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If you’ve spent more than five minutes in the American car landscape lately, you’ll know that Tesla is no longer a car company. It has its own folklore, its own diehards, and increasingly, its own cautionary tales.
As more owners turn to Reddit and forums instead of showroom floors and service counters, the curtain is being pulled back on what happens when tech collides with an often indifferent reality. Case in point: Jaywoof94, a Tesla enthusiast who walked into the EV future with both eyes open, only to get sucker punched by Tesla’s used vehicle program.
“Love my new car! 2025 MYP in Stealth Gray with 8k miles.
I want to give an honest review of my experience buying a used car from Tesla. A bit of a backstory here. I bought a brand new 2025 MY RWD in December of last year. I went with the RWD because I had range anxiety as a first-time EV owner, but I quickly learned that it’s not an issue, and I really wanted the quicker acceleration. So I upgraded to the MYP today.
Before any of y’all come for me for bad financial decisions, I lost like $2k on the deal, and this is my fun money. Cars are becoming a new hobby for me, so chilllllll lmao.
After much back and forth, I decided to go with a used previous-gen MYP instead of the Juniper because I just like the interior so much more. To each their own.
My Review of Buying a Used Tesla:
I almost did not accept delivery of the car because it had an odd smell and was just filthy. They did not even bother to wash the outside, and the inside was dusty af. Felt like I needed to wash my hands after checking it out. You can tell they didn’t do a thing to it since it was traded in.
As I was looking over the car, the advisor came over and said, I am handing the car off to you now. I said I’m still considering it, and he basically said N,o it’s yours now. I said I’m not accepting delivery until I’m sure I can fix all the issues I’ve found. He said ok and told me to come back in when I’m ready.
So just a few of the things I found:
Light stains above the visor area
Glue residue on the wood trim (I’m assuming from an aftermarket light kit)
About $5 worth of change in the back seat pocket
Misaligned charger port
An odd odor
A small chip in the wood paneling
Well, I just really wanted the Performance model, and after much consideration, I said fuck it and accepted delivery. I drove it straight to the nearest drive-through detailing car wash, and the outside looks flawless, and the inside cleaned up just fine. Paid $75 for this service.
Awesome! I’m feeling better about my purchase. I took it out on the highway to have some fun, but noticed a shake at 70 mph+ as well as a slight pull to the left.
It’s fine. I already have an appointment scheduled for an alignment and a few other minor things from above.
Long story short, I will never buy another used car directly from Tesla. My expectations were already low based on my experience buying new late last year, but I chalked that up to the holiday end-of-year rush.
Their customer service is just so trash. If you’re considering buying used from Tesla, I would recommend you stay clear. It’s just the luck of the draw on what you’re going to get. Unlike any other dealer, where you can test drive it and negotiate minor fixes, you’re just stuck with it as is. Not to mention it will most likely be CLEAN at any other dealer.
I will probably drive this until AI5 is released and then upgrade to the Performance Juniper.
I would also like to note that I see a lot of cool pickup posts on TikTok where they have an indoor pickup and do the light show on everyone’s car at the same time. Not at all the case in KC. You don’t even get the little congratulations paper on your dash. You’re hard-pressed to get a “hello, welcome in” and basically have to flag one of the workers down as they’re going back and forth between the front and the back of the shop.
I know some of y’all will have some negative responses to this, but I just wanted to share my experience for those considering buying used. I will also be getting an ozone treatment just to get rid of the lingering smell of the previous owner. Definitely the last time I buy a used car.”
What follows in that post is not the starry-eyed celebration of a new vehicle, but a play-by-play of disappointment. The car arrived filthy, inside and out, unceremoniously handed over without so much as a paper congratulations.
“It felt like I needed to wash my hands after checking it out,” the owner wrote. He wasn’t exaggerating. Glue residue on the wood trim.
A misaligned charging port. A lingering odor. Five bucks in change jammed behind the seat like a bad punchline. And when he took the car for a highway spin, the real problem emerged: a violent shake above 70 mph and a pull to the left.
2025 Tesla Model Y Performance: 0–60 mph Acceleration, Ride Comfort & Common Reliability Issues
- The Performance AWD trims reach 60 mph in approximately 3.5 seconds, while most Long‑Range AWD variants manage it in about 4.8 seconds. Less common rear‑wheel‑drive versions (if produced) are closer to 5.0 – 5.3 seconds
- Numerous reviews, including Car Magazine and Edmunds testing, caution that the Model Y’s suspension feels stiff over poor roads and transmits road vibration into the cabin. This standoffish ride quality persists even in the refreshed 2025 version (sometimes known internally as Juniper)
- Owners have reported inconsistent body‑panel alignment, frequent alert chimes (even in remote settings), touchscreen freezes, and notable range loss in cold temperatures. Some reports describe a range dropping by 20–30 % below EPA estimates during temperate weather
- Tesla has publicly faced scrutiny over missing suspension bolts, the use of make‑shift adhesives inside the cooling system (including tape and faux‑wood filler), steering wheels detaching in rare cases, and unexplained “phantom braking” events tied to its Autopilot system, incidents that have led to recalls and consumer‑class actions even before the 2025 model year
He scheduled an alignment and considered new tires. Reddit user Adventurous-Abies201 chimed in with a theory: “If the shake persists, perhaps the foam in a tire already?”, a known quirk of Tesla’s noise-canceling tire inserts that have been linked to similar issues across forums.
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The original poster responded, noting the steering was off-center and confirming he was considering a full set of fresh rubber. The car had only 8,000 miles, but already felt like a fixer-upper. Imagine a Porsche dealer handing you a used Cayman like that, soiled, vibrating, and with coins clinking in the seat pocket.
You’d storm out. But with Tesla, it’s just another Tuesday.
This wasn’t an isolated incident. Tesla Motors Club and Tesla Owners Online are flooded with posts detailing similar symptoms, vibrations at 70+ mph, steering irregularities, and unbalanced wheels, some from vehicles with under 3,000 miles. One user with a 2024 Model Y Long Range AWD wrote about three separate service visits to address steering wheel vibrations, with no resolution. Others cited rebalancing, tire swaps, and alignments that still didn’t cure the issue.
Inside Tesla’s Used Model Y Delivery Experience: Service Shortcomings & What to Expect
Yet perhaps the most telling part of Jaywoof94’s post wasn’t the vehicle defects or handling woes; it was the total absence of customer care. “You don’t even get the little congratulations paper on your dash,” he wrote, contrasting the Spartan Kansas City pickup experience with the TikTok-famous deliveries that feature synchronized light shows and showroom theatrics.
There was no advisor walking through the car’s features, no warm welcome, just a handoff as cold and rushed as a fast-food order during a lunch rush.
One commenter described their delivery experience with red ribbons and a professional advisor; the contrast was stark. It all seemed to confirm jaywoof94’s verdict: Tesla’s used car buying process is “just the luck of the draw.”
2025 Tesla Model Y Specs: Dimensions, Cargo Capacity, EPA Range & Battery Details
- The “long‑range” Model Y sits on a 2,890 mm (113.8‑in) wheelbase, and measures 4,751 mm in length, 1,624 mm tall, and 1,920 mm wide, a generous footprint for a compact‑crossover built off the Model 3’s platform
- With the rear seats folded (plus the front “frunk” included), the available load space is approximately 2,158 litres, making it one of the roomiest EVs in its class
- In U.S. EPA testing, the Long Range AWD version delivers about 337 miles of range, while the Performance variant drops to about 277 miles. (Some later-release “Launch Series” versions claim ~320 miles thanks to software tuning and energy-saving tweaks)
- Most Long‑Range and Performance trims carry an ~81‑kWh lithium‑NMC modular battery capable of 250 kW DC fast charging. All‑wheel‑drive versions top out at ~135 mph (later limited to 125 mph), and include a heat‑pump system and aerodynamic cabin cooling garment Tesla calls the Octovalve
For decades, automakers have refined the art of the ownership experience, sales, delivery, service, and support. Tesla, in many ways, has disrupted that model, but not always for the better.
And still, the Tesla mystique holds strong. jaywoof94 isn’t swearing off the brand. Like many owners, he’s already looking ahead, hoping the AI5 software and the next-gen Performance Juniper model will deliver on the dream that this MYP only hinted at.
That loyalty, even in the face of poor service and questionable quality control, speaks to Tesla’s unique gravitational pull in the car world.
Whether it’s fixing a misaligned charge port or simply wiping down a dashboard before handoff, Tesla must match its innovation with consistency.
Until then, every used Model Y handed off in the shadows risks turning another fan into a frustrated Mechanic.
Image Sources: Tesla Media Center
Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys covering the latest news in the automotive industry and conducting reviews on the latest cars. He has been in the automotive industry since 15 years old and has been featured in prominent automotive news sites. You can reach him on X and LinkedIn for tips and to follow his automotive coverage.
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Source: torquenews.com
