Tesla

[G]

Fun turn of the Tesla thread. Aside from the deja vu (now known to be childhood pinewood derby memories), I was also wondering if the thing could be street legal.

In terms of people buying it? Maybe. My wager is that Tesla in middle America will be a more difficult sell than an aluminum F-150.

[xraygoggles]

I've personally never understood the attraction of having a truck. They are big, bulky, hard to maneuver, gas-guzzling, and slow.

While the Cybertruck fixes the last two points, I find it hard to believe that the type of people who normally buy big beefy trucks would be interested in something so strange-looking and ambiguously-masculine.

[Lordosis]

I think you missed my point. All vehicles are this to some degree, in different ways, either capacity, speed, handling, etc....its just picking on trucks because I guess they are only allowed to be used for work, etc...Whats the difference with the Dr in the flashy tesla just because it signals wealth/green and is super fast? I mean no one in their right mind is utilizing their commuter vehicle to its potential either, anyone who has taken a performance driving class will tell you a civic is capable of some serious driving. Why are we singling out trucks for specialized disdain?

I'd argue that cars are best seen from their most marginal use. A truck is just a car with option to throw/fit something in back without breaking it, etc...It gets from a to b with that option when/if needed. I know I go to the home store and have use for a truck a lot more than once a year and would find it extremely convenient in many many other aspects.

There seems to be a bit of projection and/or jealousy involved in this viewpoint.

It doesn't have to be pickups. SUVs are the same. How many people do you know who use a 5-7 passenger SUV to commute to work? I am not talking about the people who drop 2-5 kids off at daycare on the way. I am talking about the people who like to be "high up" so they feel safe driving. That in my opinion is the dumbest justification to by a 40k vehicle when a 25k car would do fine.

[Zaphod]

I think you missed my point. All vehicles are this to some degree, in different ways, either capacity, speed, handling, etc....its just picking on trucks because I guess they are only allowed to be used for work, etc...Whats the difference with the Dr in the flashy tesla just because it signals wealth/green and is super fast? I mean no one in their right mind is utilizing their commuter vehicle to its potential either, anyone who has taken a performance driving class will tell you a civic is capable of some serious driving. Why are we singling out trucks for specialized disdain?

I'd argue that cars are best seen from their most marginal use. A truck is just a car with option to throw/fit something in back without breaking it, etc...It gets from a to b with that option when/if needed. I know I go to the home store and have use for a truck a lot more than once a year and would find it extremely convenient in many many other aspects.

There seems to be a bit of projection and/or jealousy involved in this viewpoint.

Some people enjoy their vehicle because its frugal and cheap, some for the room for family trips, some for safety, some because its sexy and fast, some for what others will think, in the end...who cares, let them enjoy it for whatever reason they do. We all do similarly dumb things in other peoples minds.

[Zaphod]

this truck was not made for people who think about crumple.

yes anyone commenting on internet is almost by definition Coaster. Elon is Coaster. I am Coaster. I just grew up in different milieu and am familiar with attitude of farmers.

If a product is functional, it is universal. Cowboys have iPhones, lots of iPhones.

Again I must not have been clear, the people that worry about crumple are US govt agencies, its literally illegal to have a vehicle that does not deform upon impact due to how deadly it is to whatever is struck and the occupants of the vehicle.

The cybertruck is very illegal in its advertised conformation, in many regards not just crumple. Odd that they took reservation money on a non producible representation really.

[CordMcNally]

I've never been on a farm where there was not a new truck bought in the last 2-3 years and I"m not even from a particularly prosperous part of the country. The economics of rural America over the last 30 years are such that farms have had to consolidate and scale to stay in business. For 10,000+ acre operations with requirements of buildings, employees, heavy machinery, etc., $70K pickups are common. If you told these guys a truck is available with minimal maintenance, low fuel cost, fast acceleration, can pull trailers, and plug your branding iron, they will buy it.

You're right, there are loads of $70k trucks on farms all over the country...but those aren't the ones going out to feed cattle and haul hay. Zaphod nailed it. You're proving the point without really realizing it. The Cybertruck, as it stands, is a 'truck' for an urban cowboy. You won't see these on a farm or ranch anytime soon. You're more likely to see this thing out front of a Broadway show rather than in South Dakota.

[Zaphod]

I don't agree with a lot of MMM opinions but I have many friends and family members who have a brand new macho truck for commuting to office jobs. Most do not own anything to tow. Most hire out all their home maintenance. It is ridiculous to own a truck for that once a year you need to bring mulch home from Lowe's.

I live in a development on a dead-end street with 10 homes. Five of them have pickup truck sitting in the driveway. One home has two of them that are driven by teenagers. Brand new of course.
To be fair one of my neighbors does have a boat and trailers it frequently in the summer.

it is only money. If Americans want to buy more car than they need so they do not need to be inconvenienced that 1% of the time that is fine by me.

I think you missed my point. All vehicles are this to some degree, in different ways, either capacity, speed, handling, etc....its just picking on trucks because I guess they are only allowed to be used for work, etc...Whats the difference with the Dr in the flashy tesla just because it signals wealth/green and is super fast? I mean no one in their right mind is utilizing their commuter vehicle to its potential either, anyone who has taken a performance driving class will tell you a civic is capable of some serious driving. Why are we singling out trucks for specialized disdain?

I'd argue that cars are best seen from their most marginal use. A truck is just a car with option to throw/fit something in back without breaking it, etc...It gets from a to b with that option when/if needed. I know I go to the home store and have use for a truck a lot more than once a year and would find it extremely convenient in many many other aspects.

There seems to be a bit of projection and/or jealousy involved in this viewpoint.

[Zaphod]

I've never been on a farm where there was not a new truck bought in the last 2-3 years and I"m not even from a particularly prosperous part of the country. The economics of rural America over the last 30 years are such that farms have had to consolidate and scale to stay in business. For 10,000+ acre operations with requirements of buildings, employees, heavy machinery, etc., $70K pickups are common. If you told these guys a truck is available with minimal maintenance, low fuel cost, fast acceleration, can pull trailers, and plug your branding iron, they will buy it.

I feel like you're proving the point without knowing it. This will not be picked up by these farms, minimal maintenance is not true so far, nor is quick work available, etc...Also, the reason you see such cars at these places is theyre written off and dont cause the business that much in costs, as they are written off, etc...This was the big miss. I live in a rural area with loads of farms and regular folk, I'll pay attention to their impressions of the vehicle, I know what I'd bet today.

[BCBiker]

You really lost me here. Where are they supposed to install a haybale stinger? You can't put it where it typically goes because that's where the underbed storage compartment is. A majority of true ranching trucks are beaters. They aren't going to be Tesla Cybertrucks.

I've never been on a farm where there was not a new truck bought in the last 2-3 years and I"m not even from a particularly prosperous part of the country. The economics of rural America over the last 30 years are such that farms have had to consolidate and scale to stay in business. For 10,000+ acre operations with requirements of buildings, employees, heavy machinery, etc., $70K pickups are common. If you told these guys a truck is available with minimal maintenance, low fuel cost, fast acceleration, can pull trailers, and plug your branding iron, they will buy it.

[CordMcNally]

Cybertruck is such a good ranching vehicle.

You really lost me here. Where are they supposed to install a haybale stinger? You can't put it where it typically goes because that's where the underbed storage compartment is. A majority of true ranching trucks are beaters. They aren't going to be Tesla Cybertrucks.

[Lordosis]

I don't agree with a lot of MMM opinions but I have many friends and family members who have a brand new macho truck for commuting to office jobs. Most do not own anything to tow. Most hire out all their home maintenance. It is ridiculous to own a truck for that once a year you need to bring mulch home from Lowe's.

I live in a development on a dead-end street with 10 homes. Five of them have pickup truck sitting in the driveway. One home has two of them that are driven by teenagers. Brand new of course.
To be fair one of my neighbors does have a boat and trailers it frequently in the summer.

it is only money. If Americans want to buy more car than they need so they do not need to be inconvenienced that 1% of the time that is fine by me.

[BCBiker]

You do know why cars dent/crumple dont you? Its a safety feature of the panels and required, so you know it doesnt automatically kill anything it hits and protects the passengers as well. Elon is most definitely a coaster. Judging anything from the extremely online crowd is bad research. Its a nonrepresentative subset.

this truck was not made for people who think about crumple.

yes anyone commenting on internet is almost by definition Coaster. Elon is Coaster. I am Coaster. I just grew up in different milieu and am familiar with attitude of farmers.

If a product is functional, it is universal. Cowboys have iPhones, lots of iPhones.

[CordMcNally]

Since curse words are now edited, I'm not sure the status of bets on the forum. If I'm wrong, I will buy you a beverage at WCICON 2025.

And vice versa. You've got yourself a bet.

[Zaphod]

Agree. This is one of my favorite mmm posts. For better or worse flashy macho looks are at a premium for trucks. This attitude is primary driver of truck sales in US. The absence of this attitude is why trucks are less common elsewhere (also fuel cost). Going macho/“tough” in selling cybertruck actually makes sense to appeal to.this crowd. If you look at comments around web you see many people with this perspective praising it now.

The farmer, business owner will buy if they save $8k per year per vehicle in fuel and be able to get the jobs done better. It may take some time for the message to get out but these are smart people who make smart money decisions. Coasters have always been terrible at predicting what middle America farmers want. Cybertruck is such a good ranching vehicle. I remember as kid with family member trying to chase down neighbor’s bull who got into family’s hilly pasture in brand new GMC truck 25 years ago. That bull put a 3ft dent in the side of that truck and the bull went up a hill that was too steep for the truck to climb. Wasted hours. Cybertruck would have been dent free and easily controlled and rounded him up. I would bet that every rancher has had this experience and has strongly desired a more capable truck. The penetration into this market should not be discounted. The looks may be kind of funny to them but not non-starter as so many people have speculated.

You do know why cars dent/crumple dont you? Its a safety feature of the panels and required, so you know it doesnt automatically kill anything it hits and protects the passengers as well. Elon is most definitely a coaster. Judging anything from the extremely online crowd is bad research. Its a nonrepresentative subset.

[BCBiker]

I find MMM to be right in the money describing how trucks are used and viewed in society. At least with the vast majority of people I know who use trucks.

https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2015...say-about-you/

Agree. This is one of my favorite mmm posts. For better or worse flashy macho looks are at a premium for trucks. This attitude is primary driver of truck sales in US. The absence of this attitude is why trucks are less common elsewhere (also fuel cost). Going macho/“tough” in selling cybertruck actually makes sense to appeal to.this crowd. If you look at comments around web you see many people with this perspective praising it now.

The farmer, business owner will buy if they save $8k per year per vehicle in fuel and be able to get the jobs done better. It may take some time for the message to get out but these are smart people who make smart money decisions. Coasters have always been terrible at predicting what middle America farmers want. Cybertruck is such a good ranching vehicle. I remember as kid with family member trying to chase down neighbor’s bull who got into family’s hilly pasture in brand new GMC truck 25 years ago. That bull put a 3ft dent in the side of that truck and the bull went up a hill that was too steep for the truck to climb. Wasted hours. Cybertruck would have been dent free and easily controlled and rounded him up. I would bet that every rancher has had this experience and has strongly desired a more capable truck. The penetration into this market should not be discounted. The looks may be kind of funny to them but not non-starter as so many people have speculated.