan. (They currently have a power outage due to storms so their website is down.)

Check out onlyusedtesla.com.

 

[OldCreek]

This is very helpful thank you !

So to confirm: If I want sentry mode, the car must be 2016 or newer and have both MCU and HW 2.0, or, this can be added after purchase? Also, how can I know if it has the 8 cameras needed for the FSD? I haven't seen them mentioned in any listings.

I'm trying to minimize the inital cost with knowledge I'll have to add extras later. Is there anyway to tell if MCU and HW is available on the dealer website? I'm willing to buy online or through a broker if there is some sort of escrow process but I want to make sure I'm informed about the hardware before purchasing.

Thanks for the help, its hard to navigate the terms and differences between years and trims sometimes.

 

[houstonian]

I have a healthy budget but don't really want too much more than $45,000 - $50,000 if possible. Closer to $30,000 is ideal but I know that might result in a much older car with more problems. I've been looking at 2013-2017 models.

Early build 2017 S's are a bit of a sweetspot, if you can find one well maintained.

Have HW2 - upgradeable to HW3 in theory - as well as MCU1 → 2, if so desired, and potentially FUSC as well.

But more to the point, starting JAN 2017 (late 2016?) Tesla was on the 3rd major IIRC suspension layout for the S and they had just started rolling out the well reviewed, to the best of my understanding, 75 battery packs as well as the all glass roof which sidestepped the chronic issues of the leaking pano roof.

- The moon roof leaking is a known issue in areas with heavy rain, so best to not use it.

Heard the same but opted for the just released in 2017 all glass roof. Was pleased with it.

- The new front end without the black bubble grill is only available from mid 2016 and beyond and it called "the raven"

Sounds right; someone has a link to the various suspension revisions Tesla's gone through. Excellent resource and would post it myself if I had it handy.

- The software that comes with the car isn't really a big issue because it can be ordered "over air". This would include all forms of autopilot, the audio package and the suspension settings? It does not include the MCDU - the actual operating system that has to be physically changed by Tesla.

Yes/no - I upgraded from MCU 1 → MCU 2 for $2.5k IIRC and was pleased.

- There is no need to fret about the battery needing replacement because there are multiple 3rd party insurance companies that make replacement more affordable and most owners don't have issues until they are well into the 200,000 mile range.

Could be. Have not looked into it but sounds right.

- Searching for a car with transferable supercharging is a waste of time, because it doesn't save you that much and it would be better to get a car you want, rather than settle for one just because it had free charging.

Will depend on the person. Took delivery of an X in May of this year and per www.teslafi.com I've saved ~$2.2k of energy costs since then...but I am a high mileage road-trip kinda guy.

- Only the cars with the Raven grill AND Autopilot 2.0 have eight cameras.

...again sounds right? I don't think AP1 was ever put into a non-nose-cone / facelifted S.

- Full self driving is able to be added on for $10,000 or $15,000 more at a later date but enhanced auto pilot will be sufficient for most people.

Yes in terms of autopilot.

-Performance mode isn't needed for the average driver and it uses more battery life.

Personal preference.

- The most popular models are the 75 and this is because it relates to driving range but a 75 will do for most city driving. But a 90 or 100 might be better for sitting in Atlanta traffic with the AC on.

75 seems to be better reviewed than the 90 battery packs. 100 packs also seem to garner good reviews too but only became an option in mid 2017, IIRC.

To your point 75 for a daily driver will be fine.

- Tesla owners getting their car keyed by random people is common, but the sentry mode is able to record the incident and the police take this very seriously.

Can't speak to the occurrences but believe you'll need MCU2 to support sentry recording.

Am I on the right track?

I'd say so.

teslafi and supercharge.info are good resources too.

Edited to add - a few more useful links, note the AC one...seems to be a chronic issue with the compressor kicking errors and failing. There was also an issue with the forelinks too, suspect an embedded defect, but heads up there too. Upper control arms need to be re-greased as well from time-to-time. Also DLRs were recalled and replaced too, at least for the 2017s.

People who don't buy because of "charging time"

When I bought my Tesla I was surprised at the negative reaction of some people. One guy got really mad, you’d think I said his dog was ugly. Was it? I never seen him do it, during our conversation debating Tesla vs gas, he says he cuts off Teslas because he thinks automation is stupid and is...

teslamotorsclub.com

How's Your AC Holding Up? My Compressor's Loud, Failed 3 Times in 3 Years, and Struggles to Cool. Also "same" repair jumped from $1,195 → $2,030.

Greetings all. Have a 2017 S 75D with ~185k on the clock. Very pleased with the car but running into systemic AC issues - specifically compressor (part number 1063369-00-J) failures - see my prior post on the subject for more info. What's currently happening: AC compressor is becoming louder...

teslamotorsclub.com

Which goes further for $43 - a Tesla or a Gas Car?

And Tesla charges 28 cents per kW at a Supercharger Unless you're driving a Model S or X, where the charge is zero. (yes, I know we paid for supercharging in the price of the car.)

teslamotorsclub.com

Another front suspension control arm failure

Follow-up in case anyone cares. They got back to me and have determined that there was a collision or excessive wear and tear at some point (not necessarily at the time of the incident, but that was the straw the broke the camel's back). Thus, I'll have to go through insurance to get this...

teslamotorsclub.com

75D battery degradation

What's your max Supercharging rate in kW? I hit 105 for a few minutes today (I was at 22% at the time). 2018 75D 22K

teslamotorsclub.com

Late 2016 / Early 2017 S Owners: How Are Your Daytime Running Lights Holding Up?

JAN 2017 S75D-nee-S60D high-mileage owner here. Curious to see if other members with a S (or X) built in this time frame experienced any issues with the DRLs. By DLRs, I mean the "halo" which borders the LED headlight enclosure. Earlier this year the passenger side DLR partially failed where a...

teslamotorsclub.com

 

[SO16]

This is very helpful thank you !

So to confirm: If I want sentry mode, the car must be 2016 or newer and have both MCU and HW 2.0, or, this can be added after purchase? Also, how can I know if it has the 8 cameras needed for the FSD? I haven't seen them mentioned in any listings.

I'm trying to minimize the inital cost with knowledge I'll have to add extras later. Is there anyway to tell if MCU and HW is available on the dealer website? I'm willing to buy online or through a broker if there is some sort of escrow process but I want to make sure I'm informed about the hardware before purchasing.

Thanks for the help, its hard to navigate the terms and differences between years and trims sometimes.

I believe late 2016 has the HW 2.0 (cameras on side) in addition to the front/back.

You would need to upgrade the MCU if it comes with MCU1. I see a poster above answered this in further detail.

There are two versions of the 90D battery pack to my knowledge. An early 2017 90 battery pack is better than the previous years. But I agree with the poster above that best to go with a 75 or 100 (even better).

I have FSD but I only paid 5k for it. I wouldn’t pay 15k for it. I would only do the monthly trial if you really want it but maybe just start with what the car has already before adding to it. Make sure the car fits your needs before adding that large cost because you won’t get that back.

And if you get the monthly trial, you might need to pay extra for when they upgrade the cameras. My HW2.0 cameras and autopilot computer were upgraded as part of the FSD purchase. But again, may want to hold off on paying extra for that. (Unless the car comes with it.)

If you are completely unfamiliar with a Tesla Model S, you may want to try renting one on Turo and see if it works for you and your mom.

I agree with the poster above that 2017 is a good year. (I’m biased because I own one… haha.). But here’s a good video.

A model S is a great car and I think the best looking but it could be expensive to repair. The best bang for your buck would be a new Model 3 RWD. If I lived in a warm state, I’d consider that. Especially if you can get the tax credit.

Don’t forget about checking with insurance.

 

[byeLT4]

Starting to second guess myself but I thought the Raven came later? 2016.5s+ were known as face-lift models, I thought the Ravens didn't come out until 2018 or 19?

If you have a great home electric rate and you can charge at home, free supercharging loses some value. If supercharging is going to be your main way to charge, it may be worth it.

Range is king. Get the biggest battery you can afford. I traded a P100D with 275 miles of range at 100% for a Plaid that now gets 375 miles and it may not seem like much but I think it's the thing I like the most about the upgrade believe it or not.

 

[PCMc]

Just want to correct a couple pieces of information.

The term "Raven" does NOT refer to this change in the front end or from AP1 to HW2 8-camera system. Raven refers to a semi-major design change that happened in mid-late 2019. This includes the Tesla adaptive suspension system being introduced, but more important change in one of the drive motors to the Model 3 permanent magnet style versus both motors being induction type. This is what allows Raven and new Model S vehicles to due true one pedal driving where the car.

You can not judge whether the car has 8 camera/HW2 just by the visual appearance of the front end.
- change from the front black oval to the first refresh fascia happened end of April 2016. However these cars retained AP1 system.
- from end of April 2016 until middle of October 2016 are cars with the refresh front end, but still with AP1 autopilot system.
- cars produced after mid-Oct 2016 will have the 8-camera, HW2 system

You can visually tell if a car has at least HW2 8-camera system by looking at the side marker lights on the front fenders just behind the wheel openings. AP1 cars these marker lights are flat, more flush appearance. AP2 cars have a slight raised prism type of shape to them and you can physically see the cameras in the back half of the marker lights, slightly tilted to look towards the rear wheels. You can also look closely at the side pillars behind the front doors(B-pillar) and see a small oval appearance under the surface. This is the location for the forward looking side cameras. Both are indicators, but once you know how to recognize the side marker light difference, you can tell from a distance where the B-pillar camera is difficult to spot unless you are up close.

If you have access to the car, you can confirm if it has HW2 through the main screen. You will go to controls, software, and then more info. Up will pop a screen with more detailed information, including the infotainment processor. If it says NVidia Tegra, then it is AP1. If says Intel Atom then it has MCU2.

 

[Woodwinds]

Wow, thorough research! Some good feedback above, but I'll chime in.

I'd suggest ensuring that your mom can easily enter/exit the car. Some mobility-challenged folks have difficulty with the low height or the shape of the door.
I wish that my car had better sound insulation, especially for road noise. I'm told that's improved in later versions. Just test drive over some textured concrete road surface at highway speed, and see if it's acceptable.

- The moon roof leaking is a known issue in areas with heavy rain, so best to not use it.
Metal roofs were also an option back then (I have one)

- The new front end without the black bubble grill is only available from mid 2016 and beyond and it called "the raven"
You're right that the bubble ("nosecone") was replaced in mid 2016. However, there was a later refresh (2019) codenamed Raven. Here's a handy list of the versions: Timelines for Vehicles and Variants – TeslaTap

- The software that comes with the car isn't really a big issue because it can be ordered "over air". This would include all forms of autopilot, the audio package and the suspension settings? It does not include the MCDU - the actual operating system that has to be physically changed by Tesla.
Air suspension was an option back then. You know that there are multiple hardware versions of the MCU and the Autopilot computers.

- There is no need to fret about the battery needing replacement because there are multiple 3rd party insurance companies that make replacement more affordable and most owners don't have issues until they are well into the 200,000 mile range.
I have 180 mile range when charged to 80%, but of course I don't run it down to 0. I have a 75 with 130K miles. Someone above mentioned WK057 as a resource. "Affordable" is a relative term.

- Searching for a car with transferable supercharging is a waste of time, because it doesn't save you that much and it would be better to get a car you want, rather than settle for one just because it had free charging.
Depends on your usage profile. Hopefully you'll have home charging set up.

- Full self driving is able to be added on for $10,000 or $15,000 more at a later date but enhanced auto pilot will be sufficient for most people.
Correct, assuming you have the correct hardware or at least a new enough car that can be upgraded. I have FSD, but only because there was a sale a long time back. I wouldn't buy it in the current state. AP is good for road trips, EAP is even better (although I don't know if they sell it for older cars).

-Performance mode isn't needed for the average driver and it uses more battery life.
I have probably the slowest Tesla (5.5s 0-60), and it's quite satisfactory for me. Personal preference though.

- The most popular models are the 75 and this is because it relates to driving range but a 75 will do for most city driving. But a 90 or 100 might be better for sitting in Atlanta traffic with the AC on.
AC isn't that bad on battery life. Heater is worse. Neither is that big of a deal. For supercharging on road trips, the battery charges fastest in the 20-60% range. It slows down as it becomes full. So, a bigger battery has more room in that range, so will add miles faster. For fastest roadtripping, you'll discover that you should charge just enough to get to your next planned stop with some buffer (don't charge full always). Also note that some earlier batteries have been limited in their charging speed (referred to as "chargegate").

- Tesla owners getting their car keyed by random people is common, but the sentry mode is able to record the incident and the police take this very seriously.
I don't believe keying to be common. Of course you see references in the forums. Note that the very old hardware versions don't support sentry.

Hope that helps.

 

[OldCreek]

Thank you all so much!

So much great info and some really great thought provoking points.

I own a 2017 MS90D with over 100k miles. So far I’m pleased.

Also have pano roof and so far so good there too but be sure to lubricate track and clean drains. The later cars do have an updated pano roof design.

I wouldn’t go any older than a 2016.

Very early models (2013) had design flaws like AC drain on top of battery.

You won’t get sentry mode, EAP or FSD on really old models. You need at least HW 2.0 with cameras around the car and have MCU2 which is an upgrade for sentry. So, late 2016 is the oldest I’d go for sentry mode.

So far I haven’t been keyed. Knock on wood. I think keying is about the same as other cars but the difference is sentry mode catches people in the act.

Free supercharging value depends how much you’ll use it. A round trip from Michigan to Banff, Canada (~4k miles) saves about $450 in super charging costs.

The bigger the battery, the better. Range does drop a bit. But mostly in first couple years.

If you get an out of warranty battery/drivetrain car check out wk057 for a battery warranty plan. (They currently have a power outage due to storms so their website is down.)

Check out onlyusedtesla.com.

Thanks for that resource. I'll add it to the list of search sites. Do you think it matters what time of year I purchase? Will there be more variety closer to the end of the year when people are upgrading to the 2024s? If possible, I'd really like a blue exterior with white interior but I think that might be a tall order.

 

[OldCreek]

Early build 2017 S's are a bit of a sweetspot, if you can find one well maintained.

Have HW2 - upgradeable to HW3 in theory - as well as MCU1 → 2, if so desired, and potentially FUSC as well.

But more to the point, starting JAN 2017 (late 2016?) Tesla was on the 3rd major IIRC suspension layout for the S and they had just started rolling out the well reviewed, to the best of my understanding, 75 battery packs as well as the all glass roof which sidestepped the chronic issues of the leaking pano roof.


Heard the same but opted for the just released in 2017 all glass roof. Was pleased with it.

Sounds right; someone has a link to the various suspension revisions Tesla's gone through. Excellent resource and would post it myself if I had it handy.

Yes/no - I upgraded from MCU 1 → MCU 2 for $2.5k IIRC and was pleased.

Could be. Have not looked into it but sounds right.

Will depend on the person. Took delivery of an X in May of this year and per www.teslafi.com I've saved ~$2.2k of energy costs since then...but I am a high mileage road-trip kinda guy.

...again sounds right? I don't think AP1 was ever put into a non-nose-cone / facelifted S.

Yes in terms of autopilot.

Personal preference.

75 seems to be better reviewed than the 90 battery packs. 100 packs also seem to garner good reviews too but only became an option in mid 2017, IIRC.

To your point 75 for a daily driver will be fine.

Can't speak to the occurrences but believe you'll need MCU2 to support sentry recording.

I'd say so.

teslafi and supercharge.info are good resources too.

Edited to add - a few more useful links, note the AC one...seems to be a chronic issue with the compressor kicking errors and failing. There was also an issue with the forelinks too, suspect an embedded defect, but heads up there too. Upper control arms need to be re-greased as well from time-to-time. Also DLRs were recalled and replaced too, at least for the 2017s.

People who don't buy because of "charging time"

When I bought my Tesla I was surprised at the negative reaction of some people. One guy got really mad, you’d think I said his dog was ugly. Was it? I never seen him do it, during our conversation debating Tesla vs gas, he says he cuts off Teslas because he thinks automation is stupid and is...

teslamotorsclub.com

How's Your AC Holding Up? My Compressor's Loud, Failed 3 Times in 3 Years, and Struggles to Cool. Also "same" repair jumped from $1,195 → $2,030.

Greetings all. Have a 2017 S 75D with ~185k on the clock. Very pleased with the car but running into systemic AC issues - specifically compressor (part number 1063369-00-J) failures - see my prior post on the subject for more info. What's currently happening: AC compressor is becoming louder...

teslamotorsclub.com

Which goes further for $43 - a Tesla or a Gas Car?

And Tesla charges 28 cents per kW at a Supercharger Unless you're driving a Model S or X, where the charge is zero. (yes, I know we paid for supercharging in the price of the car.)

teslamotorsclub.com

Another front suspension control arm failure

Follow-up in case anyone cares. They got back to me and have determined that there was a collision or excessive wear and tear at some point (not necessarily at the time of the incident, but that was the straw the broke the camel's back). Thus, I'll have to go through insurance to get this...

teslamotorsclub.com

75D battery degradation

What's your max Supercharging rate in kW? I hit 105 for a few minutes today (I was at 22% at the time). 2018 75D 22K

teslamotorsclub.com

Late 2016 / Early 2017 S Owners: How Are Your Daytime Running Lights Holding Up?

JAN 2017 S75D-nee-S60D high-mileage owner here. Curious to see if other members with a S (or X) built in this time frame experienced any issues with the DRLs. By DLRs, I mean the "halo" which borders the LED headlight enclosure. Earlier this year the passenger side DLR partially failed where a...

teslamotorsclub.com

Thank you- your feedback and these links are all really informative!

 

[OldCreek]

"If you are completely unfamiliar with a Tesla Model S, you may want to try renting one on Turo and see if it works for you and your mom."


I've taken a few test drives in a 2022 and if it was within my price range, I'd absolutely purchase it. 2016 seems to be a viable option in my budget. Is there a huge difference? Should I rent an older model?

 

[OldCreek]

Forgive me all, I'm having some challenges responding and quoting each post so I'll just message here to prevent blowing up everyone's inbox.

It sounds like I'm looking for a late 2016 90 or 100 then - thanks for helping me narrow all that down!
After reading here, would it be worth it to look for something with unlimited supercharging? How does one even verify that? Is it only available for certain trims? If I was interested in a glass roof or metal roof, is that considered an extra amenity? are they hard to come across?

And finally, how popular is blue in the resale market? In in ideal world, I'd love an electric blue one with sentry mode.

 

[Crutonius]

There's a lot of savings to be had in going for a 75. For city use it's quite adequate.

The original sunroof was very problematic. They redesigned it in 2015.

There are third party solutions to battery issues but it still doesn't make it painless. Losing a battery is still pretty traumatic.

 

[dannycamps]

After reading here, would it be worth it to look for something with unlimited supercharging? How does one even verify that? Is it only available for certain trims? If I was interested in a glass roof or metal roof, is that considered an extra amenity? are they hard to come across?

If the car was manufactured (build date) prior to March of 2017, it will have unlimited supercharging. All 2016s should have it. For a 2016, you want to look for a later model as that will have the AP2 system. 2016 was a transition year for Tesla when they moved away from the nosecone to the facelift front-end and from the AP1 camera system to the AP2 system.

The AP2.5 system came shortly after in 2017.

And finally, how popular is blue in the resale market? In in ideal world, I'd love an electric blue one with sentry mode.

Should be relatively easy to find.

 

[SO16]

Thank you all so much!

So much great info and some really great thought provoking points.

Thanks for that resource. I'll add it to the list of search sites. Do you think it matters what time of year I purchase? Will there be more variety closer to the end of the year when people are upgrading to the 2024s? If possible, I'd really like a blue exterior with white interior but I think that might be a tall order.

This quarter, Tesla is allowing the FSD license to transfer to a new vehicle. So there’s a good chance quite a few will be upgrading right now.

 

[PCMc]

If the car was manufactured (build date) prior to March of 2017, it will have unlimited supercharging.

Sorry, but this is not necessarily correct.

The criteria get unlimited, transferrable supercharging is:
- Car had to be ordered by Jan 15, 2017
- Car had to be delivered prior to April 2017.

Both of those criteria have to be met. This says that there can be two cars, manufactured on the same day in 1Q 2017, but one has FUSC and the other does not based upon it being ordered before or after the cut-off date.

Also, Tesla did not necessary manufacturer cars in the same sequence they were ordered. They tended to chase maximizing deliveries by the end of the quarter, so cars for export tended to be built in first of the quarter, those requiring shipping across the US maybe more middle of the quarter, and those being delivered on west coast with very little shipping lead-time produced nearer the end of the quarter. This further complicates the timeline of when a car was delivered maybe not necessarily telling you anything about when it was ordered.

I wish it was easier for a buyer to be able to confirm if a car has transferrable free supercharging, but unfortunately, Tesla has made that actually quite difficult, pulling the direct indication of this from the owners accounts a couple years ago. I know that first had being someone that has a mid-2016 with transferrable free supercharging and no longer seeing that indicated in my on-line account (short of hacking the html codes embedded behind the displayed graphic).

 

[joshhidley]

tesla-info.com has a lot of useful info about builds and versions and how to tell them apart.

I got an 2018 MS75D with FSD in November 2022 for around $45k and love it, but wish I had gotten a 100D.

One thing to note about free supercharging is that somewhere around 2017, they offered non-transferable supercharging.

 

[WallysRide]

Please search this forum for the many responses about free supercharging - it's not guaranteed with the 2016 and older cars. If a car ever got returned to Tesla (i.e. trade in, lease return), Tesla will remove the free supercharging for subsequent owners. Many third party used car dealers do not know this, and they may falsely advertise FUSC because the feature removal hasn't happened yet.

What has happened very often to unsuspecting buyers: 1st owner with FUSC trades car back into Tesla; Tesla auctions car to small independent used car lot; used car lot advertises car with FUSC (because feature still works); new owner buys car and enjoys FUSC for a few days; Tesla strips FUSC once new owner is registered in Tesla app; new owner is upset and vents on this forum!

 

[SO16]

SC01 is the transferable free supercharging.

Tesla Supercharging FAQ

Ultimate Tesla supercharging FAQ. We tell you what you need to know

tesla-info.com

But if you will mainly charge at home with local driving, then free supercharging will mean less.

 

[OldCreek]

If the car was manufactured (build date) prior to March of 2017, it will have unlimited supercharging. All 2016s should have it. For a 2016, you want to look for a later model as that will have the AP2 system. 2016 was a transition year for Tesla when they moved away from the nosecone to the facelift front-end and from the AP1 camera system to the AP2 system.

The AP2.5 system came shortly after in 2017.



Should be relatively easy to find.

So it sounds like the best approach is to find a late 2016 that has the cameras and then upgrade the AP2.5 after purchase? I'd like to keep my monthly car note as low as possible - and it sounds like just making sure the hardware is present and upgrading later is the best choice?