Finally replacing the SC430
10-27-14, 12:44 PM
#1
Moderator
Thread Starter
Finally replacing the SC430
I've had my 2003 SC430 since Oct 2006, and loved the whole ownership experience.
However, it's now 11 years old...and over 120,000 miles on the odometer.
Time to look for something new. I considered a 2010 SC430, just to get a bump in tech. But, even though they did bump up the tech a bit, it still never got up to the level of something like the IS-C.
The IS-C was high on the list, but I felt it wasn't quite was I was looking for. I had 6 wonderful years in a luxury hardtop convertible "sporty" car. I wanted something with more performance, more handling, more of that, I don't know...car driving experience.
I'm 43 years old, and I tend to keep cars 6+ years. If I'm going to ever own an impractical, no-compromise SPORTS car, this is very likely my last opportunity.
I'm not a Corvette guy. I'm not much a fan of American Muscle. I have an idea what maintenance/ownership costs would be of an older Italian car (Ferrari/Lamborghini) would be.
So, it took me a while to figure out what I wanted...then I took a Tesla Roadster for a test drive. Oh my holy momma!
The acceleration is just...brutal. 0-60 in under 4 seconds. The performance is simply off-the-hook. Plus, with it being a single-speed transmission, you're basically tooling around in first gear the entire time so, the power is just...there.
From a stoplight, stomp on it, and it throws you back into the seat. From 40 MPH, stomp on it, and it throws you back into the seat (with zero hesitation). From 60 MPH, stomp on it, and it throws you back into the seat.
I've had the car about 4 days now and the hardest thing about driving it around is not giggling like a 12-year-old girl every time I press the "go" pedal!
I think probably the most-impressive engineering bit of it is Tesla somehow managed to design a WORSE cupholder than the SC430. That takes skill, let me tell you.
It's a 2011 Tesla Roadster 2.5. Only has about 4,000 miles on the odometer. Very clean one-owner car (I'm now 2nd owner).
However, it's now 11 years old...and over 120,000 miles on the odometer.
Time to look for something new. I considered a 2010 SC430, just to get a bump in tech. But, even though they did bump up the tech a bit, it still never got up to the level of something like the IS-C.
The IS-C was high on the list, but I felt it wasn't quite was I was looking for. I had 6 wonderful years in a luxury hardtop convertible "sporty" car. I wanted something with more performance, more handling, more of that, I don't know...car driving experience.
I'm 43 years old, and I tend to keep cars 6+ years. If I'm going to ever own an impractical, no-compromise SPORTS car, this is very likely my last opportunity.
I'm not a Corvette guy. I'm not much a fan of American Muscle. I have an idea what maintenance/ownership costs would be of an older Italian car (Ferrari/Lamborghini) would be.
So, it took me a while to figure out what I wanted...then I took a Tesla Roadster for a test drive. Oh my holy momma!
The acceleration is just...brutal. 0-60 in under 4 seconds. The performance is simply off-the-hook. Plus, with it being a single-speed transmission, you're basically tooling around in first gear the entire time so, the power is just...there.
From a stoplight, stomp on it, and it throws you back into the seat. From 40 MPH, stomp on it, and it throws you back into the seat (with zero hesitation). From 60 MPH, stomp on it, and it throws you back into the seat.
I've had the car about 4 days now and the hardest thing about driving it around is not giggling like a 12-year-old girl every time I press the "go" pedal!
I think probably the most-impressive engineering bit of it is Tesla somehow managed to design a WORSE cupholder than the SC430. That takes skill, let me tell you.
It's a 2011 Tesla Roadster 2.5. Only has about 4,000 miles on the odometer. Very clean one-owner car (I'm now 2nd owner).
10-27-14, 12:51 PM
#2
I've had my 2003 SC430 since Oct 2006, and loved the whole ownership experience.
However, it's now 11 years old...and over 120,000 miles on the odometer.
Time to look for something new. I considered a 2010 SC430, just to get a bump in tech. But, even though they did bump up the tech a bit, it still never got up to the level of something like the IS-C.
The IS-C was high on the list, but I felt it wasn't quite was I was looking for. I had 6 wonderful years in a luxury hardtop convertible "sporty" car. I wanted something with more performance, more handling, more of that, I don't know...car driving experience.
I'm 43 years old, and I tend to keep cars 6+ years. If I'm going to ever own an impractical, no-compromise SPORTS car, this is very likely my last opportunity.
I'm not a Corvette guy. I'm not much a fan of American Muscle. I have an idea what maintenance/ownership costs would be of an older Italian car (Ferrari/Lamborghini) would be.
So, it took me a while to figure out what I wanted...then I took a Tesla Roadster for a test drive. Oh my holy momma!
The acceleration is just...brutal. 0-60 in under 4 seconds. The performance is simply off-the-hook. Plus, with it being a single-speed transmission, you're basically tooling around in first gear the entire time so, the power is just...there.
From a stoplight, stomp on it, and it throws you back into the seat. From 40 MPH, stomp on it, and it throws you back into the seat (with zero hesitation). From 60 MPH, stomp on it, and it throws you back into the seat.
I've had the car about 4 days now and the hardest thing about driving it around is not giggling like a 12-year-old girl every time I press the "go" pedal!
I think probably the most-impressive engineering bit of it is Tesla somehow managed to design a WORSE cupholder than the SC430. That takes skill, let me tell you.
It's a 2011 Tesla Roadster 2.5. Only has about 4,000 miles on the odometer. Very clean one-owner car (I'm now 2nd owner).
However, it's now 11 years old...and over 120,000 miles on the odometer.
Time to look for something new. I considered a 2010 SC430, just to get a bump in tech. But, even though they did bump up the tech a bit, it still never got up to the level of something like the IS-C.
The IS-C was high on the list, but I felt it wasn't quite was I was looking for. I had 6 wonderful years in a luxury hardtop convertible "sporty" car. I wanted something with more performance, more handling, more of that, I don't know...car driving experience.
I'm 43 years old, and I tend to keep cars 6+ years. If I'm going to ever own an impractical, no-compromise SPORTS car, this is very likely my last opportunity.
I'm not a Corvette guy. I'm not much a fan of American Muscle. I have an idea what maintenance/ownership costs would be of an older Italian car (Ferrari/Lamborghini) would be.
So, it took me a while to figure out what I wanted...then I took a Tesla Roadster for a test drive. Oh my holy momma!
The acceleration is just...brutal. 0-60 in under 4 seconds. The performance is simply off-the-hook. Plus, with it being a single-speed transmission, you're basically tooling around in first gear the entire time so, the power is just...there.
From a stoplight, stomp on it, and it throws you back into the seat. From 40 MPH, stomp on it, and it throws you back into the seat (with zero hesitation). From 60 MPH, stomp on it, and it throws you back into the seat.
I've had the car about 4 days now and the hardest thing about driving it around is not giggling like a 12-year-old girl every time I press the "go" pedal!
I think probably the most-impressive engineering bit of it is Tesla somehow managed to design a WORSE cupholder than the SC430. That takes skill, let me tell you.
It's a 2011 Tesla Roadster 2.5. Only has about 4,000 miles on the odometer. Very clean one-owner car (I'm now 2nd owner).
10-27-14, 12:53 PM
#4
TRAITOR!!
Seriously -- Habious gave me a ride and the adjectives really can't be written here without being censored cuz they start with F, like F *** ing AWESOME! It's sort of like those amusement park rides that just launch at the start.
I think the most impressive thing was standing next to the car as it drove away. It's there, then suddenly its nowhere in sight and not a sound has been made.
But the back seat sucks.
Seriously -- Habious gave me a ride and the adjectives really can't be written here without being censored cuz they start with F, like F *** ing AWESOME! It's sort of like those amusement park rides that just launch at the start.
I think the most impressive thing was standing next to the car as it drove away. It's there, then suddenly its nowhere in sight and not a sound has been made.
But the back seat sucks.
Last edited by JohnnyCake; 10-27-14 at 12:58 PM. Reason: can=can't
10-27-14, 12:59 PM
#6
10-27-14, 01:03 PM
#7
Moderator
Thread Starter
That's why my lonely eye started to stray.
I found a Roadster locally and took it for a test drive, on a whim. I came back home and just sat in my chair, in the dark, in silence, for like an hour. I finally came to the conclusion that I just HAD to have one.
First call was to my financial planner, to make sure it wasn't a "financially ruinous decision". Once he gave me the thumb's up that this wouldn't ruin my retirement plans, I went shopping!
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10-27-14, 01:09 PM
#8
That's why I bought a used SC - I just can't spend 70K on a car. The Teslas were on my short list though. My parents would roll over in their proverbial graves. Doesn't matter how much money I have, just ain't gonna happen. Something ingrained from birth probably 
10-27-14, 01:32 PM
#10
Moderator
Thread Starter
There's really no "putting it in gear". It's always in gear. Reverse is running the motor backwards. Park sticks the little pin inside the transmission, to keep the car from rolling. And Neutral is the same as Drive, except that the accelerator pedal doesn't do anything.
10-28-14, 06:09 AM
#12
Moderator
Thread Starter
I think the power roof and the LuxLink are the things I'm most going to miss.
The Roadster is basically a targa top. It's a soft roof that comes off. You have to be outside the car, and alternate between the driver's side and the passenger's side. Then roll it up, and stick it in the trunk.
Takes about 30-60 seconds to put on/take off.
Actually, the car with the nicest convertible top I own (I currently have three!) is the MINI Cooper. It's a power soft-top but, you can raise or lower the top while driving up to like 28 MPH. That's a really nice feature.
The Roadster is basically a targa top. It's a soft roof that comes off. You have to be outside the car, and alternate between the driver's side and the passenger's side. Then roll it up, and stick it in the trunk.
Takes about 30-60 seconds to put on/take off.
Actually, the car with the nicest convertible top I own (I currently have three!) is the MINI Cooper. It's a power soft-top but, you can raise or lower the top while driving up to like 28 MPH. That's a really nice feature.
10-28-14, 07:11 AM
#13
I think the power roof and the LuxLink are the things I'm most going to miss.
The Roadster is basically a targa top. It's a soft roof that comes off. You have to be outside the car, and alternate between the driver's side and the passenger's side. Then roll it up, and stick it in the trunk.
Takes about 30-60 seconds to put on/take off.
Actually, the car with the nicest convertible top I own (I currently have three!) is the MINI Cooper. It's a power soft-top but, you can raise or lower the top while driving up to like 28 MPH. That's a really nice feature.
The Roadster is basically a targa top. It's a soft roof that comes off. You have to be outside the car, and alternate between the driver's side and the passenger's side. Then roll it up, and stick it in the trunk.
Takes about 30-60 seconds to put on/take off.
Actually, the car with the nicest convertible top I own (I currently have three!) is the MINI Cooper. It's a power soft-top but, you can raise or lower the top while driving up to like 28 MPH. That's a really nice feature.
10-28-14, 08:12 AM
#14
Moderator
Thread Starter
The answer to both question is...it depends.
As for range, "ideal" range, when new, is a little over 200 miles on a charge. This reduces slightly over time, as the battery pack ages. Also, "ideal" range is tough to achieve. There are a lot of factors that affect the range; how aggressively you drive the car, how fast you're going (wind resistance is one of the biggest factors that affects range), passengers (1 person or 2), accessories (if you drive at night...the headlights draw a lot of power, and reduce your range. If you drive when it's cold...the heater draws a lot of power, and reduces your range).
Mine, at full charge, shows a little over 180 miles of "ideal" range (it's a 3 year old car/battery). I expect to be able to get 140-150 miles of realistic range out of it, depending on how I drive it.
As for charging, it depends on the charger you opt to use. You can use the 110V, 15A cord that comes with the car. Plugs right into a standard home outlet. But, at that rate, assuming the car is just about dead, it'll take something like 35+ hours to charge it. Not exactly convenient.
There's a "Universal Mobile Charger" that runs 220V, 50A (comes with the car). Looks like a home dryer power plug. That charger will charge the car up (from about dead) in around 8 hours.
Tesla also sells a high-current (70A) home charger. And, with that, you can charge the car up (from around dead) in under 6 hours.
Of course, the idea is not to drive it until it's dead. If you put it on the charger when you're not using it, you'll get maximum range, and max life out of the battery.
Also, the charger doesn't charge the battery up to 100% (unless you ask it to) because this is hard on the batteries and reduces the lifespan of the battery pack. It does have the option to do a "Range" charge, which DOES charge the pack up to 100%, to maximize your range with the car (for a given trip), but this is hard on the battery pack, and Tesla doesn't recommend doing this on a regular basis.
My commute to/from work is about 25 miles, round trip. So, I could get by with charging it a little over once a week. But, I've just been keeping it on the charger at night. Also, right now I only have use of the super-slow 110V charger. I get the high-current circuit installed on Friday; then I can use the 220V/50A charger.
For sure it's not the most practical car on the planet...but I don't care! It's a toy, and I will not begin to pretend otherwise.
As for range, "ideal" range, when new, is a little over 200 miles on a charge. This reduces slightly over time, as the battery pack ages. Also, "ideal" range is tough to achieve. There are a lot of factors that affect the range; how aggressively you drive the car, how fast you're going (wind resistance is one of the biggest factors that affects range), passengers (1 person or 2), accessories (if you drive at night...the headlights draw a lot of power, and reduce your range. If you drive when it's cold...the heater draws a lot of power, and reduces your range).
Mine, at full charge, shows a little over 180 miles of "ideal" range (it's a 3 year old car/battery). I expect to be able to get 140-150 miles of realistic range out of it, depending on how I drive it.
As for charging, it depends on the charger you opt to use. You can use the 110V, 15A cord that comes with the car. Plugs right into a standard home outlet. But, at that rate, assuming the car is just about dead, it'll take something like 35+ hours to charge it. Not exactly convenient.
There's a "Universal Mobile Charger" that runs 220V, 50A (comes with the car). Looks like a home dryer power plug. That charger will charge the car up (from about dead) in around 8 hours.
Tesla also sells a high-current (70A) home charger. And, with that, you can charge the car up (from around dead) in under 6 hours.
Of course, the idea is not to drive it until it's dead. If you put it on the charger when you're not using it, you'll get maximum range, and max life out of the battery.
Also, the charger doesn't charge the battery up to 100% (unless you ask it to) because this is hard on the batteries and reduces the lifespan of the battery pack. It does have the option to do a "Range" charge, which DOES charge the pack up to 100%, to maximize your range with the car (for a given trip), but this is hard on the battery pack, and Tesla doesn't recommend doing this on a regular basis.
My commute to/from work is about 25 miles, round trip. So, I could get by with charging it a little over once a week. But, I've just been keeping it on the charger at night. Also, right now I only have use of the super-slow 110V charger. I get the high-current circuit installed on Friday; then I can use the 220V/50A charger.
For sure it's not the most practical car on the planet...but I don't care! It's a toy, and I will not begin to pretend otherwise.