Tesla launches Roadster lease program for wannabe eco-ballers
By Darren Murph 
posted February 26th 2010 10:04AM
posted February 26th 2010 10:04AM
posted February 26th 2010 10:04AM
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111k oO !!
i would rather get a lambo !
gallardo costs around 90k :p
@analogx
Could you imagine the fuel costs for that V10?!
@BigJayDogg3
can you imagin the repair costs WHEN the Tesla breaks. And I assure you it WILL break
@BigJayDogg3 Can you imagine the chemical bath you'll take if you ever crash that tesla?
@analogx
Since when does a Gallardo cost 90K? They start out at like 190k.
You were close though, only about 100K off.
@Paul J
crap... my bad !! I'm totally sure i saw somewhere that gallardo costs around 89k !!!
@analogx
"Today I'm going to spend over $100,000 on a car."
"Today I'm going to overly worry about the environment."
Can the same logical mind really think both of these things? Let's remember that 99.9 percent of the time the Tesla would not be a person's primary car. So the cost to the environment to produce two cars for these individuals would not be environmentally friendly at all.
*** Remember if you're gonna do as Al Gore says and not as he does then you've gotta worry about that carbon footprint you leave behind when you have that secondary car built for you. ***
@DaveBach Are you kidding? Those are exactly the two kinds of thoughts that come out of brains across all of Silicon Valley. Stock Options + Techy = Rich Hippy.
@Valicore
I would argue that how those rich hippies you speak of are perceived and how they actually are inside are two very different things. I don't buy for a minute that most people care about the environment...but they'd sure like you to believe they do.
@analogx
probably eBay: http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=p3907.m38.l1311&_nkw=lamborghini&_sacat=See-All-Categories
:-P
AWESOME! In 2-3 years, they'll have these at Carmax!
Not a supercar, it's a Lotus Elise on batteries.
@roman1290
Oh yeah, and what defines supercar for you?
So, around $72,000 for a three-year lease?
Yeah, I know the Tesla is a halo vehicle and therefore not "for" people like myself, but I'd rather that money be spent on a mortgage -- or maybe spend that same money on a fully-loaded Model S, with cash left over...
@ytilanigiroon No joke, $71,688 over three years you might as well go all in for the 110k since your 3/4s of the way there. At least then you have something to show for it.
@KAL326 Totally agree.. plus, if/when I have $1600+ a month to pay for a car LEASE, I'm sure I'll be able to afford the full $100K+ to actually own it.
Or for £20k you could buy an original Lotus Elise and not have to worry about plugging it in !
@fourtletter but ten you would pay thousands in gas, and besides teslas are just cooler. I'm not even going to make the green argument, because a you obviously don't care and b unless your hous is powered by solar or a bloom box(lol) then it's not perfectly green anyway.
@fourthletter
A. Bloom boxes use natural gas which is NOT carbon free
B. Electricity costs MORE than petrol.
C. The Tesla roadster IS a Lotus Elise with a Tesla built electric motor dropped in it.
I'd rather have the Lotus since I have yet to see any electric charging point around the UK.
@iCello ... hmm.. 'cooler than a lotus'.. no. I think that tech-douche Arrington sucked pretty much all the cool factor out of the tesla.. And whatever was left Top Gear made short work of.
I love the idea of the tesla, but if you're serious about driving a small tight-handling sports car, buy a supercharged lotus exige and with the money you've saved, buy a few race driving classes, a dozen track days and a tennis bracelet for your wife who you'll be neglecting.
Leasing is not "somewhere in between buying one outright and swiping one while the salesperson's not looking", it's a long term rental. At the end you'll realize that you've spent an awful lot of money and have fuck all to show for it.
@wjousts
It's not the same as a long-term rental. If you get to the end of your lease and want to buy out, you can do so at a price negotiated when you started the lease. The cost of leasing plus buying out may turn out to be more than the cost of financing right from the beginning, but with a lease you get the option of turning the car in and walking away or buying it out. It's only a long-term rental if you choose not to do that and go lease something else, in which case you're paying more in order to always be in a newer, warranty-covered car, which for some people is worth it.
@John H Yes, you can buy the car at the end, for more than what it's worth since it's already several years old. As I said, at the end of the lease, you have nothing to show for it.
@wjousts The reason to buy this car on a lease is this: You have plenty of money, know it will be out of date at the end of the lease, but still want to do as you like with it and have a warranty. At the end you don't have to deal with selling the car or any of that, you probably just lease the latest and greatest and go on with your business
Personally, I think the Model S looks WAY cooler even though it's cheaper. Like a freakin electric Aston Martin
@acslater017 I think it looks more like a Jaaaaaag.
Actually leasing makes sense.You don't want to eat the cost of replacing batteries, just drop the keys off.
I want one!
mcl
Since when are cars gadgets ?
@fourthletter Since they...started being mechanical contrivances or devices? I guess that would be late 19th century?
They predate your Mr. Congeniality avatar, tell you that much.
@fourthletter
Cars are not gadgets, gadgets generally fit in your pocket.
But if you are correct why does Engadget only report on Tesla cars ?
I have no idea who Mr. Congeniality is have you ever heard of Bill Hicks ?
@fourthletter
I'm going to say they report on electric cars since they report on the Volt too.
And by that definition of gadgets, engadget does not only report on gadgets since they also have posts on computers and laptops. I think they just post whatever we may find interesting, although quite apparently you don't care for this stuff.
Hell, for a lot less than that you can buy two Toyoda's and have a spare for when the first one crashes. That is, assuming you're still alive.
@edf
I'll take a middle end Vette and a Volt
Car is actually a good deal (at least financially), they pissed away $400 million and sold 1,100 cars... so the cost was $365,000 per and you can have one for the bargain basement price of only $125,000..
As for the lease program, they got half a billion from the Feds so they have a little cash to play with and prolong the inevitable.