May Have to Buy a New Model S

[Warkovision]

I posted this at the Tesla Forums but wanted to consult the gurus here as well.

I bought a Model S 85 in early August 2013. I was rear ended on the freeway about 3 weeks ago and suffered damage to the rear and front after being pushed into the car ahead of me.
I took it to a Tesla approved body shop who gave AAA an estimate of $31,000.
AAA valued my car (4 1/3 years old 94,000 miles) at $36,637.00 and gave me two choices. I can turn the car over to them (totaled) for $40,432.52. Or I can keep it and get $24,536.96 to have it "salvaged." So it's a matter of how much I want to pay close to $12,000 out of my pocket to have the body work done. But then I was told I would have to re-register the car as salvaged which means selling it later could be quite problematic. Or is laying out $50 to $60K for a new Tesla a better option?

I'm leaning towards just calling it totaled and getting a new Model S 75D but I have to order by the 31st in order to be grandfathered into free supercharging for life. Fortunately I can do that financially but I have a few questions.

Is it correct to assume that battery technology has improved to the point that the rated miles for full charge (up to 259) on the 75kwh battery is similar to a 2013 85kwh and/or that dual motors are more efficient? Paying $20,000 for the 100kwh and 75 more rated miles seems unnecessarily expensive given the growing supercharger network.

The Tesla fellow I spoke with on the phone said that all the autopilot hardware was installed on every Model S and if and when you decide to buy it, what you're paying for is the software. So do they really put in all 8 cameras and 12 sonar sensors in every car regardless? He said "enhanced autopilot" was available now but "full self driving capability" is not and will come to pass later (this year maybe?)

I don't think the premium package is something I need or want as I live in SoCal. The bioweapon defense mode seems a bit over the top and I don't need all the heating or fancy stereo stuff.

I have a test drive scheduled for Friday morning and will experience the new Model S and see how I feel about autopilot. Do most people like AP2? Currently I'm thinking that maybe it's best not to layout the cash now for it and pay the $2K overage later for both should it turn out to be great. Thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[IdaX]

Sorry to hear about your accident, dude! Best to just total the old gal. Sounds like she kept you safe in the accident; so that's something to be thankful for.

If you can at all swing it, AP2 is so worth it. Makes long drives less fatiguing, and its just plain cool. Totally don't buy into FSD tho -- hold out on that and pay the overage as necessary.

The new battery tech enables higher battery storage, but 75kW-hr is still less than 85 kW-hr. That's just physics. So you'd take a ~10% range hit on the 75D relative to your old 85 (making up some of the difference in the dual motors). Probably still plenty good of a range for LA warm-weather driving.

Good luck; and tell us all about the new Tesla that you end up configuring here in this thread!

 

[Tam]

...Or is laying out $50 to $60K for a new Tesla a better option?...

If I can afford it, I would skip he headache of salvaged, body work, selling... and buy a new one.

...Paying $20,000 for the 100kwh and 75 more rated miles seems unnecessarily expensive given the growing supercharger network....

If that has been working for you then that is fine. Owners have been fine with even 40 kWh or 60 kWh so it's up to you.

If it were me, I would pay more to get the longest range for the convenience and flexibility.

...feel about autopilot...

I love it! It's not perfect so some do complain about it!

 

[BinaryField]

I don't think the premium package is something I need or want as I live in SoCal. The bioweapon defense mode seems a bit over the top and I don't need all the heating or fancy stereo stuff.

If you don't mind taking apart the front trunk area of your car, you can actually just install a HEPA filter yourself. It's pretty easy and will only cost you around $20.

How to add a HEPA filter to your non-Bioweapon facelift Model S!

 

[Evoforce]

With a salvage car you can no longer get service or parts and have no warranty. The only way to get parts or warranty through Tesla after a salvage title is to have it recertified by Tesla. You can imagine that it could be very expensive and maybe not possible to recertify. We have no pictures to go on and no first hand inspection of your vehicle but it doesn't sound good being crunched both front and rear. It has been done but as you pointed out you would probably have as much into the salvage title car as you would to have a clean title car of the same year. Resale would not be easy without taking a loss. You could instead buy another unwrecked one just like it for $40,000. Better luck to you!

 

[HankLloydRight]

Have you considered the Tesla CPO market? There are lots of good deals on lower option cars, which include free supercharging (with no deadline) and cars with AP1, which works really well. There are about 80 85kWh cars (S85, P85, P85+, P85D) ranging in price from $50k to $90k.

 

[Lukez]

I'm with hank
It sounds like you never even considered a used one or just don't want to but there is no reason you must buy a new one. If it was me I'd take the 40k, add some cash and get a CPO with AP1. AP2 hardware is Tesla marketing to get people to buy a new version of the car. It's been 15 months since AP2 was released and from what I hear it's just reached AP1 capability. It also took them 15 months to figure out how to do automatic wipers. Anyone that thinks that FSD is near has a blindfold on.

 

[Nosken]

The difference in price from the 75 KW and the 100 KW battery is not $20,000. It is $9,500. Not only is that better for travel, some of the increased cost will be recovered in resale value.

The increased safety and collision mitigation makes the new car argument much stronger.

 

[Warkovision]

The difference in price from the 75 KW and the 100 KW battery is not $20,000. It is $9,500. Not only is that better for travel, some of the increased cost will be recovered in resale value.

Then why on the Tesla website design your own Tesla area does the price change $20K more from the S75D to the S100D???

 

[Nosken]

Then why on the Tesla website design your own Tesla area does the price change $20K more from the S75D to the S100D???

WOW!...I am sorry, you are correct!!! I was checking for someone that was configuring the other night and I swear when we configured it was $9,500 not $19,500 increase. I don't drink, but it may have been late night and simple math skills may have escaped me.
Now I have to contact him to make sure he is aware.....I think he stayed with the 75

 

[LCR1]

The difference in price from the 75 KW and the 100 KW battery is not $20,000. It is $9,500. Not only is that better for travel, some of the increased cost will be recovered in resale value.

The increased safety and collision mitigation makes the new car argument much stronger.

Then why on the Tesla website design your own Tesla area does the price change $20K more from the S75D to the S100D???

Both of y'all are wrong it's $19,500

 

[LCR1]

But either way that's $780/kwh, why does that seem so high? aren't people upgrading their 60/70 to 75s for like $100/kwh

never mind, I'm guessing that since the 60/70/75 are all the same battery, after some time Tesla decided to just make some money rather than let it all sit on the table.

 

[bonaire]

During the test drive, ask for what they have in inventory and you may be able to get a real good deal on one with some miles on it. I've seen up to $10 off per mile or more.

And yes, it is $20k more to add the 75 miles of range to get a 100D over a 75D.

 

[jelloslug]

The real world range difference between the 75D and the 85 not just simply the difference between the battery sizes. Around town, the RWD 85 will be slightly more efficient and offer a few more miles of range. On the expressway though, the 75D will have a noticeably longer range because of the torque sleep mode that the car goes into when you are cruising along. I have extensively driven both the RWD 85 and the AWD 75D on the same routes with the same conditions and the 75D consistently delivers ~12% more range. I'm not the only one that has reproduced these results either.

 

[Warkovision]

Have you considered the Tesla CPO market? There are lots of good deals on lower option cars, which include free supercharging (with no deadline) and cars with AP1, which works really well. There are about 80 85kWh cars (S85, P85, P85+, P85D) ranging in price from $50k to $90k.

You're absolutely right Hank and it definitely has its up sides. A lot of them seem to be in New England or somewhere in the eastern U.S. Does Tesla take possession of these cars, look them over, certify, and then sell them on commission or do they buy them from the previous owners first? What about warranties? If the previous owner purchased the 4 year extension does that transfer or is there some other protocol? Is there a way to actually see and test drive these cars before purchase or is it "faith based?"

I'm with hank
It sounds like you never even considered a used one or just don't want to but there is no reason you must buy a new one. If it was me I'd take the 40k, add some cash and get a CPO with AP1.

There are some very appealing things about only spending $20K of my money now to get a very similar car with about half the mileage of my original and then hopefully driving it for four or more years. It has the added advantage of waiting for more technological changes to occur, be applied to new models eventually becoming cheaper and getting in later on a new car. I've never bought a preowned/used car before but I've had friends and colleagues that did that had issues with them. I guess them being Tesla certified is a plus but I think I'm most likely going to bite the bullet and just get a new one now.

Thanks so much everybody for your input. You've all been very helpful!

 

[LCR1]

You're absolutely right Hank and it definitely has its up sides. A lot of them seem to be in New England or somewhere in the eastern U.S. Does Tesla take possession of these cars, look them over, certify, and then sell them on commission or do they buy them from the previous owners first? What about warranties? If the previous owner purchased the 4 year extension does that transfer or is there some other protocol? Is there a way to actually see and test drive these cars before purchase ore is it "faith based?"



There are some very appealing things about only spending $20K of my money now to get a very similar car with about half the mileage of my original and then hopefully driving it for four or more years. It has the added advantage of waiting for more technological changes to occur, be applied to new models eventually becoming cheaper and getting in later on a new car. I've never bought a preowned/used car before but I've had friends and colleagues that did that had issues with them. I guess them being Tesla certified is a plus but I think I'm most likely going to bite the bullet and just get a new one now.

Thanks so much everybody for your input. You've all been very helpful!

If you buy a tesla CPO from Tesla it will come with either a 2year 100K odomoter warranty *if the car has 80K you'd have 20K of warranty left. or a 4yr/50K traditional type warranty. My newest car(2015) has the 4/50 warranty and a problem with the sunroof studdering while closing, and a door handle not presenting but I'm covered until 2021 or 94,000 miles. We'll see what the mobile mech has to say when he shows up tomorrow.

 

[HankLloydRight]

A lot of them seem to be in New England or somewhere in the eastern U.S. Does Tesla take possession of these cars, look them over, certify, and then sell them on commission or do they buy them from the previous owners first?

Ignore the "location" data on these cars... sometimes it's good, sometimes it's not. If you're interested in a CPO car, call your local Tesla store to get the accurate details about it.

All of the Tesla CPO cars are either trade-ins or lease-returns. They don't source CPOs from other third-party sellers. So there's no commission, really. These are all cars (currently) owned by Tesla. They do go through a through certification process -- although there are many stories of CPO cars not being fully reconditioned upon sale, but Tesla usually takes care of these issues for buyers. Also, unless the car is near you, you won't be able to test drive it, and even if it is near you, they probably won't let you see it either, since it's reported that CPO cars aren't actually re-conditioned until they're sold. That's why it can take 4 to 8 weeks (or more in some cases) to get a CPO car transported, reconditioned, and delivered to a buyer. So yeah, "faith based", but they do sell a lot of CPOs and I think most people are happy with the results.

@LCR1 talked about the two warranty options.

Good luck with whichever route you take.

 

[Warkovision]

Just got back from the test drive. Hokey smokes, though not ludicrous speed the acceleration gives the impression of significant g forces stronger than my 2013 S85. I can't imagine what the new roadster will feel like when you floor it.

As far as AP2, it's interesting but I would say still a work in progress. But this is based on a 20 minute test drive with maybe 5 to 10 of those minutes devoted to AP. It's quite possible that it's something one becomes accustomed to and "learns" and will also get updated and better as time goes on so I'm going to get it. Regardless, I sure like being notified as to how close I am to something with the sensors especially after "adding" scuffs/dings on ALL four wheel wells of my previous Model S!

Auto park is interesting. The parallel parking that we did sure impressed (and scared) me as to how close it got to the left rear corner of the other car. Perpendicular parking works but was surprised to find that it always backs into the spot. My "copilot" told me that they're still working on that as even though it fits into the space, it doesn't necessarily point "straight."

Voice command seems to work better than in my previous one but that maybe just user error.

HEPA filtration is nice but for me not worth the $5K to get that, all heated seats and steering wheel, fancy stereo, etc, etc. It's a shame you still get the smaller "frunk" if you opt out of the premium package. Is that because of the front motor and/or other features? I'll get used to that though.

We didn't do the "summon" thing.

Am I misremembering or did they swap places with the turn signal and cruise control/AP levers? I seem to remember cruise control lever on my 2013 above the the turn signal lever.

I sure like the glass roof and there's still plenty of head room without the sunroof for my 6'1" frame. I seem to remember that being a reason to get the sunroof back in 2013.

Now I need to figure out paint and interior. I'm torn between deep blue metallic and pearl white multi-coat. After asking the Tesla rep if the additional $500 dollars on the pearl white was for the multi-coat he told me no, that every car gets two coats regardless of color and the extra charge is for the color. Is that correct??? If so, then there isn't a difference with regard to color in whatever "protection" an extra coat of paint provides.

And my other OCD decision is what interior. I'm leaning towards cream premium or white premium as all black doesn't appeal to me as much, maybe because I'm old! An advantage to white premium is that it has black carpet where the cream premium has cream carpet. Anyway, I'll consult the missus who's much more artistic than me or have it come down to a coin toss.

 

[SMAlset]

We love our 75D. Good point about the growing charging scene making it easier to have a smaller battery although it is nice to not charge as frequently. Always the question of how much is it worth it to you to not. But if you don't do a lot of long distance and charge at home the 75D is great for most people.

We don't use many of the EAP features, but the 1 feature of it my husband, after driving a basic 90D loaner without EAP, commented he doesn't want to live without and what makes it all worth it for him is the TACC--especially on the highway up here in the SF Bay area. It is something you can add but it's something you will probably use a lot if you get it off the bat and do a lot of highway or congested driving. And yes, all the cameras are there to activate the EAP if you add it later.

As for the PUP package, the features in ours when we ordered were different than they are now and many features were added to the car as a standard at some point after. I will say that during our summer trips down to the Santa Ynez Valley area, we got a lot of use out of our PUPs BioWeapon Defense mode. Must have driven through 4-5 wildfire areas down 101 and as soon as we saw them coming up hit the BioDefense and it really worked, no hint of smoke in the cabin at all. We arrived in Santa Ynez the day after the Whittier Fire broke out and that was our destination B&B. I have allergies and asthma so was really concerned about being down there during this time. We had ash on the car but no smoke smell within with it on. BTW this is different from just HEPA (which I feel is important driving in air polluted areas like where we both live). The BWD mode only works on a high fan speed and will disengage if you reduce the fan speed. It creates a good "seal" from what we could tell and purges any smoke that might have gotten in before you activated it. With wildfires and pollution real issues down in your area I'd strongly suggest adding it. Most people spend a lot of time in their cars and you only have one set of lungs. Allergies, asthma and COPD are no fun nor is sitting in stalled or slow traffic with ICE engine exhaust. If you're not familiar with how BWD works check this out: Putting the Tesla HEPA Filter and Bioweapon Defense Mode to the Test. Not familiar with the add your own HEPA install, but pretty sure there's no substitute for the BWD. For me the HEPA/BWD was worth the upgrade cost and we do plan to keep our car for a number of years so sure we will get the use out of it.

The frunk on our MS is not as deep due to the addition of the HEPA and BWD. Still plenty big for us for groceries, especially since the MS has such an expansive amount of space in the cargo area. Really never missed the loss of frunk space on our car.

Sorry about your accident but if you get a new car that's pretty exciting in itself. Let us know what you end up doing and good luck either way.

 

[Warkovision]

]Must have driven through 4-5 wildfire areas down 101 and as soon as we saw them coming up hit the BioDefense and it really worked, no hint of smoke in the cabin at all. We arrived in Santa Ynez the day after the Whittier Fire broke out and that was our destination B&B. I have allergies and asthma so was really concerned about being down there during this time. We had ash on the car but no smoke smell within with it on. BTW this is different from just HEPA (which I feel is important driving in air polluted areas like where we both live). The BWD mode only works on a high fan speed and will disengage if you reduce the fan speed. It creates a good "seal" from what we could tell and purges any smoke that might have gotten in before you activated it. With wildfires and pollution real issues down in your area I'd strongly suggest adding it. Most people spend a lot of time in their cars and you only have one set of lungs. Allergies, asthma and COPD are no fun nor is sitting in stalled or slow traffic with ICE engine exhaust. If you're not familiar with how BWD works check this out: Putting the Tesla HEPA Filter and Bioweapon Defense Mode to the Test.

Hwy 5 south to Escondido and north to Redding definitely has it's olfactory/respiratory challenges like Harris Ranch and just north of the supercharger there. Pee-Yew!!! Also driving through the city of Industry, aka the land of 1000 smells is an experience in itself. As it turns out after clarifying a number of things with the Tesla sales rep on the phone last night and input from a few other people, I added the PUP to my reservation after all. I work in Santa Barbara from time to time and had to drive there for a week during the height of the Thomas fire and ended up buying a respirator mask from Home Depot it was so bad. I also figured perhaps it might help resale should I decide to upgrade in 3 or 4 years. Reservation was finalized at midnight. Thanks SMAlset and everyone again for your help!