Photo: Cars & Bids
There’s nothing wrong with buying a new car at the manufacturer’s retail price and flipping it for profit. But as it’s often the case with this practice, there are a few exceptions that simply boggle the mind. The mid-engine Corvette and Bronco are two examples of extreme flipping, and the same can be said about the most exciting Model S of them all: the new Plaid.
This article originates from a Facebook post from Doug DeMuro, advertising a Model S Plaid on his Cars & Bids platform. Purchased for $139,190 including destination charge and options, the full-size sedan is now showing very few miles and a high bid of $132,000 at the moment of writing.
The aforementioned vehicle, which is probably going to sell for $150,000 in three days’ time, got me curious about the Model S Plaid on another car-selling platform. After firing up eBay in my browser, I was utterly shocked to see asking prices that range from $139,999 to $188,600 on used vehicles.
My biggest question regarding this practice is very simple. Why should a level-headed individual spend $10,000 to $58,700 over the sticker price when he or she can very well order a Plaid with a delivery date of September? I wish I knew the answer, but still, this is a free market and the United States of America has a long history of automotive-related excesses.
What grinds my gears the most about the Cars & Bids car is that the seller hasn’t even bothered to install PPF up front where you’ll find some chips in the bumper. Considering the manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the no-nonsense Model S Plaid, that’s a little cheap on the first owner’s part.
Impressive though it may be, the strip-slaying Plaid is $45,000 costlier than the dual-motor Long Range that retails from $84,990 at the moment of writing. Larger wheels and one additional electric motor also translate to a worse driving range at 396 miles versus 405 (637 and 652 kilometers).
The aforementioned vehicle, which is probably going to sell for $150,000 in three days’ time, got me curious about the Model S Plaid on another car-selling platform. After firing up eBay in my browser, I was utterly shocked to see asking prices that range from $139,999 to $188,600 on used vehicles.
My biggest question regarding this practice is very simple. Why should a level-headed individual spend $10,000 to $58,700 over the sticker price when he or she can very well order a Plaid with a delivery date of September? I wish I knew the answer, but still, this is a free market and the United States of America has a long history of automotive-related excesses.
What grinds my gears the most about the Cars & Bids car is that the seller hasn’t even bothered to install PPF up front where you’ll find some chips in the bumper. Considering the manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the no-nonsense Model S Plaid, that’s a little cheap on the first owner’s part.
Impressive though it may be, the strip-slaying Plaid is $45,000 costlier than the dual-motor Long Range that retails from $84,990 at the moment of writing. Larger wheels and one additional electric motor also translate to a worse driving range at 396 miles versus 405 (637 and 652 kilometers).
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