Guy buys world's cheapest Tesla for just $11,500. Then, a car expert revealed why he got it for so less

Although the high price and concerns about maintaining an electric vehicle may have kept people away from them, people are seeking out popular brands such as Tesla in the used vehicle market. One such motorist is Alex Kersten, who goes by @autoalex on YouTube and drove away with the world's cheapest used Tesla Model S after paying only $11,500, a price for which he even got impressive mileage.

The World's Cheapest Tesla

Kersten started his video by revealing how the EV market had slowed down at the time and how rising energy costs made gas-powered vehicles the cheaper option. However, this didn't stop him from getting a used Tesla Model S. 

According to his YouTube video, the 2017 Tesla Model S was listed on Facebook Marketplace for $17,750, but he managed to negotiate and bring the price down to $11,500. This was considerably low in comparison to the new Model S launched in October 2024, which starts at $76,630 and goes up to $91,630, as per Car and Driver.

While this did look like a great deal, there was a catch as the car had been driven as a taxi and it had racked up a staggering 450,000 miles. The Tesla odometer goes up to 800,000 miles.

This shocked Kersten's friend, a car expert, who came to take a look at it. Initially, he refused to believe the number but was at a loss for words after checking it for himself. Despite being driven so much, the car looked to be in great condition from the outside. Kresten's friend noted that the paint was in near-perfect condition apart from a few swirl marks and the wheels and tires were good too. Kersten finally knocked the wind out of his friend when he revealed that the car was still under warranty. He said he had a year left on the warranty and if the battery or motor broke down within the stipulated time, Tesla would replace them free of cost.

Kersten then showed the various things that he pointed out to the seller to get the price down. From body damage to broken lights, he used the most minor issues to bargain.

However, Kresten said that he didn't have a Powerwall or a Tesla charger, so he had to plug the car into a three-pin plug which takes 12 hours to charge it enough for 100 miles. Furthermore, the car did not have full autopilot or adaptive cruise control. Kersten showed that while the car had all the cameras, buttons, and hardware for the feature, it would cost him another $12,000 to upgrade the car.

"So, autopilot costs more than what you have paid for the entire car!?" his friend exclaimed. The two even inspected the car from underneath to find anything that would undermine the bargain. However, the car looked even better when lifted up on the fork. Kersten and his friend noted that there was no rust, no damage, the wheels looked nearly brand new and there was nothing to fix, apart from the headlight, which cost $250. 

While Kersten was bragging about his bargaining skills, most EVs lose their resale value much faster than their gas-powered alternatives. According to a 2024 study from iSeeCars.com the average price of a 1- to 5-year-old used EV in the U.S. fell by 31.8% while the average price of a comparably aged ICE vehicle fell by just 3.6%.