Buying a used Model S, bad idea?

[ME_Andy]

Batteries in some of the very first Model S are starting to fail. Google it.

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

Well, I guess I'm not going to even try to get one for now. The insurance salesman just got back to me and said it would be more like $343 per month. That's a bit too much for insurance IMO.

It wasn’t long ago I was paying $350/year for liability.

And really that is all insurance is worth anyway since it’s always an eternal fight.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by rmay635703

It wasn’t long ago I was paying $350/year for liability.

And really that is all insurance is worth anyway since it’s always an eternal fight.

I go for liability only because I won't be the cause of someone else's loss. I do stupid things when I'm risking only myself and am willing to pay the price of learning. I don't risk others, and it's unfathomable to me how I could ever cause damage to others while normally driving. I've never even come close to an accident while normal driving. All wrecks have been a result of pushing the limits. A wreck while normal driving is what old folks do.

[freebeard]

I go for liability only because I won't be the cause of someone else's loss.

I go for liability only if I'm not carrying a loan. The last two cars I made cash payments and left them parked until they were paid off. (The SUPERBeetle and the XFi)

A wreck while normal driving is what old folks do.

The guy that rearended my Type III Squareback and totaled it was 80, and it was his first accident.

[Isaac Zachary]

Liability only insurance on a $20,000 car that who knows how much it would cost to fix?!

[Piotrsko]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

Liability only insurance on a $20,000 car that who knows how much it would cost to fix?!

Why not? All my stuff is set up that way. If you hit the 10 yr old Golf, it pretty much insurance totals it every time, ditto for the 23 year old F250, and the 35 year old Ranger. I drive such that I probably won't have a major accident unless someone else is at fault. I would be pissed off at someone thrashing my stuff and THEY had better have good insurance because all that old stuff isn't going to be cheap to replace

I supose JSH will say that's not how it works.......

If you finance, you don't get such a choice

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by Piotrsko

Why not? All my stuff is set up that way. If you hit the 10 yr old Golf, it pretty much insurance totals it every time, ditto for the 23 year old F250, and the 35 year old Ranger. I drive such that I probably won't have a major accident unless someone else is at fault. I would be pissed off at someone thrashing my stuff and THEY had better have good insurance because all that old stuff isn't going to be cheap to replace

I supose JSH will say that's not how it works.......

If you finance, you don't get such a choice

I knew a guy who had a hit and run. There's also thievery. I also have a wife who did once do $7,000 of damage to the car. Also I hit a deer once, although I ended up just fixing it myself since it was much cheaper than the $1,000 deductible. I also have teenage boys who I may some day let them drive one of my cars...

But in the end, if I bought a car right now, like the Tesla, it would be financed. I did throw the Tesla out there as an option, but my plan right now is to just keep using the Avalon and saving what money I would be paying for it if monthly payments continued. Maybe, if I keep it long enough, I'll have enough saved up to buy a new car outright.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by freebeard

The guy that rearended my Type III Squareback and totaled it was 80, and it was his first accident.

See, it's old folk who get into accidents while normal driving. Also, Gen Z folk who can't go 30 seconds without checking in with social media. I'm neither, so I don't get into wrecks while normal driving. Only time I wreck, I'm telling myself to breathe as I white knuckle around something. That's not normal driving.

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

Liability only insurance on a $20,000 car that who knows how much it would cost to fix?!

Yes.

Lenders won't allow that, sadly. I'll finance a vehicle if the interest rate is ~2%, and I'll get the highest deductible limits the loan allows.

Also, I have so many vehicles that losing one changes nothing.

[Xist]

Torque: Model 3 Now Starts at $26,950 After Tesla Found a Loophole for All Model 3 Variants to Get Full $7,500 Tax Credit No it doesn't. They are accounting for inflation and using 2016 dollars--$32,750 in 2023 dollars.

[mpg_numbers_guy]

IIRC replacement Tesla batteries can cost as much as $20,000 USD. I've heard of some making close to half a million on the original battery, while others fail just past 100k. $20k is a bit of a rich gamble for me personally.

Insurance would be interesting on a Tesla. On one hand it could be less because of all the "safety tech" they have, while on the other hand new EV bodywork is crazy expensive (see this $42,000 repair from a minor fender bender on a Rivian) which may prompt insurance companies to raise rates on similar vehicles.