is the roadster "buggy" as a daily driver?

[bonnie]

It's been my daily driver for four years - and ditto on everything above.

 

[ViperDoc]

Not a bug!

Mine is my daily driver through all 4 seasons here in VT on paved and dirt roads most every day. Well, maybe there are really 5 seasons counting mud season! It makes it through snow with snow tires. As others have said—it is a sport cars, so it isn't as "luxurious" as the Model S and certainly isn't as quiet as I'd like (I have a 2.5), but it is a great daily driver.

 

[PokerBroker]

I daily drive my 1.5 including through our Minnesota winter.

 

[Doug_G]

There's been more than a few occasions where someone on my left decided to move to the inside lane without seeing me and I've learned to be ready to slam on brakes

You're hitting the wrong pedal. :wink:

 

[wiztecy]

You're hitting the wrong pedal. :wink:

So true for myself, I find that the accelerator gets me out of the majority of possible predicaments. Of course you need very good brakes if the plan does not go down as planned, hence why a supercar needs an adequate braking system to match its acceleration performance.

Since I configured my Roadster the way I wanted to be (suspension), its predictable, nimble and quick so I typically try to "get away" from the crazy pack of cars that act like stagnant metal shavings collecting to a magnet. Typically its a swarm of bad, inconsiderate and unaware drivers unaware about their surroundings are in this pack. So finding a hole that's safe to shoot for (without panic'ing others) is what I aim everyday in my daily commute. Once I pass that mess, merge back into the slow lane I'm then in an open space where I have many options at will if something unexpected occurs on the road or with the vehicle. Also I can spot road debris faster and avoid it. I really don't understand why cops don't enforce this dangerous behavior, even worse when these cars approach a big rig. Then its like nobody knows how to properly merge nor do they want to pass the rig.

And you'll find the drivers swerving, backing up traffic, then it appears they drank a can of Red Bull where they begin to accelerate right when they first see you take the opportunity to pass them. There's not even a close chance they can keep up and give up instantly. That's a very dangerous situation they put you in either way, first backing up traffic, not able to judge the road, not passing, in the fast lane so you're stuck and going to smack the rest of the pack if you need to avoid an incident. Then when you pass in a regular powered car they try to cut off where they then jeopardize your safety (again).

Honestly I wouldn't want any other car for my commute, its my savior for sure.

Sidenote: I do use my horn a good bit. I actually want to upgrade the horn in the Roadster, its loud, but not loud enough. My friend had this PIAA horn installed in his Jeep and it was loud, possibly louder than the airhorns I installed in my truck:

Amazon.com: HELLA 003399801 Supertone 12V High Tone/Low Tone Twin Horn Kit with Bracket: Automotive

I typically honk if I see a driver unaware I'm close to, also when cars merge onto the highway who don't use their turn signal and I'm coming up next to them, I honk since they either don't care, are lazy, or oblivious.

Its interesting. In India if there was an accident where someone ran into you, and you didn't honk, they'd argue why you didn't honk and get on your case (my friend from India told me). Makes sense really, to let people know you're there.

 

[markwj]

Who was it that commented that the way to avoid issues, with the rather large blind spot around the rear corners of the roadster, is to simply hit the accelerator pedal before changing lanes?

 

[spaceballs]

... He told me the roadster is considered "buggy".

From that point I would take all the advice given from that rep with a grain of salt.

...I was also wanting to know the difference between 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5.

See thread Differences in roadster versions

For me if I were to use it as a daily driver (likely soon) my only real issues would be.
1. I would re-direct the hot air to help my feet stay warmer on cold days, there are threads talking about how to fix this.
2. Sometimes it's hard to see stop lights when up close at intersections, again there are solutions talked about how to work around this.
3. Analog speed I cant see due to steering wheel height, I just use the center console VDS to show my speed, and other posts/threads talking about how to work around this also.

 

[wiztecy]

Who was it that commented that the way to avoid issues, with the rather large blind spot around the rear corners of the roadster, is to simply hit the accelerator pedal before changing lanes?

What blind spot? If you have your mirrors setup right and look over your shoulder and know where the cars are/been, there are no blind-spots. However, if your just going the same speed, unaware of who, where, or what is around you, well then there's blind-spots basically 360 degrees around you.

The left wing of the trunk you don't use nor can you see that corner, that's where setting your drivers side mirror correctly and adding convex mirrors there is key. The passengers side wing does not cover anything major if you're moving (moving is key), again if your mirror is setup correctly and you have convex mirrors, you can see the entire side perfectly and the rear window offers you're final check to merge over. I honestly have to say convex mirrors/add-ons are necessary on the Roadster. Its another check-point I use when I make a pass/lane change. If any of your checks fail, regular mirrors, rear window, convex mirrors you have to abort the pass. But there's lots of redundancy if its setup right. Hell, in California you're lucky to get a turn signal let alone someone looking over their shoulder to pass, so you're always in someone's blind-spot that's for sure.

Being a motorcycle rider, I've had people pull right in front of me when I was right in pure view! Happened this past weekend, but with motorcycles you have to foresee that people are going to be lame and ignore you're there, so you're always scanning their front wheels (if they're starting to turn), their eyes, face, etc... An avid motorcycle rider will always be seen by moving past traffic, letting their presence be know, its really not safe staying stagnant.

Granted, if someone new jumps in the Roaster they'll be overwhelmed since nothing is setup correctly for them nor do they know the car. So yes that would be difficult. But as you learn the car you should be adjusting the mirrors and your driving style that works for you so you can see people and people can see you.

And I'm not saying accelerate blindly, I'm saying *know* your surroundings before you make choose commit on any move. And when you make your move do your proper checks while making the move and committing to your final lane change after the pass.

 

[markwj]

Before I got convex mirrors, even with things perfectly adjusted, there are blind spots.

One nasty surprise I got was when travelling in a notorious local speed-trap area. It was a 50kph limit. As two roads merge (think upside down 'Y')I was driving at the limit in the right road/lane and wanted to cross over into the left lane. Something in my brain told me someone/something was there, but nothing was visible in the mirrors, and nothing had been visible as the roads merged. I looked over my shoulders. Nothing. Still, with my left indicator on, I had a nagging feeling that something/someone was there. I sped-up a bit, and sure enough a police motorcycle became visible in my rear view mirror, and then side mirror. He was travelling at my exact same speed (50kph) at just the right distance and in just the right place to be in the blind spot. He could have sounded his horn, or flashed his lights, but he didn't - I guess he knew he was invisible to me and was hoping that I would speed up so that he could charge me for that.

Nothing like that has happened since I put convex mirrors on the car.

 

[wycolo]

Lights ON - at all times!! [someone probably said]
--

 

[dhrivnak]

My 1.5 has been my daily drive for 3.5 years and I still look forward to driving it. I had an issue with the care stopping due to the accelerator circuit but the Rangers were great getting it fully resolved . But it is a small sports car not a plush ride. For my area I say faster than a Corvette but cheaper to run than a Prius. And MUCH more fun than a Prius.

 

[Raffy.Roma]

In a city like Rome the Roadster would a daily driver much better than the Model S. Difficult to drive big cars in Rome because of small parking spaces available.

- - - Updated - - -

#1: Very small and low to the ground, so hard to be seen, so you need to drive defensively almost as if you were on a motorcycle

I have same issue with my Mercedes SLK and I always drive with lights on, also during the morning, to be more visible. Hope to switch to the Roadster soon.

 

[ecarfan]

1. I would re-direct the hot air to help my feet stay warmer on cold days, there are threads talking about how to fix this.
2. Sometimes it's hard to see stop lights when up close at intersections, again there are solutions talked about how to work around this.
3. Analog speed I cant see due to steering wheel height, I just use the center console VDS to show my speed, and other posts/threads talking about how to work around this also.

1. I think this is only an issue for those who live in more severe climates where there is "real" winter.

2. When I first got my Roadster this was sometimes an issue, but it seemed minor. Now that I have a Visium acrylic hardtop its a non-issue. See Glass Roadster Top

3. Yes, a minor issue, for taller Roadster drivers the top of the speedo is blocked by the steering wheel so that when the speedo needle is in the70-80 range you can't see what it is pointing at. For us 1.5 owners that means moving our head to see the VDS on the left side. Kind of awkward, and not optimal. I wish that the Waze app I typically have running on my iPhone showed current speed.

Regarding blind spots, the stock Roadster mirrors are less than ideal. I highly recommend the ExtendView add-on side mirrors. See ExtendView Side Mirrors -- outstanding visibility

 

[Jaff]

There is always lots of good advice from Roadster owners here...amongst all of us, we have pretty much seen it all...it is a solid community effort of shared advice & observation!...hope we helped set the record straight for you, and that you are able to find a previously enjoyed Roadster to suit your needs...Cheers!

Thank you for the quick response, I have read up on the changes but was looking for an executive summary from an actual owner. Now...just need to find someone to sell me one.
Thanks again.

 

[augkuo]

I would say the only issue that you'd have with the 110 mile commute is if you'll be able to charge
your car at work. Although the Roadster's range is ~180 miles, that's if you travel at 55 mph not run
the A/C, etc. I had almost the same distance commute and I would use up about 90 miles of range going 65
miles (hills, accessories on, going over 55mph one way. Of course I knew I had charging available at work so
I never had range anxiety - you'll have a lot more fun driving a roadster to work if you do!

 

[Doug_G]

Who was it that commented that the way to avoid issues, with the rather large blind spot around the rear corners of the roadster, is to simply hit the accelerator pedal before changing lanes?

That was probably me lol. The car does have some bad blind spots; I added multivex mirrors, which really resolved the issue. Unfortunately they are no longer available.

Lights ON - at all times!! [someone probably said]
--

Here in Canada we have no choice in the matter! Always a good idea though.

 

[thefortunes]

I would say the only issue that you'd have with the 110 mile commute is if you'll be able to charge
your car at work. Although the Roadster's range is ~180 miles, that's if you travel at 55 mph not run
the A/C, etc. I had almost the same distance commute and I would use up about 90 miles of range going 65
miles (hills, accessories on, going over 55mph one way. Of course I knew I had charging available at work so
I never had range anxiety - you'll have a lot more fun driving a roadster to work if you do!

I drive 110-115 miles each day (depending on whether I take the fun route or the boring interstate).

I have never needed to charge at the office for the range. The most I ever used for my commute was 36kWh (331 kWh/mi), which happened when the temp was below zero (was using the heater heavily) and set the cruise at 74mph. I used 78 ideal miles of range for the 54 miles to the office and 73 ideal miles of range on the way home (151 ideal miles used so I still had > 30 left when I arrived home).

I do, however, plug in at the office in the winter when it is really cold just to be nice to the battery.

 

[shrink]

I agree with many of the above sentiments. We have a Model S in the family and the Roadster is much more fun to drive. The Roadster is smaller and more nimble, whereas the Model S is a luxury boat that can really ass - especially at highway speeds.

I would, however, like to add the Roadster stock headlights are just awful - especially in rural areas with few street lights at night. Not sure if you run into the latter much, but I'd strongly recommend a Xenon headlight upgrade - either the expensive OEM one from Tesla or a less expensive aftermarket one.

 

[tonybelding]

'd strongly recommend a Xenon headlight upgrade - either the expensive OEM one from Tesla or a less expensive aftermarket one.

Is there an easy way to tell whether the car has those put on it? Or is it one of those things where, if you need it you'll soon find out?

 

[Curt]

Just adding my own angle to this...

For me, the Roadster is a fabulous commuting vehicle, and became my daily driver as soon as I got it.

I just got mine back from annual service, so have been driving a Model S loaner for a few days. This has reinforced my feeling that the Roadster is a better daily driver for me.

The Model S is simply too large for my purposes as a daily driver, and too nice for the times when I need a larger vehicle (I don't see myself throwing a dozen SCUBA cylinders into a Model S).

As always, YMMV, etc.