Have you squeezed yourself into a old Roadster? I'm planning on buying one of them for around $50 instead of the new Roadster for $250k.
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Concerns about size and price of new Roadster
- Thread starter Vern Padgett
- Start date
This is great info. I think the old Roadster is the car for me.
I was stunned at the size of the Model S. Is it possible to fit both of them in our garage, but only after moving everything out, and using summon. I do that when we are away, but the rest of the time only one S is in the garage.
bonnie
I play a nice person on twitter.
Best advice is to check one out before making the decision to buy.
I loved LOVED my Roadster, but it is not for everyone. It's a tight ride (appropriately) and you will feel every piece of gravel on the road. Maneuvering it in tight spaces, without power steering, can be a challenge. Getting in and out of a car so low to the ground takes some getting used to. It has way more soul than anything else you can find, but it takes an owner who is willing to put in the maintenance and is fine with the lack of convenience. I finally sold when I realized I was not driving it like I should (weather restrictions). I found a buyer who would care for my car far into the future and had the means to do so.
If you do decide to buy, you'll find a ton of help here in evaluating different ones available. Best of luck to you.
I am 5' 6.5" tall, weigh 145 pounds, and have short legs for my height. Getting in and out of my Roadster is awkward, but once I'm in, I don't feel cramped at all. I've given rides to people who were definitely squeezed in and not very comfortable. Anybody considering buying one should definitely sit in one before deciding. It's not a car for large people.
I don't find the car hard to maneuver while driving, but it has a very wide turning radius, and is certainly not as easy to parallel park as a car with power steering. But then my first cars didn't have power steering. When the Roadster is standing still it does take some force to turn the wheel. The Zap Xebra, with its single front wheel, was the easiest car to park I've ever owned.
I don't find the car hard to maneuver while driving, but it has a very wide turning radius, and is certainly not as easy to parallel park as a car with power steering. But then my first cars didn't have power steering. When the Roadster is standing still it does take some force to turn the wheel. The Zap Xebra, with its single front wheel, was the easiest car to park I've ever owned.
I am 6’2” and 185 lbs and getting in/out of my Roadster is certainly awkward with the roof on but it’s not difficult for me. Yet.
The original Roadster is difficult to parallel park and turn sharply at very low speeds (under about 3mph). This is exacerbated by the steering wheel with its small diameter and the weight of the car which is high for its size. I have owned old cars with no power steering that were far easier to handle at very low speeds because they were much lighter, had a larger steering wheel, and had narrower tires.
The new Roadster will of course be easy to turn at very low speeds because it will have modern power steering. I hope that Tesla tunes the steering feel so that the driver can be in touch with the road surface. I’m sure they are working on that.
When I started working as a farm hand, back around 1978 or 1980, I had to drive an ancient Super WD4 tractor. It started on gas then ran on diesel (a complicated switching process that required three hands) and it had no power steering. The seat was the old-style tractor seat: metal supported by a leaf of springy steel. As you bounced over the furrows like a carnival ride the steering wheel would wrench your arms violently from side to side. By comparison, steering the Roadster is a breeze.
But I think by next spring when my turn comes up to get the Model 3, my old, decrepit bones will be ready to say goodbye to my very orange Roadster and move to something more appropriate to my age. And someone younger, who couldn't afford it when it was new, will be able to enjoy this extraordinary car.
But I think by next spring when my turn comes up to get the Model 3, my old, decrepit bones will be ready to say goodbye to my very orange Roadster and move to something more appropriate to my age. And someone younger, who couldn't afford it when it was new, will be able to enjoy this extraordinary car.
Merrill
Merrill
bonnie
I play a nice person on twitter.
A former Tesla exec had a Roadster on which he added various mods - one being speed-dependent power steering. At low speeds, high power assist. High speeds, not so much. I'm hoping that is what is available on the new Roadster. It appeared to be so & I wish I had asked during my test drive.
Bonnie, if I had been fortunate enough to have had one of those test drives, afterwards I would have thought of 100 questions I wish I had asked, because during the driver I would have been too excited to ask anything!
Skotty
2014 S P85 | 2023 F-150L
Just because the new Roadster can go 250+ MPH doesn't mean you have to drive it that fast.
If they make a performance 3, I'm pretty sure it will be able to match or beat the acceleration of first gen Roadster. From what I see online, the first Roadster has a 0-60 time of 4.6 seconds, while the 2011 v2.5 Roadster has a 0-60 time of 3.7 seconds. The non-P Model S is almost that fast now, so I suspect the P model 3 will be at least that fast.
I can understand some folks wanting a cheaper lower performance Roadster though. But I totally get why Tesla wanted to go all out maximum plaid with it as well, and I think that's the right choice at this time. Maybe they can make a less aggressive less expensive one further down the line.
If they make a performance 3, I'm pretty sure it will be able to match or beat the acceleration of first gen Roadster. From what I see online, the first Roadster has a 0-60 time of 4.6 seconds, while the 2011 v2.5 Roadster has a 0-60 time of 3.7 seconds. The non-P Model S is almost that fast now, so I suspect the P model 3 will be at least that fast.
I can understand some folks wanting a cheaper lower performance Roadster though. But I totally get why Tesla wanted to go all out maximum plaid with it as well, and I think that's the right choice at this time. Maybe they can make a less aggressive less expensive one further down the line.
All non-Sport model Roadsters (1.5, 2.0, and 2.5) have a 0-60 time of 3.9 seconds. I think the 4.6 seconds was for the Model S. The Sport optioned Roadsters (2.0 and 2.5) dropped that to 3.7 seconds.
T34ME
Active Member
I fit the same demographic and have come to the same conclusions.
I have a first day model 3 on reservation and just waiting for my invitation to configure. I sold my last (for life) ICE car two weeks ago. We are down to one car and it is a bit inconvenient so we need two cars. I have installed a NEMA 14-50 in the garage and have rearranged the garage to allow for 2 cars with plenty of room to spare. I'm ready to go!
An MS is a very nice car, but it is not my style - too big, too pretentious (for me), too old school in terms of an EV, and not the newest technology and design.
My decision is whether to put down a deposit on a second model 3 or a deposit on the Gen 2 Roadster, besides keeping my first model reservation while getting rid of my current PEV at the appropriate time.
Pros and cons for the new roadster:
- WOW factor, my last hurrah for a dream car
- too much of an attention getter for my needs
- performance parameters I will never use
- difficult for me to get in and out of at my age
- a GREAT value for the money
- a poor use of retirement dollars that could be used in more utilitarian ways
- will probably have a P-AWD version by the time my second reservation is available
- P-AWD version will likely have 0-60 times in the 3's which will be the fastest car I have ever owned and will be safer in my hands than a Roadster.
- room for four or more adults, so I can scare the hello out of my kids as passengers
- 1/3 the cost of a Roadster for P-AWD version
- roomy for my size and age
- sexy design without drawing too much attention
My decision is a very personal one and will not meet the requirements of most reservationists, I understand that. I am just excited to get my first Tesla, a model 3 ................"soon." If I follow through with a second P-AWD model 3, it will be a Roadster Lite for my age group. At my age, it will be as much a thrill as the first time I ....................oh, never mind.
I'm 6'1", and the old Roadster fits me like a glove; very comfortable. Getting in and out is an interesting experience... but once in it's fine.
I’m 6’ 2” and I have no problems. Do you mean you are 6 ft tall and have sat in a Roadster and your head hits the roof or there isn’t enough room for your legs?
I think the main issue with the new Roadster will be it’s weight with a 200 kWh battery. I do hope they make a lightweight short range version for ultimate handling. They could also make a single gear version for a more sensible 155 mph limit. Again it would reduce weight in favour of handling. That’s presuming it can’t reach 250 mph on a single gear ratio!
Really all they need to do is package the existing Model S drivetrain in a sexy more compact lightweight Roadster body.
Really all they need to do is package the existing Model S drivetrain in a sexy more compact lightweight Roadster body.
From what I'm reading above, they need the 200 kWh battery to achieve sub-2.0 seconds zero-to-sixty mph. But I agree with you: They should make a 100kWh Roadster with a single gear, lower top speed, even at the cost of more moderate (but probably still insane) acceleration.
When my Roadster was two or three years old and the top Model S had quicker acceleration, I was envious, and said I'd probably drive mine until the Roadster Mk II came out and then trade up. But now I doubt I'll buy another Roadster. I expect to switch to the more sensible Model 3, and maybe trade up when the P-AWD 3 comes out.
When my Roadster was two or three years old and the top Model S had quicker acceleration, I was envious, and said I'd probably drive mine until the Roadster Mk II came out and then trade up. But now I doubt I'll buy another Roadster. I expect to switch to the more sensible Model 3, and maybe trade up when the P-AWD 3 comes out.
At this point Tesla has not stated if the new Roadster has a 2-speed gearbox at the rear or not. So we don’t know.
It does seem likely that the front motor differential will be geared differently than the rear motor differential, like in the S/X.
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