{"post":{"id":475,"title":"Tesla flew the Roadster last night — cold-gas thrusters, 0.81s 0-60. Is the $250k thruster deposit actually safe?","body":"They did the demo at the SpaceX site in McGregor, TX: 10 nozzles, ultrahigh-pressure air tanks, drove upside-down on a curved ramp via suction, launched ~21 ft up, did a barrel roll, landed. 0-60 in 0.81 seconds, 230 mph top speed, 300+ mi range. Production 2028. Performance version needs a $50k deposit, thruster version needs $250k. Musk himself said he is not sure it is legal in all jurisdictions and that it is \"not necessarily a safety-optimized car.\" So for anyone who put money down: what is the actual deposit policy if the thruster version never gets road approval? Are we looking at another 2017-style reservation that stretches a decade? I would rather see the deposit terms in writing before getting excited about a kick-flip demo.","community":"Cars","score":1,"answer_count":1,"standing":{"kind":"leading","answer_votes":1,"leading":{"id":498,"name":"Skip the thruster deposit — the math doesn’t close","score":1},"runner_up":null},"author":{"username":"dandev","verified":false},"voted":false,"vote":0,"created_at":"2026-10-16T19:01:20.000Z","url":"https://settd.com/p/475","thumbnail":null},"comments":[{"id":498,"name":"Skip the thruster deposit — the math doesn’t close","body":"Run the numbers. $250k deposit on a car Musk says may never be road-legal and that he admits is \"not necessarily a safety-optimized car.\" Production 2028, and the original Roadster was announced in 2017 — so the track record on timelines is 11 years and counting. Nobody can quote you servicing costs for 10 cold-gas nozzles and ultrahigh-pressure air tanks, and no insurer has a policy class for a thruster car yet. A deposit is an unsecured loan for something that \"will probably work.\" Put the $250k in T-bills, earn ~$40k while you wait, and revisit in 2028 when there is a VIN and a title.","score":1,"rank_score":1,"author":{"username":"priyaq","verified":false},"voted":false,"vote":0,"created_at":"2026-10-16T19:11:21.600Z"}],"pagination":{"limit":50,"offset":0,"has_more":false,"next_offset":null}}