'mothballing' a Tesla to keep as a 'collector' car

[Jennie]

Okay, so a lot in that post title to take in.
TLDR-What are people's experiences with putting a Tesla in long-term storage? What should I keep the battery capacity set to and how often should I drive it? Is there any potential for it to be a collector car given mass production?

I have a 2017 Model S with ~100k miles that I absolutely love. The battery capacity has degraded some but it is still so much fun for my commute. Not so great to travel to see my family out of state, which I am finding I will need to do more of. The car is paid off and I have free supercharging for life but usually charge it at home for convenience and because I understand that consistent supercharging is rough on the battery.

I'm in school full-time (ie- no substantial income) for another two years, after which I will have a limited income (medical residency) for a few years. I toyed around with trading my Tesla for an efficient ICE car (Civic or similar) when I went back to school but given the miles, a prior accident and the crazy car market, it didn't seem worth it at that point. I have planned to keep the Tesla until it goes no more, with the understanding that I will likely get nothing for it at that point, and buy a newer EV or hybrid.

I now have the opportunity to buy a low-mileage, excellently maintained Buick Enclave (19 mpg) from the estate of a recently deceased family member. The car is not my jam but would allow me more flexibility in travel and living situation (ie I don't have to worry about charging access). I'm checking on the cost of insurance, verifying the service history and running the gas numbers. I am trying to decide whether to 1) buy that car and sell my Tesla, 2) keep both and store/drive the Tesla only occasionally 3) keep both and drive them both 4) pass on the Buick.

I do have another ICE collector car that is appreciating in value but can be costly in terms of maintenance. I have a place to store both cars cost-free but will still need to consider maintenance, including battery care. Does anyone have experience with storing Tesla long term? Any thoughts on if there is a potential for these older EVs have any sort of appeal (collector or other) at some point or will the technology be so obsolete as to be unappealing? In today's market, even an old truck is valuable; I'm wondering if it will continue to be difficult/expensive to buy any car in 5-10 years when I am in the market.

 

[bwilson4web]

Is there any potential for it to be a collector car

Given Elon launched his Roadster into space, no.

There is so much progress being made, like the old "Computer Museum," the only value of an old computer are the precious metals in the parts.

I have two EVs:

• 2019 Model 3 Std Rng Plus - I am keeping it until it is no longer practical to drive cross country. A working car, it has road wear and a battery down to ~90% of the original range. But the improving charging networks and adding CCS-1 means charging is increasing faster than the battery degradation. It is still useful.
• 2017 BMW i3-REx - runs in EV mode, it is my backup to fetch tools and parts for my Model 3. Its battery is very close to original range, 106 mi EV, means it is a very practical EV around town. The only gas I regularly burn is the every 60 days, maintenance cycle. It still has nearly 50% of the last fill-up in August 2023 after I got it home. I'm using the BMW battery to extend the life of the Tesla battery.

Bob Wilson

 

[insightman]

There is so much progress being made, like the old "Computer Museum," the only value of an old computer are the precious metals in the parts.

Bob Wilson

"There is so much progress being made..."
How many true EV roadsters can you buy today? Only a used Tesla Roadster. AFAIK, only the 1,000 MINI Cooper SE convertibles MINI made (none of which came across the pond) have followed the path of Elon's original ride. Anyone who has been holding their breath for Porsche's EV version of the 718 Boxster is certainly turning blue by now.