Best In Class Depreciation: Tesla Model 3 Will Retain over 70% Of It's Value After 50K Miles

Come through C Class, to forecast is one thing, to actually post respectable depreciation figures is another

Too much Tesla koolaid?! EV is still an evolving technology, just look at how much the i3 and Leaf loses its values. You can easily get a CPO 2014 i3 for $17-$18K with 20,000 miles. 3-5 years from now, Model 3 battery will be abundant and there will be many others EVs with better technology.

The Leaf and i3 are terrible examples since they were crippled EVs from the start. Look at depreciation on the Model S/X for a more realistic comp. Batteries will get cheaper, but on the Model 3 the battery only makes up $5-7k of the cost of the car.

Model X? You're kidding, can you even find a used model X?

Model S holds its value because it has little competition and Tesla couldn't produce the new one fast enough.

Model 3 will be abundant if it is Tesla plan to mass produce it. Plus there will be plenty of competition for "affordable" EVs

Important Note: These are PREDICTIONS only, and not facts. All sorts of people have all sorts of opinions on all sorts of topics. When the facts come out, then that's something to pay attention to.

Again - that is only because the market is controlled by TESLA. Dealers that are not TESLA _ do not want to even handle the beasts - since they do not have the ability to service them in their service areas - and reset the computers. Dealers normally do not send out their used cars to OTHER dealers for service.

So - while you might get that as a trade at TEsla (I doubt it) - there are still a lot of places where they don't want it at all - and will not offer you anything - OR they might offer you Resale AUCTION wholesale - hoping you will not take it.

AS far as the price TESLA offers - that still depends on his CASH situation and Profitability. HE cannot afford to hold that market UP - and then sit on lots of used - unsold - aging Inventory - because their price is non-competitive. Frankly - the introduction of the Model 3 - would also tend to bring down resale prices since there is an option to buy a new car at a lower price.

supply and demand, and for the foreseeable future with high demand, it favors higher prices.

Actually - supply and demand - with quite a number of lease ends coming - means the prices will drop as they are doing in the USED car market right now.

Someone has a special 'Magic 8 Ball'.

"We'll see" said the Zen Master

I will borrow a word from the 'Trumpinator' -

RIGGED !!!!

IMO, there is no real, verifiable market for Tesla resales. Tesla's do not go to the 'auctions' in statistically meaningful quantities to verify these claims.

If there is an Autospies reader out there who can say that s/he went to the "______" dealer and traded in their Model S for (say) a "Panamera" (cash on the hood by the way!!) please relate your experience and cite the $$$ the "Porsche" dealer gave you for your Model S, noting its model year.

The Tesla "market" seems to really be a closed loop - which is why if/when the Tesla story comes crashing down, it will be quite catastrophic. This "market risk" is yet another reason why there will be NO BIDDERS for the carcass of Tesla Corporation outside of a bankruptcy and it will go to the junk bond holders.

Basically, if the "very strong" residuals of Model S / X go to "very weak" overnight, there will be tons of lawsuits by Tesla owners who have "lost value" due to .......... Think of the fact-pattern of the Diesel-gate "lost values" lawsuits and you can get an idea of the $$$$$ exposure.

Unlike Volkswagen, Tesla does not have the $$$$ to pay plaintiffs IF their "closed-loop" resale model, with possibly fake residual values, crashes. The carcass will just go thru bankruptcy because no one will want the many carry-on liabilities.

As Don Rumsfeld once said..there are the "known, known's"; there are the "known, unknown's"; and finally there are the "unknown, unknown's" (i.e. the things that are obvious in hindsight, but invisible in the present).

IF Tesla enters a death spiral, there will be many "unknown, unknowns" that could accelerate and steepen the decline - surprising everyone.

It is not exactly a closed loop if you are not required to sell or buy the car from Tesla. However, Tesla can offer move for cars with locked features since they can unlock everything (battery, autopilot, etc.) at no cost and resell it for more.