4 mo. ago • 92%

Used Teslas are getting very cheap, but buying one can be risky

arstechnica.com Used Teslas are getting very cheap, but buying one can be risky

As used Teslas drop in price, are they a bargain or buyer beware?

14 comments

Saved You A Click: The entire article is about buying former rental cars, and most points aren't exclusive to Teslas (or even EVs).

rental cars can and do get abused
Mismatched tires and minor dents, scrapes, and rock chips are fairly common minor issues.
Battery degradation could be an issue, although most cars will not have lost more than 4–5 percent capacity, and Long Range Teslas should have a powertrain warranty for up to 120,000 miles (or eight years).
you should make sure to check the battery's health (which can be done on the touchscreen or as part of the inspection) before you buy.
Rental cars can suffer from an excess of slammed doors and trunks—slamming the latter can mess up the powered strut.
In the interior, you should expect high signs of wear on some touchpoints, especially the steering wheel and the rear door cards, which can bubble or flake
transferring ownership from Hertz can take time.
this leaves the car stuck in Chill driving mode (which restricts power, acceleration, and top speed) and places some car settings outside of the new owner's level of access.
You also won't be able to use Tesla Superchargers while the car still shows up as belonging to Hertz.

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- transferring ownership from Hertz can take time.
  this leaves the car stuck in Chill driving mode (which restricts power, acceleration, and top speed) and places some car settings outside of the new owner's level of access.
  You also won't be able to use Tesla Superchargers while the car still shows up as belonging to Hertz.
  
  What the fuck.
  
  I wonder what it means, do you have your car unusable for a week or 3 months once you buy it?
  
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  Apparently it can be resolved in a couple days when you directly contact Tesla.
  
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  It literally say in the quote you copied what is restricted. You can still drive it, but there’s limits until it’s transferred.
  
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  It drives just like it does when you rent from Hertz. You'll need to use level 2 chargers or non-Tesla DC Fast chargers until the car is transferred to your account.
  
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  Yeah. You need Tesla's permission to transfer the vehicle. Just a reminder that everything about these $40k+ vehicles are dependent on Tesla's servers still functioning, which is very much not guaranteed. If there's ever even any doubt, your vehicle could depreciate enormously.
  
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That’s why they’re cheap.

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