Looking to join the club

[spicywith]

Hey folks,

I've been perusing the forum for a while, and have had all the intention of making my next car a Tesla - my thesis for vehicle acquisition: either air cooled, carburated and collectible, or electric. So I was initially going to get a Model Y... and then I thought that I don't actually drive that much and would much rather get something that appreciates with time... like the roadster. I split time between US and Europe and recently came across a roadster for sale here in Europe at what I think is a good price. Problem is, origin is somewhat unknown as it comes from lease or loan recovery - basically someone that buys cars from banks after a lease is up, or that's what he explained. He's been focusing on older Teslas recently, and is due to get the roadster sometime soon. So all I know is that it is a 2011 Roadster S, has about 94,000 km, comes from northern europe and is white with black pin strips on the center/length of the car. A picture of the interior shows a grey frame on the inside of the door. Does that color scheme sound original or could it be a wrap/paint job? What would you pay for the car I just described?

My worry is that once the bank reclaimed it, it might have been sitting unplugged letting the battery go to waste and it's going to be a brick because someone didn't know what they were dealing with.

Trying to soak in as much knowledge as possible to be able to evaluate it when it's available for inspection. I understand the VMS Log is probably the most important thing, and I can get the CAC from there, correct?

 

[im4uttx]

If you don't drive much, and don't need more than a 2-seater, then a roadster should fit your needs. As far as appreciation in value, they should eventually appreciate, but first priority should be to enjoy it...

The battery condition can be verified at least in a first order by getting the CAC reading from the car. Good thing is if it isn't bricked, most likely not too much damage would have been done to the battery by sitting idle. Get CAC and ideal normal/range values from the car and it will provide most of the indication of health you'll be able to get.

Most everything else can be fixed for a price...PEM being the most expensive of issues.

Price? I think recent discussions have put current expectations at around $60K, plus/minus $10-15K depending on battery and overall condition. Lower mileage and good battery are plus. If you haven't seen one, there should be plenty of opportunity in CA to experience it.

I'm sure others will be along to provide more information...good luck!

 

[dhrivnak]

First I would make sure you are comfortable in one as the Roadster is tiny compared to most cars. A friend at work with a Miata always tried to park next to me as I was the only car that made his look big. And have them check the ideal range after a standard charge. If below 220 km I would be very wary. If they do not know how to check I would be wary.

I too thought the Roadster would be a garage queen but then I drove it and 100,000 km later it still would put a smile on your face.

 

[DeedWest]

I agree with @im4uttx wholeheartedly. First priority should be to enjoy the car. You can try to keep the miles off of them, but once you experience the drive, it will become impossible. Find out what it charges to after a full Standard Mode charge to *somewhat* gauge current battery health, but don’t religiously follow it. A lot of cars that have sat for some time can have unrealistic and imbalanced range values.

The door panel you’re describing sounds like the Executive Leather package which could be done in Dark Gray. That’s the interior I have on mine and to me, it is the most stunning interior I’ve ever seen. It sounds like a great spec. Post photos and last four of the VIN, if you can.

 

[teacupmiso]

How does it feel to drive in comparison to let’s say, a Model 3?

 

[X.l.r.8]

It drives as much like a model 3 as it does a (insert any other car here). It’s not a car that makes driving as automated as possible, It’s the exact opposite, it’s all user input. Other than driving I don’t know if words are enough to describe the driving. Every poor road surface can be felt, sometimes it bad, but mostly it’s good.

 

[Mark77a]

How does it feel to drive in comparison to let’s say, a Model 3?

In a word: Visceral

The steering is 'alive', the speed is obvious (as close to road), you can actually hear the electric motor doing its stuff - like a quiet jet fighter.

The handling is more involved - it can push out at the front and (with traction control off) at the rear too ) .

Think: Electric 'Lotus Elise' some people (who have probably never pushed a Lotus Elise on track) think this is derogatory - is not, its a HUGE compliment !

Overall its probably slower then a M3P, BUT never feels it !

Since getting a M3P I wondered if the Roadster would be redundant as a 'performance car' .... its not, its a keeper, long after 'advanced cars for the masses' have come and gone.

 

[jason.tv]

In a word: Visceral

The steering is 'alive', the speed is obvious (as close to road), you can actually hear the electric motor doing its stuff - like a quiet jet fighter.

The handling is more involved - it can push out at the front and (with traction control off) at the rear too ) .

Think: Electric 'Lotus Elise' some people (who have probably never pushed a Lotus Elise on track) think this is derogatory - is not, its a HUGE compliment !

Overall its probably slower then a M3P, BUT never feels it !

Since getting a M3P I wondered if the Roadster would be redundant as a 'performance car' .... its not, its a keeper, long after 'advanced cars for the masses' have come and gone.

Nice summary! Is it ironic the DMV randomly gave me a license plate ending in "F16" it's definitely a fighter jet.

 

[spicywith]

Welp, sorry for the long hiatus... couple days after starting this thread I had messed up a kiteboarding jump and fractured tibia and fibula... spent a week in the hospital, foot long titanium plate in my leg with 10 screws... whole nine yards. Already been almost two months and recovery is slow. currently in Spain and all the family cars are stick, so starting to consider an automatic car... and the Roadster has to be the only option! Would be pretty funny to try to get in and out of a roadster with crutches!

Anyhow, looking at a couple options. One seems to have had a battery replaced last year, but at 3/4 battery charge in the dash it only reads 166km in range. Picture attached. I've seen pictures of other roadsters where batter in dash read 106 km, but ideal range was like 137 km, so is that indicator accurate?

Other question: this one is across Europe. I'm guessing roadsters can't charge in Super Chargers? Is a long roadtrip feasible or even a good idea? I remember driving a mazda miata from SF to LA along the PCH, and it was a hell of an experience. But my back side hated me for it. Guessing driving position is very similar.

 

[spicywith]

Also came across this poor guy. They're asking about 21,000 euros... is it a stay away kind of deal or does it look like it could be structurally ok?

 

[im4uttx]

Welp, sorry for the long hiatus... couple days after starting this thread I had messed up a kiteboarding jump and fractured tibia and fibula... spent a week in the hospital, foot long titanium plate in my leg with 10 screws... whole nine yards. Already been almost two months and recovery is slow. currently in Spain and all the family cars are stick, so starting to consider an automatic car... and the Roadster has to be the only option! Would be pretty funny to try to get in and out of a roadster with crutches!

Anyhow, looking at a couple options. One seems to have had a battery replaced last year, but at 3/4 battery charge in the dash it only reads 166km in range. Picture attached. I've seen pictures of other roadsters where batter in dash read 106 km, but ideal range was like 137 km, so is that indicator accurate?

Other question: this one is across Europe. I'm guessing roadsters can't charge in Super Chargers? Is a long roadtrip feasible or even a good idea? I remember driving a mazda miata from SF to LA along the PCH, and it was a hell of an experience. But my back side hated me for it. Guessing driving position is very similar.

View attachment 589329

Sorry to hear about your accident...
Regarding the mileage...
1) No, roadsters can't charge at Super Chargers. There is an option to add DC charging capability, but that availability may be closing.
2) Long trips beyond the available range are not ideal, unless you have plenty of time to make it from point A to point B...meaning days.
3) The range shown is reliable as a single point of data. The ideal range is a better point, but driving characteristics (speed, acceleration, wind, etc) all play an important role in how far it will go. The shown range is calculated based on the last 30 miles of driving, so can be high or low depending on that.
4) Yes, the position is similar, so your back side won't be as happy as your heart...

 

[eHorses]

Also came across this poor guy. They're asking about 21,000 euros... is it a stay away kind of deal or does it look like it could be structurally ok?

View attachment 589330 View attachment 589336 View attachment 589337 View attachment 589338 View attachment 589339 View attachment 589332 View attachment 589333 View attachment 589334 View attachment 589335

These cars can “take a licking and keep on ticking” but I would steer clear of savage. Unless, you’re a Carl Medlock And Sons or in need of a parts car. Parts are expensive, if available, and Tesla SC will not work on them. Good luck with your recovery and roadster hunt!

 

[spicywith]

Sorry to hear about your accident...
Regarding the mileage...
1) No, roadsters can't charge at Super Chargers. There is an option to add DC charging capability, but that availability may be closing.
2) Long trips beyond the available range are not ideal, unless you have plenty of time to make it from point A to point B...meaning days.
3) The range shown is reliable as a single point of data. The ideal range is a better point, but driving characteristics (speed, acceleration, wind, etc) all play an important role in how far it will go. The shown range is calculated based on the last 30 miles of driving, so can be high or low depending on that.
4) Yes, the position is similar, so your back side won't be as happy as your heart...

Thanks for your message! Regarding...

1) What do you mean by DC charging capability may be closing soon?
2) Assuming a standard roadster charging capabilities, what would be the idea fastest charge time at public charging infrastructure - i.e. if I'm doing a roadtrip, the chargers I could find along the way, what charge rate could I expect (in Europe)?
3) I see, so odo range is based on latest driving, but ideal range is based on battery capacity?
4) Agree, and it wouldn't be a big deal since driving around Europe there is such a high density of cities to visit and stuff to do, that driving short dailies would be fine

 

[spicywith]

These cars can “take a licking and keep on ticking” but I would steer clear of savage. Unless, you’re a Carl Medlock And Sons or in need of a parts car. Parts are expensive, if available, and Tesla SC will not work on them. Good luck with your recovery and roadster hunt!

Makes sense!

It looks like the body work is glass fiber? Is that correct? Is there a good place to buy replacement body panels?

 

[Peter.h]

It looks like the body work is glass fiber? Is that correct? Is there a good place to buy replacement body panels?

Most of the body is carbon fiber (fenders, doors, hood, trunk lid, ...), the bumpers are regular plastic. Body panels are rather hard to come by - I needed a new hood after a little mishap, and was on the hunt for several months. there are no new parts, so you are looking at Used/salvage pieces, from a total population of only ~2,500 cars produced world wide.

 

[jason.tv]

I would not go with a salvage; looks like has structural frame damage which if does don't even bother. This looks like the frame was completely cracked down the car. Once the frame is bent or misaligned not possible to get it back in place I don't think.

Moreover this is a huge project to tackle; even for the big boys that work on roadsters for a living would pass on this one and just scrap it for parts, "IF" the price was even worth it to even do that..

 

[dhrivnak]

Thanks for your message! Regarding...

1) What do you mean by DC charging capability may be closing soon?
2) Assuming a standard roadster charging capabilities, what would be the idea fastest charge time at public charging infrastructure - i.e. if I'm doing a roadtrip, the chargers I could find along the way, what charge rate could I expect (in Europe)?

On #1 there is a third party offering a CHAdeMO charging kit that I think allows 50 kW DC charging. Outside of that the Roadster supports 18kW AC charging, 70 amps, which at least here in the states is not very common.

 

[spicywith]

On #1 there is a third party offering a CHAdeMO charging kit that I think allows 50 kW DC charging. Outside of that the Roadster supports 18kW AC charging, 70 amps, which at least here in the states is not very common.

Do you have the name of the third party? are they running out of stock?

What type of range/hour does 18kW AC charging get?

What do people do at home? I thought it was common to use a regular tesla wall charger with an adapter?

 

[spicywith]

Howdy folks! After literally a month of calling three times a week, the dealership selling my top choice roadster in Europe finally attempted extracting the logs. These are the instructions I sent them:

The information is retrieved via a cabin USB port. In the Roadster, it’s under the center console HVAC controls, just above the 12V power socket as shown on the right.
To extract the log file, you’ll need a USB thumb drive. It has to be 50MB to 4 GB, and formatted to FAT32. In the root, there must be a directory named VehicleLogs.
After a few seconds, the car should beep and the touchscreen will display a message letting you know it's copying the log file to the drive and that you shouldn't unplug it until it's done. It'll take about 15 minutes to complete the download.
Inside the VehicleLogs directory on your USB drive, you'll find a directory named with your VIN. Inside that directory, you'll find the log file(s) you've downloaded named with the date and time of the download (it'll likely be off by a few hours from your local time as it uses UTC).​

and this was what they got:

I followed the instructions and used a brand new FAT32 USB stick.
Unfortunately, nothing happened. I tried with the ignition on and off.
This car has an Alpine headunit with a iphone connector between the seats. I don't know if this is the reason for it to not work.​

I confirmed they had a folder named VehicleLogs in the drive.

Any ideas on what might be going on and how to extract the logs? The interior looks as so. And the iphone cable he mentions is the standard iPod cable.

 

[dhrivnak]

Do you have the name of the third party? are they running out of stock?

What type of range/hour does 18kW AC charging get?

What do people do at home? I thought it was common to use a regular tesla wall charger with an adapter?

The third party CHAdeMO is CHAdeMo charging for Tesla Roadster .

The car should come with both a 120V cable and a 240V (30 amp in the 1.5 & 40 amp in the 2.X). Yes you can use most any charger to charge up to 70 amps, about 65 miles/hour.