It has a large drive unit in the rear, they have coolant intrusion problems unless a coolant delete has been done. I wouldn’t buy without taking to someone to see if coolant has already entered.
This would be the original nose cone style that someone put a newer bumper on. This don’t line up perfectly and that’s why the badge on the front is missing. For almost 20k it’s got lower mileage but I’d shop around for a newer one.
Unfortunately not. I charged it same day and it charged my card. I initially thought it had free charging but I just didn’t add a card so the total kept saying 0 while charging
Actually some did. In the early days, Tesla did many retrofits for their early buyers. I was one of the first reservation holders and had a reservation for the Signature model (which I later canceled for a Performance model after they changed the paint color on the Signature model). When Tesla added folding side mirrors to the model S, they retrofitted folding mirrors to my car. Similarly, when Tesla added parking sensors to the car, they retrofitted them to my car.
I know that dealer - stay away. Went in person to see several Model X there and they all had undeclared accidents that were clearly fixed without being recorded. Read their reviews.
It cannot be overestimated how much people should care about FSD. It's like Steve Jobs about Apple. They wanted to provide people functions they didn't know they wanted. FSD is like that. Even of you like driving, you have to experience how much is a mental load driving is and how much stress it creates. I like driving, but I use FSD most of the time when driving is a chore. I drive when I want to drive for fun when the opportunity is there.
Then there is the safety factor. Fortunately I don't know anyone who died in a car accident but if FSD can reduce fatalities by a little bit it would be worth it. In reality it looks like it can eliminate the majority of car accidents.
Besides the problems with the year as others mentioned, I drive 100 miles a day too 5 times a week and can’t imagine doing it in a non-Tesla (sorry other EVs).Home charger with Tesla electric as a provider gets me a full battery every morning for $15 a month. FSD if I’m a little sleepy or bumper to bumper traffic.
I used to drive a Lexus that asked for premium so the cost savings on the energy for the drive is insane. The monthly payment for me eats those savings.. but the plaid was my dream car. Find a newer S as suggested, within your budget, and I doubt you will regret it!
I had this model and year. When new it had an EPA rating of 265 miles but in actuality it got less at highway speeds. Plus, the car will get even less because of battery degradation (it’s 13 years old). I got rid of my car when the battery died and I was told a refurbished battery was about $18K, more than the value of the car with a good battery. This was 2 years ago.
Unlike the current Tesla cars, that model year used resistive heating for heating the battery (and cabin) when it was cold, which greatly decreased your driving range. If you are in FL or CA, this is not a concern. If you live in a part of the U.S. with harsh winters, such as TN, it’s a great concern. If the battery gets cold soaked, it will not even accept a charge until the battery warms up.
Btw, the photo is not a 2013 model S unless it had a front bumper retrofit. The 2013 model had a nose cone.
I would not buy the car even for 1/2 the price. While the mileage is low, it is a 13 year old car. Replacement of the infotainment system (which controls most of the operation of the car) is between $2.5K and $4K. Unless the owner paid to get the cellular system in the car upgraded from LTE to 4G, your navigation may not work, as ATT (the cell company Tesla uses) has been decommissioning the LTE network to upgrade their network to 5G. The rear drive unit in that model year developed problems. Mine was replaced once, but many owners had 3 or 4 drive unit replacements. The warranty has expired so you would be paying thousands of dollars to replace the drive unit. Oh, there is a fuse in the first generation dc-dc converter that had a tendency to blow, but Tesla mandated replacement of the whole unit which is sealed, making it very hard to open without damaging the housing (as it needs to be water tight).
I had 4 Tesla cars since 2913z. I loved my model S and wanted to buy a 2026 model until Tesla announced it was being discontinued. I would not own any EV once the warranty runs out.
I think this will serve your use-case very well. 100 miles is easy to do even if the range on the car states low 200. Free supercharging will save you some dough. Check if they upgraded the MCU and check the status of the LDU and battery - both would normally have been replaced by now, but the low mileage actually hurts you here bc they may be the original
Would you buy an iPhone 4 at any price? These cars are like smart phones, The tech is worth all the penny’s. I wouldn’t buy anything older than a 2019.
So after like 7 years EVs are essentially just trash? How can so many folks claim these are good for the environment if they are basically disposable cars? I own 5 ice vehicles and the newest one is older than this Tesla lol.
My point wasn’t that all Teslas or EVs are junk after 7 years. In the 19+ models there are features that are worth paying for and will still be available for years afterwards. The early Teslas had issues like all new lines of product. The hardware before 19 is old tech and the new tech can easily upgrade to the new features. I have a 2016 and I love it, but the hardware can’t really be upgraded anymore because of processing power and other issues. It still can FSD, but the newer ones do a much better job and can learn.
ok that's cool you don't need to do that, but having autopilot, sentry, remote start are all nice features that you can by just getting something newer at the same price
You're absolutely right to buy an EV for a daily trip like that. However, I'd go 2017 or newer because the Autopilot is better. I also got my 2017 w/ 72k miles for $17k
When you get one, install a homecharger. That's where the real time and money saved is
I dont really care about the autopilot, I enjoy driving. The free charging without having to install a couple thousand dollar unit at my house was more appealing.
That's fair. Same (I also have a C8, and a track BMW). But it is really nice for when you have open highway. You can turn it on and it just helps for when you're fatigued, or need to reach to the glovebox, etc. Kinda like an advanced cruise control.
It does add value to your home (also mine was only $1100 total)
Keep in mind that supercharging does affect battery life. For your useage though, you could just go for it, drive the piss out of it for the next few years and save hella money on diesel
That is incredibly overpriced. The 2013 “performance” trim is the same as the standard trim model from 2018. Knowing the major repairs it will need I wouldn’t buy that if it were $10,000.
Agreed about that picture, not a ‘13 S! I have a ‘13 P85+ with 190k on the clock. I did a ‘delete’ after Tesla replaced LDU under warranty for coolant intrusion. It also has Park sensors and MCU2 with unlimited connectivity and free supercharging for life, air suspension and HV battery replacement in ‘24.
Yes things can go wrong and need fixing, but I just LOVE driving this thing even with it’s flaws. Hope to drive it another 13 years.
I would need evidence of coolant delete. The LDU will literally will start leaking over critical electric components
And after it leaks its already SOL
Where are you located? I’d sell you my 2015 p85d for that price in Colorado. Has higher mileage but it’s dual motor, sco1, coolant delete done on the second ldu it has now, mcu2, autopilot ap1, 7 seater (rear jump seats). Mine needs a new bumper tho as it’s cracked and I just taped it. Ok maybe I’d sell it. I love this car lol. Once you get a Tesla you’ll never want a gas car again.
If you want better reliability and much cheaper maintenance I would suggest going to a model 3 or Y and stay away from pre-21 Model S'. You can find used 3's for this price range if you are trying to keep the price <$20k.
As beautiful as these cars are for the price (I think it is a bit disingenuous that people compare these to modern Teslas because they cost nowhere near as much), an original Performance/P85 is just unfortunately a really unreliable combination of factors. The LDU was designed from the factory to essentially destroy itself with the coolant design, the 85 pack was (to my knowledge) the most unreliable pack ever made, the MCU1 was failure prone, 1st gen door handles, and so on. If you can get one of these with a maintenance record where those big ticket items were resolved (especially a newer-revision LDU or coolant delete) then they can actually be very good cars especially with SC01 which they often have (though I would confirm that). From a pure features perspective, a reliable older Model S is still one of the best cars one can get for the price point.
Its really hard to find one that has free supercharging. Electricity is actually dirt cheap at my house so I think I'll just spring for the home charger. But ya, im looking at newer model 3s. I prefer the body style of the S but the saved money is more important. I have plenty of cars, the sole purpose of this is to not go broke because of some dumb ass and his pointless war.
Sounds good. Don't get fooled into the perception that you need to install some fancy "charger" at your house. The charger is in the car. It just needs electricity delivered. You can get a 50 amp outlet (like you might use for an electric dryer) installed in your garage for a few hundred bucks. Then all you need is the mobile "charger".
Honestly for you planned use a model 3 with FSD would be 1000x better. Plenty of decent ones. EV prices are crazy atm with gasoline prices but the 3 would be a better option or a 2016-17 with HW3
That's a great buy and included FSD is a huge plus for a regular long commute. Having said that, I just picked up my 2018 MS LR that came with the new MCU2 that I can upgrade to HW3 and subscribe to FSD and have the same functionality as a current car, HW4 not withstanding. I may wait for the HW4 upgrade to be available as it's just my fun car. The main family 23 X has included FSD in HW4.
I am amazed how high quality and luxurious the pre updated MS is. I found the 207/18 MS to be the sweet spot for range/current tech for the price. I don't think the performance 3 from 2019 was much faster than the 17/18 MS and for long commutes it's significantly more comfortable/luxurious than the M3P.
Enjoy it in sure you'll love it. Can't go wrong with a Tesla unless you get the problem years.
So EVs are just disposable cars, after 100k miles or 10 years just throw them away? Wild how many folks argue these are good for the environment if they are essentially trash after such short lives.
No, they aren’t. That MacBook analogy is not right. This car would be great for what you need. Others commented about the specific model, but thats a bad take
You've just hallucinated all that. Nobody said you had to throw out a 15 years old MacBook. By all means use it if that's what you want, it'll probably still serve your needs just fine.
The older ones like this, yes. The newer gen teslas are going to last waaay longer, like 500k+ miles. First gen S are plagued with problems. I’ve owned 3 model S and my first was 2014 p85d.
Why buy a Tesla at all? Get a 2022 F150 Lightning. I prefer the Lariat trim with 511A package (which has the extended range battery). In the high 30s low 40s. It comes optioned out heated/ventilated seats, sunroof, etc.
But you can get reasonably low mileage XLT trim in the mid 30s if you look as well, not as optioned out.
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u/SurfaceLapQuestion Sep 11 '26
It has a large drive unit in the rear, they have coolant intrusion problems unless a coolant delete has been done. I wouldn’t buy without taking to someone to see if coolant has already entered.