Am I crazy to buy?

[dhrivnak]

Good for you. If you are limber the Roadster is a great car especially the rock solid 1.5’s. I am not sure miles means a lot as I think time at high temperatures has more impact than miles in a Roadster. I have been driving one for 8.5 years and have yet to regret it.

 

[wycolo]

> Their NEW diagnostics is a PEM connector failure and wanted 12K.

Shouldn't this be hard-soldered in??
--

 

[prettig]

I have the same concerns. Looking to buy a 2.5 (last build year). Want to use it for 50km a day but planning to keep it for quite a while (it is a stunning car, the sensible one I already drive.... model 3). Reading and following for years already.

But few things still concerns me:
- What happens if the battery is gone/bad after a few years (could happen)......if I can have it repaired/replaced fine, but looks like there are none available.
- Forced 3.0 upgrade.....expensive and still no news
- PEM failures..... pretty expensive (every 2-4 years not uncommon)
- Tesla knowledge on these cars

I have 2 x 850 CSI's (EU). Really expensive cars to maintain as well, but I can keep them running (parts and knowledge are available).
So not sure what to do...... trade in or sell a 850 csi and buy a future classic (100% sure it will be), but if you can't drive it anymore after 10 years .....

How do you guys look at this ?
Do you just "trust" tesla to solve it in time, take the gamble or accept it will be a nice brick within years.

 

[X.l.r.8]

Seeing as most batteries have lasted 8-10 years nearly all of the failures are user error. Either ran down to 0, failed charging equipment or trying to fix something while not noting the state of charge. It requires the same kind of fixation I used to give to multi-carb setups. Will I get a 3.0 or equivalent when/if my battery expires. The cost will be pretty much the same as a 2.0 pack and a lot of the cost is the manufacturing process.
The PEM will go wrong at some time, it contains everything. Can it be fixed? Almost always. Will Tesla SC open it to fix it?, absolutely not. They will replace it with a remanufactured one from the Mother ship. There changing PEM’s for bad connectors because they are not allowed to replace those parts. The thing to remember is it’s not under warranty, so a third party can repair the broken part. If you drive your car up to the dealers repair window, drop your keys off With a credit card then I really don’t think a Roadster is a good fit.
Accept it’s a brick, never. There will always be solutions especially as more of them become spare parts vehicles.
So while the issues concern everyone, the reality is the more that is learned about the parts and how it works, the more reliable they can be made. The common issues are always the fan connector, closely followed by the insulation in the PEM, now totally documented and reliably fixed. The Battery’s are what they are, keep them charged and they seem to outperform everyone’s expectations. I only hope other EV’s experience the same longevity the roadsters are having.

 

[Logticom]

@prettig the roadster is a great car to drive. Keeping it on the road can become more difficult than a lot of other cars. But if you treat your car like a hobby and you are willing to put some time in it, I think it is do-able / acceptable. (For me it is)

A lot of work on the car can be done by a local car mechanic.
The most difficult parts in my opinion are the pem and battery.
A lot of work on the pem can be done by someone who has a lot of experience with electronics. (I am already in contact with someone who can help me out with pem problems here in the Netherlands)
I think the battery will stay ok for a long time if you keep the car plugged in and keeping an eye on the temps.
Only the range will slowly go lower and lower.
I hope Tesla will come up with a new 3.0 battery by the end of this year or later. There is another thread on the forum with more info on this subject.

 

[prettig]

So PEM can be fixed without Tesla ? Good to hear. I like to fixed things on cars myself (pretty handy). The roadster is a lotus with some Tesla stuff. Not concerend about the lotus stuff just about the Tesla EV-stuff...... because they do not share the designs (I believe needed, Tesla will loose the knowledge to repair these...... normal process, seen it with lot's of classics at some point the dealer is a no go).

Still have the battery concern, Will they make sure the roadster gets new/old/revised batteries? People that have a brick have not been able to get it running. Actually the main reason I have not yet bought one.

So far no DIY repair/rebuild info on these...... if I knew that would be possible I would have bought one already.

 

[X.l.r.8]

that’s a good reason not to buy one. That being said there may never be a good reason to buy one, after the battery there’s the HVAC, or the 400v dc converter. With less cars available the models 3’s made in 3 days it’s no surprise that there is little support.
There have been a lot of bricked cars brought recently, usually at auction, usually with salvage title. Tesla will not work on the HV if a salvaged car and it’s unlikely they will sell them a battery pack. Those are the people that seem to distort the numbers. If you buy a bricked roadster, you have to be prepared to deal with it yourself. If you buy a car with a good pack then you won’t have a problem.
But if the inner monologue you have is stopping you then you should listen. Mine told me to buy one despite knowing the perceived issues.

 

[miimura]

If you want the HOV privilege, you need to make sure that the VIN has never been issued stickers before. DMV has a flat PDF with all the cars that have been issued stickers that you can search for a car you're considering buying. Strange way to do it, but hey, this is the CA DMV we're talking about. Nothing much would surprise me.

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/wcm/c...-b70495a9904d/CAVVINList.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CVID

 

[LeoNordic]

Bought mine three weeks ago. A **ell of a lot of money, risk yes, love YES, Scared (yes...) Happy, YES!

Tesla will some way or another have an incentive to have those ”good cars” on the road. (Not salvaged or in the ”wrong way” tampered with). It actually is the rolling heritage of Teslas first step in the modern EV-era.

It will definately take some time and effort if some of the critical parts brake down. It shure will not be cheap either. But I think that it will be possible to have them running in one way or another. At least with good help like from forum like this! In Sweden there are only 14 Roadsters! So there is not much experience to find regarding them.

But it will probably be manageble. And in some senses it will definately be a future classics. Value sky rocket? Probably not for many years. But if you can use it during that time it will be a nice car to have! OR to be able to say to your grandchildren:

-”I once had one of the first Tesla cars ever bulit. By the way the same as was sent into outer space! Mine finally ended up as a nice, but expensive brick in some collectors garage. But boy am I’m glad that I had a chance to drive and experience it live on the road. Today you can only see them displayed in museums. But let me tell you they were really fun to drive! Outstanding for its time and the start of the modern EV-era”

By the way. The one I bought is a 2.0 Sports 2010. It still has it’s 9 year old original battery. 7000miles on the odometer, CAC 155,5 =roughly 97% of its original capacity. So hopefully the battery in one way or another will be good enough in the future to at least go for a nice sunday drive.

 

[walla2]

One issue is safety. I love the roadster but the S, 3, X, and 3 are the safest cars on the road. Safe S3X, fun R, or hold out for a 2020 R which will likely be both.

 

[prettig]

If you want the HOV privilege, you need to make sure that the VIN has never been issued stickers before. DMV has a flat PDF with all the cars that have been issued stickers that you can search for a car you're considering buying. Strange way to do it, but hey, this is the CA DMV we're talking about. Nothing much would surprise me.

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/wcm/c...-b70495a9904d/CAVVINList.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CVID

I live in Europe, will likely buy a european car. Different process, but if I buy one in the USA, good tip. thx

Will watch the battery discussions, not in a hurry (they do not sell fast anymore .....)

 

[miimura]

I live in Europe, will likely buy a european car. Different process, but if I buy one in the USA, good tip. thx

Will watch the battery discussions, not in a hurry (they do not sell fast anymore .....)

Sorry I was late to the party. My post should have quoted this from the OP, who commutes in the Los Angeles area.

Here comes in Tesla Roadster! Love love love the look, size, and feel of the car...no gas...and I will get to ride in the HOV lane cutting my commute in half.

 

[PIOOD]

Hello Tesla Forum!

I've been reading all the posts for quite a while (the good, the bad, and the ugly) and I would like your advice about purchasing a 2008 Roadster.

I live in Los Angeles with a 5 day daily commute of 60 miles round trip. I have always dreamed of taking the HOV lane and I'm tired of forking out $500 on gas and I have always had a love for Lotus cars.

I do not want to buy a new Tesla model for the interior is gorgeous...I just don't like the exterior. It just looks like a shiny sedan. And I do not want to buy the tiny little electric BMW or really any of the newer electric models...I just don't like the way they look.

Here comes in Tesla Roadster! Love love love the look, size, and feel of the car...no gas...and I will get to ride in the HOV lane cutting my commute in half.

I've been shopping around in person and online at different Roadsters...test drove them...and love them. I prefer the classic interior of the 2008 model plus there is just something about having first year that makes me all tingly inside.

Because I will be putting 80k plus miles on over the next 4 or so years...I would want a very low milage Roadster. There is one with around 3000k miles that has gotten my attention.

So...am I crazy to buy a Roadster for my daily commuting car? I don't want to have to spend 30k on a new battery after a couple years...and I don't want to fork out 10k on a new PEM. Do you think the 2008 battery will last me 100k miles? I know they deplete after so many years...but as long as I can get 100 miles a charge out of them...I'm good for my commute.

Quirks like maybe the auto window not working...or the blower going on a fritz doesn't concern me. I'll fork out a little to get those fixed...it's the big boy bucks problems that has me concerned.

Let me add...that I have a backup vehicle incase the roadster poops on me and needs to go into the shop.

So...am I crazy to consider the roadster as my commuting car? Do you think I could get 100k on her...then retire her to my garage afterwards?

I value your opinions.

Thanks!
Mike

How is the roadster related to Lotus?

When I first saw your thread, I thought you had put a deposit down for the 2020 Roadster.

I wish I had both! (The older one too - sounds like one was made a long time ago and they stopped making it?)

 

[gregd]

How is the roadster related to Lotus?

When I first saw your thread, I thought you had put a deposit down for the 2020 Roadster.

I wish I had both! (The older one too - sounds like one was made a long time ago and they stopped making it?)

This forum (2008-2012 Roadster) is dedicated to the original Tesla Roadster. That car was designed by Tesla, but started with the design of the Lotus Elise, which Tesla licensed from Lotus. About 6% of the parts are in common between the two cars, but there's a lot more visual and mechanical similarity (not exact parts) that they share because of its heritage.

There were less than 2,500 of the original cars ever made. The "Glider"s (cars without motors) were manufactured by Lotus per the Tesla design, and shipped to Tesla for the fitting of the battery and drive train.

 

[PIOOD]

This forum (2008-2012 Roadster) is dedicated to the original Tesla Roadster. That car was designed by Tesla, but started with the design of the Lotus Elise, which Tesla licensed from Lotus. About 6% of the parts are in common between the two cars, but there's a lot more visual and mechanical similarity (not exact parts) that they share because of its heritage.

There were less than 2,500 of the original cars ever made. The "Glider"s (cars without motors) were manufactured by Lotus per the Tesla design, and shipped to Tesla for the fitting of the battery and drive train.

Oh that is so cool! One day if I have a lot of $$$ I wanna get one!!

 

[im4uttx]

Right now, the $ is just a little more than a model 3...less than any S or X. More fun than any other Tesla. IMVHO.

 

[PIOOD]

Right now, the $ is just a little more than a model 3...less than any S or X. More fun than any other Tesla. IMVHO.

NO NO!!! NO!!!!!!

You're wrong right? Wrong... wrong?

I'M FREAKING OUT RIGHT NOW!!

I thought the Roadster 2020 was gonna cost around $250,000.00!!! That's why I didn't think I could get one.

So how much is one?

Will Elon give me one for free if I do a Tesla multimedia blog??

I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU SAID THAT!

You're THE BEST!!

 

[miimura]

NO NO!!! NO!!!!!!

You're wrong right? Wrong... wrong?

I'M FREAKING OUT RIGHT NOW!!

I thought the Roadster 2020 was gonna cost around $250,000.00!!! That's why I didn't think I could get one.

So how much is one?

Will Elon give me one for free if I do a Tesla multimedia blog??

I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU SAID THAT!

You're THE BEST!!

I don't know what you're freaking out about. We're talking about a ~10 year old car not the upcoming super-car. There is a thread here that collects all the listings.

Today's Roadster Orphan

 

[X.l.r.8]

Please don’t feed this.

 

[PIOOD]

I don't know what you're freaking out about. We're talking about a ~10 year old car not the upcoming super-car. There is a thread here that collects all the listings.

Today's Roadster Orphan

Ohhh! I thought the price you said was less than S model was the 2020 Roadster!!

I wanna buy the old one too, but after I get the 2020 one.

I have to raise money for it!!