While the premium electric-car market is now heating up, Tesla’s been in the game long enough that pre-owned cars like today’s Nice Price or No Dice Model X can be just as viable as new. Let’s see just how viable this one’s price makes it out to be.
You’ve all seen “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” right? One of my favorite scenes in that movie is when John Candy’s character, Del Griffith, attempts to procure a room for the night by offering the motel manager some pocket change and his watch. The latter is a Casio, and he even drapes it over his forearm in an alluring manner to pique the manager’s interest.
That effort proves all for naught, as the manager offers Del to have a good night but not a room. A similar scene played out yesterday, only with us as the motel manager and the seller of the 1991 Geo Prizm GSi we looked at playing Del. In this case, the car was appreciably rare, but just like a Casio watch, of little note nor value. Even at a mere $2,500, it couldn’t pass muster, and in the end, 75 percent of you bid the little Geo a good night.
If you stayed up late the other night you may have caught all the goings-on at Tesla’s Battery Day. The electric-car company made several announcements, many of them being — as is par for the course with this carmaker — promises of wonderful things to come several years down the road. Of course, we certainly don’t have that kind of time to wait. I mean, after all, we’re in the throes of a pandemic and it’s Friday.
Fortunately, we can enjoy the fruits of Telsa’s labors right here and now. There are plenty of Teslas for the taking on both new- and used-car markets, and while few of us may be willing to shell out $140,000 for a 200 mile-per-hour Model S, we may very well see ourselves in this slightly used 2017 Model X with no problem.
You know the drill on Tesla’s model names, right? Elon Musk wanted to have his main models spell out S-E-X-Y but then Ford got in the way by having filed a trademark application for the Model E name around the same time Tesla was going for it. Ford prevailed, and now we have S-3-X-Y for Tesla’s current product lineup. Cue sad trombone.
The Model X was the second of those and is based on the platform of the Model S. The major differences are a taller roofline, funky “Falcon Wing” doors that delayed its introduction and three rows of forward-facing seats for a capacity of up to seven passengers.
The 75D was the base model of the X, although base in Tesla terms is still pretty posh and functional. Here you get the smallest battery pack of the range, a 75 kWh pancake that gives the car an estimated 235-mile range between juice-ups. Motion is provided by a 329-horsepower AC induction motor that can push the stout 5,137-pound car to 60 in under five seconds. The top speed on the Model X is a laudable 130 mph, but unless you’re expecting that COVID is keeping the Highway Patrol at home, it’s probably best not to test that out.
This one comes in white over a charcoal leather interior and features the six-passenger layout. The seller describes the car as being “LIKE NEW” (emphasis theirs), and with just 33,000 miles under its belt, that seems a believable assertion. Outside, the paint appears to be without major issues and the enormous turbine-style wheels look equally unmarred.
The interior presents in a similar fashion, although that may be one place where you feel a little let down by the car. Telsa interiors have never really been up to the caliber of their expected station in life, though all of the gadgets and the giant touchscreens could distract you from some of the material choices and the subdued styling.
It does come with a lot of bells and whistles, so many so that you may never actually drive the car, choosing instead to entertain the neighborhood children with the car’s available light show and charming Fart Mode capabilities.
Considering the complex electronics and software the car carries — including Autopilot mode — it’s relieving that the seller claims the car to have “NO ISSUES.” Even if there were something amiss, the car is new enough to still be under a warranty. Other pluses here are a clean title and access to Tesla’s Supercharger network that ownership affords.
Perhaps the best thing here is the price. It’s $63,500, and while that’s not pocket lint, it’s a good bit off the $87K this model began at when new.
Now it’s nearly new, and it’s up to you to decide if it’s worth that asking. What do you say, could this Model X get you to put your X on a bill of sale for that $63,500 asking? Or, does that price mark this Tesla as a tad too expensive?
You decide!
San Diego, CA Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to FauxShizzle for the hookup!
Help me out with NPOND. Hit me up at rob@jalopnik.com and send me a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your Kinja handle.