Why I Bought a Used Tesla in 2022 | This Won't Happen Again

electric cars in general and especially teslas are extremely difficult to attain right now if you order a tesla online you'll find that a new model 3 in a stock configuration could arrive as late as august of this year that's a long wait for your car and definitely doesn't allow people to solve the issue of needing a vehicle immediately if that's where you're at that in turn has led the used vehicle market to skyrocket especially for teslas buying a new tesla is often the way to go but recently i had a situation where i needed a car so i decided to look around at used teslas i ended up buying a used 2018 model 3. today i'm going to break down why i did it what things i was worried about and things that make buying a used tesla better or worse than buying a new one so let's get into it and a special thanks to nordvpn for sponsoring this video [Music] before buying my new used model 3 i had purchased three teslas each were purchased new direct from tesla first was a 2020 model y which i took delivery of at the end of march of 2020 that was the car i used exclusively for a while but something i was investigating while owning that car was renting it out on turo unfortunately this led to my first accident in that car when a renter was rear-ended but everything was solved there with insurance covering the accident loss of income and diminished value i put it back on turo and it has rented fairly well i did have to pause it again on there when i got rear-ended and i made videos about that and both of those repairs and that is linked below in any case later in march of 2021 we replaced my wife's car with a standard range model 3. at the time it was available for far cheaper than it is now with our base price including a 1 000 paint upgrade coming in at 38 990 now that same car sells for eight thousand dollars more then in june of 2021 tesla came out with the plaid model s it made sense as a purchase for me at the time when i could track down one in inventory and it worked well to have it for my youtube channel but after a few months of driving it reviewing it and having a blast with it i also decided to try that vehicle out on turo i still drive each car regularly because each has its own advantages to me and i want to be able to give true educated reviews of each car on my channel but in march i fully committed those cars to turo i decided i wouldn't block out any dates for my own usage on the model s or y instead i'd focus on renting out the model s and y to see how they do and if needed i can take an uber or use the model 3 that my wife and i tend to use for daily needs i know a number of people with tesla turbo fleets and wanted to give it a proper try as a business model what happened very quickly was that both cars were renting out solid it was so solid to the point where i was profitable on both vehicles and i never had a car available to me as a drummer who drives to gigs and a youtuber who drives around to make videos i definitely needed my own car earlier in the year i had ordered a new 2022 model y to be my personal car it will be the one that i use daily and leave off of turo but the estimated delivery wasn't until june shortly after it updated to be further delayed arriving in july or august of this year so i needed a car for the next few months as a quick summary i decided that i'd try to find a used standard range model 3 since that car has worked incredibly well for us this would become my daily driver until the model y arrives after a few months of use i could either trade in this model 3 towards the model y and likely gain some value there or i could put the model 3 onturo and make the new model y my personal car since teslas are so consistent with features it often seems renters don't particularly care about the year of the rental unless something major has changed like the refreshed model s and x in any case that was my reasoning but i did have some reservations when buying a used car you're buying a used car it's not new so it doesn't come with the same security that you have when buying brand new from tesla additionally it would likely be older than a 2021 refresh that tesla did on the model 3. the car has remained largely the same but tesla has changed a number of things on it since would this used car have the fsd computer does that matter does it even include autopilot that's essential for me and tesla used to charge extra for basic autopilot it won't have a powered trunk it will have the old center console no pedestrian warning speaker and it will have chrome trim it will also include less usb ports and i'll have to install my own sentry mode drive do these things really make a huge difference then of course the big question what is battery degradation like after three to four years on a standard range model three it's already their lowest range model so i don't want to end up with way less range than i expected one thing i did know though is that when tesla updates the software on a vehicle they update that software for all older ones as well so in theory the user experience of this older model 3 even back to a 2017 model 3 should be largely the same as a brand new 2022 model 3. i looked around for used model 3s and managed to find the cheapest one i could it was located at a mitsubishi dealer and had actually just been traded in for a newer model 3 that was sold there we drove down and took a look at it it was a 2018 model 3 standard range with 19-inch sport wheels it had white paint and actually had a number of user upgrades included there were nice all-weather floor mats for the seats and trunk some springs on the trunk struts that actually helped it to open on its own when you press the release button puddle lights on the doors that show the tesla logo when opened and blue ambient lights inside the interior in practice those trunk struts don't actually work very well and i either wish they weren't there or that the trunk was automatic instead it just makes the trunk harder to close and open most times also the blue interior lights don't match hues not a big deal but very odd as far as imperfections there's a paint marker spot and a sharpie x on one of the headlights something that i can remove with the right products but that doesn't come off easily there were a couple of rock chips but nothing major some curb rash on the wheels pretty much standard for any used tesla alignment issues that were par for the course in 2018 but not much else the test drive went great and the car felt essentially the same to drive as our 2021 model 3 aside from slightly reduced regen braking that i noticed it also felt a little bit more like an older tesla new ones feel a little tighter when driving to me my biggest concern was autopilot though when i went to autopilot settings it was clear that this card didn't even include autosteer that is essential for me and for future potential turo renters i researched this and all the latest info showed basic autopilot costing three thousand dollars an fsd costing twelve thousand dollars if you buy an older tesla fsd would upgrade the computer from hardware 2.5 to hardware 3.0 but buying basic autopilot wouldn't as it isn't necessary three thousand dollars isn't cheap but was something i was willing to pay extra for it's definitely something to look out for though on a used tesla oftentimes owners and especially dealers won't truly know what autopilot features the car comes with so you need to check in settings for yourself as far as upgrades that this car has that a new model 3 doesn't have there are actually a number of things that tesla has removed grocery hooks are included in the front trunk it appears to have the premium audio system upgrade which is something tesla used to allow you to add and it includes home link in our 2021 standard range model 3 it says quote premium speakers no external amplifier it also says garage door opener not installed tesla no longer includes home link on the model 3 or y in the used 2018 model 3 it says audio system premium which sounds different than simply premium speakers but this is unclear then for garage door opener it includes homelink 5. that was something i didn't even realize until i got home with the car but it's definitely a perk of buying used versus new this older model 3 also includes moving passenger lumbar support which tesla now famously removed in newer model 3s and wise due to lack of use lastly this used model 3 came with the mobile connector which tesla is remarkably removing from new purchased vehicles and currently charges 275 or more to buy separately i decided to purchase the car and i'll detail the things i've learned so far in just a minute before we go any further i'd like to thank today's sponsor nordvpn nordvpn is an easy to use virtual private network that encrypts your internet traffic and hides your ip address to keep you safe while you browse the internet it's the fastest vpn out there and is available on every available platform including linux it also has the benefit of letting you unlock content that's blocked in your country like movies shows and games allowing you to access whatever you want wherever you want you might even be able to access entirely new platforms streaming services at lower prices or discounts on games only available in another country my favorite part though is that it encrypts all your internet traffic so your internet provider can't throttle your bandwidth based on usage a recent upgrade they've added is threat protection threat protection takes it a step further to block ads and web trackers while you browse it also automatically scans urls and blocks malicious ones even if you click on a malicious link and end up downloading malware it'll be scanned and deleted automatically to check out nordvpn for yourself risk free visit nordvpn.com ryan shaw linked below and use the coupon code ryan shaw for a big discount i purchased the standard range model 3 so i worked out financing there and took the car home the drive home was great and showed me just how well these cars hold up the only thing i noticed on the drive home was a bit more road noise than our 2021 model 3 and this is because the old one has standard glass whereas a new one has double paned acoustic glass i also missed having autopilot after i got home i panicked a little bit because once the car was added to my account and the app there was no option for basic autopilot for a few hours i thought i made a huge mistake and purchased a tesla without autopilot and without an option to upgrade my only option in app was a 12 000 fsd upgrade which i never find to be worth the cost tesla changes pricing and subscription options so much sometimes offering enhanced autopilot other times removing it that i thought they simply dropped this option for basic autopilot in order to force use tesla buyers to pay twelve thousand dollars for any autopilot features luckily after updating the car and my app basic autopilot showed up in-app for three thousand dollars so i purchased that it has worked great and feels just the same as autopilot on a new tesla this one actually includes radar as well which depending on who you ask could mean the system is better than a new tesla where they have dropped radar sensors one way that it's clearly better is that the speed limit for auto steer is 90 miles per hour it's 80 miles per hour on new teslas without radar tesla should be updating this soon but time will tell i've been driving this 2018 model 3 for about a month now and i can honestly say buying a used tesla is a great option if it works for you and if you could find one the immediate downsides would come if you're unable to find one used that's cheaper than a new one if that were to happen you'd be paying a premium for more mileage on the car and a lack of a few specific features that have been upgraded like the powered trunk or pedestrian warning speaker if you want that luckily for me i found it for cheaper than new even when i include my purchase of basic autopilot and i was able to get this car immediately now let's talk about how the battery and range have held up on this almost 4 year old tesla for a new standard range model 3 tesla quotes an epa range of 272 miles this is for the stock 18 inch wheels for our 2021 model 3 about a year old when i put a charge limit of 100 it gives me an estimate of 246 miles obviously that's quite a bit lower than the epa estimate and this is because it is taking real-world conditions and range into account here for this used 2018 model 3 with less efficient 19-inch wheels when i put a charge limit of 100 it gives me an estimate of 236 miles there are many factors involved here like the fact that each car is calculating its own range based on its own usage and the wheels are different but still only a 10 mile difference on a car that is three years older that has held up really great and still provides great range for those that a standard range vehicle works for as i always say though if you're driving 230 miles daily don't get a standard range used model 3 and expect it to be perfect you'll want that long range buffer but i'm impressed with this mileage if i was comparing it to a 272 mile quote or 267 mile quote on tesla's website i wouldn't be impressed but i'm comparing it to the real world range of our one year old model 3 knowing that an epa range is never realistic this is holding up great i'm an early tech adopter i love having the latest tech i always get the latest iphone if i can do it and buying the plaid model s was very much motivated by this same part of me it was and is tesla's latest and greatest car with a larger center screen great features smooth ride and insane performance that beats every car on the road so after driving that for a few months many would wonder how i could possibly go to a used standard range model 3. for me each of tesla's vehicles has their own plus sides and downsides the ride isn't quite as smooth in a model 3 and the features aren't quite the same as a model s but it's a great car to drive it's smaller and easier to get around in than a model s and is just an incredibly solid car all around plus as i've been mentioning as your user experience when driving the car there's hardly any discernible difference between a 2018 model 3 and a brand new one things i'm missing include the powered trunk a sentry mode drive included in the glove box the latest chip the latest center console matte black trim and a pedestrian warning speaker among a few other things however for myself not having those features has been a negligible difference i thought they would be a big deal when i was looking for a used model 3 but it's not the main thing i miss is a powered trunk which i could fix by installing a third-party trunk but the whole idea here is that i saved money by getting a used model 3 so i'll keep the manual trunk for now what i've learned here is that tesla's hold up well this is still only a three to four year old car but many people get concerned about battery electric vehicles and how long they will last almost nothing about this car feels like it's three to four years old this was a great car in 2018 and thanks to tesla's over-the-air software updates it remains a great car with most of the same features a 2022 model 3 comes with it even comes with some bonuses over a new one and for myself getting home link the mobile connector passenger lumbar support and not having the pedestrian warning speakers are all bonuses i personally like that it's silent when i back up if you're in the market for a tesla and looking used i think it's a great option for myself who also owns a plaid model s i found this 2018 model 3 to perfectly fit my daily needs i'm always about the latest tech and aside from features like boombox i get all the latest tech in this car with software updates i could even upgrade it to full self driving if i wanted to pay 12 000 the same cost is fsd on a new tesla when you shop for a used tesla there are of course things to look out for i already mentioned checking on what level of autopilot is included since that could add additional cost after buying like it did for me but it's also possible that i got lucky this 2018 model 3 was treated very well not all used cars are additionally the earlier you go in production for say a model 3 the original factory quality may suffer a bit more tesla was struggling more with quality control back when the model 3 first started than they are today however each new tesla i purchased came with some fit and finish issues even the 2021 plaid model s none of the issues were too major and each were fixed at a service appointment but that was a frustrating thing to go through depending on where you're buying your used tesla from the previous owner may have already gone through these things and had them fixed this used 2018 model 3 with its various user upgrades actually came with less issues than our brand new 2021 model 3 from tesla panel gaps may be questionable if that matters a lot to you but other than that the car feels great and drives just as good as a new one so why did i buy a used tesla in 2022 there are many reasons but ultimately i've been renting out my cars a lot and i needed a car for myself earlier than six months from now i also wanted to buy the cheapest car i could in a used standard range model 3 fits that bill i've found buying used to be a really great option and it could be perfect for you you could get a tesla much quicker and it will include everything that you truly need and get the benefits i've already mentioned in this video as always there are many factors and it won't work for everyone but it has worked out great for me this is my daily driver for right now and i'll keep you posted on how it's going of all the features tesla has removed in newly shipped cars though which matters most to you mobile connector homelink passenger lumbar support leave a comment below to let me know your thoughts in the meantime if you want to see nine new evs coming from other brands you can check out that video linked up here or in the description below thanks so much for watching and i'll see you on the next one

Channel: Ryan Shaw

Views: 249,538

Keywords: tesla, tesla news, tesla updates, tesla leaks, elon musk, tesla model 3, tesla model s, 2022 tesla, 2022 model y, model y, model 3, cybertruck updates, 4680 battery, texas model y, standard range model y, tesla charger, used tesla, cheap tesla, used tesla model 3, used tesla review, used tesla buying guide, used tesla worth it, tesla buying guide, used tesla 2022, 2018 model 3, 2018 model 3 review, model 3 review, tesla software updates

Id: mcuo4yivP_M

Length: 15min 36sec (936 seconds)

Published: Sun Apr 24 2022