Tesla roadster or Acura integra?!?!!

[skyguy_6153]

OK so I plan on buying a roadster as my second car in about 2-3 years, just wanted to know the owners takes on how the roadster is. I love my Integra to death, that car is definitely fun to drive, bit I'm just as interested in EVs as I am with modding my Teggy. So please give me your thoughts should I keep the Teg, trade it for a roadster, or pull a motor out a model S and two Chevy Volt batteries and do a nasty conversion to the Teggy?

 

[gregd]

Wow, that picture is almost spooky... What year is your Integra? Looks to be in fine shape!

I had a '94 Integra GS-R for, what, 16 years. Bought new, sold it last July. 268k happy miles on it. Bought my Roadster at the end of 2014, so there was about 18 months of overlap when I had both cars.

The Integra does have some advantages over the Roadster. Space, obviously, was one. Seated 4, with room in the back for substantial luggage. Handled well, and was pretty reliable too. My engine developed a hole in the head at about 240k miles, and (long, sorted story) I ended up putting a used engine in it. But other than that, it pretty much just ran. I seriously looked into replacing it with another new car instead of fixing it, but nothing really hit me right. Closest was probably the Honda Civic Si. Glad I didn't get it, as it would have drained the funds I used to buy the Roadster.

The Roadster, however, is a much different car. It sometimes feels heavier, of course, with the lack of power steering. Sort of like my prior car, a '72 Datsun 240Z. But the Z was a lot lighter feeling in turns, which is expected since it didn't have 6,831 battery cells sitting in the back. Zero to 60 in the Roadster is about twice as fast as the Integra, and the smoothness of the Roadster's drive train just can't be beat with any gas car. I love the Roadster's one-pedal driving. Between that and the size (I tell people you don't get into the car, you put it on), the Roadster becomes part of you, or you part of it. Hard to tell which it is. It's eery and fun at the same time. The cabin tech in the Roadster is a significant upgrade too, comparing to the Integra. Yes, it's old and spartan by today's standards, but to me it was a big step up. Both cars were very comfortable; can't complain about either, even on trips. The Roadster is a lot lower, so defensive driving is a must. Mine, being gray, kind of disappears in the rain and fog, even with lights on. Total yearly costs between the two are probably about the same, oddly enough. The cost of "fuel" is heavily in the Roadster's favor, but it takes a lot of gas and oil changes to balance out the higher service costs for the Roadster (or any exotic sports car, for that matter). If it's any consolation, the Roadster is probably cheaper than most exotics in that regard.

As Electric Vehicles go, the Roadster has some limitations and some advantages. Since it pre-dates the various DC Fast Charging options, you are stuck with the relatively slow Level 2 charging speed. That means a bit more planning for longer trips (farther than one charge), but on the other hand, with over 200 miles of range, those trips for most are relatively rare. If this will be your only car, that could mean a rental or other transportation once in a while.

The final thing about the Roadster that you will never get in any other car are the looks and complements you will get when you're out on the road. My daughter and I drove to a relatives' for Christmas, a trip of only about 70 miles. She lost count of how many smiles and "thumbs up" and people whipping out their cameras we got in just the one trip. Totally made her day. This is the car that started it all. You can't replace that with anything else.

If you have the space and would like to tinker, the Integra might make for an interesting donor car for an EV conversion project. I considered that too. But I wouldn't not buy the Roadster because of it.

 

[MileHighMotoring]

I had a 1995 GS-R, too! Small world it seems. I loved that car. But it's not a Roadster. The Roadster is special, and it's super quick, and you're never bored.

 

[ecarfan]

so I plan on buying a roadster as my second car in about 2-3 years, just wanted to know the owners takes on how the roadster is

The Roadster is such a fundamentally different car compared to any vehicle you have ever driven (I'm pretty confident of that statement despite knowing nothing about you) that you really have to drive one to understand the car and appreciate it's advantages as well as its many peculiarities. (Since your post does not say you have ever driven a Roadster, I am assuming you have not).

And driving a Model S or X in now way prepares you for what driving a Roadster is like.

You can scan through the many threads in this Roadster forum and find hundreds of posts about what it is like to drive a Roadster.

I strongly recommend against buying a Roadster without driving one first.

 

[MileHighMotoring]

Thread over, @ecarfan nailed it.

 

[skyguy_6153]

Wow, that picture is almost spooky... What year is your Integra? Looks to be in fine shape!

I had a '94 Integra GS-R for, what, 16 years. Bought new, sold it last July. 268k happy miles on it. Bought my Roadster at the end of 2014, so there was about 18 months of overlap when I had both cars.

The Integra does have some advantages over the Roadster. Space, obviously, was one. Seated 4, with room in the back for substantial luggage. Handled well, and was pretty reliable too. My engine developed a hole in the head at about 240k miles, and (long, sorted story) I ended up putting a used engine in it. But other than that, it pretty much just ran. I seriously looked into replacing it with another new car instead of fixing it, but nothing really hit me right. Closest was probably the Honda Civic Si. Glad I didn't get it, as it would have drained the funds I used to buy the Roadster.

The Roadster, however, is a much different car. It sometimes feels heavier, of course, with the lack of power steering. Sort of like my prior car, a '72 Datsun 240Z. But the Z was a lot lighter feeling in turns, which is expected since it didn't have 6,831 battery cells sitting in the back. Zero to 60 in the Roadster is about twice as fast as the Integra, and the smoothness of the Roadster's drive train just can't be beat with any gas car. I love the Roadster's one-pedal driving. Between that and the size (I tell people you don't get into the car, you put it on), the Roadster becomes part of you, or you part of it. Hard to tell which it is. It's eery and fun at the same time. The cabin tech in the Roadster is a significant upgrade too, comparing to the Integra. Yes, it's old and spartan by today's standards, but to me it was a big step up. Both cars were very comfortable; can't complain about either, even on trips. The Roadster is a lot lower, so defensive driving is a must. Mine, being gray, kind of disappears in the rain and fog, even with lights on. Total yearly costs between the two are probably about the same, oddly enough. The cost of "fuel" is heavily in the Roadster's favor, but it takes a lot of gas and oil changes to balance out the higher service costs for the Roadster (or any exotic sports car, for that matter). If it's any consolation, the Roadster is probably cheaper than most exotics in that regard.

As Electric Vehicles go, the Roadster has some limitations and some advantages. Since it pre-dates the various DC Fast Charging options, you are stuck with the relatively slow Level 2 charging speed. That means a bit more planning for longer trips (farther than one charge), but on the other hand, with over 200 miles of range, those trips for most are relatively rare. If this will be your only car, that could mean a rental or other transportation once in a while.

The final thing about the Roadster that you will never get in any other car are the looks and complements you will get when you're out on the road. My daughter and I drove to a relatives' for Christmas, a trip of only about 70 miles. She lost count of how many smiles and "thumbs up" and people whipping out their cameras we got in just the one trip. Totally made her day. This is the car that started it all. You can't replace that with anything else.

If you have the space and would like to tinker, the Integra might make for an interesting donor car for an EV conversion project. I considered that too. But I wouldn't not buy the Roadster because of it.

I

Wow, that picture is almost spooky... What year is your Integra? Looks to be in fine shape!

I had a '94 Integra GS-R for, what, 16 years. Bought new, sold it last July. 268k happy miles on it. Bought my Roadster at the end of 2014, so there was about 18 months of overlap when I had both cars.

The Integra does have some advantages over the Roadster. Space, obviously, was one. Seated 4, with room in the back for substantial luggage. Handled well, and was pretty reliable too. My engine developed a hole in the head at about 240k miles, and (long, sorted story) I ended up putting a used engine in it. But other than that, it pretty much just ran. I seriously looked into replacing it with another new car instead of fixing it, but nothing really hit me right. Closest was probably the Honda Civic Si. Glad I didn't get it, as it would have drained the funds I used to buy the Roadster.

The Roadster, however, is a much different car. It sometimes feels heavier, of course, with the lack of power steering. Sort of like my prior car, a '72 Datsun 240Z. But the Z was a lot lighter feeling in turns, which is expected since it didn't have 6,831 battery cells sitting in the back. Zero to 60 in the Roadster is about twice as fast as the Integra, and the smoothness of the Roadster's drive train just can't be beat with any gas car. I love the Roadster's one-pedal driving. Between that and the size (I tell people you don't get into the car, you put it on), the Roadster becomes part of you, or you part of it. Hard to tell which it is. It's eery and fun at the same time. The cabin tech in the Roadster is a significant upgrade too, comparing to the Integra. Yes, it's old and spartan by today's standards, but to me it was a big step up. Both cars were very comfortable; can't complain about either, even on trips. The Roadster is a lot lower, so defensive driving is a must. Mine, being gray, kind of disappears in the rain and fog, even with lights on. Total yearly costs between the two are probably about the same, oddly enough. The cost of "fuel" is heavily in the Roadster's favor, but it takes a lot of gas and oil changes to balance out the higher service costs for the Roadster (or any exotic sports car, for that matter). If it's any consolation, the Roadster is probably cheaper than most exotics in that regard.

As Electric Vehicles go, the Roadster has some limitations and some advantages. Since it pre-dates the various DC Fast Charging options, you are stuck with the relatively slow Level 2 charging speed. That means a bit more planning for longer trips (farther than one charge), but on the other hand, with over 200 miles of range, those trips for most are relatively rare. If this will be your only car, that could mean a rental or other transportation once in a while.

The final thing about the Roadster that you will never get in any other car are the looks and complements you will get when you're out on the road. My daughter and I drove to a relatives' for Christmas, a trip of only about 70 miles. She lost count of how many smiles and "thumbs up" and people whipping out their cameras we got in just the one trip. Totally made her day. This is the car that started it all. You can't replace that with anything else.

If you have the space and would like to tinker, the Integra might make for an interesting donor car for an EV conversion project. I considered that too. But I wouldn't not buy the Roadster because of it.

Same year as yours, 94 Integra RS. Guess I've gotta find some Roadsters for sale near Tallahassee, Florida or at least somewhere in the state/close to the state to take on a test drive.