Anyone bought a used tesla? | Motoring discussion | Back Room Forum

Sat 30 Dec 2023 13:02

Anyone bought a used tesla? - OceanMan

Hey all, I've been researching this but it seems hard to find unbiased advice. Every comment online seems to come from a musk worshiper or hater so they're so polarized it's hard to find anything that seems unbiased. I thought people here would have more trustworthy advice.

I'm not going to be buying anything for at least a year but I recently got a salary upgrade and a "cheap" used tesla isn't out of my price range anymore. My biggest concern would be the risk of the battery going kaput but apart from that, is it worth the risk? I'd save a lot on fuel but not nearly enough to justify the car. I kind of just want a Tesla after driving a friend's and being blown away.

I'm a single man and don't care about practical / boot space / rear seat space etc. I know there are more sensible options but I think the joy I'd get from the car is worth a bit of extra money and the risk of financial oblivion if the battery dies. My max budget would be £30k but I've seen older model 3's for less than 20.

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Sat 30 Dec 2023 13:46

Anyone bought a used tesla? - FP

Plenty of information online, though I'd be sceptical of some of it.

One survey includes: "The data shows that the average Tesla battery still regularly provides over 90% of the original range up through 100,000 miles or more on the odometer. Past 125,000 miles or so, the range starts to drop off, but cars in the survey still delivered over 80% of their original range even at the highest mileage levels." (www.nimblefins.co.uk/study-real-life-tesla-battery...n)

Another: "Tesla batteries degrade to 93% of their original capacity after driving 220,000 miles (or approximately 354,000 kilometers), it suggests that, on average, a 7% degradation occurs at this mileage." (shrinkthatfootprint.com/what-is-the-average-tesla-.../)

It also seems clear that the different battery packs Tesla has used perform differently when it comes to degradation.

I agree Musk is a divisive figure (I think that's the polite way of putting it), so you need to avoid "information" coloured by this. And no, I haven't bought a Tesla and in any case, one person's experience is not going to be definitive.

Edited by FP on 30/12/2023 at 13:47

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Sat 30 Dec 2023 14:43

Anyone bought a used tesla? - OceanMan

Oh I don't care about battery depletion but those figures are impressive thanks. My big dear (although I know it's rare) is the battery completely dying and needing a replacement out of Warranty

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Sat 30 Dec 2023 13:48

Anyone bought a used tesla? - SLO76

Does your employer offer an EV salary sacrifice scheme? It may make more sense to lease a new one if it can be done from your pre-tax income.

As for used, I’d be wary of sinking too much into a second hand EV, unless it has several years of battery warranty remaining and has that (rare on EV’s) full main dealer history, otherwise the warranty is gone.

Remember EV’s are c******d by terrifying depreciation, not only from new. The trade don’t know how to value them, and until the ludicrous cost of replacing the battery packs comes down to a viable level this will continue.

I wouldn’t pay more than £10-£13k for an EV in the current market, which rules out a Tesla. That £20k could become £4/5k very quickly, more than wiping out any fuel savings.

That all said, I am in the process of evaluating budget EV running with SWMBO’s Mk II Leaf, it would be interesting to read about your experiences of running a used Tesla.

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Sat 30 Dec 2023 14:14

Anyone bought a used tesla? - bazza

Not remotely interested in one , however I was reading about them last night on Reddit. It seems they're pretty reliable in terms of motor, battery & transmission but build quality issues around trim, doors not opening, spurious warning chimes etc. So a lot of small issues but overall pretty good, apparently Chinese made ones are better. I'd be wary of anything outside the dealership network and depreciation seems high. I doubt you'll save any money running one.

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Sat 30 Dec 2023 15:41

Anyone bought a used tesla? - OceanMan

Does your employer offer an EV salary sacrifice scheme? It may make more sense to lease a new one if it can be done from your pre-tax income. As for used, I’d be wary of sinking too much into a second hand EV, unless it has several years of battery warranty remaining and has that (rare on EV’s) full main dealer history, otherwise the warranty is gone. Remember EV’s are c******d by terrifying depreciation, not only from new. The trade don’t know how to value them, and until the ludicrous cost of replacing the battery packs comes down to a viable level this will continue. I wouldn’t pay more than £10-£13k for an EV in the current market, which rules out a Tesla. That £20k could become £4/5k very quickly, more than wiping out any fuel savings. That all said, I am in the process of evaluating budget EV running with SWMBO’s Mk II Leaf, it would be interesting to read about your experiences of running a used Tesla.

Not sure about the EV scheme but I'm an hgv driver and could easily make the switch to self employed. I'm not sure if there are tax breaks for used EVs though

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Sat 30 Dec 2023 22:31

Anyone bought a used tesla? - bathtub tom

I wonder if the OP has looked at the insurance cost?

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Sat 30 Dec 2023 22:41

Anyone bought a used tesla? - OceanMan

I'm planning on avoiding motorways and will mostly use it for driving to work / my girlfriend's house and I know there's no anpr on those routes.

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Sat 30 Dec 2023 23:02

Anyone bought a used tesla? - Big John

I'm planning on avoiding motorways and will mostly use it for driving to work / my girlfriend's house and I know there's no anpr on those routes.

What's the issue with Tesla and ANPR?

Having driven a Tesla on a major trip (a friend has owned a model 3 from new for about 3 years - zero issues thus far but depreciating quickly) I'd say they are at their best pounding the motorways - the Tesla charging infrastructure is impressive.

For me if I was up and down the motorways as I used to be earlier in my career then I'd say it would be an ideal (company?) car. As a private proposition , less convinced but after recent heavy depreciation there may be some excellent value used ones around but check out insurance premiums first.

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Sun 31 Dec 2023 00:08

Anyone bought a used tesla? - alan1302

I'm planning on avoiding motorways and will mostly use it for driving to work / my girlfriend's house and I know there's no anpr on those routes.

Are you planning on not insuring/taxing it? If not I'm not sure what the issue is??

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Sun 31 Dec 2023 00:58

Anyone bought a used tesla? - OceanMan

I'm planning on avoiding motorways and will mostly use it for driving to work / my girlfriend's house and I know there's no anpr on those routes.

Are you planning on not insuring/taxing it? If not I'm not sure what the issue is??

Was just a gag! The insurance is hefty but not unmanegable

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Sun 31 Dec 2023 10:07

Anyone bought a used tesla? - mcb100

I’d have no qualms about battery failure, but does it have to be a Tesla? They’ve done phenomenal work in shaking up the industry and are as good as they get when it comes to motors and batteries, but, as mentioned above, build quality can be patchy.
How about a Polestar 2? Range and performance are on a par, but a much more ‘conventional’ drive with a dashboard in front of the driver and controls where you’d expect to find them. Servicing (or what passes for a service on an EV) is carried out by Volvo dealerships.
Your budget will also get you into a KIA EV6 or Hyundai IONIQ 5 - the Korean brands are as good as anyone when it comes to EV.
Tesla drivers usually bring up the Supercharger network as a USP for Tesla, but it’s only c12% of the total UK rapid charger network and works in exactly the same way as the other 88% of the rapids.
I’m not attempting to put anyone off buying a used Tesla, but there are other viable options out there.

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Sun 31 Dec 2023 11:52

Anyone bought a used tesla? - gordonbennet

Am i right in understanding Tesla superchargers can prove good value compared with all other superchargers, especially if you can charge out of office hours? or does that only apply for buyers of new Teslas.

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Sun 31 Dec 2023 12:18

Anyone bought a used tesla? - mcb100

They use ‘dynamic pricing’, so lower when they’re quiet and higher when they’re busy. Much like Uber.
They do tend to be a little cheaper than other rapids.
The ones at the Trafford Centre, for example are currently charging 73p per kW/h as there’s only one free from 18 units.
Harrogate are currently 63p, Stoke 62p.
Take out a Tesla membership at 10.99 per month and that 62p becomes 44p.

Edited by mcb100 on 31/12/2023 at 12:22

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Sun 31 Dec 2023 14:05

Anyone bought a used tesla? - daveyjp

Not Tesla but I do know someone who has just bought a 3 year old Porsche Taycan.

It will be interesting to see how he gets on with it. Previous cars have been Range Rover diesel, S class hybrid, Range Rover hybrid and now a Taycan.

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