Marques Brownlee would have made $1M if he invested in Tesla stock instead of paying $50K Roadster deposit 8 years ago

Having been one of thousands of people to put money down for a Tesla Roadster deposit, Marques Brownlee could have turned that into a million-dollar fund if he had invested in Tesla stock instead.

The car that never was. It’s been eight years since the Tesla Roadster was first announced.

Yet the finish line of production seems to be no closer than it was back in 2017, with only a handful of updates on its progress since.

Now, people want their money back from their deposits, and it’s hitting some people hard, knowing that the thousands of dollars could be worth millions in stock.

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Marques Brownlee could have made $1m in stock instead of a Tesla Roadster deposit

If it ever comes out, the new Tesla Roadster promises to be the fastest car on the planet, capable of a record sub-one-second 0-60mph time.

But the car, first announced in 2017, has remained elusive to the EV market, leaving some people fearful that it may never arrive.

One of those is car expert Marques Brownlee, who is one of a few people who have cancelled the deposit for the Tesla Roadster.

Brownlee put down $50k back in 2017, but that could now be worth $1 million if he invested that money into the business, rather than on the car itself.

Back then, Tesla stock was priced at $22 a share.

Nowadays, those shares are worth $454 (as of October 1, 2025).

Brownlee’s $50k Tesla Roadster deposit would now be worth $1,031,818.18 in stock. Instead, he’s left without a car and without any interest in his five-figure fee.

The $50k that Brownlee put down is 10 times more than some people who have been in a battle with Tesla to get their money back, but that only makes his loss in interest even more painful.

What’s the crack with the Roadster 2.0?

Tesla has recently shared an update on the deposit debacle, after other complaints emerged, knowing what that money could be worth now.

Senior Vice President of Powertrain for Tesla, Lars Moravy, gave us an inclination that the Roadster’s progress is gaining pace, in a bid to alleviate any fears of the car being redundant.

“[The] Roadster is definitely in development,” he said.

“We did talk about it last Sunday night. We are gearing up for a super cool demo. It’s going to be mind-blowing. We showed Elon some cool demos last week of the tech we’ve been working on, and he got a little excited.”

Still, those who paid the deposit will have to hand over more money for the car, which would be free to them if they invested in the company stock instead.

It appears to be a bitter pill to swallow for the Roadster expectants, who will need a lot of convincing that the initial investment was worthwhile.

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