My Friend Bought Another Super Cheap Tesla Model S Raven w/ 200k Miles! Ludicrous Performance & FSD

TL;DR

Ben bought a 2019 Tesla Model S Raven Performance with Ludicrous Plus and FSD for ~$12,000 at auction with 201,000 miles, making it exceptional value.

Key Points

• 1.The 2019 Model S Raven is considered peak Model S generation. It features MCU2, permanent magnet motors, one-pedal drive, AP hardware 3, and proper round steering wheel with stalks — all missing from newer Palladium models.
• 2.Ben paid roughly $12,000 for the Ludicrous Plus Performance model at wholesale auction. It came with FSD included, a white interior that looks nearly new, and 201,000 miles — about 50,000 fewer miles than his previous $9,000 standard range purchase.
• 3.The Performance model has a manufacturer-claimed 0-to-60 of around 2.7 seconds. It requires activating Ludicrous Plus and waiting ~1 hour to heat the battery for full low-impedance performance, but pulls hard even without that prep.
• 4.The 100 kWh battery shows only ~9-10% degradation, displaying 309 miles at 100% charge. DC fast charging at 50% state of charge pulled around 90+ kW, significantly better than the standard range car's mid-60s kW at 50%.
• 5.FSD version 12.64 on legacy hardware 3 Model S is notably worse than on Model 3 or Model Y. It hesitates at intersections, chooses wrong lanes on highways, and lacks lane-change control — though it handles low-speed city traffic reasonably.
• 6.The previously purchased standard range Model S (268k miles, ~$9,000) has a battery module imbalance causing shutoff risk below 10-15%. Tesla's warranty repairs also made things worse: a remanufactured front motor introduced new vibration after $1,200 in misdiagnosed parts.
• 7.The wheels on the Performance car are OG Tesla Arachnid referral wheels from 2017, mounted on old tires from Ben's dad's 2016 Model S. New tires are needed before track testing; the car also has several minor service alerts including a faulty ambient temperature sensor and inactive active aero shutters.
• 8.Ben would sell the standard range Model S for around $12,000-$13,000. The Performance car may eventually get a CCS retrofit, and both cars retain FSD which could become valuable if Tesla ever upgrades legacy hardware — though hosts expect Tesla to delay legacy upgrades as long as possible.