Roadster vs Regular Car

[Slash32487]

I am currently in the market for a car that I believe will hold its value. The debate between my brothers and I have been mainly about a Roadster and what we believe or don't believe in it as something that will not continue to depreciate and why. In a sense this car seems to be more of a gamble than say putting our money into a porsche 993. There is a track record with the car used sales, there are parts, much more were made, the porsche market is much bigger... On the other hand that is what essentially makes this car more unique and can tilt the scale one way or the other. I personally have disregarded the technology aspect of this conversation in a simple comparison, most people are not looking for the newest and greatest when they are looking for a vintage sports car. the 2017 911 vs the 2011 911 are simply different and there will be buyers interested in the new as well as the old. That being said the bigger issue is a niche market with a niche product. This is where im the least sold. In every other aspect Im pretty much sold on getting this car. Niche in Niche is always bad but sometimes expensive. The new roadster will build more customers into the market in turn making the original more desirable if they release the new vehicle about $120K. if they release it at a lower cost and it is going to be to steal sales away from lets say a 3/4 series it will effect the original roadster value negatively. Now to the battery and fixing the car. There is less clarity on what is the lifespan of the battery. The car in question 2010 2.5 has had a 2.5 replacement in 2014 under warranty. Were the original batteries faulty? will i need to replace the 2014 battery in 2018? is there any difference between 2.5 and 3.0 besides distance? Most resale cars want original original so i dont see the benefit in moving over to 3.0. Still torn, my brothers are leaning away from the roadster and im pushing for it. looking forward to your comments.
RM

 

[ecarfan]

There is no way to know with any certainty whether or not Roadster values will appreciate at some point in the future. So far Roadster values have depreciated by roughly 50% which is in line with almost all other car models. I believe Roadster values have continued to depreciate since I bought mine in Oct 2014 from the original owner. Others may disagree.

Buy a Roadster if you like it and want to enjoy an awesome car. Buying it as an investment is a gamble. Your choice.

 

[Slash32487]

Not looking as an investment but when or if i eventually sell it i dont want a depreciated asset. That is part of the decision when buying a older car.

 

[DrComputer]

Not sure you will find any car that is less than 10 years old that would not be a depreciating asset. Also, since the Roadster is more "computer" than just a car, the technology part will depreciate faster and become harder to service as Tesla drops support and parts become harder to find.

 

[Slash32487]

@DrComputer isnt that the case with all old cars. the service becomes harder and harder as it gets older including parts and oem product... as per all other old cars. im not talking about today as it would depreciate but more in 10 years from now once the product is of age to be classified as a vintage.

 

[EricUSC]

Nobody knows for sure. Several limited production late model Porsches have appreciated nicely (like the 997 GT3 and 991R), but so has stocks and real estate. As a Porsche and Tesla enthusiast, I feel that the Roadster has a better chance of going up than a "collectable" Porsche since some of those have already reached stratospheric prices. Get a Roadster if that's what you want, and I bet that it'll eventually provide a nice ROI. After all, the Roaster is a much more rare and historically significant car than the "collectable" late model Porsches that have seen significant price appreciation.

As for the battery, the few batteries that have been replaced are due to "bricking", meaning that a previous owner didn't plug in the car for a long period of time and the battery got destroyed. Be sure to keep the Roadster plugged in all the time if you get one, especially if you go out of town for a few weeks or months.

 

[backmost]

In terms of parts, most of our traditional classics used parts that are still used today. It's not hard to find older headlights, belts, hoses; many of these types of parts are still used in modern vehicles. If you can't find a part that's specific to the car or really obscure, you can probably get it 3D printed or custom-made with the know-how.

The problem with the Roadster is that it's such a unique vehicle. It doesn't use an engine, so while you save on typical maintenance compared to an ICE car, if anything goes wrong with the battery or powertrain, only Tesla has the knowledge to address it. I think in the future once electric cars become more ubiquitous, maybe we will see companies pop-up that supply parts to EVs more so than now. But given that only 2400 or so Roadsters were ever produced, it would be a longshot.

I've been toying with the idea of a Roadster as well. For me I don't really care about the depreciation as much (the more they go down, the more I save!), but the parts availability is worrisome for me.

 

[Slash32487]

@backmost with the current rise of Electric Car Technicians are you really that worried? Tesla continues to be a success, they proved the market is ready for these vehicles.
Since this is all speculation and even if i had to rely on stealerships i still believe these will grow in value along with tesla and the future of ev.

 

[backmost]

From the threads I've read so far, Tesla is still providing parts albeit you'll have to wait awhile to get it. I'm sure most of you guys aren't using this as a daily driver anyway (I certainly wouldn't be) so can afford the wait. With more 3D printing capabilities I wouldn't be surprised if parts are supplied aftermarket on an on-demand basis. People made all kinds of custom parts, like the Taylor Mesh Top for example. As long as there's a community here, I'm not too worried I guess.

If Tesla can really pull off the Model 3 and becomes the car company it wants to be, I wouldn't doubt these original cars will grow in value. It's rare, its the first Tesla, it was the first EV that could give other exotics a run for the money, compared to something like the GM EV1. Seems like the right ingredients for increase in value over time!

 

[gregd]

The biggest risk as far as replacement parts are concerned are not the mechanical ones, but the electronic ones. These cars are rolling systems of interconnected computers and electro-mechanical widgets. If a pulley on your 1908 Model T breaks, you can probably adapt any number of others to get you going again. If the VDS goes out on your Roadster, it's not like you can swap in an old Palm Pilot in its place. We're not nearly at that stage yet with parts, and I'm sure Tesla would get more than an ear full from the greater community if they were to ever stop supporting the car, but some day it may come to that. In that really long term, the biggest risk are the Roadster-unique parts and systems that the community can't reverse engineer to come up with workable replacements. How long you plan to keep the car will determine where you are on the risk curve.

All that said, I am thoroughly enjoying my Roadster, and only regret that I didn't get one sooner. It IS my daily driver, by the way. I bought it with about 28k miles on it, and 2 1/2 years later it's got over 43k. Every one of those miles came with a smile from either me or some random person on the road as I drove by.

I expect my car's resale value has probably gone down a bit in the time I've owned it, but not hugely. Maybe 5% or so? I, of course, hope they've about bottomed out, but my intent, as with all my cars, is to keep it for as long as I can (I average between 10 and 20 years per car), so resale value is pretty much irrelevant. Its value in terms of enjoyment has not diminished, however, and I still smile every time I get in.

 

[ecarfan]

Not looking as an investment but when or if i eventually sell it i dont want a depreciated asset.

All cars are a "depreciated asset" from the moment you take delivery. With time and mileage they continue to depreciate. That is what has happened so far with the Roadster.

 

[shrink]

Well, not all cars depreciate. Most do, but a few become collectibles and that's what the OP is inquiring about - the future collector value of a Roadster.

I will say about my 2010 Roadster - I think I can list it for sale for not much less than my purchase price 4 years ago. I can't say the same for my 2013 Model S, which in my opinion is worth about $25K less than my Roadster. So I think Roadster depreciation has somewhat leveled off. However, the buyer market is small.

I think the outdated technology of the Roadster is being balanced by its rareness, uniqueness, and status as the first model of a revolutionary company.

I also think many of the owners here are EV enthusiasts and passionate about driving the car and demonstrating the viability of electric transportation. That and the car is just plain fun!

To the OP, if you want to bet on the Roadster becoming a collector, there are no guarantees but in my opinion it's a reasonable bet. However, I wouldn't buy that 2.5. Be on the lookout for a Founders Model (or maybe even a Signature Model) with low miles. I think that's your best bet for a future collectible. Then plug it in, detail it, store it, and cover it - leaving it plugged in, of course, and see what happens.

In the meantime, I think most of the owners in this forum are going to drive their Roadsters (and these will likely continue to depreciate as they are enjoyed).

Just my 2 cents...

 

[ion_1]

I completely agree with shrink's post.

Regarding the specific topic of appreciation, although most cars depreciate quickly not all.
Probably one of the better ROI car's would be the first round of the Ford GTs.
In 2006 they were in the ballpark of 150k, now good examples are sitting north of 250k.

The general rule, is buy the car your really want, but be sure you differentiate it
from being an important investment in your portfolio vs a car you want to drive that may go up
in value (or stay even) if you are lucky. This distinction dictates what roadster you should buy, how you should
buy it (documentation) , and how you should treat it. All roadsters are rare enough, but as shrink stated
the founder';s would be the investment car. Rarity is weird with the other roadster models as I believe from TEG's
numbers (I may be wrong here) that, for example, there were more sports produced for say the 2.0 than the standard model.
Also you have the fact the factory applies custom colors..whatever happened to that purple roadster that
was posted on the forum a year or so ago?

Anyway, all these issues about cost and ROI are completely meaningless (or at least should be) when you drive the roadster on
a back country road twisty with the top off....

 

[twiersum]

In my humble opinion...the Roadster will likely increase in value from here as the price of replacement batteries drop......which I believe is immenent. Tesla gets $30k for a replacement or R80 upgrade today. The Chevy Bolt 60kw battery can be bought for $11k. With Porsche, Volvo, VW, & Toyota (Solid State battery) and many others commited to huge productiin numbers, I believe we will see twice the range at half the cost over the next 5 years. If that is the case and as more of the 1464 Roadsters die, the value will be increase. Just my opinion but I think the Roadster will someday be waaaayy more of a collectible than most others due to lack of production numbers and the fact that it really was the car that drove a complete paradigm shift to EV.

 

[KarenRei]

Roadster batteries are more expensive because they're handmade. Always will be.

That said, I do agree with the argument about collectability. If you believe in the future of Tesla, and that EVs are the wave of the future, then it's hard to think of a more historically meaningful vehicle you could possibly own (excepting a tzero or EV1, of course ). And "historically meaningful" when combined with "low volumes" means "collectible and valuable" in the long run. The big issue of course is "define 'the long run'"

 

[ViperDoc]

I'm sure most of you guys aren't using this as a daily driver anyway (I certainly wouldn't be) so can afford the wait. !

Well mine is a daily driver. It is 6 years old, went in for its final under warranty servicing, and a leak from the coolant system into the battery was discovered. They are having trouble finding parts to fix the battery. They took the car mid-June and I still don't have it back. Fortunately, they gave me a Model S loaner or I'd be in trouble as it is my only car. It does give me pause though as I consider if they can keep parts available for much longer.

 

[gregd]

If you believe in the future of Tesla, and that EVs are the wave of the future, then it's hard to think of a more historically meaningful vehicle you could possibly own

I was thinking of getting a personalized license plate of "ASTROID", but it's already been taken...

 

[backmost]

I was thinking of getting a personalized license plate of "ASTROID", but it's already been taken...

How about LEWDCRS

 

[twiersum]

I like '1fastev' and my wife liked 'evolved'....we couldnt agree so I had to buy another one