Used Model S Repairs/Service History

[samuelffrancis]

Hi, y'all! Considering (yet again) a used 2014 model S with around 150K miles. Pretty nervous I'll be hit with some heavy upgrades, as it is pretty much out of warranty and I'd be paying for any battery/drivetrain stuff outta pocket as it comes closer to a quarter million miles. Does anyone here have experience with their own? Looking for owners of similar year and mileage. Would love to hear your advice/experiences and see if this is still worth it. It's a clean title with free supercharging. Still gets around 236 on a full charge and is a performance trim that still goes sub 4.5 0-60.

I'd probably be able to sell my current 2014 plug in hybrid that already has 120K miles itself and upgrade to this for about $1,000. (Not including a MCU upgrade I would probably do if I do pull the trigger)

Thanks in advance. Cheers!

Tesla Model S | $18,000 | Orem, UT | KSL Cars

2014 Tesla Model S for sale in Orem, UT on KSL cars. View Tesla Model S and other new and used cars, trucks, and SUV’s for sale.

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[zoomer0056]

Hi, y'all! Considering (yet again) a used 2014 model S with around 150K miles. Pretty nervous I'll be hit with some heavy upgrades, as it is pretty much out of warranty and I'd be paying for any battery/drivetrain stuff outta pocket as it comes closer to a quarter million miles. Does anyone here have experience with their own? Looking for owners of similar year and mileage. Would love to hear your advice/experiences and see if this is still worth it. It's a clean title with free supercharging. Still gets around 236 on a full charge and is a performance trim that still goes sub 4.5 0-60.

I'd probably be able to sell my current 2014 plug in hybrid that already has 120K miles itself and upgrade to this for about $1,000. (Not including a MCU upgrade I would probably do if I do pull the trigger)

Thanks in advance. Cheers!

Tesla Model S | $18,000 | Orem, UT | KSL Cars

2014 Tesla Model S for sale in Orem, UT on KSL cars. View Tesla Model S and other new and used cars, trucks, and SUV’s for sale.

cars.ksl.com

Get the current owner to download all the service records. You don't have access to these as a second or more owner. I only know this from reading posts on TMC, no direct experience

 

[samuelffrancis]

Get the current owner to download all the service records. You don't have access to these as a second or more owner. I only know this from reading posts on TMC, no direct experience

Thanks! He said he's working on getting the service records. Yeah, I think he's the second or 3rd owner or something like that.

 

[SilverGS]

Hi, y'all! Considering (yet again) a used 2014 model S with around 150K miles. Pretty nervous I'll be hit with some heavy upgrades, as it is pretty much out of warranty and I'd be paying for any battery/drivetrain stuff outta pocket as it comes closer to a quarter million miles. Does anyone here have experience with their own? Looking for owners of similar year and mileage. Would love to hear your advice/experiences and see if this is still worth it. It's a clean title with free supercharging. Still gets around 236 on a full charge and is a performance trim that still goes sub 4.5 0-60.

I'd probably be able to sell my current 2014 plug in hybrid that already has 120K miles itself and upgrade to this for about $1,000. (Not including a MCU upgrade I would probably do if I do pull the trigger)

Thanks in advance. Cheers!

Tesla Model S | $18,000 | Orem, UT | KSL Cars

2014 Tesla Model S for sale in Orem, UT on KSL cars. View Tesla Model S and other new and used cars, trucks, and SUV’s for sale.

cars.ksl.com

So long as you have deep pockets, you'll be fine.

Personally I wouldn't be able to stomach the risk of buying a Tesla of that vintage.

If the battery fails, you're looking at least $10k right away if not more. And that's just one component.

 

[samuelffrancis]

So long as you have deep pockets, you'll be fine.

Personally I wouldn't be able to stomach the risk of buying a Tesla of that vintage.

If the battery fails, you're looking at least $10k right away if not more. And that's just one component.

Thanks, Silver. I appreciate the honesty. That's exactly where my hesitation lies with something like this.

 

[racerx2005]

Hi, y'all! Considering (yet again) a used 2014 model S with around 150K miles. Pretty nervous I'll be hit with some heavy upgrades, as it is pretty much out of warranty and I'd be paying for any battery/drivetrain stuff outta pocket as it comes closer to a quarter million miles. Does anyone here have experience with their own? Looking for owners of similar year and mileage. Would love to hear your advice/experiences and see if this is still worth it. It's a clean title with free supercharging. Still gets around 236 on a full charge and is a performance trim that still goes sub 4.5 0-60.

I'd probably be able to sell my current 2014 plug in hybrid that already has 120K miles itself and upgrade to this for about $1,000. (Not including a MCU upgrade I would probably do if I do pull the trigger)

Thanks in advance. Cheers!

Tesla Model S | $18,000 | Orem, UT | KSL Cars

2014 Tesla Model S for sale in Orem, UT on KSL cars. View Tesla Model S and other new and used cars, trucks, and SUV’s for sale.

cars.ksl.com

Don’t.

 

[DerbyDave]

It is tough to say, but I'd say most model S cars from the earlier years, the battery has a life of 10 - 15 years. Some may be longer. Just be prepared, because no one knows how to judge this life expectancy. you can bet at least 50% of the battery life has been exhausted.

 

[samuelffrancis]

If I could get the owner down to like....... 10K would that be worth it?

 

[zoomer0056]

If I could get the owner down to like....... 10K would that be worth it?

Look at it worst case (which for this car may happen soon) in that you will need to spend at least $15,000 on a new HV battery. Then you should consider the warranty on the replacement. So, now you can ask is $25,000 worth it for the life of the replacement battery.

 

[gaswalla]

Unless the battery has been replaced with a new, 350 V, battery expect to change the battery within the next year or two. The early model S 85 batteries suffer from water intrusion and send a fatal battery error it seems after 7-9 years. If you are OK spending 20,000 on a new battery, giving you a 2014 model S for around 38,000 that will last you for quite a long time except for a new Drive unit in the near future, you should go for it

 

[blodg1]

Hi, y'all! Considering (yet again) a used 2014 model S with around 150K miles. Pretty nervous I'll be hit with some heavy upgrades, as it is pretty much out of warranty and I'd be paying for any battery/drivetrain stuff outta pocket as it comes closer to a quarter million miles. Does anyone here have experience with their own? Looking for owners of similar year and mileage. Would love to hear your advice/experiences and see if this is still worth it. It's a clean title with free supercharging. Still gets around 236 on a full charge and is a performance trim that still goes sub 4.5 0-60.

I'd probably be able to sell my current 2014 plug in hybrid that already has 120K miles itself and upgrade to this for about $1,000. (Not including a MCU upgrade I would probably do if I do pull the trigger)

Thanks in advance. Cheers!

Tesla Model S | $18,000 | Orem, UT | KSL Cars

2014 Tesla Model S for sale in Orem, UT on KSL cars. View Tesla Model S and other new and used cars, trucks, and SUV’s for sale.

cars.ksl.com

Generally nothing wrong with buying an older high mileage S. I have 4 2014's, a 2015, and a 2017. Mileage ranging from 56k to 137k. The main thing to keep in mind is your personal financial situation. One shouldn't stretch to buy any used car out of warranty, let alone an 8+ year old car.

A couple of easy things everyone should check. Drop the rear under shield and check the drive unit sticker. If it is an 85 you need to see a revision Q drive unit or for a P85 a revision T. That will ensure you have the latest drive unit. Then look at the HV battery decal behind the passenger front wheel. If at 150k miles the battery serial number doesn't end with R1, R2, R3 etc, you've got a solid battery.

 

[Nissanman]

Generally nothing wrong with buying an older high mileage S. I have 4 2014's, a 2015, and a 2017. Mileage ranging from 56k to 137k. The main thing to keep in mind is your personal financial situation. One shouldn't stretch to buy any used car out of warranty, let alone an 8+ year old car.

A couple of easy things everyone should check. Drop the rear under shield and check the drive unit sticker. If it is an 85 you need to see a revision Q drive unit or for a P85 a revision T. That will ensure you have the latest drive unit. Then look at the HV battery decal behind the passenger front wheel. If at 150k miles the battery serial number doesn't end with R1, R2, R3 etc, you've got a solid battery.

Some great advice from blodg1! If you can afford to set aside some cash for potentially big repairs (especially the HV battery), you should be OK. I bought my 2014 Model S with 135k miles quite recently, after selling a similar vintage car for $10k more during the pandemic. I say go for it, but I'm a bit of a gambler good luck!

 

[samuelffrancis]

Thank you for all of the advice everyone. @blodg1 I'm having the owner check those things today and will report them back here. Still pretty on the fence, so I really appreciate the honesty and candor. Thanks, @gaswalla for always helping with these things. I swear you've helped me with these things before

 

[ChooseFreedom]

Thanks! He said he's working on getting the service records. Yeah, I think he's the second or 3rd owner or something like that.

That owner is only going to have access to the history from their time owning it though. You won't have access to all owner's history.

 

[samuelffrancis]

That owner is only going to have access to the history from their time owning it though. You won't have access to all owner's history.

Would the purchase of some sort of carfax be necessary for that kinda access?

 

[Carsly2]

Personally, I would spend more for a Tesla used vehicle with some warranty (and have, twice) but if you go down this path just hold another $20K in reserve for expected repairs/replacements.

Much like buying an older Mercedes S class or 7 series BMW, things will break and be expensive when they do. However in the Tesla case your main issues are limited to drive motor and battery pack which does de-risk things IMHO but the price points on those two items are not insignificant.

 

[samuelffrancis]

Found this quite interesting. Start at 1:47. It’s starting to look like that if it was going to fail it would have already done so? I know that doesn’t necessarily mean I’m home free or that it doesn’t have the chance of failing anymore hahaha. Just found his data intriguing. Thoughts?

 

[ChooseFreedom]

Would the purchase of some sort of carfax be necessary for that kinda access?

Carfax only shows you events that are reported, either to insurance or some DMV's. Most shops use your VIN, which typically shows up, but not guaranteed. It won't show you all of the history.

And Tesla won't give it to you. I bought my 2015 MS 70D about a year ago used from a dealership, and they didn't even have access.
I drove from that dealership directly to the nearest TSC. They wouldn't give me any info because the ownership had not transferred yet.
Once I had my account set up on the Tesla app, and the ownership transfer had completed, they still won't give you any history but your own time of ownership.
So it's a leap of faith if you don't know the previous owners. Best you can do is read all you can on forums like this to learn about which models/trims to avoid. (i.e: early 90 batteries, 1st gen Performance drive units, etc...)

 

[samuelffrancis]

Carfax only shows you events that are reported, either to insurance or some DMV's. Most shops use your VIN, which typically shows up, but not guaranteed. It won't show you all of the history.

And Tesla won't give it to you. I bought my 2015 MS 70D about a year ago used from a dealership, and they didn't even have access.
I drove from that dealership directly to the nearest TSC. They wouldn't give me any info because the ownership had not transferred yet.
Once I had my account set up on the Tesla app, and the ownership transfer had completed, they still won't give you any history but your own time of ownership.
So it's a leap of faith if you don't know the previous owners. Best you can do is read all you can on forums like this to learn about which models/trims to avoid. (i.e: early 90 batteries, 1st gen Performance drive units, etc...)

Thanks so much for the insight. Based on what you know/have seen/have heard, should a 2014 P85 be avoided? Don’t know if it was a pre or post October build (just to your point exactly haha)

 

[ChooseFreedom]

I don't know enough to be confident in making recommendations.
I've just read on here that the early version of the larger rear DU (Performance) is less reliable, prone to leaks.
And like you found in that video, if nothing has gone wrong with the battery within the first 50k-60k miles, it's probably good for the long haul, or at least until the age catches it. Mileage is less of an issue with the batteries. It's more about the SoC it was kept at that affects battery health and degradation over time. Which is nearly impossible to know from prior owners.
I keep mine mostly in the 40%-80% range. But I don't know what the previous owner(s) did.
I still get over 200 range, which isn't bad for an 8 yr old 70D.
My warranty just expired last month. I knew that when I bought her. I figured if I'm covered for the first 10 months, I felt better about buying without knowing the history. So I'm on the hook from here on out, but at least I knew I wouldn't be immediately after buying her.
Don't know if I would've bought without some kind of coverage initially. Just too many unknowns for me.
So far, I've just had a couple of minor fixes that I have done myself. (headlight bulbs, door handle, swapped the instrument cluster that was delaminating)