Rich Rebuilds made his fame buying flood damaged Teslas and fixing them up, but that made sense when the rebuilt cars still had Supercharging capability. But now that Tesla is disabling Supercharging on most rebuilt Model S (and probably Model X as well) examples, the prospect of owning one of these cars isn’t as rosy as it was before.

Rich talks about this on LegitStreetCars and makes a lot of sense. He really wants those who are interested in fixing a Tesla on their own or buying a cheap one with a salvage title to have realistic expectations.

Another important point he makes has to do with getting a rebuilt Tesla inspected at an official manufacturer shop. In the past, you took your car in for inspection, paid some money (usually a few thousand) and they would certify that the car is a good runner and it would not be blacklisted (you would still be able to Supercharge it).

Now, getting your Tesla certified doesn’t necessarily mean you will be granted Supercharger access, even after you paid the fee.

Basically, the idea is you should avoid rebuilt Teslas, pay extra for one that hasn’t been rebuilt, or if you can’t afford one, you might want to look at a cheaper alternative (something like a Chevy Bolt). And you should also acknowledge that for your budget, buying an EV might not really be a realistic option and you’re better off with a gasoline burning car instead.