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New Owner! Roadster #629

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Hi everyone!

After a lot of searching, questions, and missed auctions, I have finally purchased a Roadster! It is Roadster #629, a 2010 Sport. I bought it from Texas Direct Auto. They have been surprisingly good to work with so far. I'll update my feedback on them when the car finally arrives here in NC.

The car has:
Sport package
Premium Paint
Hard top
Forged wheels
Premium Interior
HPWC

Quick questions...
1. I left Texas with the battery just below 50%. It will be picked up by the shipping company next Thursday or later. How important is it to get the car fully charged before shipping from Texas to NC? Charging is going to be complicated, since the 110 cable doesn't work and the car doesn't have a UMC.

2. Anyone know the previous owner, and if they are still on here? I'm curious about their history with the car.

3. Do all roadsters have sun visors? I don't remember seeing them on other Roadsters I've driven.

4. Funny thing: I bought OVMS for it, then when I got to Texas, there was an OVMS on the car already...

5. There's what looks like a 12V battery charger connection under the hood on the passenger side. Maybe the previous owner added a connection for a trickle charger on the aux battery?

6. Do all roadsters have braided brake lines? Or has this car had its brakes upgraded?

7. For charging, my plan is to order a CAN SR plus a Model S UMC. I'll probably sell the HPWC since I currently live in an apartment building and only have NEMA 14-50 for charging.

Thanks!

I'm really looking forward to it arriving here and getting to drive it more!

- - - Updated - - -

Also, how is this car so inexpensive to insure? It cost me less than $200 / 6 months to add it to my current policy with Geico. Amazing!
 

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Congratulations @n2mb, and welcome to the club!

I don't have answers to questions really, but I've had that same reaction on the insurance as you've had. My theory is that the insurance companies don't understand how expensive a panel repair (replacement) is, and there aren't enough total cars to provide them with data.

Yes - I believe that all Roadsters have a sun visor. Many reclaim that inch of vision and "open up" the cabin by pulling that itty bitty thing off (it slides towards the rear view mirror and eventually pops off).


I'm charging my car using the Roadster UMC, but looking forward to Model X and thinking that your plan of a Model S/X UMC with Can SR is going to be a good way to handle things.
 
I agree with adiggs - the insurance companies don't know what they're dealing with here.

Looks like you're getting a rate about half of what I am getting from State Farm. That said, I am having a horrible experience dealing with Geico on my totaled VIN 76. They are being incredibly dense about the value of the car, and are trying to get me to settle for about half of what it was worth.
 
I agree with adiggs - the insurance companies don't know what they're dealing with here.

Looks like you're getting a rate about half of what I am getting from State Farm. That said, I am having a horrible experience dealing with Geico on my totaled VIN 76. They are being incredibly dense about the value of the car, and are trying to get me to settle for about half of what it was worth.

That's not good to hear. Are they offering enough to pay for #55 ?
 
Hi everyone!

Quick questions...
1. I left Texas with the battery just below 50%. It will be picked up by the shipping company next Thursday or later. How important is it to get the car fully charged before shipping from Texas to NC? Charging is going to be complicated, since the 110 cable doesn't work and the car doesn't have a UMC.

-----

3. Do all roadsters have sun visors? I don't remember seeing them on other Roadsters I've driven.

I can answer two of them. On #1 you are good for at least a month and likely 3 months on a half charge. On a fully battery I calculate almost 6 months with my 1.5, just don't forget to charge or it will be expensive.

On #3 the sun visor should be there but they are small, less than 2" but surprising they seem to work for me.

The CAN SR and the CAN JR are both great additions and yes my insurance is quite reasonable.
 
Hi everyone!

After a lot of searching, questions, and missed auctions, I have finally purchased a Roadster! It is Roadster #629, a 2010 Sport. I bought it from Texas Direct Auto. They have been surprisingly good to work with so far. I'll update my feedback on them when the car finally arrives here in NC.

The car has:
Sport package
Premium Paint
Hard top
Forged wheels
Premium Interior
HPWC

Quick questions...
1. I left Texas with the battery just below 50%. It will be picked up by the shipping company next Thursday or later. How important is it to get the car fully charged before shipping from Texas to NC? Charging is going to be complicated, since the 110 cable doesn't work and the car doesn't have a UMC.

2. Anyone know the previous owner, and if they are still on here? I'm curious about their history with the car.

3. Do all roadsters have sun visors? I don't remember seeing them on other Roadsters I've driven.

4. Funny thing: I bought OVMS for it, then when I got to Texas, there was an OVMS on the car already...

5. There's what looks like a 12V battery charger connection under the hood on the passenger side. Maybe the previous owner added a connection for a trickle charger on the aux battery?

6. Do all roadsters have braided brake lines? Or has this car had its brakes upgraded?

7. For charging, my plan is to order a CAN SR plus a Model S UMC. I'll probably sell the HPWC since I currently live in an apartment building and only have NEMA 14-50 for charging.

Thanks!

I'm really looking forward to it arriving here and getting to drive it more!

- - - Updated - - -

Also, how is this car so inexpensive to insure? It cost me less than $200 / 6 months to add it to my current policy with Geico. Amazing!

1. The charge should be fine for transport.

3. They do have visors and are very small but do the job.

4. What OVMS did you get. I was planning on buying one. PM me if you decide to sell yours, I may consider buying it.

7. The CAN and Model S UMC is going to run you $1500. But I think it is a good idea because the Roadster cables are bulky.

How are you guys getting such low insurance rates? I have Liberty Mutual and I pay $500/6 months!
 
Welcome to the family. :) We definitely need to have a roadster meetup once it arrives, since I'm just down in Apex and work near you in RTP. If you need a charge when it arrives, I have a 14-50 outlet in my garage and working UMC we can charge it up with. Or if we meet up somewhere I can bring the Can JR along with me.

Congrats on what looks like a great purchase! Oh, and the Raleigh dealership has been awesome to work with for parts, service, etc. so far..
 
1. I left Texas with the battery just below 50%. It will be picked up by the shipping company next Thursday or later. How important is it to get the car fully charged before shipping from Texas to NC? Charging is going to be complicated, since the 110 cable doesn't work and the car doesn't have a UMC.

You're probably OK with 50% charge but try to charge it higher if you can. In your garage it will last a several months on 50% charge but remember it will be on a truck for a few days. The Roadster has sensors that turn it on when it senses vibration or motion. The circulator pump runs when it's on which depletes the battery much quicker than when sitting still in your garage. If you can't charge it, have them pull the service plug for the battery. If it was near me I'd go and do it for you.

Also, how is this car so inexpensive to insure? It cost me less than $200 / 6 months to add it to my current policy with Geico. Amazing!

Geico doesn't pay their claims. I've heard stories like Curt's from a lot of Geico customers. I pay about $1,000 per year from The Hartford and got a similar quote from Liberty Mutual. Both companies are much easier to deal with than Geico. Just my .02
 
You're probably OK with 50% charge but try to charge it higher if you can. In your garage it will last a several months on 50% charge but remember it will be on a truck for a few days. The Roadster has sensors that turn it on when it senses vibration or motion. The circulator pump runs when it's on which depletes the battery much quicker than when sitting still in your garage. If you can't charge it, have them pull the service plug for the battery. If it was near me I'd go and do it for you.



Geico doesn't pay their claims. I've heard stories like Curt's from a lot of Geico customers. I pay about $1,000 per year from The Hartford and got a similar quote from Liberty Mutual. Both companies are much easier to deal with than Geico. Just my .02

Would that motion sensor not be disabled if you put it in Storage mode and/or Tow mode?

And OP, welcome to the club. Make sure to buy matching sunglasses, as people will look at you all the time :D
 
Thanks everyone! Texas Direct Auto was able to find another charging cable, so they are going to try charging it today.

- - - Updated - - -

4. What OVMS did you get. I was planning on buying one. PM me if you decide to sell yours, I may consider buying it.

7. The CAN and Model S UMC is going to run you $1500. But I think it is a good idea because the Roadster cables are bulky.

I bought the OVMS 2.0, but the car has the 1.0 on it already. I might swap in the 2.0 and sell the 1.0.

Yeah, I thought the combination of the CAN SR and the Model S would be smaller and more useful. I should be able to charge from Model S chargers at 70A, plus NEMA 14-50 and 110V outlets.

I'm also curious if the Model S J1772 adapter works with the CAN SR. If so, that would cover nearly every possible charging configuration with a minimum number of parts to carry.
 
Hi everyone!

After a lot of searching, questions, and missed auctions, I have finally purchased a Roadster! It is Roadster #629, a 2010 Sport. I bought it from Texas Direct Auto. They have been surprisingly good to work with so far. I'll update my feedback on them when the car finally arrives here in NC.

The car has:
Sport package
Premium Paint
Hard top
Forged wheels
Premium Interior
HPWC

Quick questions...
1. I left Texas with the battery just below 50%. It will be picked up by the shipping company next Thursday or later. How important is it to get the car fully charged before shipping from Texas to NC? Charging is going to be complicated, since the 110 cable doesn't work and the car doesn't have a UMC.

2. Anyone know the previous owner, and if they are still on here? I'm curious about their history with the car.

3. Do all roadsters have sun visors? I don't remember seeing them on other Roadsters I've driven.

4. Funny thing: I bought OVMS for it, then when I got to Texas, there was an OVMS on the car already...

5. There's what looks like a 12V battery charger connection under the hood on the passenger side. Maybe the previous owner added a connection for a trickle charger on the aux battery?

6. Do all roadsters have braided brake lines? Or has this car had its brakes upgraded?

7. For charging, my plan is to order a CAN SR plus a Model S UMC. I'll probably sell the HPWC since I currently live in an apartment building and only have NEMA 14-50 for charging.

Thanks!

I'm really looking forward to it arriving here and getting to drive it more!

- - - Updated - - -

Also, how is this car so inexpensive to insure? It cost me less than $200 / 6 months to add it to my current policy with Geico. Amazing!

Very pretty car. Enjoy it and welcome to the club.
 
6. Do all roadsters have braided brake lines? Or has this car had its brakes upgraded?
I just turned my rotors, replaced pads with Carbotech AX6s, and bled the brake lines last weekend. I was pleasantly surprised to see the braided steel brake lines on my 1.5. I'd hazard a guess they are standard. I'm amazed at how easy everything was to work on. And yes the Carbotech's are worth EVERY CENT over the stock pads!!
 
Oh man, I looked at that one on ebay when it popped up a couple of weeks ago. I just really don't want a dark color. If it had been electric blue or lightning green I would have been on my way to Houston to see it in person for sure.

Looks like you got a good deal, hope you enjoy it!
 
That's a beautiful car, @n2mb_racing . Congrats. I also bought my 1.5 from Texas Direct Auto - fascinating place. I flew there to consummate the Roadster purchase but almost came away with a Maserati or Harley - ya gotta see that place. They charged mine over the weekend before I went to confirm the Ideal Miles after a Standard Charge - 203 (it had only 2900 miles), though it's dropped a bit since.

I did purchase and install a Roadster HPWC. I bought a CAN-SR and a CAN-JR for when I'm out on longer runs - not sure about using the adapter for daily charging.

FYI State Farm is charging me $470 per 6 months, deductibles $100 for Comprehensive and $500 for Collision.

Have fun!!
 
I also bought my 1.5 from Texas Direct Auto - fascinating place. I flew there to consummate the Roadster purchase but almost came away with a Maserati or Harley - ya gotta see that place.

Early on in my Roadster shopping I took a hard look at an attractive Twilight Blue 1.5 at a good price from Texas Direct, and I emailed them some questions about it. It didn't seem like whoever responded knew much about the car or was willing to physically locate it on their vast grounds to collect the info. I did learn that it only had one key and no PIN code, but they assured me that my local Tesla Service Center could take care of those issues for me. Never mind that my local service center is 100+ miles away, while they have one right there in Houston. So... I got the impression that Texas Direct is largely a self-service outlet -- you pay less, and they do less. And that's fair. But... It wasn't really the experience I wanted. It might have been different if I was able to easily go there in person and check it out, but that wasn't too practical, and I chickened out.

Here's some irony... The car I eventually ended up getting (white 2.5) was considerably more expensive, came from much further away, and also came with only one key and no front license plate bracket. So, I ended up going to my local Tesla Service Center anyhow, where I spent five hours getting a new key made. (This unexpectedly turned out to require a new computer module, which required dismantling the whole dash!)

I'm overjoyed with the car I got, but in retrospect I have to say... I probably would have done Just Fine with the blue one if I'd gone for it.

EDIT: I just looked up my emails with Texas Direct, and yes.... The one I chickened out of buying was #467. Congrats, Strib!
 
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@tony - I'm so glad you didn't move forward with that- I love this car! But I've followed your posts and you have a real beaut! Rejoice! Sorry Texas Direct wasn't responsive for you.

True about the key - I had to go to the Fremont SC to get a new one. Actually got two. They programmed them, but I took them to a local locksmith to cut the blades - saved time and costs. My PIN was Default.

By the way @n2mb_racing.... before you register your car make a nice color Xerox of the Title / Pink Slip you got from Texas Direct. It shows the chain of title with name of prior owner. For mine I was able to connect with her (after some research) and we've exchanged a few nice emails. Then, when I registered in CA, the DMV kept, and refused to return, the old Title. Glad I'd already connected with the first owner.