Right now is a really good time to buy one. People don't realize how little can go wrong with them mechanically so as long as the battery health is good buying a used one is pretty safe overall. The used prices don't reflect this because of the public's lack of knowledge, people are nervous about buying them used.
There's no doubt Elon's foray into the political arena has hurt Tesla with the liberal/left demographic but gained them customers from the conservative/right. The unfortunate thing is mainstream media is mostly controlled by the left so the Tesla brand has been harmed by misinformation spread through these traditional media outlets. This has sparked the vandalism and caused long time customers to sell their cars.
Also, there have been many calls for Elon to step down as CEO and if the smear campaign continues I don't see how he escapes having to leave the company. If this happens Tesla's innovation will gradually fall behind. Tesla has a fabulous team of uber talented people but without Elon's leadership and outside-of-the-box thinking the company will lose its edge—much like Apple lost its edge after Steve Jobs passed away in 2011. This would be a pretty big loss for America and the world. I hope you have a wonderful weekend Nancy!