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Outside Dealership

Eltrumpito | 2026-03-02 18:25 | 20 views

I’ve been looking at 2021 Model 3s on Tesla’s website, but am curious on what people’s thoughts are on getting them from outside dealerships. I’m mostly worried about the warranty and maintenance aspect of things, and how that would go. Does anyone have any experience with this, or even just their opinion?

Comments (6)
sk8terboy111 2026-03-02 18:35

I was looking at used before leasing a new 3. I typically have purchased used in the past but rarely a car that was outside of the factory warranty. And if I did then only from Carmax with the Maxcare warranty. Teslas are a different animal and I’d try to squeeze in a car with some factory left, that way the worst case is you take it in and they fix everything, and maybe even you can jump into one of the extended plans? If you can find a 22 then I assume you’ll have some warranty. If you can’t get into one then I would search Carmax first followed by Carvana and try to get the extended. Of course you can and should get a PPI inspection but there isn’t any way to really tell how a car is. Teslas are low maintenance but of course all electronic which can go bad and be expensive. The risk / reward of used was too much for me which is why I went with a new one.

irie56 2026-03-02 19:16

I bought my S at a dealer. Being able to test, look under and possibly have it inspected is worth a lot to me. Warranty will transfer is under manufacturers otherwise there are 3rd party providers. The opposite can be said about buying used, sight unseen from tesla.

Eltrumpito 2026-03-02 21:13

Oh so they’re still under Tesla factory warranty even when bought from third party dealers?

sk8terboy111 2026-03-02 21:16

Yes it doesn’t matter where you buy it from, if it’s under the years / mileage then there isn’t that much risk, so you can buy it then take it to the dealer for any repairs, and even then get the best extended warranties which are offered while the factory is in effect. Yeah it’s still peace of mind to do a PPI but I’m less concerned knowing I can take it to Tesla or whatever manufacturer the car is for covered repairs.

Howry 2026-03-02 23:08

I got mine from Carvana and have been happy with it. The process was super simple. Had 7 days to try it and return it if I wasnt happy.

ConclusionFlat1843 2026-03-04 13:51

I bought from a Dodge/Jeep dealership. No need to worry about the warranty - no matter where you buy it comes with the remainder of the basic warranty (if any) and the remainder of the battery and drive unit warranty. You can even extended the basic warranty right in the app (I did). If I have any issues, I can still have it repaired at the nearest Tesla Service. I researched this heavily before I purchased. I can say buying from a non-Tesla dealership is just as good as buying directly from Tesla. Even better IMHO, because I was able to fully test drive and inspect mine, and mine came with FSD included for the life of the vehicle, which is extremely unusual when purchasing direct from Tesla.

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