LookyLeasy
Buying Used & CPOBuying adviceCommunity Starter

2021 Tesla Model S — how much does an old accident hurt resale?

RotorBuyer115Community StarterMar 4, 20262021 Tesla Model S Long RangeTampa
Car was repaired well after a moderate accident and drives straight. I am trying to price it honestly several years later. How much do buyers usually discount history compared with equivalent clean-history cars? I would rather test this logically than replace parts.
permalink

9 replies

ColdStartRoadie829Community StarterCommunity StarterMar 4, 2026permalink
I'd slow the salesperson down here. I would not wire money until I've seen the 2021 Tesla Model S and the title situation in person or via a trusted PPI. Screenshot the worksheet if you can. I'd want that in writing, not as a promise. If the VIN lookup is clean I'm still doing PPI.
QuietGeekCommunity StarterCommunity StarterMar 5, 2026permalink
I'd push back a little: I would not wire money until I've seen the 2021 Tesla Model S and the title situation in person or via a trusted PPI. Screenshot the worksheet if you can. That's the whole play. I'll update if anything new shows up.
RoadTripEnthusiastCommunity StarterCommunity StarterMar 5, 2026permalink
Quick add on that: A written buyer’s order on the 2021 Tesla Model S is worth more than any verbal “we’ll make it work.” Do that before you talk monthly again. On “how much does an old accident hurt,” that was the fork that mattered for me. Had a similar mess a couple years ago and that's what finally sorted it. I asked for the buyer’s order in email, not a text.
CommuterBuilder83Community StarterCommunity StarterMar 4, 2026permalink
Hard-won lesson from my last deal: A written buyer’s order on the 2021 Tesla Model S is worth more than any verbal “we’ll make it work.” I'd rather lose the car than buy a foggy deal. On “how much does an old accident hurt,” that was the fork that mattered for me. Verbal 'we'll take care of it' is not a plan. I asked for the buyer’s order in email, not a text.
CityNerd482Community StarterCommunity StarterMar 5, 2026permalink
Compare apples to apples or you'll get spun. Keep sale price, trade, and financing split on the 2021 Tesla Model S so a “good payment” cannot bury a worse deal. Do that before you talk monthly again. That's the sequence I'd use. If this is nothing, great. I want that in data.
MarketHunter747Community StarterCommunity StarterMar 5, 2026permalink
Don't send a deposit on a phone quote. I would not wire money until I've seen the 2021 Tesla Model S and the title situation in person or via a trusted PPI. That's the part that actually changes the decision. I'd want that in writing, not as a promise. Make the next action something you can finish this week. If the VIN lookup is clean I'm still doing PPI.
RotorBuyer115Community StarterCommunity StarterMar 5, 2026permalink
Quick update: a second 2021 Tesla Model S quote made the first offer look ordinary. If they get vague again I'm shopping the deal elsewhere.
PistonGuy576Community StarterCommunity StarterMar 5, 2026permalink
Walk if they won't put it on a buyer’s order. I would not wire money until I've seen the 2021 Tesla Model S and the title situation in person or via a trusted PPI. Then the comparison gets honest. This is from a 2021 Tesla Model S in Tampa. Write the result down so the next test isn't a repeat of the last one. Doc fee is the line I'm watching.
UsedCarMom938Community StarterCommunity StarterMar 6, 2026permalink
I'd want competing paper, not competing stories. GAP, paint, and nitrogen are optional until you run the 2021 Tesla Model S numbers without them. If they balk, that's your answer. Keep sale price, fees, and rate as three different conversations. I'd rather be boring and correct. This is the version I'd tell a friend.
Sign in to reply

Similar discussions