So I have Tesla fever and Roadster fever...I currently own a 2005 Mercedes SL500...looking into obviously a used Roadster and I'm just not sure if the car is even right for me...I was hoping owners here could help me decide. I have a daily commute (highway) of 80-100 miles roundtrip here in Southern California and wanted to use the roadster as my daily driver. I'm hoping to have it for at least 5 years plus...is this feasible? Is it true that the battery is only good for 100,000 miles or 10 years? If so, how much is it to replace? How reliable would the roadster be as a daily driver? How expensive is upkeep? I'm assuming not as much as my Mercedes...thanks everybody for all your help and I hope to soon be a Roadster owner...and anyone selling theirs please contact me!!!
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You should do fine with a Roadster. Overall I suspect the car with fuel and maintenance will be cheaper than your SL500. Tires will be more expensive due to the Roadster's extreme torque. If you get a version 2.x you'll have a lot more tire choices so you might be able to save money. Replacing the battery pack is currently expensive but the price is expected to drop over the next few years. It may not last 10 years with the miles you drive but it will probably go well over 100k miles.
My understanding is that Tesla battery packs degrade very slowly and relatively predictably over time, and that there are some Roadster owners at over 100,000 miles who are doing just fine with only 10-15% SOC loss. Obviously their Roadsters continue to be perfect sly functional and usable.
So the battery has a useful life well past 100K miles. How much longer we don't know yet.
So the battery has a useful life well past 100K miles. How much longer we don't know yet.
@Roadster22, is it possible when buying a Roadster from a private party to also purchase a factory warranty from Tesla? Price? I ask because the Tesla website only shows one CPO Roadster for sale.
I assume Tesla would have to first inspect the car before selling the warranty to the new owner?
I assume Tesla would have to first inspect the car before selling the warranty to the new owner?
thefortunes
Active Member
I commute 110-120 miles daily and have put over 20k miles on my Roadster in the last 9 months. It is a great car, but noisier and has a much firmer ride than an sl, so I would highly recommend that you test drive your commute before buying.
I have almost 34k on mine and have lost 2-3% of my range.
You cannot buy an extended warranty from Tesla unless the car still is under it's original warranty or you buy a CPO directly from Tesla. Contact Tesla - when I was looking they had many more CPOs than they were listing.
Good luck!
I have almost 34k on mine and have lost 2-3% of my range.
You cannot buy an extended warranty from Tesla unless the car still is under it's original warranty or you buy a CPO directly from Tesla. Contact Tesla - when I was looking they had many more CPOs than they were listing.
Good luck!
ChadS
Last tank of gas: March 2009
I agree with the other answers. Docpccm, it sounds to me like your biggest concern is with the battery longevity. Of course nobody can predict the future, but from what we can tell so far, things look great. HERE you can find Plug In America's Roadster battery study that tomsax did. We expect most Roadsters to still have 80% or so of their original range after 100k miles.
I have had mine for almost 5 years and still love it...
I have had mine for almost 5 years and still love it...
dhrivnak
Active Member
A hundred miles a day would not concern me. I think the battery should be fine for many years to come. I see a drop of 1.3 miles per year. So likely a concern if you plan on driving that far each day 20 years from now.
I switched from a SL500 to a roadster in December of 2013. Driving about 70 miles a day in San Diego. I love not getting gas and feeling that my driving is contributing to the future of transportation. The roadster has been more reliable than the SL and I am saving a lot of $$ on gas vs. electricity. The Roadster is way more fun to drive! The only downside is the comfortability of the car and lack of convenience features like the automatic top and trunk space. I would also only recommend the Roadster if you can install a charger at your house, my first 3 months of ownership was without a charger in a condo complex and I ended up moving out because it was inconvenient to charge. I'm VERY HAPPY with my decision and would never go back 
I have a 130 mile commute and you'll definitely love being able to go in the HOV lanes! The ride in the roadster is a lot harsher than a Mercedes and getting in and out might be a challenge for you/spouse. Things that were automatic on your SL500 are manual on the
roadster - steering, mirrors, top, etc. If you have a charger near your workplace even better - I've gone over 60K miles and lost about 2% range each year (3 years). So with a normal charge, the battery should last you more than 10 years with the range you need.
There are 4 currently on ebaymotors, one of which still has a warranty which you can then extend. Good luck!
roadster - steering, mirrors, top, etc. If you have a charger near your workplace even better - I've gone over 60K miles and lost about 2% range each year (3 years). So with a normal charge, the battery should last you more than 10 years with the range you need.
There are 4 currently on ebaymotors, one of which still has a warranty which you can then extend. Good luck!
I bought one from Tesla last summer. CPO is the way to go, at least for piece of mind. I found the prices were not that dissimilar and you get 37 months or 37k mile warranty.
Contact Kevin Yu, kyu at teslamotors dot com or Ryan Kennedy. Kevin is the CPO director, Ryan is the CPO manager. The inventory is very fluid. I rarely saw more than 4 total on TMC website, and Kevin sent me a list of half dozen Sports the next day.
You will definitely need to either charge at work or have more than 120 volts at home. You only get about 5 miles of range per hour charging at 120V (50 miles per hr at 240V). It sounds like you're probably home for about 12 hours, so you would only get around 60 miles of range charging overnight.
Bottom line is, test drive one first. It's like nothing else. I was more than willing to sacrifice some amenities and creature comforts.
Contact Kevin Yu, kyu at teslamotors dot com or Ryan Kennedy. Kevin is the CPO director, Ryan is the CPO manager. The inventory is very fluid. I rarely saw more than 4 total on TMC website, and Kevin sent me a list of half dozen Sports the next day.
You will definitely need to either charge at work or have more than 120 volts at home. You only get about 5 miles of range per hour charging at 120V (50 miles per hr at 240V). It sounds like you're probably home for about 12 hours, so you would only get around 60 miles of range charging overnight.
Bottom line is, test drive one first. It's like nothing else. I was more than willing to sacrifice some amenities and creature comforts.
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bonnie
I play a nice person on twitter.
At first. And then you'll find it's not a big deal because you've developed the right muscles for popping in and out. So don't let that dissuade you.
djp
Model 3 Performance
If the car has an adjustable suspension the shock settings make a big difference to the ride. Front 7 / rear 8 is great for the track but harsh on city streets. I'm running at 3 / 4 which is comfortable without being floaty. Check the settings if you take a test drive.
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