Tesla Roadster

Joe Whip

Well-Known Member
Feb 8, 2014
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Probably a tad more upscale in some cases !

Yeah, like our Model S. The new Roadster is a bit rich for our blood. I hope it is bigger inside than the first one. Saw one the other day in person. Really small. Not for long haul driving.
 

christoph

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Dec 11, 2015
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Yeah, like our Model S. The new Roadster is a bit rich for our blood. I hope it is bigger inside than the first one. Saw one the other day in person. Really small. Not for long haul driving.

The first tesla Roadster is based on a Lotus Elise, which is REALLY small.
I really like the new Tesla Roadster but it is unobtainable for me pricewise :(
I hope my C7 Stingray lasts long enough until Tesla comes out with a more affordable version of the Roadster :rolleyes:
 

Bruce B

WBF Founding Member, Pro Audio Production Member
Apr 25, 2010
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I'm with Mike on this one. I don't think I drove my AMG 1500 miles this year. The miles I did drive certainly put a smile on my face though!! I'm sure Christian can attest to this as well with his Ferrari's.
 

zztop7

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Dec 12, 2012
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plus a $245,000 wire transfer payment due in 10 days.

plus a $245,000 wire transfer payment due in 10 days. / Roadster reservations require an initial $5,000 credit card payment,

In 2 or 3 years your $1/4 million deposit might be thin air, and no car delivered.

The great acceleration #s were done with a car with the minimum amount of battery [weight] in order to record the #s.

EV tax freebies are going away; not good for the business model [good for hard working taxpayers].

zz.
 

Mike Lavigne

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
Apr 25, 2010
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plus a $245,000 wire transfer payment due in 10 days. / Roadster reservations require an initial $5,000 credit card payment,

In 2 or 3 years your $1/4 million deposit might be thin air, and no car delivered.

The great acceleration #s were done with a car with the minimum amount of battery [weight] in order to record the #s.

EV tax freebies are going away; not good for the business model [good for hard working taxpayers].

zz.

question; how do you fund the Model 3 production trainwreck?

answer; slight of hand sports car diversion with deposits.

lots of faith being asked for......let's see how much gets delivered.

building cars devours huge amounts of cash, something now being fully realized.
 

KeithR

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May 7, 2010
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question; how do you fund the Model 3 production trainwreck?

answer; slight of hand sports car diversion with deposits.

lots of faith being asked for......let's see how much gets delivered.

building cars devours huge amounts of cash, something now being fully realized.

I think the early reports by some press members of the model 3 "QC issues" were really glossed over. I mean, panels that weren't plumb and stuff shouldn't be on any car for review. GM would be excoriated for the equivalent issues.
 

DaveC

Industry Expert
Nov 16, 2014
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Teslas are only fast for a very short duration... meaning they are totally unsuitable for track use and won't do a single lap at the Nurburgring without overheating.

The speeds they get from the cars require the batteries to be heated to a certain temperature, then they overheat very quickly... and this may severely reduce the life of the battery.

I have no problem with this except for the fact Elon bills his cars as "green" when in fact they are incredibly energy intensive to build with massive environmental impacts involved in their production, all with a huge tax subsidy for the people who buy these toys.

I think this new Tesla is the antithesis of what mfg'ers should be going for with electric vehicles. It's a toy, a numbers queen that can never keep up with a real car in the real world. It is no better environmentally than any other supercar, probably much worse considering the low miles most put on supercars.
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
I'm with Mike on this one. I don't think I drove my AMG 1500 miles this year. The miles I did drive certainly put a smile on my face though!! I'm sure Christian can attest to this as well with his Ferrari's.

I bought my AMG to drive.

I love it, Drives great

As for the Model 3 fiasco good points about raising capital however he will deliver. Mike, Musk's game plan clearly irritates you but it is reality. As for deposits becoming vaporware IMO that will never happen because if it did it would be the death knell for Tesla.

This roadster will be available to the few in number who will do just as Mike said. However IMO the dwelling on the miles to recharge is nothing more than showing everyone that this battery pack is the real deal and will go farther than any high end car. That's reality and that is the direction we are headed IMHO

Sadly there is such a tumult when people discuss electric cars but the reality is this IS the future and the ICE will become a thing of the past. At that point owners will become hoarders of gasoline much as we saw in the Mad Max movies
 

Mike Lavigne

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I bought my AMG to drive.

I love it, Drives great

daily driver depreciation percentages are livable (at 12k-15k miles per year) under about $110 to $120k. over that it becomes prohibitive.

look for a 15k miles per year 2 or 3 year old 911 for sale. they don't exist. leases allow for 7500-15,000 miles for three years. and most of these are under $130k MSRP. I don't know your exact AMG. but you don't commute, and just go to the club a mile away most days. 6k-7k miles a year? right?

once super exotics get over $200k likely they sit inside a garage next to one or two (or 5) other trophy cars.....none of which have more than 2000 miles.

and their acquisition mirrors the stock market trends.

that is how things have evolved. people use their big boats or one of their other residences, but their toy cars mostly sit.
 

NorthStar

Member
Feb 8, 2011
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Mike I really like the points you bring; they are realistic, from smart experience, shining additional light on Tesla, on the Roadster, on Elon Musk, on the future of the car industry, electric all, etc.

I try my best to remain realistic and practical; to research and analyse the pros and cons, the overall impact on the people of this planet; them, and us.

Right now, to me, the Tesla Roadster is an invisible dream, a superfluous luxury item. It does not augur so kind and smart for mankind.

Anyway, the Model 3 is a better point of focus. So yes I agree, the Roadster is the cash generator so much needed for it. I cannot predict the future, only envision it. There are many challenges ahead; but I'm glad to see the competition from other car manufacturers intensifying towards a better future.

A quarter million car is for Hollywood's film producers and executives working in the banking industry.
 

Folsom

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Oct 25, 2015
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I am the type who would probably drive an exotic into depreciation... but DaveC brings up a very valid point, the Tesla is almost a gimmick. The fact that you can only floor it once in awhile is a bit irritating. The numbers are unreal compared to gas cars. It is the fastest car in the world IMO, because top speed is meaningless. Being geared with the power to hit a high top speed isn't very interesting since you basically never get the chance to try it... Where as acceleration you can use whenever it's not wet out! And the Tesla shames the new Charger which was going to be the fastest acceleration production car to date. If you don't understand how fast 8.8 1.4 mile is, well... I can't really explain it well. You're going to poop your pants.
 

Empirical Audio

Industry Expert
Oct 12, 2017
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Great Pacific Northwest
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Teslas are only fast for a very short duration... meaning they are totally unsuitable for track use and won't do a single lap at the Nurburgring without overheating.

The speeds they get from the cars require the batteries to be heated to a certain temperature, then they overheat very quickly... and this may severely reduce the life of the battery.

I have no problem with this except for the fact Elon bills his cars as "green" when in fact they are incredibly energy intensive to build with massive environmental impacts involved in their production, all with a huge tax subsidy for the people who buy these toys.

I think this new Tesla is the antithesis of what mfg'ers should be going for with electric vehicles. It's a toy, a numbers queen that can never keep up with a real car in the real world. It is no better environmentally than any other supercar, probably much worse considering the low miles most put on supercars.

Why are you even posting here if your mind is already made up? Have you ever driven a Model S?

Steve N.
 

DaveC

Industry Expert
Nov 16, 2014
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Why are you even posting here if your mind is already made up? Have you ever driven a Model S?

Steve N.

Srsly? I can't have an opinion because I have never driven a Tesla?

I'm just trying to add some real, honest info to these threads as most seem to be wearing rose colored glasses wrt Tesla products and both their environmental and performance cred, both of which are massively overrated. Not IMO, it's simple fact.
 

Empirical Audio

Industry Expert
Oct 12, 2017
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I am the type who would probably drive an exotic into depreciation... but DaveC brings up a very valid point, the Tesla is almost a gimmick. The fact that you can only floor it once in awhile is a bit irritating. The numbers are unreal compared to gas cars. It is the fastest car in the world IMO, because top speed is meaningless. Being geared with the power to hit a high top speed isn't very interesting since you basically never get the chance to try it... Where as acceleration you can use whenever it's not wet out! And the Tesla shames the new Charger which was going to be the fastest acceleration production car to date. If you don't understand how fast 8.8 1.4 mile is, well... I can't really explain it well. You're going to poop your pants.

I don't have a "P" series and I plan to drive my S90D for 30 years. I'll probably get an upgraded battery pack in 20 years, which will give me more range than 300 miles. I have not needed more range actually. I get rigor-mortise sitting in a car for more than about 2.5 hours anyway. Chargers are about every 100 miles or so. As for acceleration, 4.2 seconds is fast enough to pass any truck or several trucks even. They ticket you here for going over the limit when passing. Stupid....

Steve N.
Empirical Audio
 

DaveC

Industry Expert
Nov 16, 2014
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I don't have a "P" series and I plan to drive my S90D for 30 years. I'll probably get an upgraded battery pack in 20 years, which will give me more range than 300 miles. I have not needed more range actually. I get rigor-mortise sitting in a car for more than about 2.5 hours anyway. Chargers are about every 100 miles or so. As for acceleration, 4.2 seconds is fast enough to pass any truck or several trucks even. They ticket you here for going over the limit when passing. Stupid....

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

Lol, you should do some research on how long Li batteries last. 20 years? Ha! You've drank gallons of Elon's kool aid.
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
daily driver depreciation percentages are livable (at 12k-15k miles per year) under about $110 to $120k. over that it becomes prohibitive.

look for a 15k miles per year 2 or 3 year old 911 for sale. they don't exist. leases allow for 7500-15,000 miles for three years. and most of these are under $130k MSRP. I don't know your exact AMG. but you don't commute, and just go to the club a mile away most days. 6k-7k miles a year? right?

once super exotics get over $200k likely they sit inside a garage next to one or two (or 5) other trophy cars.....none of which have more than 2000 miles.

and their acquisition mirrors the stock market trends.

that is how things have evolved. people use their big boats or one of their other residences, but their toy cars mostly sit.

Mike

you really have a way to take the fun out of driving

I drive my car daily because I love doing such and really don't care about the depreciation or the other stuff you do to justify why you only drive a few miles a year in your car.

The way you describe your driving pleasure is like being locked into a lease where you count your miles and wear and tear. Not my cup of tea Mike. If that floats your boat, then I'm all for it

As for resales I never buy used, always new
 

Ron Resnick

Site Co-Owner, Administrator
Jan 24, 2015
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I like sports cars and I like convertibles. I found the original Elise-size Tesla roadster absurdly small.

Not that I am tall, but I always found even the genre of the BMW Z4, Audi TT, Porsche Boxster/Cayman, MB SLK on the uncomfortably small side.

I love the MB SL because it is a big (I think the biggest) 2 seater, yet it is small on the outside. A full convertible is surprisingly flexible. With the top down I have brought home big, tall boxes in the passenger seat which I would've never been able to fit in a 4 door sedan.

My 2003 360 convertible has less than 6,000 miles on the odometer.
 

Ron Resnick

Site Co-Owner, Administrator
Jan 24, 2015
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I have never really understood why Teslas are considered "green" and less bad for the environment than cars with internal combustion engines. Sure, no stinky exhaust comes out of the back of the Tesla, but aren't we just trading those gas engine micro-polluters for more exhaust coming out of the macro-polluting coal-fired power plants? (I don't know -- I am asking.)

If we wanted to achieve a net improvement for the environment wouldn't we be powering cars with natural gas?
 

Mike Lavigne

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
Apr 25, 2010
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Mike

you really have a way to take the fun out of driving

I drive my car daily because I love doing such and really don't care about the depreciation or the other stuff you do to justify why you only drive a few miles a year in your car.

The way you describe your driving pleasure is like being locked into a lease where you count your miles and wear and tear. Not my cup of tea Mike. If that floats your boat, then I'm all for it

As for resales I never buy used, always new

reality. not saying you live in it. but it is what really happens.

sure; there is a small subset of people who just buy something and drive it without a thought to the numbers. or at least tell us that is what they do.
 

DaveC

Industry Expert
Nov 16, 2014
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I have never really understood why Teslas are considered "green" and less bad for the environment than cars with internal combustion engines. Sure, no stinky exhaust comes out of the back of the Tesla, but aren't we just trading those gas engine micro-polluters for more exhaust coming out of the macro-polluting coal-fired power plants? (I don't know -- I am asking.)

If we wanted to achieve a net improvement for the environment wouldn't we be powering cars with natural gas?

NG is better but has storage/safety/refuleing issues. Still, it is used in many fleet vehicles including big trucks.

E85 is another option, corn ethanol is close to carbon neutral.

If you use a coal fired power plant to recharge an electric car it is worse vs a traditional car. With renewables it starts to look much better and the impact might be about half of a comparable ice vehicle as far as CO2, but there's still issues with environmental impacts and expense of electric cars than need to be solved before they are really the solution that they (Tesla) claim it to be. It is the future of autos though, no doubt about it and it will get better.
 

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