Buying a used car is always a risk, especially if you’re in the market for an old, high-mileage Tesla Model S. Imagine being a YouTuber who sets out to find and purchase the cheapest Model S available as potential content – you might expect a disaster waiting to happen.
Alex Kersten from the AutoAlex Cars YouTube channel managed to acquire what he believes to be the lowest-priced driving Model S in the UK (and possibly the world). It’s a 2017 90D model with over 450,000 miles on the odometer. Initially listed at £13,700 (roughly $17,225), Alex negotiated the price down to £8,900 ($11,900) after pointing out some defects.
The Model S is a high-mileage hero
Many Model S sedans served as taxis in Europe, particularly in the Netherlands, Germany, and the UK, accumulating hundreds of thousands of miles and requiring multiple battery packs and motors replacements.
Issues with the car included a nonfunctional headlight, a hood chipped by a wiper arm, water ingress in the rear camera and taillight, and a leaky shock absorber. However, despite its high mileage, the car appeared to be in good condition overall.
Alex got a running Tesla for a price similar to the cost of accessing the Full Self-Driving program, which was recently moved from Beta to a Supervised phase.
Considering the car’s age and usage as a taxi, there may be hidden faults, but the interior looked surprisingly well-preserved with minimal signs of wear. However, details about the number of motors the car has been through or the status of its original battery pack remain unknown. Alex should shed light on the car’s history and battery health in a future video.