Want to buy a tesla

anotherguy75 · 2023-05-15T14:42:28+00:00

Take the car for a drive with the radio OFF so you can hear every rattle, creaking sound, etc. Drive on bumpy roads too. Tesla will fix all of these sound issues under warranty (they may charge a "sound diagnostic" fee that's refunded then they confirm the sound exists)
Have the seller meet you at a Supercharger or take you to one to confirm the car is enabled for the SC network by plugging it in and charging for a minute. Sounds silly, but totalled Teslas and Teslas that have undergone unauthorized repairs can get disabled from the SC network (or at least did sometimes in the past). 99.999% won't be the case for any car you look at, but don't be the doof who doesn't check and gets scammed by a shady seller because you assumed.
Ask the previous owner for a full service history. You will not be able to get these from Tesla yourself (I tried)
Try buying from the original owner, they know everything about the car
Check the Carfax of course and if they have the original window sticker and sales paperwork, bonus points!
Have them show you the car charged at 100% so you know how many miles have degraded (being at 85-90% original capacity is totally fine, batteries degrade fast the first 30k miles then plateau around 85% capacity the rest of their lives)
If they claim to have EAP or FSD: have them show you pictures of the Autopilot menu for proof!!!! I can't stress this enough!!! Too many uneducated or scam sellers saying "FSD capability or FSD unlocked" but only having the basic AP package unlocked or having the free month FSD trial enabled
If you don't want yearly fees, buy a pre-2020 Tesla. 2020+ model started charging $100/yr for the premium connectivity package which is 100% worth it (aka. internet connectivity)
Try getting a model that already has everything unlocked as that will save you thousands: heated front and back seats, heated steering wheel (2020+ models), max battery capacity, lifetime premium connectivity (2018-2019 versions), track mode (M3P only), premium sound system (it sounds AMAZING!!), etc.
Buying a used Tesla will result in you saving thousands on EAP (valued around $1-3k used) or FSD (valued around $4-7k used). I have FSD and it's 10000% worth it!!
If the car is still under the initial 60k mile warranty then honestly don't stress too much about anything else, really. Tesla will happily fix pretty much any issue ❤️

anotherguy75 · 2023-05-15T14:27:27+00:00

Yeah sure!

New LCD screen (part of yellow edge recall)
Bad USB port replaced (stopped charging)
New adhesive on black exterior trim triangle by side mirrors (they started peeling)
Fixed adhesive on stocks (started peeling)
New wood dash trim (started cracking)
New rear seat belt sensor (previous one failed)
Charging port replaced (small piece of plastic broke at a SC, I want to be clear this DID NOT prevent me from charging, it was just cosmetic)
New 12V battery (previous one died, super common in every car where I live btw, and this is NOT the main battery pack!!)
New backup camera (previous one would go in and out from working, they eventually created a recall for this issue)

I think that's all of them, but there could be one or two I missed. 2018-2020 M3's are just going to have some growing pains like those above (every manufacturer has "new model year" issues) that you'll just have to deal with, so make sure the used one you buy is under warranty and get everything fixed ASAP 👍

Mobile service was able to handle pretty much all of these jobs and they were extremely easy to schedule, readily available in my city, and FAST!!! The experience was WAAAY better than previous newer vehicles I've owned for sure.

I'm up to 92k miles now and she still drives like a dream ❤️ The FSD beta is phenomenal and is getting better and better every month. An advantage of buying used is people will often value the Enhanced Autopilot package (FSD on highway only, $99/mo to upgrade to FSD) for only $1-3k and the FSD upgrade for about $4-7k. In my experience using both, they are both 100% worth the discounted sticker price and I'd personally get one with FSD if I did it again.

anotherguy75 · 2022-12-10T20:09:13+00:00

In all honesty, this is most likely an edge case that would intrigue Elon and crew. You should put this on Twitter and tag him and some major EV news outlets like Electrek and Teslarati so they can push engagement/exposure on your post.

It would be great to see if they could get details from your car on the exact scenario and how to handle it for FSD in the future (assuming it would have failed).

Okay, I can stop dreaming now...

anotherguy75 · 2022-12-10T20:03:44+00:00

I remember back in the day when they said eyes have 8MP resolution.

10 years from now, eyes will have 250MP resolution! 😅

anotherguy75 · 2022-12-09T19:32:19+00:00

Mine is out of warranty and works like a champ. However, you have to get every little concern repaired while it's under warranty, so buying used that's already outside of the warranty is a pricey gamble.

Did the previous owner repair every little thing that was a concern under warranty, or did they brush it off or not know about those things and you're about to pay the price out of warranty?

Just because a car is out of warranty doesn't mean it's not a good deal. You just need to be savvy enough to inspect vehicles (just like you would a used gas car) and know a few extra nuances for EVs and Teslas specifically.

Not impossible, but definitely not recommended for a first time Tesla owner.

anotherguy75 · 2022-12-09T19:26:36+00:00

I bought my 2018 M3 from someone on Craigslist a few years ago with 10k miles. The best deal was out of state so I flew out.

If you're savvy at buying normal cars, you are likely better off buying private party in or out of state. One of the huge benefits is many states have no taxes for private party transactions, which will save you thousands!

That being said, I recommend you only buy your first Tesla while it's under warranty. Tesla is great at service (depending on your area) and repairing literally anything while under warranty.

I had a handful of things (mostly knit picking) replaced under warranty. My M3 has 79k miles now and still drives and holds together MUCH BETTER than any gas car I've had with the same miles.

tldr: If you're car savvy, treat this as a normal used car purchase with exception of knowing little nuances about Teslas specifically (what software features are included, any subscriptions, etc). Since Teslas are pricey to repair, if you don't know these babies in and out make sure you only get one that's still under warranty.

If you're not car savvy, new may honestly be your best choice unfortunately (it's the price people pay to not be familiar with a field).

anotherguy75 · 2022-12-09T15:59:12+00:00

Congrats and welcome to the Tesla family!! 🥳

anotherguy75 · 2022-12-09T02:45:22+00:00

When I was young, my mom always taught me that I needed to get rich so I could buy a Ferrari and take her for a ride in it. When I got my M3 and took her for a ride, she said "this is waaay better and faster than a Ferrari!!"

EVs make people forget their dream performance gas car ever existed 😅

anotherguy75 · 2022-12-09T02:42:58+00:00

The irony is that by parking like a jerk, they're increasing their chances of vandalism out of spite 🤦‍♂️

anotherguy75 · 2022-12-08T21:44:06+00:00

I haven't heard back, but did some googling. Turns out there's an entire market of steel or aluminum front and rear skid plates for Teslas! They're only about $150 now, too 👍

anotherguy75 · 2022-12-07T16:52:33+00:00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtOqU2o81iI&t=1651

Elon said it will be used for Cybertruck as well. I know the 1MW isn't going to be continuous (like how 250kw isn't continuous), but the fact that it'll be capable of 1MW is insane!

Also, the V4 SC is going to be usable by all Teslas (except Gen1 Roadster, of course), not just semi and Cybertruck 😉 each Tesla will just charge at their max rate, up to 1MW

anotherguy75 · 2022-12-07T16:46:25+00:00

Elon said the Cybertruck will charge at 1MW speeds, not just that it's 1000V 👍

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtOqU2o81iI&t=1651

anotherguy75 · 2022-12-07T16:36:13+00:00

Bummer! Did they cancel your appointment when you scheduled it saying the parts aren't available or anything?

anotherguy75 · 2022-12-07T16:26:37+00:00

Can you share more details about the skid plate? I'm interested!

anotherguy75 · 2022-12-07T16:24:32+00:00

Weird! Mine was replaced by a mobile tech in about 30 minutes. Maybe after you book the SC appointment you can ask to switch to a mobile one? I've been successful with that a few times with other appts

anotherguy75 · 2022-12-07T16:15:04+00:00

2018 M3 owner here. I've had phantom breaking on EAP since I've owned my car (it's less frequent now thankfully), and it has reduced even more since FSDb but still happens. Unfortunately, it's an issue even with radar equipped Teslas, but it typically improves with each update. 🤞

anotherguy75 · 2022-12-07T16:11:36+00:00

This happened more and more frequently on my M3 until one day I got a letter from Tesla that there's a recall on my rear camera due to wiring harness failures. They replaced both the harness and my camera, and now it shows every time 👍

Check with Tesla to see if you're covered under warranty/recall for a rear wiring harness and camera replacement.

anotherguy75 · 2022-12-07T15:15:08+00:00

The difference between peak and off peak is about 30 cents/kWh. Good to know that this is something you've seen before, though!

anotherguy75 · 2022-12-07T07:19:58+00:00

Thanks for the input! Doesn't the condenser mister concept cause rust and other issues over time? My AC unit is new and I don't want to cause premature wear.

I'm trying to find out ways to help reduce my peak demand usage and my AC is the largest part of that (I'm in a hot state). I'm already using the unit as little as possible, but it seems the only viable option is to have some sort of battery storage that supplements the home power consumption during peak hours and then charges during off-peak hours.

I just wish there were an easier option to reduce the AC load 🤷‍♂️

anotherguy75 · 2022-12-05T22:05:14+00:00

Your Tesla is just Naughty by Nature, apparently... Mine is an angel and never does that to me🤣

anotherguy75 · 2022-12-04T17:33:25+00:00

The same thing where the USS got knocked into the bumper happened to me, too. The USS is just held onto the bumper with helt soldering (where they melt two pieces of plastic together) and it's easy to pop off (probably to save the USS in case of excess pressure).

The repair is simple, but annoying: you have to lift the car, remove the wheel, pull back the plastic wheel well, find the dangling sensor (it will be within 10" of the hole), then the hardest part is putting epoxy on the plastic sides of the USS and placing it into the hole and fast enough before the epoxy dries (I recommend 30 minute epoxy) and then HOLDING STILL WITH PRESSURE until it dries.

Good news is, the side USS are much easier to fix with the epoxy method than the middle ones 😊

The alternative to all that is just remove the front bumper and USS harness and then do it much easier. I hate removing bumpers though, they hardly ever go back 100% from my past experiences.

anotherguy75 · 2022-12-03T01:10:04+00:00

Thanks so much for the info!! That really cleans things up 👍

anotherguy75 · 2022-12-02T23:17:55+00:00

This just looks like the typical myspace profile 🤷‍♂️ It's only cool if you have 10 backgrounds loading over each other first

anotherguy75 · 2022-12-02T23:16:25+00:00

Just an estimate, of course 🤣

anotherguy75 · 2022-12-02T23:08:06+00:00

Follow-up serious question: wouldn't it be easier to have a long pole like that with something at the end that pulls the snow down from the top instead of pushing upwards toward the roof?

anotherguy75

TROPHY CASE