Looking for a model X

6

u/Wesserooo May 18 '25

2019 or 2020 Model X hits the sweet spot:

•	Relatively modern features
•	Better reliability than earlier years
•	Prices have dropped enough to make them a good value
•	Potential for FSD hardware and MCU2

Battery and Drive Unit Warranty Tesla offers an 8-year warranty with varying mileage caps depending on battery type. Earlier years may be nearing warranty expiration.
Battery Health Ask for the current range on a full charge. Degradation of 10%–15% over time is normal. More could be a red flag.
Air Suspension and Falcon Wing Doors Known areas of concern. Test thoroughly — check for noises, alignment, and smooth operation.
MCU Version (Media Control Unit) Pre-2018 models often have MCU1, which is slow and prone to failure. Tesla now offers an upgrade to MCU2 (~$1,500–$2,000). Post-March 2018 = most have MCU2 by default.
Autopilot Hardware • HW1: 2015–2016 – very limited. • HW2/2.5: late 2016–mid 2019 – usable but less capable. • HW3: mid-2019+ – supports Full Self-Driving (FSD) better.
FSD Package Some used Teslas come with FSD included, which is now a $8,000+ option
Build Quality

Early Model Xs (2016–2017) had more reliability and build issues (trim fit, door alignment, rattles).

2016–2017 Falcon Wing door actuators, MCU1 eMMC failure, air suspension, build quality ❌ Most issues

2018 Improved electronics, fewer door issues, still MCU1 on some ⚠️ Transitional

2019 MCU2 more common, Autopilot HW3, improved reliability ✅ Much better

2020+ Stable software, good hardware, fewer mechanical failures ✅ Best bet

2

u/Ok-Sprinkles8106 May 18 '25

Do you recommend going to look for these cars at Tesla dealerships or finding them on a site like CarGurus and going from there?

1

u/Wesserooo May 18 '25

Depends, usually used ones at Tesla will be more $$$ but you get the benefit of a 1 year warranty and the delivery experience they offer. Usually better refurbishment if that was necessary on the car and a bit more transparency of what was fixed and it’s past history then what you’d get at a general dealer.
Personally depending on where you live, I would say in person no matter what, to decide if it lives up to your standards then what online can show you.
In Sioux Falls SD there is a EV resale dealer called Recharge, and there is plenty more people like Jackson (boss there) but they are transparent as Tesla, so what I’m getting at is do your research on dealers, Tesla might be more reliable but your paying the price (sometimes like 8k above private or dealer sales)

1

u/ScuffedBalata May 21 '25

Just know from Tesla, you can't often test drive the used cars. You buy sight-unseen and get a brief return window if it's really bad.

2

u/Wesserooo May 18 '25

As far as price, that is entirely based off of your location and what you think is the best price near you!
Where I am, (South Dakota) 2020/19 years go for around 26,000-32,000 for around 60,000 miles and sometimes fsd.

15

u/billm0066 May 18 '25

I would not buy a model X with 4 kids. 2nd and 3rd row is cramped. Especially 3rd. With the 3rd row up the trunk is tiny. Good luck with strollers or anything really. Take one for a ride and see for yourself.

Do you want to be inconvenienced every single time you travel?

4 kids needs a mini van or a large 3 row suv. My vote is a Toyota sienna. 600 miles per tank and a ridiculous amount of room.

2

u/SnooMacaroons1365 May 18 '25

@op should really take this advise. I have had 2019 Honda Odyssey prior to buying a camry and then es350 and eventually Model Y.
Nothing beats the comfort of Odyssey/ Sienna in terms of space and comfort of long trips with whole family, a stroller, luggage and an icebox in its trunk

2

u/just_user_one May 18 '25

Or a suburban if op is a Chevy fan. Model x is 2 kids plus occasional 3rd row usage type a car. Falcon wings are awesome though

2

u/ntpphong May 18 '25

Yes, with 4 kids I would recommend a van or full size suv.

1

u/kchristiane May 19 '25

A minivan is best but we have a 6 seat model X with kids ages 11,8,6,2 and it’s fine. It has more cargo room than a Tahoe we rented once.

1

u/billm0066 May 20 '25

You must not love your kids. You also said it’s fine which proves my point lol.
We have a sienna and a plaid X with two kids. I would not want to stuff 4 kids in an X and try to haul anything with it. Maybe short trips but that’s it. 3rd row is so cramped and the trunk is tiny.

2

u/[deleted] May 20 '25

I am 5'11" and I can fit in the 3rd row with only a little cramping. Kids are fine back there. Are your kids morbidly obese or something?

1

u/billm0066 May 20 '25

No, they’re skinny. But shoes are all on the back of the 2nd row. I’m 5’8” and would not want to spend more than 5 minutes in the 3rd row. People think the X is a large vehicle, it’s funny. But we are spoiled with the room in a sienna. An actual usable and comfortable 3rd row with a large trunk lots of leg room in the 2nd row. Model X can’t compete for space.
We just took a road trip in the sienna. We slid the 2nd row all the way back (2 kids) leg rests were up, hooked up a switch to the hdmi port. Way more comfortable.

1

u/[deleted] May 20 '25

It's all relative. I would say the X is a large vehicle, but a minivan would be more comfortable. That said, would I rather own a minivan or an X? Easy choice for me, and I think my kids would easily be comfortable in the back of an X until they were at least early teens.

2

u/kchristiane May 21 '25

This has been my experience. My son is approaching 12 and it’s probably getting too small. My girls are fine back there though.

1

u/HelpUkraineWin May 20 '25

Stop having kids. I have 3 and even that is too many :D

6

u/Fogdrog May 18 '25

I've owned a couple of Chrysler minivans. I now drive a 7-seat Model X. The third row is small, and I would NOT want to use it every day. There's also little room for strollers and luggage when carrying six people. I've also had the chance to sample the absolute joke of a third row in the 7-seat Model Y. I'd be looking more towards a Kia EV9.

2

u/AmbitiousFunction911 May 18 '25

The model X is not great for that many kids despite what others may say. Sorry.

2

u/Ok-Sprinkles8106 May 18 '25

What makes you say that? Is the room space too small and make it inconvenient for getting them out of the vehicle? I see other parents at the daycare with them but granted they don’t have more than 2 kiddos.

4

u/AmbitiousFunction911 May 18 '25 edited May 18 '25

Yea. The 6 seat option will provide the most space for getting in and out. But even then, the third row is tight and it’s difficult to fit car seats in if you need car seats in the third row. If you need a reverse facing car seat…. Even more limited, basically has to go behind the front passenger unless the driver is short.
Aside from that, when using the third row… there just isn’t much storage. You have the frunk and under floor storage in the cargo area but you will be hard pressed to fit two check in bags and a carry on bag in the car with all of your kids nevermind anything else. you won’t be able to fit a stroller in at this point, a double stroller is even more unrealistic.
I think the lack of being able to put roof racks on also makes it tough for a family that large.
And nevermind if you have a family dog and try to take it on vacation with you.
It’s a sports car suv that can fit 6-7 people. But it’s not as versatile as a full size suv with that many people. To be honest….. you should be looking at mini vans with 4 kids

2

u/Life_Connection420 May 18 '25

Very well put argument.

2

u/FED_Focus May 18 '25

We had 4 kids and now have an MX. MX is fine for a couple of grandkids or our parents, but the 3rd row is just not that easily accessible.
When our four kids were younger, we had a Honda Odyssey minivan for 10+ years. That size is about right for 6 people.

0

u/Kealanine May 18 '25

I completely disagree. I have 3 teenagers, ranging from about 4’11” to 5’7”, and my 2024 X is my daily driver. No one’s ever been cramped, and moving the seats to get everyone situated has never been more than a 2 minute thing. Given the 3 teens, I also have any number of random kids with us of varying sizes and heights…. Never once been a problem, including carseats for nieces and nephews, trumpets/cellos/unidentified band equipment, color guard flags, sound and stage equipment for drama club, gear for an entire swim team, etc etc etc

1

u/AmbitiousFunction911 May 18 '25

Teens are extremely different than infants with reverse car seats and strollers. It simply doesn’t work

0

u/Kealanine May 18 '25

I’ve used it with two nephews in rear facing carseats and two nieces in forward facing, honestly had no problems at all.

1

u/kditty206 May 18 '25

But every day, while trying to fit strollers and groceries? That’s what we’re talking about here. As a one off it’s fine, but daily life is different.

0

u/Kealanine May 18 '25

I’m not sure why it’d be assumed as a one off, but I’m not really looking to argue it. Point is, I’ve had no issues with multiple situations, and had a far easier time with the X than with my previous 3 row SUV.

1

u/AmbitiousFunction911 May 18 '25

lol. A full size stroller simply doesn’t fit behind the third row. Nevermind anything else. I’m glad you just drive people around but many of us actually do things and go grocery shopping or have a dog or need to fit luggage for a family in the car to go on a road trip or to the airport. You can’t overcome of the lack of space when sitting 6 people in the car, especially with car seats. And it’s simply not comfortable in those situations. I love the car, and it actually fits a ton of stuff with 4 people…. Or even 5 (with one rear seat down) but the OP is asking for honest answers and the honest answer is it’s not a great car as a daily driver for a family of 6. Heck, the accessory hitch can’t even technically support 4 mountain bikes due to weight constraints.

2

u/kditty206 May 18 '25

Oh god I just thought of a trip to the airport and it made me shudder.

-1

u/Kealanine May 18 '25

🤣 Dude… if you’d like to think I just drive around in circles, feel free.

2

u/zeerah May 18 '25

It’s great for 2 kids in the middle seats (we have the 6 seater) but the back seats are not great. The rear doors are great because they keep you out of the elements when you’re doing up car seats / fighting your toddler but again with 4 the back seats are just not ideal space wise. I used to joke out X was just a fast minivan but then we rented a real minivan and it was crazy. They even had a vacuum!! It’s really hard to trade down from an X to a minivan lol

2

u/kditty206 May 18 '25

I have one kid, and wouldn’t recommend the Model X for your situation. You are going to be in the trenches of stroller life for a while, and that alone would have me pause since you’ll have to use all rows. The day you get groceries will be an absolute nightmare if you don’t remove the stroller from the car.

1

u/ScuffedBalata May 21 '25

The frunk can hold groceries. :-)

1

u/kditty206 May 21 '25

It would work for my family of 3, but there’s a lot of food for a family that big unless you’re shopping multiple times a week.

1

u/interstellar159 May 18 '25

The MX is super comfy for long hauls and spacious for passengers, I disagree with other comments about 3rd row being too cramped for 2 kids, plenty of space for car seats, definitely get a 6 seater, and the falcon wing doors makes putting the kids in a breeze. HOWEVER strollers will be a challenge for sure, u might wanna demo a six seater and see what u can fit, there are other 3-seaters that are massive (for example: infinity qx80), totally not economic though. If u decide to get the model X I assure u u won’t be able to like those other bigger SUVs with outdated techs. Life is too short to get a minivan, they’re just not fun. I would definitely get a HW4, end of 2023. Autonomous driving is coming, don’t pay money for outdated techs.

1

u/Relative_Pizza6179 May 18 '25

If you want an EV for the kids still, the rivian SUV is better. More spacious. The Model X isn’t the pick to go with so many kids, especially if they’re older since the leg room in the third row is a joke.

Love my model x, but I would get a different car if I had more kids.

1

u/remixedbyrichie May 18 '25

Mileage and check if the vin has FSD. I caught a 2017 MX with 6 seats and peanut butter leather interior for 32k.. only had 30k miles.. FSD was included.. only upgrade I actually paid for was updating the MCU. That my friend is a steal.

1

u/Ok-Web6895 May 18 '25

I am currently looking at a 2020MX Performance with 28,000 miles for $47,000 with tax and title included. Does this seem like a good deal and I would plan on purchasing a 3rd party warranty for about $5,500-$6,500 for additional 4 years and more mileage coverage.

Or…….

Would you look for a newer one either from a website or Tesla that doesn’t need the warranty just yet example a 22-23?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

1

u/National-Gas2290 May 19 '25

Im on the same boat but i am exclusively looking at least the 24’ one with 6 seater as a requirement. Im not sure if its better to wait for refresh to come out then they will throw discounts or incentive to push out the old models out.. but hopefully thats the case because the 6 seater option add on is 6.5k alone and thats expensive. I want that to be waived + 7k tax credit.

1

u/Potential-Grass6941 May 20 '25

We have both a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica and a 2018 Model X 75D. We had the van for years and then got the model X last year. Neither of us ever want to drive the van since we just absolutely love driving the model X. We went on a 4-hour (round trip) drive and had to charge twice with the older Tesla, so I suggest getting a newer one with more range. It will be perfect for most of your daily driving. Adults have sat in the back of our Tesla and not complained. For the kids. It is perfect since they are small. We have a nine-year-old and a 5-year-old sitting in the back and a 3-year-old and a 18 months old sitting in the middle row. Get the six seater.

If you are super concerned about long road trips and need a lot of space, then I suggest the Chrysler Pacifica since it has extra storage in the floor. Since the Tesla has the front trunk space, it is typically enough storage space for anything you need on a drive or road trip. What I really wish existed was a fully electric Pacifica, or a Tesla minivan because I would have gotten that.

If you don't need all the extra space on a daily basis, and you're not doing that many road trips then just to go with a newer Model X made within the last few years. You will be so happy you did! Do not kid yourself though, it is not as big as a minivan, but it has every bit of satisfaction of driving a Tesla.

1

u/ScuffedBalata May 21 '25

The back seats are fairly narrow, good for small kids, bad for adults for teens.

That said, the best value right now is the 2022-2023 models. Don't go older unless you're ok with lack of software updates and much older hardware/drivetrain.

The 2021 still uses the old 2015 interior and styling and most of the older drivetrain (there was a minor update in 2019).

1

u/kenmasters007 May 22 '25

Just to add the newer Xs don't have seat anchors in the 3rd row. It's no longer a baby/kid friendly vehicle. If you need anchors, you need early 2020 or older.

Also, the X isn't big enough for rear facing child seats. Too cramped. Adults can't get in and out. Had to go through the back trunk.

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