Anyone know of high-mileage Teslas? (1st or 2nd hand)

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duck__dodgers

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Jan 12, 2020
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Alderaan
Thinking of getting a Tesla Y.

All of the new cars I've owned have stayed w/me or within the extended family for >180,000 miles.

There is a >1 million mile Tesla out in Europe; the owner says he's gone through 4 batteries and 14 motors over those miles.

Sounds like the battery longevity won't be an issue for me. Has anyone heard of a US high-mileage owner having to get a new motor (costs, hassle, etc)?

www.autobodynews.com

1.2 Million-Mile Tesla Model S on 14th Motor, 4th Battery Pack - Autobody News

It's the highest-mileage Tesla in existence.
www.autobodynews.com
 
My friend has well over 100,000 on his Model S. I moved out of the neighborhood a few years back so I dont see him as much as I used to, but I do know he had to replace the motor(s) at least once. Not because he noticed a problem with them, but he got a call from Tesla and they said bring the car in, we need to check something. He took it in, they gave him a loaner (he let me drive the loaner a few times), and a few days later he got his back with new motor(s) and a few other minor things. He said before he got the message to bring it in he did not notice any drivability problems at all. Other than going through tires like there is no tomorrow I dont think he has had any serious issues, he usually tells me about stuff. He absolutely drives it like he stole it, he beats it like a rented mule thats for sure.

Edit to add: I do remember one time he had to take it in, something about some controller that got water in it, it had a bad gasket. I dont know if they replaced the controller or just the gasket.
 
No first hand experience with high mile Teslas, but (from the internet) it sounds like people are getting something like 200,000 miles out of the main (expensive) battery. Motor replacements haven't seemed to be a big issue and general repairs (for Model Ss, which tend to a bit troublesome) haven't been that unusual. The vehicles themselves are holding up fine well into the 500,000 range.

It seems that Model 3s tend to be the most reliable Teslas. We've had ours for 2 1/2 years and like it a lot. No problems at all so far - knock on wood.

The gull wing doors on (?) Model Ys have been somewhat troublesome.

One thing that might interest you is that early Model Ss came with free charging at all Superchargers which transfers to new owners. If you decide to pursue this idea check into the details carefully.

For most EVs being able to charge at home is a key requirement. That makes them really convenient and minimizes the running costs.
 
duck__dodgers said:
Thinking of getting a Tesla Y.

All of the new cars I've owned have stayed w/me or within the extended family for >180,000 miles.

There is a >1 million mile Tesla out in Europe; the owner says he's gone through 4 batteries and 14 motors over those miles.

Sounds like the battery longevity won't be an issue for me. Has anyone heard of a US high-mileage owner having to get a new motor (costs, hassle, etc)?

www.autobodynews.com

1.2 Million-Mile Tesla Model S on 14th Motor, 4th Battery Pack - Autobody News

It's the highest-mileage Tesla in existence.
www.autobodynews.com
Click to expand...
Do you really want to put up with teslas BS if you purchase a used one? There are already a large number banding together as they aren't seeing anything close to the mileage Tesla claims on their model 3 and y's. Terrible build quality will just get worse. Don't drink the Tesla kool-Aid
 
The motors last. Check for accidents, like any other car. Brakes last due to regen.
There are a lot of used Teslas out there; prices have dropped.
Good luck.
 
duck__dodgers said:
Thinking of getting a Tesla Y.

All of the new cars I've owned have stayed w/me or within the extended family for >180,000 miles.

There is a >1 million mile Tesla out in Europe; the owner says he's gone through 4 batteries and 14 motors over those miles.

Sounds like the battery longevity won't be an issue for me. Has anyone heard of a US high-mileage owner having to get a new motor (costs, hassle, etc)?

www.autobodynews.com

1.2 Million-Mile Tesla Model S on 14th Motor, 4th Battery Pack - Autobody News

It's the highest-mileage Tesla in existence.
www.autobodynews.com
Click to expand...
How much does a motor cost?
If your post is correct, you are saying every100,000 miles he had the motor replaced?

Then, on top of it every two motors or so, he had a battery replaced?
 
ecotourist said:
One thing that might interest you is that early Model Ss came with free charging at all Superchargers which transfers to new owners. If you decide to pursue this idea check into the details carefully.
Click to expand...

The original free Supercharging program was based on when the Tesla was ordered/delivered. I don't believe any Model 3s were included since they came in the summer of 2017 after the program had ended. But the Model X could have it.

These changes will not impact current owners or any new Teslas ordered before January 1, 2017, as long as delivery is taken before April 1, 2017.​
 
alarmguy said:
How much does a motor cost?
If your post is correct, you are saying every100,000 miles he had the motor replaced?

Then, on top of it every two motors or so, he had a battery replaced?
Click to expand...

(not definitive, quick search) Looks like a motor costs $7 to 9,000 at a Tesla dealership.

I'm just reporting what the article said...>1,000,000 miles in a Tesla S = lots of motors.

*IF* I need a new motor at 100,000 miles, there goes all the purported savings for driving electric if I bought it new.

Obviously I don't know what the odds are....no one does---except for Tesla HQ, assuming that they receive telemetry even on out-of-warranty cars, or data from the dealerships---or in-house data when they developed the motor.

Which is why I asked---I haven't heard any bad things or good things about >100,000 mile Teslas
 
Last edited:
Can you even fix a Tesla yourself? I went looking for something like TIS - to see if manuals were available to the public at a price, and I could not find anything? I thought that was legally required - to make it available?
 
SC Maintenance said:
Can you even fix a Tesla yourself? I went looking for something like TIS - to see if manuals were available to the public at a price, and I could not find anything? I thought that was legally required - to make it available?
Click to expand...
The 12v battery in our M3 started to go south; the tablet told me to call Tesla. Easy enough to swap; it is a small Honda Civic size battery. But Tesla came out the next day ans swapped if for me. The only other things I have done are tire rotations, wiper fluid and 1 tire nail...
 
JeffKeryk said:
The 12v battery in our M3 started to go south; the tablet told me to call Tesla. Easy enough to swap; it is a small Honda Civic size battery. But Tesla came out the next day ans swapped if for me. The only other things I have done are tire rotations, wiper fluid and 1 tire nail...
Click to expand...
Yes, but yours has 30K miles on it.

Anything made by man can be broken by man, and then fixed by man. I have been making a living based on this thesis since I was about 14.
 
SC Maintenance said:
Yes, but yours has 30K miles on it.

Anything made by man can be broken by man, and then fixed by man. I have been making a living based on this thesis since I was about 14.
Click to expand...
Almost 20K. Sure stuff can go wrong, but I believe the Model 3 is pretty trouble free. Time will tell, but there are a few million 3/Y cars running around, here, in China and Europe.

I will buy another. I would also buy another Honda/Toyota. And my 1st Mazda, maybe. All good.
 
JeffKeryk said:
Almost 20K. Sure stuff can go wrong, but I believe the Model 3 is pretty trouble free. Time will tell, but there are a few million 3/Y cars running around, here, in China and Europe.

I will buy another. I would also buy another Honda/Toyota. And my 1st Mazda, maybe. All good.
Click to expand...
I am wanting to buy one with 200K on it.

I presume I will need to fix something. A manual is always helpful. Of course it will be far from the first time I didn't have one.
 
JeffKeryk said:
The 12v battery in our M3 started to go south; the tablet told me to call Tesla. Easy enough to swap; it is a small Honda Civic size battery. But Tesla came out the next day ans swapped if for me. The only other things I have done are tire rotations, wiper fluid and 1 tire nail...
Click to expand...
How much $$ did that job?

97prizm said:
Do you really want to put up with teslas BS if you purchase a used one? There are already a large number banding together as they aren't seeing anything close to the mileage Tesla claims on their model 3 and y's. Terrible build quality will just get worse. Don't drink the Tesla kool-Aid
Click to expand...
Are you writing this way because of firsthand experience? Hearsay? Or because you dislike Musk and his actions/idiologies?
 
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