First family EV purchase - Used S or wait for new Model Y?

First family EV purchase - Used S or wait for new Model Y?

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Discussion

Galahad

Original Poster:

2,029 posts

269 months

Monday 24th February 2020
quotequote all
Evening all,
Looking to change the family RR TDV8 for something better suited to school run duties. Have 3 kids (14,12 and 7) and a small dog, so think a Model 3 is out due to being a saloon. Budget is circa £50k, so I am wondering what the consensus is on getting something like a 2015/2016 Model S P85D with maybe 40k miles on the clock, or waiting until later in in the year and getting a new Model Y when they arrive.

I think the S, especially with the turbine wheels, is a fantastic looking car, but is the tech in a 5 year old S going to start feeling dated compared with a new Model Y?

I think some of the older S cars came with free supercharging, but that's probably not as much of a bonus to us at present as there aren't any that close by so would probably only come in handy on our occasional journeys to Cornwall and to see my family up north (3 or 4 trips a year).

Should I also go have a look at an i-Pace and an E-Tron too? I watched the Harry's Garage review of the Jag and it really put me off buying one though..

Europa Jon

561 posts

124 months

Tuesday 25th February 2020
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I'm jealous! In spite of what Harry thinks, I'd seriously consider an i-Pace. It's probably very similar in size to the Model Y, so it's personal choice whether you prefer the Jaguar's interior or Tesla's Supercharger network. If you're going to spend that much, perhaps wait for the Mustang too as another option.
Whatever EV you buy, it's a given point that you need to familiarise yourself with public charging networks before bleating on YouTube like countless others!

soupdragon1

4,112 posts

98 months

Tuesday 25th February 2020
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Polestar 2 is £50k too and a nice car.

RobDickinson

31,343 posts

255 months

Tuesday 25th February 2020
quotequote all
Galahad said:
Evening all,
Looking to change the family RR TDV8 for something better suited to school run duties. Have 3 kids (14,12 and 7) and a small dog, so think a Model 3 is out due to being a saloon. Budget is circa £50k, so I am wondering what the consensus is on getting something like a 2015/2016 Model S P85D with maybe 40k miles on the clock, or waiting until later in in the year and getting a new Model Y when they arrive.

I think the S, especially with the turbine wheels, is a fantastic looking car, but is the tech in a 5 year old S going to start feeling dated compared with a new Model Y?

I think some of the older S cars came with free supercharging, but that's probably not as much of a bonus to us at present as there aren't any that close by so would probably only come in handy on our occasional journeys to Cornwall and to see my family up north (3 or 4 trips a year).

Should I also go have a look at an i-Pace and an E-Tron too? I watched the Harry's Garage review of the Jag and it really put me off buying one though..
IMO a 5 year old model S is going to have less range and older tech (slower charging MCU1, HW1 self drive etc). Wont be as well screwed together as a current car and will be out of warranty for everything bar the pack (for whatever good that is).

I think the S looks the best tesla at the moment you can buy though synthetically .

Free supercharging is only relevant if you are on the road all the time, you typically mostly charge at home and paying for supercharging is minimal - not something I personally would value

The etron and ipace both have their own advantages. If you can deal with their inefficiencies & charge networks the are decent cars. The charging situation will improve.

The iPace just had more range added (more usable battery) gets OTA updates to some extent, is the sportiest usable 4WD though not a very big car. IMo the combo of charge speed, range & chargers makes it the worst road trip car.

The etron is plush not as sporty but wafty. made for audi drivers not ev drivers. If you have 150kw charging where you need it its not a bad roadtrip car, otherwise it sucks.


Model Y will be in UK I guess Q3 next year. 300+ miles range with supercharger network and 250kw charging + autopilot and all the tesla st. Expect massive flood of reviews in the next few weeks.

aestetix1

868 posts

52 months

Wednesday 26th February 2020
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If the 3 is out then check the S too, it's also very low.

How about a Niro or Kona? Or yeah, i-Pace is good. Leaf 62 or even a 40 if you are only doing school run stuff, or just get a used 30 and save £30k.

MG ZS EV is a decent size too.

Galahad

Original Poster:

2,029 posts

269 months

Wednesday 26th February 2020
quotequote all
Cheers guys.

Think we'll go and have a drive of the i-Pace and see what we think. I drove an S when they first came out, but at the time had an F10 M5 so came away a little underwhelmed. As this would now be for family duties, the drive is less of a concern.

The 3 is only out as it's not a hatchback and the dog will report us to the RSPCA if we shut him in the boot! I'd imagine it'll be tight in the back with 3 kids too - they used to moan when we had an F31 335D Touring that it was a squeeze.

I think the S is usefully bigger, and looks so much better to boot! Lack of warranty is a consideration on an older car, although I perhaps (incorrectly) assumed there's less to fail in a EV than a regular car? Running an out of warranty RR Vogue is undoubtedly riskier!!

Not in any huge rush so will see what the Model Y reviews are like before making any decisions.

Plan B is to just get an i3 for school run duties and get something like an E63 for weekend and family duties, I just prefer the idea of a bigger EV family car and a smaller weekend toy.

rich12

3,465 posts

155 months

Wednesday 26th February 2020
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Why not get a Model X?

Biggles111

460 posts

264 months

Wednesday 26th February 2020
quotequote all
Galahad said:
Evening all,
Looking to change the family RR TDV8 for something better suited to school run duties. Have 3 kids (14,12 and 7) and a small dog, so think a Model 3 is out due to being a saloon. Budget is circa £50k, so I am wondering what the consensus is on getting something like a 2015/2016 Model S P85D with maybe 40k miles on the clock, or waiting until later in in the year and getting a new Model Y when they arrive.

I think the S, especially with the turbine wheels, is a fantastic looking car, but is the tech in a 5 year old S going to start feeling dated compared with a new Model Y?

I think some of the older S cars came with free supercharging, but that's probably not as much of a bonus to us at present as there aren't any that close by so would probably only come in handy on our occasional journeys to Cornwall and to see my family up north (3 or 4 trips a year).

Should I also go have a look at an i-Pace and an E-Tron too? I watched the Harry's Garage review of the Jag and it really put me off buying one though..
We have three kids, ranging in age from 16 to 10, so a similar set up, and went from a Disco 4 to a nearly new Model S 100D. Our criteria was to have enough rear seat space that the kids would not fight, and the S scores quite well for this - though an X with separate seats also appeals.

It did not take much man maths to show that running an S (even with depreciation) could be cheaper than running the D4, if you do enough miles.

For your budget you should be able to get a facelift P90D - or I see Rsymons has a 100D up for an asking price of £55k. You would be running the car out of warranty, but compared with running the RR the scope for bills, although significant is a magnitude less; the battery and motors will still be warranted, main issues could be around the screen/MCU (but can be repaired now), and heater, both of which are not cheap but far less than dealing with say a turbo replacement.

The tech should feel pretty similar and will still be getting updates, the 3 (and therefore Y) do have quite a cool minimalist feel, whereas the S has a more conventional display in front of you, though still sufficiently different from more typical cars. The 3 does make good use of the space, but was not big enough for us, I sat in an IPace, and although a nice car with a good quality feel, felt the interior was not as spacious as it could be.

One approach could be to get an S now, see how you get on, and possibly trade it for a Y later, or start off with a smaller EV - the S is a wide car and will get a lot of car park dings on a school run. We started off with a Leaf 6 years ago, which we still have - not the prettiest car, but well built and costs pennies to run, leaving me money to run a Porsche for trackdays. You would obviously lose a bit if you were to change, but used prices do seem to be firming up as demand for used BEV's grows.



Edited by Biggles111 on Wednesday 26th February 13:21

Galahad

Original Poster:

2,029 posts

269 months

Wednesday 26th February 2020
quotequote all
rich12 said:
Why not get a Model X?
They're out of budget - I started off at £45k and have already crept up!

Galahad

Original Poster:

2,029 posts

269 months

Wednesday 26th February 2020
quotequote all
Biggles111 said:
We have three kids, ranging in age from 16 to 10, so a similar set up, and went from a Disco 4 to a nearly new Model S 100D. Our criteria was to have enough rear seat space that the kids would not fight, and the S scores quite well for this - though an X with separate seats also appeals.

It did not take much man maths to show that running an S (even with depreciation) could be cheaper than running the D4, if you do enough miles.

For your budget you should be able to get a facelift P90D - or I see Rsymons has a 100D up for an asking price of £55k. You would be running the car out of warranty, but compared with running the RR the scope for bills, although significant is a magnitude less; the battery and motors will still be warranted, main issues could be around the screen/MCU (but can be repaired now), and heater, both of which are not cheap but far less than dealing with say a turbo replacement.

The tech should feel pretty similar and will still be getting updates, the 3 (and therefore Y) do have quite a cool minimalist feel, whereas the S has a more conventional display in front of you, though still sufficiently different from more typical cars. The 3 does make good use of the space, but was not big enough for us, I sat in an IPace, and although a nice car with a good quality feel, felt the interior was not as spacious as it could be.

One approach could be to get an S now, see how you get on, and possibly trade it for a Y later, or start off with a smaller EV - the S is a wide car and will get a lot of car park dings on a school run. We started off with a Leaf 6 years ago, which we still have - not the prettiest car, but well built and costs pennies to run, leaving me money to run a Porsche for trackdays. You would obviously lose a bit if you were to change, but used prices do seem to be firming up as demand for used BEV's grows.



Edited by Biggles111 on Wednesday 26th February 13:21
Thanks for the detailed reply. I do worry that a Y will be the same sort of width in the back as the 3, which isn't really wide enough for 3 kids, and the third row of seats probably aren't ideal for daily use or long journeys.

What year was the Model S facelift?

rich12

3,465 posts

155 months

Wednesday 26th February 2020
quotequote all
Galahad said:
They're out of budget - I started off at £45k and have already crept up!
I bet you could get this one for £50k
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...


More miles but a better car and cheaper
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Honestly it sounds the X is the exact car you're looking for.

Al's 991

255 posts

136 months

Wednesday 26th February 2020
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Galahad
Take a look at this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&...

I have an Ipace and loving it. Test drive it and i'm sure you will fall in love as well.
I have no trouble charging at home or when going on longer journeys.

Biggles111

460 posts

264 months

Wednesday 26th February 2020
quotequote all
Galahad said:
Thanks for the detailed reply. I do worry that a Y will be the same sort of width in the back as the 3, which isn't really wide enough for 3 kids, and the third row of seats probably aren't ideal for daily use or long journeys.

What year was the Model S facelift?
I think it was around August/September 2016. The change to Autopilot 2 hardware was the next significant change, towards the end of 2016, and is possibly worth a slight further premium as it gets more updates and makes use of more cameras, though some prefer the earlier system.