This Used Tesla Model S Is A Surprising Alternative To A New E-Class

Believe it or not, the cheapest used Tesla Model Ss are now down to the price of an entry-level Mercedes E-Class, and Supercharger access provides free mileage
This Used Tesla Model S Is A Surprising Alternative To A New E-Class

Ignore all the persistent problems for the Tesla Model 3 and focus on what it’s meant to be: the electric car much of the middle classes could afford, and should want. Things aren’t really going as planned for the car, which is amazing considering how relatively smooth the Model S’s birth was.

Funnily enough, Model Ss have become mainstream-affordable, for the well-paid middle classes. Demand is strong so residual values are too, but while the troubled Model 3 starts at $35,000 in the US, you can now put a UK-spec Model S on your drive for £36,000. Less, if you haggle. That’s the same sort of price as a base-spec Mercedes E-Class, but with free mileage for life.

This Used Tesla Model S Is A Surprising Alternative To A New E-Class

Born into an ethos that saw constant evolution, from power upgrades to over-the-airwaves software additions, the Model S was a vision of an electric car future. And we liked it, despite it being about the same size as Belgium.

It delivers a serious kick of acceleration, a tech-focused interior and all-day cruising comfort, not to mention the lifetime free Supercharger access. Forget the Death Star-eclipsing mass; it was, and is, a brilliant car in any guise.

This Used Tesla Model S Is A Surprising Alternative To A New E-Class

There are two sub-£36,000 Model Ss on Auto Trader right now, but none on Pistonheads or eBay at the time of writing. The reason these two are cheap? They’ve crammed-in the motorway miles over their short lives, with 76,000 and 80,000 miles to speak of. The former is a fiver cheaper but it’s also the mere 60kWh biffabout, with the least power and range of any S. Our pick is an 85kWh car, and it’s much more like it.

It’s rear-wheel drive so lacks the outright traction of the later four-wheel drive supercar-bashers like the P100D, but it will still hurl you to 62mph in 5.4 seconds (a figure that we find strangely difficult to cross-check via Google search due to the mind-scrambling array of 85-badged alternatives – P85, P85+, P85D). It’s brisk enough for you, sir, and will touch 140mph if you like.

This Used Tesla Model S Is A Surprising Alternative To A New E-Class

What it doesn’t seem to have is a fastidious seller. Even if you’re being generous the advert description extends to just seven words; we’re including the price and the numerical ‘1’ in that count. That’s not good enough when you’re selling cars worth £1000, let alone a high-mileage EV worth over £35,000.

Nor does the seller, a private individual, seem to know how a Model S works, listing ‘CVT’ in the title line. Perhaps he or she means Crushingly Vicious Torque. Maybe you can think of something even more creative…

This Used Tesla Model S Is A Surprising Alternative To A New E-Class

Anyway, the advert goes as far as to claim that the car has a Tesla service history, is green and has had one owner. We can see for ourselves that it has flat-based leather seats, floor mats and that both luggage spaces, the rear boot and the frunk, are in fair-to-good order.

Buying this would be something of a gamble, in the sense that we don’t yet know how long-lived the Model S’s batteries will be after having eaten 80,000 miles of Tarmac. Maybe they’ll last for tens of thousands of miles more… or maybe they’ll begin to degrade quickly until your range is little better than 100 miles per charge.

Nonetheless, a Model S with free Supercharger access is a mightily tempting alternative to a mid-sized exec car. You’d be mad not to at least think about it.

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Comments

Ben Anderson 1

I tried doing this a few months ago.

You will NOT get insured on one for less than four figures with realistic millage, at all. Because of the fire hazards and the special equipment required by the fire service, prices sky rocketed and some insurers wont even entertain Tesla cars anymore. Plus, there’s the five year battery replacement which is hell in a hand-basket.

Keep in mind that, at the time, I was paying £600 a year for a Mustang GT (with extra perks and mods added), and the cheapest I could find for a Tesla that was noticeably slower in a straight line and (according to ncap) safer than the Mustang, was a minimum of £1700. Some had the gall to ask for £3000.

These cars are not worth it. Plus the mechanical reliability is surprisingly poor, especially early models. Find something else.

02/12/2018 - 16:44 |
18 | 0
TheMindGarage

Sounds like a good deal until you realise you could get a new Kia Stinger GT or an E39/E60 M5 combo for similar money. Not to mention that a seven-word description probably means the turbocharger is broken and the oil pump is leaking… oh wait…

02/12/2018 - 16:54 |
14 | 0
Anonymous

Now add an LS7 in and we are cooking with gas.

02/12/2018 - 17:32 |
2 | 0
Anonymous

I rather eat this than buy that

02/12/2018 - 18:11 |
8 | 0
ValveLiftMan

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Go ahead, I’m waiting

02/15/2018 - 13:44 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

Why would anyone have this over an E Class? The E Class is very well known for being used as a taxi, racking up hundreds of thousands of miles in comfort. The Model S known only for good acceleration and incredibly shoddy build quality and reliability.

02/12/2018 - 18:28 |
8 | 2
Jia the Supra Fanboy

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

because it’s infinitely more amusing to drive (the instantly responsive, super-touchy EV throttle is a joy to use honestly) than a diesel E-class

02/12/2018 - 23:19 |
0 | 0
slevo beavo

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Probably because the new E class isn’t that good (imo). Cheap feeling and looking interior and have common mechanical problems

02/12/2018 - 23:44 |
0 | 0