One Year with a Cheap, High Mileage, Tesla - Do I Regret It?

After having a used high-mileage Tesla Model S for over a year, was it worth it? Would I do it over again? What problems have I had? Today we shall find out...

Gear Used:
Camera: Fujifilm X-H1 & X-H2S
Lens: Minolta Rokkor-X PG 50mm f/1.4, Fujifilm XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4
Mic: Deity D3 Pro & Powerdewise Lav Mic
Editing Software: Final Cut Pro X

Credits:
Music:

#tesla #teslamodels #ev

[aussietaipan]

I purchased my 2015 model S 85 march this year, it only had 34500 km (21500 miles) on the clock. The car is perfect in every way and I love it to bits. I still keep my good old Jeep Grand Cherokee for long distance driving and towing. The best of both worlds for me. Great video mate and information to light up the grey matter.

[fanfare]

Thank you for your excellent report. I rented a 2014 Model S from Turo a few months back It was only $42/day. Not bad and a great way to get that experience. The battery was degraded on it but I showed the owner how he could get more than 200 miles range from it again by changing it to chill mode. He was very appreciative of that as it bought him some toime to address that aging battery. But he also shared with me that he had learned that an entire battery might not need replacement, but rather simply swap out the modules which have the wose cells in it, Each module costs only $400, so that would likely cost significantly less that the full $14, 000 for the full replacement. Also, he said that he had found some full after market battery packs for about $8, 000.

Recently, the battery for the Nissan Leaf went Open-Source. It would be wonderful if Tesla did similarly as well allowing for more options.

[ianpatrick]

So glad you weren’t injured in your car accident

[matthewgodwin]

This was such a great review. Honest, to the point, and unbiased. So many EVs are reviewed by people who either love them and ignore the negative aspects, or by those who hate them and gloss over the positives, concentrating on the failures. This is probably the most useful Tesla video I've seen so far, and gives a realistic report on what life would be like with an EV. Definitely a thumbs up from me 👍

[ocker]

I had watched your older model S videos last year. This video was also very useful as I am thinking about buying a used model S myself this year. I like the model S over a model 3 and model Y because of the space it offers, the styling and the old fashioned stocks and buttons. Thanks for pointing out some of the things to look out for!

[slartybartfarst]

One of the most informative and in my opinion correct assessments of early Model S. I run a 2014 P85 fitted with upgraded MCU (not really worth it) V2.5 door handles (V3 guts mounted on V1 back plates, with adaptor harnesses and new software) well worth it no more breaking door handles. At 35, 000 the rear drive unit was replaced due to gear whine and 75, 000 main battery pack (it had a slight coolent leak from new and on this hot day overheated putting car into snail mode) got home and theres an email from Freemont at 2am their time to say "we have detected a fault with your battery we have organised a replacement please call XXX" now thats what I call service, 2 days later job done.
I still love my RWD MS and find the way the RWD more refined than the 4WD plus 0-60 in 4 seconds still quick. And yes I like the nose cone and in pearl white black sunroof delete cream interior with black 19" wheels red calipers and carbon rear spoiler it still looks current and as you say people assume its a plaid saying the car looks new.

[franklong]

I just bought a used 2022 Model 3 rear-wheel drive for $18, 900.00 after the $4000 government federal rebate. That makes this car's out-the-door price of around $23, 000 more than $26, 000 cheaper than a new 2024 RWD Model 3, and mine has almost all of the features of the 2024 version. The car is immaculate and looks brand new, and it came with 77, 000 miles on it. So, the battery is still under warranty, as is the drive train. I ran a third-party check on the battery condition, and it's between 95% - 97% of its original capacity, which is excellent. It has a range of 253 miles and will go 0-60 in 5.3 seconds. It also has the LFP battery, which is the most durable battery Tesla makes, with the possible exception of the new Cyber Truck battery, which I know nothing about. LFP batteries can have as many as 4000 charging cycles and still retain 80% of their capacity - which equates to over 17 years of charging. Several reviews of Tesla Model 3s with 300, 000 or more miles show the cars have over 90% of their original battery capacity, and these are the cobalt lithium-ion batteries, not the LFP batteries, which are more durable and long-lasting. Also, it does not damage LFP batteries if you charge them to 100%. They are designed to allow full charges.

I recently charged it on a Tesla supercharger from 30% to 100%, which is over 200 miles of range, for $8.61. My Toyota Tacoma truck would cost roughly $56.00 for that 200-mile range. When I get my home charger installed, charging costs will be about 50% cheaper. Right now, my utility charges about $0.12 per KWH, so I will be able to charge my Model 3 from 0-100% for $7.68 using home charging, and that is for the full 253-mile range. My Tacoma would cost over $90.00 to fill up from empty (it has a 22-gallon gas tank).

I can't speak to the reliability issues you experienced with your Model S sedans, but the Model 3 RWD is turning out to be one of the most, if not the most, reliable EVs on the road. The 2022 Model 3 had some build quality issues when it came out, and I am not including those issues because Tesla has corrected them. They included water leaking into tail lights, leaks at the glass top, rattles, and uneven gaps at the metal edges of the vehicle.

Mine did have moisture in the passenger side rear taillight, but the dealer I bought it from replaced it with a new taillight for free. Also, if the road is rough, substantial noise can be transmitted to the cabin. But that would be true for almost all vehicles, with the possible exception of six-figure luxury cars. When you have a reasonably good road, the interior is very quiet.

The suspension is firm but surprisingly comfortable and competent. Near my house, there are a set of brutal speed dips that force drivers to slow to the 25 mph speed limit. With my Tacoma, if I hit those speed dips too fast, my rear suspension would bottom out harshly. My Model 3 suspension does not bottom out and absorbs the impact comfortably, which impresses the hell out of me.

The car came with full self-driving (FSD) capability and an excellent autopilot mode, so it came with the advanced AMD CPU, which enables these upgrades. It also has beta Autosteer, which keeps your car in the lane you are in and performs really well. It even senses when a car moves into your lane on your blind side and adjusts to avoid a collision.

I honestly cannot imagine owning a better car. For $18, 900, this car was a steal. It will literally pay for itself in gas savings and maintenance in about five years or less, depending on how much I drive. The insurance from Tesla is $165.00 a month (my insurance quoted me $220 a month). Both of these costs are on par with a luxury compact gasoline car like a BMW M3.

So far, my experience has been radically different from yours. However, I just bought my Tesla, so I will have to wait a year to see if any of the problems you encountered come up.

[JBRion]

Great review. I love the nose cone too.

While I agree that road tripping an EV is not great due to charging times, it’s definitely doable. Tesla’s supercharging network is much better in my experience than the options for non-Tesla’s. (I own a Kia Niro EV but often rent model 3’s on business trips)

I have a differing opinion on ownership cost, I put 140K mi on a Toyota Avalon Hybrid I bought used, it never needed anything but the scheduled maintenance (60, 90, 120, 150k) plus oil changes…EV’s particularly Tesla’s just don’t have most of these needs. No Transmission Fluid to change every 30K, no oil every 5-10K (Toyota recommends 10K interval on synthetic), no spark plugs. I didn’t have a break service need in that car except fluid replacement as most Tesla owners do and both have coolant though an IcE car replaces coolant every 30K, most Tesla owners go much longer. My Kia with 33K mi has been in every 7500 (4 services now) all have just been inspections and tire rotations, the last one topped off a fluid and changed the cabin air filter, total spend of $100. My point? Even doing the maint yourself, the Tesla is still cheaper to maintain because there are far fewer things to service.

There are a great review of long-term (300K mi) model s where the owner kept track of all costs of maint and gas in his previous Subaru vs Model S, the Tesla was far less than 1/2 of the cost over the same number of miles.

Lastly, while battery replacements are expensive, there are other options with Electrified Garage and similar companies with a growing number of service centers that can repair them for much much cheaper.

Thanks for taking the time to do your review, I have loved the Model 3’s I’ve rented through Hertz but my love for the Model S look has me planning for a used one of those after my lease is up on my Kia and your video helped get me closer to that!

[BalaKrishna-bqiz]

Bro, Nashville is 5 hours from Dayton and I drove back and forth in the same day in a Tesla. You made it sound like Nashville is as far as Dallas or something.

[MrHavk]

Excellent input on your experience with a Tesla. One thing to point out is that your battery failure was basically the largest failure a vehicle could have. Equivalent to an IC engine just outright failing. While $13K is by no means cheap for any car, I don't think you'd do much better getting a new engine for an IC car in the same class as a model S. Just saying. Good content.

[Fraiyia]

If you get the chademo adaptor for your Tesla, you can charge at Nissan free . Now, what is good about the chademo is that it tapers the charge when you get to 90% range . It protects the battery - though I only charge my leaf every 1 - 2 weeks as I work from home . But I also follow battery discipline - don’t charge the leaf till it’s at about 50- 33 % . Battery is still under war - Nissan dealers are everywhere but if I want to go out of state I get on my goldwing .

[dirkvornholt]

Mine is pretty similar but without autopilot. Almost 10 years old now and 300.000 kilometers. Runs fine so far.

[evolv.e]

Glad you were okay. One if the major deciding factors on buying our Model S was its top ranked safety scores.

I agree that 19’s ride smoother, quieter, and less expensive than 21’s, but we kept our 21’s fir their appearance fwiw.

Cleaning and lubricating the sunroof seals should rid it of that sound and make it last for years trouble-free.

A Tesbros satin chrome delete and a front bumper refresh, along with an infotainment upgrade will give your 2015 a nice bump in appearance and functionality, but to each their own.

Glad you were able to find a suitable replacement for your P85. Our P85+ is still going strong, thankfully, with 90% battery retention at 150k miles.

The performance bushings have started to make ticking sounds when turning at low speeds, but not a big deal, though will eventually replace it if starts making more noise. Other than that, it’s been solid.

We have almost exclusively Supercharged our S and plan to continue to do so. fwiw, we keep the SOC mostly between 30%-80%, as to balance out any possibe degradation from supercharging. With California gas prices being what they are, we have saved a combined $50k by Supercharging for free (grandfathered) instead of pumping gas, which includes not having to pay for oil changes, tune ups, smog, etc. - with that much saved, if I had to pay for a full $13k battery replacement, I’d still be far ahead financially as it’s already paid for itself in gas savings alone. Simply put, buying our used Model S was the best car buying decision ever.

[rdayul]

Super helpful, learned two new things: non-beta ap2 cars aren’t being shipped with radar or ultra sonic sensors anymore, and no power to battery if airbags are deployed.

[BenVost]

Nice, balanced piece. Thanks for your perspective.

[bchd]

I paid $21, 700 for a 2022 model 3 with 25k miles on it. After the $5k I put down and the $3k ev tax credit I’ll be getting at tax time my loan is $13, 700. With a payment of $280 a month. These cars are very much so attainable.

[specialkcitizen]

I hear you on Teslas communication. In the UK they are terrible and the people I have dealt with had a really bad attitude. This can be quite tyupical for the UK, but I did expect better staff attitudes when dealing with Tesla than other companies, but that is not the case.

[raychang]

Really informative instead of opinionated as a lot of YouTube videos are. Keep up the good work. Thank you!!

[jackbteaching]

First time seeing your videos. Terrific analysis and clearly explained. I agree with the 100% EV future. So many use cases for ICE or hybrid vehicles that are superior than EVs.

[WindowsR]

I feel like majority of FSD complaints come from Tesla’s advertising issue where they present it as being useful in cities (or more like the lack of them pointing out that it is mainly for highways. Yes its in a fine print on the order sheet but let's be honest, it isn't the easiest thing to spot). I haven’t had issues with highway FSD at all. I don’t really bother with city traffic just from the amount of cyclists, pedestrians, etc cutting in/walking onto the road and my car slamming the brakes. The phantom braking during highway cruise was a issue a few updates ago but seems to have largely fixed itself. My M3P is the HW3 non-radar generation car.