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Sig72
Member
I bought a Signature Roadster with~24k miles on it/ no warranty back in 2014. The only thing I have had to do on it since is replace the bluetooth unit. That's it.
supersnoop
Tesla Roadster #334
I drive past the local service center three days a week. I stop in to ask them questions because I don't want to call California and have to wait for them to get someone from Texas to call me back. They were pretty tight-lipped at first, but most recently, when recommending additional items during my annual service, they told me that "___ _____ in Menlo Park didn't put many miles on that car." It's nice to know the history.
John W. Ratcliff
Member
I just bought my roadster 4 weeks ago. Now that I have driven it for a while, I admit to having a lot of second thoughts about the purchase. Really, almost all of my concerns/reservations are about the price. I have never in my life tied up so much money into a car (my vehicle is a 2010 2.5 sport edition and cost $70k).
I have a constant nagging worry about maintaining my investment, and fear that something bad could happen. Even the most minor of scratches or tiny incidents could greatly impact the resale value of the car and cost a small fortune to fix.
To me it really boils down to just how important is it to you to own an electric car? If it's super important to you, then that will guide your decision. For me, I wasn't so hung up on the idea of having an electric car as much as I was on having a very rare vehicle that presented a unique driving experience.
When you are driving the car between 0-80mph, it's about the most exciting thing on the road. However, if you are cruising on the freeway at 70mph, and want to suddenly 'punch it', there's really just nothing left.
The fact that the car has a top-speed of 125mph and pretty much no acceleration above 70-80mph, doesn't make it seem like a 'real' sports car. Even though I have really no practical use for a car that can go 200mph, the reality is that in that price range, there are a number of vehicles which can approach that level of performance. If all you want is the best possible sports car you can get used for 70k, you would probably just buy a Corvette and call it a day.
One of the things which nags me, is that you can buy a used Lotus Elise for around 25k, which provides a very similar handling and ride as the Roadster. For 25k, you probably would not be so nervous about retaining resale value and less freaked out about something bad happening. For a little bit more, but still less money than a roadster you could own a used Exige or Evora, if owning a convertible isn't that important to you.
For a 70k used convertible car, other vehicles in that price range offer many more creature comforts. The Roadster is very raw, more like owning a hobby/kit car than a nice polished high production vehicle you might see from mainstream vendors.
Even though the performance and handling of the roadster is incredible up to about 80mph, there is almost a sense of guilt that you get all of that with no effort on the part of the driver. Frankly, I miss shifting through the gears trying to extract the perfect acceleration into and out of turns. The incredible acceleration you get out of the Roadster feels almost 'too easy'. It doesn't ask anything of the driver, a child could get the same performance profile as you do driving it. And, while I was never into obscenely loud cars, after 35 years of driving stick shift, naturally aspirated sports cars, I do miss it quite a bit.
With the limited range of the Roadster, lack of creature comforts for such an expensive vehicle, and the fact that it can't really do much of anything above 80mph, it sometimes just doesn't feel like a 'real' sports car to me.
Personally, I wish I had driven both the Roadster and an Elise before I made the purchasing decision. I might have still bought the roadster, but I think it's worth comparing spending 25k vs. 70k pretty seriously.
I have a constant nagging worry about maintaining my investment, and fear that something bad could happen. Even the most minor of scratches or tiny incidents could greatly impact the resale value of the car and cost a small fortune to fix.
To me it really boils down to just how important is it to you to own an electric car? If it's super important to you, then that will guide your decision. For me, I wasn't so hung up on the idea of having an electric car as much as I was on having a very rare vehicle that presented a unique driving experience.
When you are driving the car between 0-80mph, it's about the most exciting thing on the road. However, if you are cruising on the freeway at 70mph, and want to suddenly 'punch it', there's really just nothing left.
The fact that the car has a top-speed of 125mph and pretty much no acceleration above 70-80mph, doesn't make it seem like a 'real' sports car. Even though I have really no practical use for a car that can go 200mph, the reality is that in that price range, there are a number of vehicles which can approach that level of performance. If all you want is the best possible sports car you can get used for 70k, you would probably just buy a Corvette and call it a day.
One of the things which nags me, is that you can buy a used Lotus Elise for around 25k, which provides a very similar handling and ride as the Roadster. For 25k, you probably would not be so nervous about retaining resale value and less freaked out about something bad happening. For a little bit more, but still less money than a roadster you could own a used Exige or Evora, if owning a convertible isn't that important to you.
For a 70k used convertible car, other vehicles in that price range offer many more creature comforts. The Roadster is very raw, more like owning a hobby/kit car than a nice polished high production vehicle you might see from mainstream vendors.
Even though the performance and handling of the roadster is incredible up to about 80mph, there is almost a sense of guilt that you get all of that with no effort on the part of the driver. Frankly, I miss shifting through the gears trying to extract the perfect acceleration into and out of turns. The incredible acceleration you get out of the Roadster feels almost 'too easy'. It doesn't ask anything of the driver, a child could get the same performance profile as you do driving it. And, while I was never into obscenely loud cars, after 35 years of driving stick shift, naturally aspirated sports cars, I do miss it quite a bit.
With the limited range of the Roadster, lack of creature comforts for such an expensive vehicle, and the fact that it can't really do much of anything above 80mph, it sometimes just doesn't feel like a 'real' sports car to me.
Personally, I wish I had driven both the Roadster and an Elise before I made the purchasing decision. I might have still bought the roadster, but I think it's worth comparing spending 25k vs. 70k pretty seriously.
John W. Ratcliff
Member
>Tesla: Roadster Base Convertible 2-Door
This Roadster was just serviced by Tesla receiving a new high voltage battery that comes with a 12 month/12,000 mile warranty.
Mileage:Only 5,250!
FYI, I bought my roadster from 'Motorgroup'. They were fine. I thought their no-haggle pricing was very fair. I actually flew down to Florida to see the car in person, because I just couldn't bring myself to spend that much money without first seeing and driving the car.
This Roadster was just serviced by Tesla receiving a new high voltage battery that comes with a 12 month/12,000 mile warranty.
Mileage:Only 5,250!
FYI, I bought my roadster from 'Motorgroup'. They were fine. I thought their no-haggle pricing was very fair. I actually flew down to Florida to see the car in person, because I just couldn't bring myself to spend that much money without first seeing and driving the car.
John, if you miss shifting greats, miss a noisy exhaust, and really have a need for strong acceleration over 75mph, then I agree the Roadster isn't the right car for you.
I miss none of those things, and I never drive over 75mph anyway.
I miss none of those things, and I never drive over 75mph anyway.
Habious
Member
If you're going to compare the Tesla Roadster to the Lotus Elise, consider looking at the Elise SC (supercharged). They're more like in the $40K range, used but, the performance is pretty close to the Roadster. As for 0-60 times, there really isn't a whole lot out there (even less if you limit your search to convertibles) that can touch it.
The Roadster is a unique vehicle...for better or worse. It certainly isn't for everyone, that's for sure.
I'm in a similar situation as @John W. Ratcliff...at least so far as owning a 2011 Roadster with no warranty. The potential repair costs worry me (I've had a few multi-thousand dollar repairs in the under-2-years I've owned it).
After the last time it died (and it was weeks and weeks waiting on a repair, or even a cost), my eyes started to wander. But, as much as I looked, I couldn't find anything that really compared to it..uniqueness-wise, and performance-wise.
If Nissan made a drop-top GT-R, it would be a no-brainer (but they don't). Potential repair costs for any Ferrari, Maserati, Aston Martin, Mercedes AMG, etc. scare the bejesus out of me.
And the thought of spending $40-50K on a car that's noticeably slower to 60 than what I have...bothers me.
Will the Roadster be a "great investment" that John hopes it will be? I don't know...I certainly hope so. Right now, there's a guy on eBay selling his 2.5 Roadster Sport for $106K. I think he's nucking futs but, I hope he gets every penny of it.
The Roadster is a unique vehicle...for better or worse. It certainly isn't for everyone, that's for sure.
I'm in a similar situation as @John W. Ratcliff...at least so far as owning a 2011 Roadster with no warranty. The potential repair costs worry me (I've had a few multi-thousand dollar repairs in the under-2-years I've owned it).
After the last time it died (and it was weeks and weeks waiting on a repair, or even a cost), my eyes started to wander. But, as much as I looked, I couldn't find anything that really compared to it..uniqueness-wise, and performance-wise.
If Nissan made a drop-top GT-R, it would be a no-brainer (but they don't). Potential repair costs for any Ferrari, Maserati, Aston Martin, Mercedes AMG, etc. scare the bejesus out of me.
And the thought of spending $40-50K on a car that's noticeably slower to 60 than what I have...bothers me.
Will the Roadster be a "great investment" that John hopes it will be? I don't know...I certainly hope so. Right now, there's a guy on eBay selling his 2.5 Roadster Sport for $106K. I think he's nucking futs but, I hope he gets every penny of it.
