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Used Roadster buying experience

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This is a long overdue post about my experience of buying a used Roadster. It all began on a Saturday afternoon last July when I went into the Menlo Park Tesla dealer to see if my two younger kids will fit in the third row of the Model S. I had reserved earlier in the year and was preparing myself for the big purchase. While I was waiting to talk to a sales staff, I took a seat in one of the first certified used Roadsters, a silver 2.0. As soon as I did, I got the attention of Dan, an assistant manager who offered me a test drive. He said he was sorry that they did not have a third row equipped MS on hand but if I came back the next day, he’d let me take the roadster for a spin. I told him I’d think about it. Well, think I did, all afternoon. I gave Dan a call later that day and he set up a time the next morning. Kyle met me at the dealership and let me have the key solo and told me to bring it back whenever. Well, you know how this turns out. Needless to say, I was completely blown away.

I got busy at work after that day but over the next several weeks, I never stopped thinking about the Roadster. My only reservation was the 2.0 body style. I much preferred the 2.5 nose. So one my curiosity lead me to the forums and I came across the “Tesla for sale” thread. Wow, all the available Roadsters listed in one place. And there just happened to be a white 2.5 available in Newport Beach. I decided to get in touch with the seller and he still had it. I did some additional searching but this was the one that I really liked. White with all the carbon inside and out, black interior with orange trim and black forged rims. This was perfect.

I talked to the owner, checked the title, talked to the dealer down there and confirmed that everything was legit. Then, I was introduced to Jose Andrade of C&R Towing by the main mechanic at the dealer. I had asked about the best way to transport the Roadster from Newport Beach to Menlo Park. Jose turned out to be the key reason I decided to go through with the purchase and made the experience a positive one. When I called him, he was immediately helpful and understanding of my unease. He reassured me and addressed my concerns about making such a big purchase over a long distance. I was still busy at work and did not have time to travel. I knew I was taking a risk but I talked to enough people and convinced myself this was ok. Jose even offered to check the car when he picked it up. Well, I guess I got lucky. One early morning last August, Jose picked up the Roadster at the owner’s house in Newport Beach. He emailed me photos from his phone. He was concerned about the slight scratches on the underside of the front airdam. I knew I’ll do more damage to that part of the car so I told him to go for it. Later that evening, he drove up to my house in his flatbed with a beautiful white Roadster!

My two older kids were at home when Jose drove up. The long sleek flatbed with the compact Roadster on the back looked impressive. The truck was white with very few markings. The white truck and the white Roadster seemed to be somehow related. The kids were so excited they started running around in circles. I was a little worried about the low front clearance and how Jose would unload the car but I needed not worry. He was a professional with a very advanced flatbed, a specially made vehicle for transporting high-end cars. He effortlessly tilted, lowered, and drove the car off the bed in a matter of minutes. It was obvious he’s done this many times. I thanked him, wrote him a check, we shook hands and he was on his way. The immaculate white Roadster sat silently on my driveway.
 
Some photos from the big day

flatbed2.jpg

the arrival

flatbed.jpg

Jose and his machine

tilt.jpg

right tool for the job

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At the dealer for initial checkup
 
Congrats! Just needs some white HOV stickers on the rear!

BTW, What can you tell us about CPO pricing from Tesla? The guy you spoke to, Dan, is apparently the guy. A lot of people inquire about pricing and I don't know what to tell them other than the range seems to be $75K to $110K through Tesla, but that may be just for the ones they have on hand right now.
 
Thanks! After living with the Roadster for the past few months, I've come to really appreciate the advancement that Tesla brought to automobiles. They are the only company with enough courage to go pure electric. I can't drive ICE cars anymore without thinking how archaic they are. Shift?! The poor ICE has no band width.

BTW, What can you tell us about CPO pricing from Tesla? The guy you spoke to, Dan, is apparently the guy. A lot of people inquire about pricing and I don't know what to tell them other than the range seems to be $75K to $110K through Tesla, but that may be just for the ones they have on hand right now.

The silver 2.0 that I saw was in the mid $90's I think. It had fairly low miles, like 3k or there abouts. I got the one sheet info but I didn't keep it. It was very clean, not driven much, non sport, no carbon. I was glad I waited and got the 2.5 with full carbon by paying less than 10k more. I really like the new nose design.

I noticed some of you have both the Roadster and Model S. Arguments for/against keeping mine when my MS arrives? (which is any day now) My garage holds two but is currently occupied by my TR and wife's BMW 3. I love the TR because it's such a commitment and rare. On the other hand, the S is infinitely more practical while not giving up on power. Decisions...
 
I noticed some of you have both the Roadster and Model S. Arguments for/against keeping mine when my MS arrives? (which is any day now) My garage holds two but is currently occupied by my TR and wife's BMW 3. I love the TR because it's such a commitment and rare. On the other hand, the S is infinitely more practical while not giving up on power. Decisions...
As the thread ChadS pointed you to they are quite different cars. We got the Roadster so I could use the HoV lane while the Model S was being developed. My wife has been a dyed-in-the-wool SUV girl so we reserved Model S with the idea that if she loved it then she would drive it (she takes the baby to on-site day care at her work so needs a car-seat friendly car) and I would keep the Roadster. If she decided she couldn't live without her Jeep then I would sell the Roadster and drive Model S. You can see what she chose :) But Model S is a big car - your wife may not like moving to it from a 3-series.
 
Welcome! I too got a used white roadster since I wasn't happy with the white 2.5s that Tesla had in stock and didn't want to wait a couple of months for a custom build.
The previous owner lived in Dallas Texas and only drove it 490 miles before giving it up so I was happy that I had found it on the internet. I was lucky that the battery was
cared for properly since who knows what the dealers do it while it's sitting there. I'm also more partial to the 1.5/2.0 noses - it looks more "aggressive" than the 2.5s and less
"fishy" ;D

Sell the BMW and give the MS to your wife - you can't fit your whole family in a 3 series anyways ;)
 
Thanks for the suggestions.
I am a sports car guy so I really love the Roadster. The problem is that I have 3 kids and I actually don't drive it much on the weekends. I also started riding my bike to work. We have a van and my wife has the 3. So, ideally we get rid of the van but it's AWD and we like to go to Tahoe a lot. It's also 8 years old so we can leave it on the street. Maybe get rid of the 3 but like strider says, the S is a big car and she loves the 3 for its handling and compactness. Bottom line, we have too many cars. I have to sacrifice something and as much as I want to keep the Roadster, I'm probably going to have to sell it. So sad. In a perfect world, we'd just have the Teslas. Get rid of the ICE cars and be at peace with myself.
Maybe some of you have a suggestion as to how I can convince my wife to trade up to the S? You never know, maybe she will like it despite the heft.
BTW, I'm picking up the S tomorrow. Woohoooo!!!