Would you trade your Roadster in on the new Roadster?

[John W. Ratcliff]

Elon just tweeted again about the new Roadster. His tweet stating that it will be a true convertible. This is all great, and got my heart beating quickly, but it raises a few questions.

First, would most Roadster owners be interested in trading in their existing car for the new one (assuming they could afford it)? My gut feeling is that the new Roadster will be in the $150k price range, putting it in the ballpark of the Audi R8. But, that's just a random guess.

Maintaining the existing Roadsters is continuing to be an ongoing problem for Tesla. They don't want to abandon the existing owners, both for public-relations reasons and, I guess, just because Elon is a good guy.

That said, it would make Tesla's life a lot easier if they didn't have to keep maintaining these old vehicles.

My hope, is that they would offer a special program, giving preferential treatment to existing Roadster owners if they trade-in for the new one.

Of course, they have never said anything like this, so this is just purely hope and speculation on my part. That said, if we keep repeating the suggestion strongly enough, maybe it will filter up to the executives at Tesla and become part of their discussion.

If they would even announce something like 'existing Roadster owners will be first in line for the new one so long as they trade in their vehicle', that would definitely factor into my decision making process.

 

[dhrivnak]

It would have to be a good promotion to get me to part with mine. I have resigned myself to maintaining it myself so as long as I can buy/rebuild parts from somewhere I am OK. I keep hoping the original Roadster will become a classic.

 

[PowerSource]

no IMO the roadster (to this day) is the best looking Tesla vehicle produced. I am not a huge fan of the current design language. Hopefully Tesla continues to offer the 3.0 battery for the "classic roadsters" and we can keep motoring on for the next 15 years.

 

[spaceballs]

...
That said, it would make Tesla's life a lot easier if they didn't have to keep maintaining these old vehicles.

My hope, is that they would offer a special program, giving preferential treatment to existing Roadster owners if they trade-in for the new one.
...

And what would they do with the original roadsters, destroy them? Sounds like PR nightmare to me.

 

[John W. Ratcliff]

>>And what would they do with the original roadsters, destroy them? Sounds like PR nightmare to me.

I fully predict that most roadsters will be in car museums in about 10-20 years. They are going to be the new Model-T.

 

[sethr]

I would trade only if the new Roadster is essentially the same, just with improvements like all liquid cooled, maybe a folding hardtop, and no problems with sills and the like. Oh, and Supercharger capable! But if it's a mini-S, ie: power steering, big info screen, autosteering/braking, and other "luxury" features, no thanks. I love that the Roadster is a true sports car. And I agree with PowerSource; I'm not impressed with the current design language - recently, someone called my Roadster "poetry in motion".

 

[gregd]

Trade in the current Roadster? No. There's something about having one of the original cars that just appeals to me, even if (or, as Sethr notes, especially if) the new ones are all tech-ed up. The only thing I really miss in my Roadster is not having Supercharging.

Now, would I get a new Roadster to replace our other car? Possibly! I was hoping, however, that the new Roadster would use the Falcon Wing doors from the MX... If you're going to have Maximum Plaid drive, you might as well mix metaphors and channel your inner Delorean time machine.

 

[ecarfan]

Depends. For now, I just want Tesla to ensure that there is an adequate supply of PEMs and critical parts on hand.

 

[MileHighMotoring]

It would cost them $150M to dispose of all the Roadsters, so that's never going to happen. They've explicitly stated they'll service them in perpetuity so I don't expect that'll ever change, although we've already seen parts and expertise shortages and that's going to get a lot worse as time goes on. I just got a windshield replaced today and it took seven months for them to find one.

Also, I expect the new Roadster is many years away. They have the Model 3 coming out "this year" which means 2018 and 2019 will be all Model 3 to Tesla. They're also announcing the new Semi truck, and Model Y which is a small SUV I believe. The Roadster is an afterthought at this point, and I'd be surprised if we see it on the road in less than five years. So while this is a fun thought experiment, it's a long ways away from being something you even need to begin thinking about.

The important thing for owners is to stay here on this forum supporting each other, keeping our own knowledgebase vibrant. Together we can keep these beauties on the road evermore

 

[bolosky]

I doubt I'd trade mine, though I might keep the current one and also get a new one.

Like others, there's really a limited set of changes that I'd make to the Roadster. First, I'd move the battery to be flat in the floor like the other Teslas. And supercharging. Good enough cooling that it doesn't crap out after a few minutes of track driving. A frunk. I'd be happy with a screen-based info/nav system. A TPMS that doesn't require a prescription for blood pressure medication. Access with an app to check on charging, unlock, etc. Tesla-style keys. Decent headlights. An AM radio that works. And of course, maximum plaid speed (which at this point means < 2.0s 0-60, given the very high bar set by the top of the line S).

What I DON'T want: A bigger car, power steering (and with it auto everything), styling that's tame like the rest of the Teslas, back seats.

I could go either way on aluminum or carbon fiber body, battery capacity bigger than the 3.0 battery (at least when it's new), automatic emergency braking.

 

[ViperDoc]

I would be hesitant to trade in mine, as I love it, and it was so great to be part of the early Tesla. But given the issues with on-going support, the "right" Roadster would clearly tempt me as I think the expense of out-of-warranty repairs is likely going to make keeping mine going prohibitive at some point. What would I like to see? 1. all wheel drive, 2. flat undercarriage battery to get a bit more trunk space, 3. supercharging (should really be number 1), 4. TPMS that simply works, 5. better soundproofing, 6. no dirt on the sills, 7. better console for radio/navigation/etc more like the Model S. As others have said, I don't want want a much bigger car, power steering or those sorts of things. The only hi-tech from the Model S/X I'd love to see would be the Autopilot/safety features for those long drives that supercharging would allow for.

 

[walla2]

From my cold dead hands . . . But both would be a nice touch.

 

[Johann Koeber]

Definitely want a new roadster with more modern features - quicker, safer, just better.

The classic roadster appeals to me for other reasons, which put me in the keep forever camp.

 

[ecarfan]

The Roadster is an afterthought at this point, and I'd be surprised if we see it on the road in less than five years.

I agree. I am sure that Elon wants to build a new version of the Roadster. He likely has a soft spot for the car and what it represents to Tesla. But Tesla remains a relatively small car manufacturer. Ramping up Model 3 production, putting the Model Y into production, developing the Semi and the pickup truck and the small bus vehicle, building out the Supercharger network and Service Centers, that is an extremely ambitious agenda for a company like Tesla (and I haven't even mentioned Tesla Energy). The next Roadster is not even in the SMP Part Deux. It's a footnote in Tesla's master plan. Any speculation that it might be a reality in less than 5 years is, I think, unrealistic.

 

[bonnie]

I just got a windshield replaced today and it took seven months for them to find one.

A large rock hit my Roadster windshield last August on my drive up to the PNW. I called the Tigard service center (first interaction with them) & they replaced it for me the following week.

Maybe I got the last one? Sorry ... it's a nice one, though.

 

[Carl W]

Great question, John. I certainly want a test drive in the new Roadster but I agree with the other posts here to keep the new Roadster small and relatively simple. Agree with most of ViperDoc's wishes. I'm certain it will be incredibly quick, and perhaps approaching the point of being dangerously quick. Accelerating over twice as fast as my Roadster is perhaps possible, yet at what point is it too much (for normal consumers)? I worry about the design language of it. In my opinion, the Model S was gorgeous when it was introduced and remains a beautiful car. Clearly at some point, it needs a major refresh. However I'm disappointed that the model 3 looks exactly like the model S except a bit smaller. The model X looks just like a model S if you inflated it. I sure don't want a Roadster that looks like a shrunken model S.

Anyone see the Brady Bunch movie years ago? The only thing in it that I found consistently funny was that every building that Mike (the dad architect) designed looked exactly like his house (that he had designed). If you click on this link and then go to 19:45 into the movie, you'll see one of these scenes. Then again at 31.30 and 46:15.

So I hope that Tesla breaks away on the next Roadster and in general takes some risks. Currently I'm awed every time I see my Roadster.

 

[John W. Ratcliff]

It sounds like many here would want to keep their Roadster if not own both of them. I cannot, from a practical standpoint, own two non-daily driver sports cars, so I guess that's why, to me, it feels more like a choice.

Also, there's probably going to be a huge price difference. My gut feeling is that the new Roadster will probably price out in the $150k price range, comparable to an Audi R8. But that's just a guess.

I paid $70k for my Roadster, which is by far the most expensive car I have ever owned in my life. Moving up to 150k would be a major step up for me, so I couldn't realistically afford it unless, say my TSLA and/or bitcoin investments keep doing well.

I can't imagine that Elon would do some boring design for the new Roadster. There are too many stunning cars out there he is going to want to compete with, not just from a performance standpoint, but visually as well. So, I doubt it's going to look like a boring BMW, Lexus, etc. I figure something with a lot more style.

I also tend to swap out my sports cars every couple of years. I'm 56 years old and I've now owned 22 sports cars in my life. I love variety.

However, after the Roadster, I'm kind of determined that I'm never going to buy another non-electric sports car again. Today, that limits my options to the Tesla Roadster, and *only* the Tesla Roadster (not counting some multi-million dollar hypercar).

I'm not necessarily married to Tesla either. If BMW or somebody else comes out with a killer all electric convertible sports car first, I would certainly seriously consider it. But, really, I'm hoping for Elon to make the new Roadster in a couple of years.

 

[Galve2000]

Anyone see the Brady Bunch movie years ago? The only thing in it that I found consistently funny was that every building that Mike (the dad architect) designed looked exactly like his house (that he had designed)

I remember that episode.. LOL.. tool funny!

 

[bobinfla]

Assuming they make the new Roadster as cool as I would envision, I definitely want one. But I don't think I'd want to part with my current Roadster. So since I already have a reservation in for a Model 3, that will make the new Roadster my 5th Tesla. I really should look into collecting stamps or coins instead of Teslas.

 

[strider]

I strongly believe the next Roadster will be much closer to a 911 in size/luxury than the current Roadster. The market is just way too small for such a narrowly-focused machine. Yes, we like them but we're a bit biased. We are also a very small number and not worth the development effort. Tesla needs people to cross-shop the new Roadster against 911s. R8s, etc. Those are the people w/ the budgets to buy a new Roadster.

Elon has promised Maximum Plaid power for the next Roadster. I hope he delivers. I also want the creature comforts of the Model S. Screen, nav, remote climate control, etc.

My thinking is that they could stuff the SP100DL drivetrain into a lightly modified Model 3 chassis with lightweight Roadster body. They could stuff the extra batteries where the back seat/trunk would be (being mindful of CoG of course). This could mean that the engineering challenges aren't that great and we could see the car in the next couple years.

We are on the fence about our Model 3 reservation, especially now that they've pushed the PD models out a year. Since we've moved and I work from home we don't really need another 4-door car. If we get the Model 3 we'll keep the Roadster. If we don't and instead get a new Roadster I don't know if we'll keep the old one or not.