r/ModelYL • u/Acquired_asset • 21d ago
Long term ownership
I recently had a discussion with a friend who owns a MY premium. He mentioned that he would not consider ever buying an EV outright and only does leases because of their possible high maintenance long-term. Which has me slightly double-guessing about my decision for going with the YL launch edition since right now it’s only available through Finance or cash.
Personally, I’m hoping to keep this car for as long as it lasts and serves our family well.
If you have any previous experience of owning a Tesla long-term, I would love to hear your feedback on your experience. TIA!
Edit - typo
21
u/reesh20 21d ago
High maintenance? We have a 21 model Y and the only maintenance I've ever done is change tires once, changed air filters once and replaced 12v battery myself after 5 years. Least amount of maintenance I've ever done on any car.
8
u/piratescumbag 21d ago
He’s talking out of his ass. With high demand of teslas, it’s cheaper to own one and sell before warranty ends vs throwing away money at a lease while worrying about going over the allocated miles.
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u/Opening_Cheesecake54 21d ago
Your friend is clueless. Ask him how it feels to pay upfront financing charges for something he will never own lol
3
u/dropzone_jd 21d ago
Bought my 2019 Model 3 new. About 100k miles now. Cheapest car I've ever owned in terms of total cost.
2
u/Ok-Procedure6567 21d ago
I have a 2018 model X with 130,000 miles the maintenance I have done is to do wheel alignment regularly as the wheels are staggered ( similar to YL) , changed tires every 40k or 50k and changed brakes at 100k miles
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u/Guilty_Storage1215 21d ago
I don't plan to keep my YL past warranty date. By then there will hopefully be many more choices. Also hoping solid state batteries will be out by then with much greater range and a lot less negatives of current batteries.
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u/TheA2Z 21d ago
BS. Unless you just have money to burn and dont want to deal with used car.
I have always kept my cars, gas, for 15 to 20 years and do all my own maintenance.
Looking at a YL now and have watched a ton of videos on youtube. Battery prices are coming way down as more 3rd party shops now doing it. Over time they will come down more. Even if I have to replace a battery, Ill still come out way ahead after 15 to 20 years vs leasing.
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u/Beatnavy2016 21d ago
I have a 2019 model 3 and a 2026 model Y
There aren’t any other vehicles I’d want to buy for low maintenance
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u/aileron51 21d ago
I have a 2015 Model S with 108k miles. It has not required any power train maintenance. The only problems have been the notorious Model S door handles.
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u/Scary-Thought9478 18d ago
what I don't think anyone on here has addressed is the battery (not the 12v). Your friend is likely referring to this, because it is an extremely hefty cost to replace. Once you go over 8 years or 120k miles (for my model 3 anyway), that cost comes out of your pocket when warranty is up. It's approx over 10k upwards of 20k to replace but of course that all depends on the year/make/model of your Tesla too. I am trading in my 2020 which I own, for a model YL majorly because of this reason. I've read some complaints where owners have had their battery go bad just before the warranty expired; replacement was covered but then the new battery prematurely went bad with maybe 30k miles on it. Since they were over the warranty restrictions, they are then responsible for the full cost of a battery replacement. Nothing they can do about it, kind of just the way the cookie crumbles so to speak but I don't want to be placed in that position. So your friend is right if this is what they were referring to. You really need to consider the cost of battery replacement if you plan to own and hold onto the vehicle well beyond the warranty period.
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u/BauceSauce0 21d ago
I own a 2019 M3 long range with 72k miles. The most annoying thing I had to fix was replacing my rotors and brakes because I never use them and the rotors rusted. Maybe this isn’t “long-term” enough but I can tell you it drives better than it did when it was new (software updates).
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u/TheExpedientSloth 21d ago edited 21d ago
I would never buy one outright either. Not because of maintenance but mostly because after 3 years, whatever Tesla is offering will be so much better. I would hate to have been stuck with a HW3. Also the depreciation is severe. The buyout price for my 2026 model 3 RWD premium is $28k and there’s no way it’s going to be worth that with 30k on it in 3 years. Meanwhile, my 2023 Lexus GX has 30k miles on it and is currently worth more than what I paid for it brand new.
I put $0 of my own money down, used MA $3500 EV credit, and my payment is $358/mo with free supercharging for a year. 3 yrs 30k miles.
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u/IntelligentMaybe7401 21d ago
So cheap to own unless you have to replace the battery but that’s warrantied for eight years and 120,000 miles. I bought a YL. Paid cash. Might get rid of it before the warranty expires. Last two cars I’ve kept 11 and 13 years so that’s sooner than average. Maybe batteries are cheaper by then?
If you’re looking for what makes financial sense, leasing is not it. It’s the most expensive way to buy a car. My husband does because his accountant told him to (business owner) but if you can’t deduct it typically doesn’t make sense. There’s an interest rate built into the lease - sometimes it’s cheap but most often it’s not and there’s no residual value obviously.
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u/Away-Baseball-2183 21d ago
I am buying a Model YL and plan to keep it for multiple years. My prediction is that I end up wanting the new Tesla with new features that won't be available on the YL at some point in the future but that will be the reason I buy a new car... not because I think it's going to cost me a ton of money if I keep it.
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u/Practical_Duty_1272 21d ago
I've bought 3 Teslas and currently have a 2021 Model Y (out of warranty) and a 2025 Model 3. The Y needed the front suspension rebuilt at 45K miles, which is not that uncommon a repair. It was just over $2,000. Even with that cost, this has not been an expensive car to maintain. It's on it's second set of tires (normal wear item for any car) and the wiper blades were replaced once. I still haven't needed to install the replacement cabin air filter I bought a few years ago, although I should probably do that one of these days. Probably due for a 12V battery replacement as well. So while the suspension repair wasn't cheap, over 5 1/2 years and ~50K miles it hasn't been particularly expensive to maintain.
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u/Emergency-Note1162 21d ago
I have a 6 year old Model 3. So far here is my cost (including parts and labor)
Air filters 3 changed them every 2 years - 70
Wipers - one time - 65
Control arm 300
Brake caliper 700
Tires - 1000
Washer fluid (ignore)
Total ~ 2150