2021 Used Tesla Buying Guide - YouTube

Tesla’s are growing more and more popular by the day. In fact, for this quarter, wrapping

up in June, Tesla is already sold out of their stock of vehicles. This means that if you

try to buy a new one, you may get lucky, but you might have to wait until Q3 to take delivery,

which will lead many to look into a used Tesla. Today we’re going to talk about why used

Tesla’s are selling so quickly, and everything you should keep in mind when looking to buy

a used Tesla. We’ll talk about all the different trims and features to look out for, and things

that you might not need to worry about when buying, so let’s get into it, and a Special

thanks to Omaze for sponsoring this video.

INTRO

All across the car industry, new vehicles and used vehicles are going for higher than

normal prices due to an industry wide chip shortage. I’ve mentioned this in a few videos

now, but we can see automakers like Ford being forced to fill parking lots up with 99% complete

vehicles, that are just missing essential semiconductors in order to ship to customers.

Tesla seems to be one of the only major companies to be largely unaffected by this shortage,

although their new Model S and X are still seeing the delays, and many are pointing to

this issue. Tesla is having no problem shipping the Model 3 and Y and as I mentioned earlier,

their stock for Q2 is completely sold out. As vehicles from every brand get more expensive

and hard to find across the industry due to these parts shortages, Teslas demand is expected

to keep growing. It has been growing naturally as more and more people see the appeal and

convenience of an amazing fully electric vehicle, but this chip shortage is likely driving their

demand even higher. They are still making cars at their full production capacity, but

they still can’t make enough leading many to buy used. On top of that, there have been

gas shortages around the country that make charging at home look like a much more appealing

option to many. Not only does it come with the clean benefits and convenience, but you

won’t be affected if a gas shortage like this happens again. There are possibly power

outages, but solutions exist there, as opposed to being at the whim of whatever gas prices

accelerate to.

So if you’re looking to buy a Tesla, you’re looking at 4 different vehicles. Tesla’s

lineup includes the Model 3, Model Y, Model S and Model X. Most people are looking to

buy a Model 3 or Y, and buying used can be a great opportunity to get a great car at

a lower cost. To start off with, let’s talk about the things to keep in mind when buying

any Tesla. First, let’s talk about Autopilot and full self driving. This is one of the

most confusing parts about buying a Tesla, and when looking back to buy used, it can

be quite difficult to tell exactly what self driving features your car includes.

If you’re looking to buy a used Model S, that’s the most complicated, because it

has changed the most with that car. Tesla had Autopilot 1.0 on Model S’s and X’s

built between September of 2014, and October of 2016. This was a system from Mobileye,

and overall, reviews of it still seem to be solid for basic lane keeping and advanced

cruise control, and you can tell it’s this system because Tesla will list it as “Autopilot

with convenience features”, as opposed to just Autopilot. Then in October of 2016, Tesla

switched to Autopilot 2.0 which was their own system. This added more sensors and cameras,

and used Tesla’s own systems. Autopilot 2.5 came in August of 2017, and then 3.0 came

in March of 2019, and that is what they still ship. Essentially, all of these systems do

a great job, but if you really believe in the future of Tesla Full Self Driving, and

want updates as features come, you’ll need Autopilot 2.0 or later. All Model 3’s and

Y’s have come with 2.5 or later, and the only difference between the two is the Self

Driving computer itself, which Tesla will upgrade if you buy the Full Self Driving package

for $10,000.

Their official word on it says “Tesla cars with Full Self-Driving Capability and Autopilot

Computer 2.0 or 2.5 are eligible for a complimentary upgrade to the FSD Computer.”.

Now if you buy a new Tesla, every single one comes with the Basic Autopilot features. This

includes adaptive cruise control that speeds up and brakes to keep your speed based on

the cars around you. This also includes Autosteer, so with the two working together, the car

will stay in the lane for you, and you just need to be paying attention in case you need

to take over. If you want to lane change, simply take over, change lanes, and re-enter

Autopilot. I have a Tesla Model Y, and I bought the Full Self Driving package for it, which

now runs for $10,000. When I bought the Model 3, I didn’t buy this again, and in my opinion,

the basic included features are plenty.

The Full Self Driving package that Tesla sells includes Summon, Smart Summon, Autopark, Auto

Lane Change, Navigate on Autopilot, Stop Sign and Traffic Light Control, and eventually

Autosteer on City Streets. Let’s break each of those down. Summon allows you to pull your

car out of a tight spot, and go forward or backwards from the Tesla app. Smart Summon

allows you to summon your car across a parking lot, however, this feature is slow and buggy

enough that I have literally used it 3 times for fun, and never again. Autopark will parallel

park, or park between two cars in a parking lot, but this also isn’t very useful. It

hardly ever pops up as an available feature to use, but when it does pop up, it works

well. Auto lane change is the best feature of the package in my opinion, because while

your car is lane keeping for you, you signal to lane change, it waits until its safe, and

handles the lane change for you. It’s a lot more fluid than needing to change lanes

yourself, and then re-enter Autopilot. Navigate on Autopilot will choose lanes for you, change

for you, handle freeway interchanges and more, but again, in my experience this doesn’t

work well enough to use it much. I prefer to use basic autopilot and auto lane change.

Stop sign and traffic light control will stop at stop lights and stop signs for you, allowing

you to use Autopilot on normal roads, but again, this is pretty buggy, and Autosteer

on city streets has been promised for a number of years now. Elon Musk has said that it is

a few months away from a wide release, but again, that deadline keeps getting pushed

back, and we aren’t sure how good it will truly be when it finally arrives. I think

it will come eventually, but if you buy now, you’re taking a bit of a gamble.

So adding those features is $10,000, but it’s also a software update. So you can take delivery

of your car, and add it at the touch of a button within the Tesla app. Also, Tesla will

soon have a subscription option for this package, and that might prove the best option if you’re

interested. Currently, full self driving stays with the vehicle, so if you trade in for a

new one, you lose that, the full self driving package is hardly ever valued in your sale,

even though it costs so much, and have to pay $10,000 again on your new Tesla. This

has been a big complaint of Tesla owners for a while, but it has not changed, and it’s

a big part of why I do not recommend buying this package on your car. I’ve considering

trading in my Model Y for a new one, but I don’t want to lose my Full Self Driving

capability that I paid for.

So when looking for a used Tesla, there is usually Basic Autopilot, Enhanced Autopilot,

and Full Self Driving. Enhanced Autopilot includes all of the same features of the full

self driving package, minus the upcoming Autosteer on City streets feature. So you get auto lane

change and all of that, but you’ll never get added features via software update. If

you see a used Tesla that you want, and it comes with Basic Autopilot, or Enhanced Autopilot,

you can upgrade those within the app if you so desire.

Tesla’s used inventory website is pretty clear about this, and most of their used cars

come with the Full Self Driving capability. However, here’s an example of one that only

includes basic autopilot. Again, I don’t think this should be much of a reason not

to buy it.

The most important part of buying a Tesla is range. Tesla has sold a few different range

options for their cars over the years, and usually the EPA estimated mileage will be

listed depending on where you look. If it doesn’t, a simple google of whichever trim

you are looking at should give you the result. Just keep in mind that EPA estimated ranges

and real world ranges are two different things. If you drive fast, use a lot of AC, or other

things, you’ll get less range, so you definitely want a buffer for your normal driving needs.

Additionally, battery degradation does occur, even though it is known to be pretty minimal

in Teslas. So over the years, you’ll get less range out of a fully charged battery

than you did when first buying it, and that would be the main thing to consider when looking

at high mileage used Teslas. I would try to get at least 250-260 miles of range, because

anything under 200 will surely be frustrating at some point, and the listed range may get

less and less realistic the older the car is. Tesla does have the best charging network

out there though with over 2700 stations and counting around the world, so you can get

to most places with a lower range vehicle, you just might need to stop and charge more

frequently. The hidden gem for the Model 3 with range seems to be the Rear Wheel Drive

Long Range Model. Tesla no longer makes this one, and it’s slower than the AWD, but usually

gets great range at a great used price.

Regarding build quality, it’s important to keep in mind that Tesla is a newer company

than basically every car manufacturer out there. They still ship cars with issues that

shouldn’t be present, but the worst ones are the earliest ones. For example, my Tesla

Model Y was one of the first 2200 built, and it came with a number of issues that I had

to get fixed at Tesla service. The same is true for the Model 3, and maybe to an even

larger extreme. Buying one today new will come with far less issues than when they first

launched, so if you’re looking used, this might be something to keep in mind. A really

low VIN Model 3 might have a great price, but it also may come with certain flaws, rattles,

squeaks, and panel gaps that the earlier builds were known for. This isn’t to say you should

rule those out, but it’s something to keep in mind when shopping, or test driving. Not

only should you look at for user damage, scratches, imperfections or signs of an accident, but

you should consider what flaws may have come with the car from the factory initially.

So now let’s talk about year numbers on Teslas. The Model 3 was first launched in

2017, so you may think that a 2021 Model 3 is completely different. However, they largely

look the same, and are the same inside the car. The main features that have changed over

the years include better build quality, a new heat pump system that makes heating more

efficient, black trim instead of chrome, an automatic trunk, more range, a new center

console and more. As you can tell, most of these things are cosmetic, so they aren’t

entirely going to affect your driving experience in the car. In fact, every single Model 3

back from 2017 includes the same basic computer, and screen. Tesla issues over the air software

updates, and the speed of this screen has not changed at all. So a 2017 Model 3 will

have the exact same on screen features as a 2021, minus one or two things like the boombox

feature that isn’t a deciding factor when buying a car.

Tesla doesn’t update their cars by year like most automakers do. Instead, they just

update features little by little whenever they choose, so it’s pretty difficult to

trace a year of a Model 3, and know exactly what it includes different. The main changes

came in 2021, and I just picked up a new Tesla Model 3. It has this new center console, black

trim, and automatic trunk. Most likely, if you’re looking at a used Tesla, you’ll

have the old center console which has gloss black lids, a chrome trim, and a manual trunk.

You can feel a difference and improvement in a new one, but there isn’t anything huge

that stands out in particular to make a used one less desirable in my opinion.

For the Model Y, Tesla launched this in 2020, and the main improvements have been build

quality, ride quality, and the new center console. Again, keep in mind that lower VINs

might have more issues, rattles, and a bumpier ride, but a current brand new Model Y will

feel largely the same as a used one, if you can find one. They are very popular right

now, so finding a used one at any sort of discount might prove difficult.

For the Model S and X, much more has changed over the years, and it’s a bit too much

to get into detail about. The main things to look out for are range, what autopilot

features you’ll get, and which computer it has inside. The Model S and X had an upgrade

to what they call MCU 2 a few years back, and recently they had a recall on MCU 1. So

it appears that even if you buy a Model S with MCU 1, Tesla will upgrade you to the

new computer free of charge.

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When shopping around for a used Tesla, the unfortunate thing, is that Tesla seems to

be the only one who understand full self driving features. If you look on Carvana, Vroom, or

many other popular used vehicle websites, finding details about Autopilot is difficult,

or missing entirely. In those cases, if you want to know for sure, you may want to do

a VIN lookup, find out what date it was built, and what the standard autopilot features were

at the time. Or, you can see them on screen in settings when you see the vehicle in person.

For this reason, overall accuracy of listings, and included warranties on used vehicle purchases,

most feel that it is best to buy from Tesla directly on their used inventory website.

They are clear about what the trim is, what self driving features are included, and they

give you complete details about the warranty. Then if any issues arise, you can use Tesla

service just like if you bought new. One quick tip though, it’s definitely worth searching

around for quotes on your trade in vehicle if you have one. While it will be easiest

to trade in with Tesla, I’ve seen many people get far better offers from CarMax, or other

sellers than Tesla was willing to give for a trade in.

Overall, Teslas are super fun cars to drive, and buying used doesn’t change this. As

I mentioned, sitting in a 2017 Model 3 feels 90% the same as sitting in a 2021 Model 3,

and they both drive incredibly well. Usually, when buying a used vehicle, things you’re

looking out for are expected maintenance, expected repairs, and more. Luckily, Teslas

are fully electric, so it is much easier to maintain them. This isn’t to say they are

free of issues, but there are no required regular oil changes, no timing belt to fix,

no transmission to fix, and overall much less to go wrong with the simple electric motors

instead of a full fledged internal combustion engine. With the Model 3 and now Model Y,

there haven’t been any major issues that are widespread and expected to pop up besides

the replacement of the 12V battery. This happens to many owners after a few years, but luckily

this is one of the cheapest repairs you can have in a vehicle. One thing to look out for

might be needing new tires because the instant torque on Tesla’s can go through tires faster

than the average car.

Regarding fuel, or charging, Teslas are incredible easy to fill up if you have the right setup.

Usually, home charging is the most convenient and easy way to fill up your Tesla, but this

may require an install. Usually, installing a plug like a NEMA 14-50 is fairly inexpensive

and preferred so that you can charge up as much as you need overnight. Using a standard

outlet can take too long if you regularly use the car. The real cost for that install

comes if you need to upgrade your panel in order to handle it, so that is something that

is worth looking into. Next would be supercharging, of which Tesla now has 2700 plus stations

around the world. These are pay to charge, and it’s rare to find a Tesla that includes

free unlimited supercharging at this point. They typically cost less than gas, but are

more expensive than home charging, so again, home charging is going to be your best option,

and you can see a full video breaking down my true cost of Model Y ownership linked below

to get an idea of what charging truly costs.

Overall, buying a used Tesla will feel a lot like buying a new one. These cars get software

updates across the board, and there have yet to be any significant or noticeable features

that are incompatible with older Models. Technically there were with the Model S and X but as I

mentioned, Tesla is upgrading those computers as part of a recall by default so that won’t

be an issue for you. It’s a very interesting time to buy a Tesla with all of these different

shortages happening around the industry, so I hope this video was helpful for you if you’re

looking to buy. In the meantime, you can check out my full review of the 2021 Tesla Model

3 linked over here or in the description below, and know that the older versions are largely

the same. Thanks so much for watching, and I’ll see you on the next one.