Friend on Limited Income wants to buy a roadster - give me the good, bad and ugly

[thebrenda]

I know this is obviously a roadster fan site, but I am looking for some honest information about roadster ownership. I have a friend on very limited income (social security) that wants to get a line of credit on his house to purchase a Roadster Generation one. He has "always wanted one" and is getting older and thinks "if not now then when". I am trying to gather some information for him about ownership costs and care so that he can make an informed decision. He lives in miami. Has a carport. Has never owned an electric car. Does not take good care of his cars - maintaining, washing, cleaning, driving, parking, etc. I assume it would be his only car. He is retired and does not drive much. He thinks buying the car will be an investment.

1) what does total replacement insurance run about a year
2) how expensive is the car to maintain?
3) he lives in miami. if the car needs repair can he find someone to service it?
4) does tesla still make parts for the roadster gen 1?
5) how is tesla customer service in general?
6) what problems is the roadster known to have?
7) anything else?

 

[glide]

I know this is obviously a roadster fan site, but I am looking for some honest information about roadster ownership. I have a friend on very limited income (social security) that wants to get a line of credit on his house to purchase a Roadster Generation one. He has "always wanted one" and is getting older and thinks "if not now then when". I am trying to gather some information for him about ownership costs and care so that he can make an informed decision. He lives in miami. Has a carport. Has never owned an electric car. Does not take good care of his cars - maintaining, washing, cleaning, driving, parking, etc. I assume it would be his only car. He is retired and does not drive much. He thinks buying the car will be an investment.

1) what does total replacement insurance run about a year
2) how expensive is the car to maintain?
3) he lives in miami. if the car needs repair can he find someone to service it?
4) does tesla still make parts for the roadster gen 1?
5) how is tesla customer service in general?
6) what problems is the roadster known to have?
7) anything else?

I don’t know where to begin. If he’s on a limited income, this is a bad, bad, bad idea.

If he wants one, and money, lack of parts, and lack of customer service aren’t an issue, he should go for it.

 

[IslandRoadster]

1) what does total replacement insurance run about a year
2) how expensive is the car to maintain?
3) he lives in miami. if the car needs repair can he find someone to service it?
4) does tesla still make parts for the roadster gen 1?
5) how is tesla customer service in general?
6) what problems is the roadster known to have?
7) anything else?

Don’t do it. While we all love them, they have far more problems than a modern Tesla, are more expensive to repair with limited repair options (he might wait months for some repairs), and certain things cannot be repaired, such as many battery failures.

He would be much happier if he bought a Model 3.

WRT your questions:
1. I do not know off the top of my head.
2. Very. Don’t think I ever got out of Medlock’s with less than a $1k bill. Similar pricing (or higher) at Tesla.
3. Tesla will still service them, but he may wait a while. He may also look at The Electrified Garage, which I think now has a Florida location.
4. No. But there are still some new warehoused parts that Tesla has and there is a robust salvage market for parts. Some folks are having parts made themselves and sometimes do bulk buys on this forum.
5. Mediocre. It’s Tesla’s Achilles Heel. I’ve owned several Teslas and have had good and mediocre experiences with Tesla. Wait times for appointments and parts are the biggest problems. And they are BIG problems.
6. Power Electronics Module (PEM) failures. Battery failures.
7. Just don’t do it. He’s not a car guy, has never owned an EV, and doesn’t take care of his cars. Not the car for him.

 

[Tam]

2) how expensive is the car to maintain?

What is more important is the cost of repairs, not the routine maintenance of cabin air filter, tires, windshield wipers...

3) he lives in miami. if the car needs repair can he find someone to service it?

Your choice of 4 Tesla Service Centers in Miami area (from north to south).

4) does tesla still make parts for the roadster gen 1?

That's the problem. Tesla can fix it but it may take some time and part availability is part of the problem.

5) how is tesla customer service in general?

It's really good if you don't need human interaction. Good luck when you want to address an issue with a human.

6) what problems is the roadster known to have?

Costliest would be the battery-related problems. People might forget that battery is a consumable item just like the one in flashlights, cell phones...

There could be others less costly but still a headache: A/C, heater...

 

[gregd]

Oooh, not sure this car is for him. How far is it to the Service Center in his area? What does he have by way of charging outlets?

The Roadster, ideally, should get an annual maintenance visit, where they clean out the drive system and electronics cooling channels from all the dust and debris the car vacuums up from the road. There's no filter in that air path, so they can get plugged up pretty easily, depending on mileage of course. This is $600+ per visit. If the car isn't driven often, that can be stretched out a bit, but it cannot be ignored.

The car needs to be kept plugged 24x7 in for its daily charging cycle. In the Florida heat, that charging needs to be 240v, so that the car can cool the battery as needed. It can go a few weeks without it, but if one is forgetful about such things, the car will brick itself after enough time has elapsed. It's not one that can be parked and ignored. Parts, including the battery, are expensive if they can even be found.

Another aspect of the car is that it is rather small, and low to the ground. How tall / nimble is he? I joke with folks that this isn't a car you get into; you put it on.

I second the suggestion for a Model-3. Still a small-ish car, nicely zippy, plenty of "tech", and one that is generally problem-free.

 

[brkaus]

No car is an investment it’s it’s kept out in an open air carport. Period.

In general, not many cars are an investment anyway, but to be left outside uncared fir is a super bad idea.

 

[eHorses]

I know this is obviously a roadster fan site, but I am looking for some honest information about roadster ownership. I have a friend on very limited income (social security) that wants to get a line of credit on his house to purchase a Roadster Generation one. He has "always wanted one" and is getting older and thinks "if not now then when". I am trying to gather some information for him about ownership costs and care so that he can make an informed decision. He lives in miami. Has a carport. Has never owned an electric car. Does not take good care of his cars - maintaining, washing, cleaning, driving, parking, etc. I assume it would be his only car. He is retired and does not drive much. He thinks buying the car will be an investment.

1) what does total replacement insurance run about a year
2) how expensive is the car to maintain?
3) he lives in miami. if the car needs repair can he find someone to service it?
4) does tesla still make parts for the roadster gen 1?
5) how is tesla customer service in general?
6) what problems is the roadster known to have?
7) anything else?

I agree with @glide, it’s a bad idea with the situation that you’ve outlined. These are special and historic cars but he’s way over speculating on its immediate return on investment. A new battery currently cost 30k and that’s if you can get in line to get one. Otherwise, it’s a very expensive garage paper weight.

I’ll take him for a ride anytime at any cars and coffee event… second best way to ride an original roadster

Tell him to enjoy his retirement worry free!

 

[Roadster]

I’ll take him for a ride anytime at any cars and coffee event… second best way to ride an original roadster

This is a perfect option and thanks for offering @eHorses. Entrance and egress alone from the car will be a worthwhile indoctrination. +1 to all the other responses and caveats the other owners have shared.

 

[thebrenda]

I know this is obviously a roadster fan site, but I am looking for some honest information about roadster ownership. I have a friend on very limited income (social security) that wants to get a line of credit on his house to purchase a Roadster Generation one. He has "always wanted one" and is getting older and thinks "if not now then when". I am trying to gather some information for him about ownership costs and care so that he can make an informed decision. He lives in miami. Has a carport. Has never owned an electric car. Does not take good care of his cars - maintaining, washing, cleaning, driving, parking, etc. I assume it would be his only car. He is retired and does not drive much. He thinks buying the car will be an investment.

1) what does total replacement insurance run about a year
2) how expensive is the car to maintain?
3) he lives in miami. if the car needs repair can he find someone to service it?
4) does tesla still make parts for the roadster gen 1?
5) how is tesla customer service in general?
6) what problems is the roadster known to have?
7) anything else?

how much do you pay for insurance?

 

[OakvilleMYP]

What everyone above said!

This is becoming more of a car for someone with an unlimited budget, the opposite of a limited budget.

However…
- IF he has lots of time (you said retired)
- IF he has some techical ability and willingness to do repairs and services his own vehicle.
- IF he really want’s to have it, for personal reasons, who is anyone here to say what he should and shouldn’t do with his time and money.

Decisions, decisions…

 

[Timothy]

He should rent a Roadster for a weekend, have fun, and get it out of his system!

 

[Retiredeh]

Maybe going to a Go-Cart track to have some fun is the answer to getting it out of his system.
Failing that an electric scooter might seal the deal!

 

[Stewie26]

Bad idea. The roaster is bascily a toy for the well heeled. Just saying.

 

[kwellmey]

Best bet is to advise your friend to consider a Mazda Miata or Toyota MR2 spider instead. Yes they are both ICE vehicles, but they offer a similar experience and are much more affordable

 

[X.l.r.8]

That makes me a well heeled redneck.

 

[drewski]

That makes me a well heeled redneck.

Need more facts . . . .

 

[hcsharp]

Best bet is to advise your friend to consider a Mazda Miata or Toyota MR2 spider instead. Yes they are both ICE vehicles, but they offer a similar experience and are much more affordable

He probably shouldn't get a Roadster, but those choices are not even close to being a similar experience.

 

[Sig72]

This is a perfect option and thanks for offering @eHorses. Entrance and egress alone from the car will be a worthwhile indoctrination. +1 to all the other responses and caveats the other owners have shared.

I love what the Roadster community offers. This is such a great crew

Also, ingress/egress on the Roadster is challenging, and I say this as someone who is fit, but not very flexible and in my 30s. This could be a dealer breaker for someone a lot older who isn’t above average fit/flexible

 

[acarney]

I know this is obviously a roadster fan site, but I am looking for some honest information about roadster ownership. I have a friend on very limited income (social security) that wants to get a line of credit on his house to purchase a Roadster Generation one. He has "always wanted one" and is getting older and thinks "if not now then when". I am trying to gather some information for him about ownership costs and care so that he can make an informed decision. He lives in miami. Has a carport. Has never owned an electric car. Does not take good care of his cars - maintaining, washing, cleaning, driving, parking, etc. I assume it would be his only car. He is retired and does not drive much. He thinks buying the car will be an investment.

1) what does total replacement insurance run about a year
2) how expensive is the car to maintain?
3) he lives in miami. if the car needs repair can he find someone to service it?
4) does tesla still make parts for the roadster gen 1?
5) how is tesla customer service in general?
6) what problems is the roadster known to have?
7) anything else?

This should not be a primary car, period. Let him know there might be issues that keeps the Roadster off the road for months at a time, and might actually require the Roadster to be shipped across the US to fix.

If he should buy it... well that comes down to his wealth. He could be on social security but the house could be worth a million bucks or something, then honestly taking a line of credit for $80k or $100k might not be terrible depending on the rates and payback terms. If he has no kids or anyone to leave his estate to then I can kind of see "cashing out" some value in the house to enjoy the last few years, especially if there might be an underlying medical issue that is statistically likely to keep him from living to 80 or 90 or something. That said, anything could happen and he might have another 30 years on that fixed income and medical bills down the road. "Fixed income" could still be like $3,000 to almost $4,000 a month depending on how well they've done in life and when they retired. That's not Roadster money, but again if they have a million dollar house paid off and everything else paid off, eh, maybe...

 

[iamsuperchris]

1) what does total replacement insurance run about a year: Mine runs around $1k / year.

2) how expensive is the car to maintain? If it all works, not much, maybe around $400 / year if you get the annual done by a service center. It's also doable in your garage with some DIY skills (requires some disassembly and cleaning of fans, etc...). Less moving parts due to electric drivetrain = less maintenance. I maintain mine myself since there's no Tesla technicians around, and when I need 3rd party help, I can ship the car or components to independent professionals.

3) he lives in miami. if the car needs repair can he find someone to service it? I bought mine from Miami, FL, and one of the reasons the original seller sold it is because the only people that work on the Roadster there is the Tesla service centers. Unfortunately, from what I hear, is that the service centers are not as good at fixing the Roadsters as the indie shops here in the West (Gruber in AZ and Medlock in WA).

4) does tesla still make parts for the roadster gen 1? I have not been able to get any Roadster parts from Tesla directly. They continuously ignore my requests. I have had to reverse engineer and 3D print plastic parts as I needed them, and everything else I have to source from 3rd parties. There are a couple thousand Roadsters out there though, so it's not impossible to find parts.

5) how is tesla customer service in general? So far in my experience, not great. I believe they're much more interested in selling new cars than fixing their old ones.

6) what problems is the roadster known to have? Battery failure due to lack of charge, and PEM component failure are the two most dreaded, but not frequent. Currently, my 400v controller is not working properly, causing my heater, seat heater, and A/C to not work properly; I know I'm not the only person to have experienced 400v controller problems. Aside from those, there's really not much else that goes wrong. If the car is kept charged and stored properly, and the PEM is upgraded by Gruber, it should be all right. Also, watch out for potholes - they will annihilate the stock rims.

7) anything else? I daily drive my Roadster, and it's a fine, fun car to cruise around in as long as you're agile enough to get in and out. I have several "backup" cars in case of rain or problems. If your friend wants one, can afford one, and has at least one other car, I agree with his statement - if not now, when? He can always re-sell it if he needs to for some reason. If he waits too long, the prices might get too high.