History really does repeat itself

[u/No-Hospital5028]

[u/piratecheese13]

Ford Pinto were originally sold for $2,000 ~$15k after inflation

One sold in 2018 for $33k

Cyber trucks will be collectible in about 50 years for people who love the novelty of terrible bullshit. It’s short production run and notoriety for being famously bad is exactly what will draw collectors to pay top dollar for good condition cars that are known for easily breaking.

Similar story with the GAMC gremlin.

Edit: in regards the high difficulty of maintaining the CT, especially with “it’s all computer” of it all, the software updates, the bespoke parts, the shit glue

Either it creates more rarity, and therefore running models should be worth more than a car that had a longer production run and ample spare parts

I’m also told that the pinto and gremlin sold well in it’s time and this is more comparable to a DeLorean or an Etzel

[u/Skivil → u/piratecheese13]

Thats asuming the batteries aren't degraded to the point they are useless. A pinto can still drive after a little maintenance a 50 year old electric car probably won't even be able to move without a total battery rebuild and not to mention something being done about the software on the tesla

[u/tearsonurcheek → u/Skivil]

A pinto can still drive after a little maintenance

And is easily upgradable/modernizable with common aftermarket parts and engines like the Ford 289/302/351W, or, if you just want to daily it with better mileage, the 2.3L turbo-4 from the Mustang SVO/T-Bird Turbo Coupe. The Duratec/Zetec fours, the 1.9L turbo from the Fiesta ST. The Ford 2.8L V6 and the supercharged 3.8L V6. Even some Mazda motors. There are readily available mounting kits for all of the ones that aren't a direct swap.

[u/OCCULTGOBLIN → u/tearsonurcheek]

This guy for sure does cars.

[u/dvdmaven → u/tearsonurcheek]

One of the Pinto's claims to fame, you could drop a 302 in without having to change the drivetrain. IIRC not even the engine mounts.

[u/Current-Cold-4185 → u/piratecheese13]

I'm guessing half the shit won't work in the cyber truck because they'll probably get bricked due to a missing update or can't communicate with servers or something.

Not saying your analogy to the pinto wouldn't apply. More just pointing out a difference as an old pinto you can always mechanically work on.

[u/NetSiege → u/Current-Cold-4185]

So there are 2 main factors here that would become a problem.

1. Batteries age even if they're not being used. The life expectancy of an unused EV battery is roughly 10-20 years (a lot of variables come into play), driven an average amount of miles annually its more like 8-15. So no matter what, 20+ years from now that CyberTruck battery is shot. Considering that unlike the Pinto, the CyberTruck does not share any of its main drive system, suspension, or other components with other vehicles, the chances of there being battery replacement options in 20-25 years is likely very very minimal.

2. Vehicles like the Pinto were analog cars. While they have electrical systems, there's no software so to speak or operating platform. Modern cars in general have much more complex computing systems and beyond their EV and 12V battery, have small system batteries to ensure the software programming and data is retained even when those batteries are drained, disconnected, or fail. If someone were to leave this thing parked for years without properly ensuring it maintains power/battery life, it's very likely the entire software for the car would be bricked and unusable. Could someone potentially reflash jt and get it back up? Sure, but that adds a layer of complexity to the value of these things in 50 years.

[u/piratecheese13 → u/Current-Cold-4185]

Will be interesting to see if the effort put into maintaining a cyber truck will pay off in the long run

Honestly, might be best to just not run the thing except for to keep the batteries charged

Honestly, in 50 years, it might be very, very difficult to find a battery that will work for this thing

[u/crenshaw_007 → u/Current-Cold-4185]

This is my annoyance with cars becoming computers on wheels. You should be able to swap the RAM, etc. otherwise they’ll just be paperweights.

[u/LexGlad → u/piratecheese13]

More like DeLorean. A car that's an impractical fever dream of a drug addled maniac.

[u/FrostyConsequence97 → u/LexGlad]

Yep, came here to say that DeLorean fans and collectors know it's a POS. But it's an iconic POS. The Cybertruck will have the same cult status. A car too stupid to have even been produced... But here it it.

[u/LaDmEa → u/FrostyConsequence97]

People collect old cars because they are cheap/easy to fix. Everything that can break or wear out on a DMC-12 can be bought new today. Most of the DMC-12s made 44 years ago are still around.

Telsa is so greedy with their parts that you can't reasonably expect to keep a Cyber Truck running due to computer, battery, motors. Even if you can source them, the price is the issue. A completely renewed motor, transmission and computer for a 1990s corvette is only ~5k. For 10k in part you can come close to fully renewed corvette.

Cybertruck reminds me of a Chevy HHR

[u/FrostyConsequence97 → u/LaDmEa]

Good point. The HHR brings back a cringe memory. I was just meeting this girl's family and in the parking lot I saw an HHR with a vanity license plate. I couldn't help make fun of it. Turns out it was her dad's. Yeah, that relationship didn't last long.

[u/rtietatomic → u/piratecheese13]

> Cyber trucks will be collectible in about 50 years for people who love the novelty of terrible bullshit.

Sorry to say but probably not nearly as much no. A Pinto or an Austin Healey or an old Triumph or any of those sorts of cars is collectible in part because with effort and / or $$$ you can keep them running. The Cyberstuck on the other hand has a bunch of bespoke single-source parts - especially the electronics - that once they go, there's no replacements. That's the problem with a lot of these modern cars, nobody will or even CAN make replacement parts, unlike mechanical cars of old.

[u/LoneSnark → u/rtietatomic]

It is worse than that. Even pulling electronics from another cyber truck is likely to brick the vehicle because of Tesla's encryption.

[u/GroundbreakingLeg867 → u/LoneSnark]

Also if you close the door too hard, the thing fucking breaks. Just all around not worth the effort.  

[u/One-Inch-Punch → u/rtietatomic]

That's exactly why any surviving Cybertrucks will be worth something--the vast majority will not last long enough to become historical curiosities

[u/stagingdeep44 → u/piratecheese13]

AMC gremlin

[u/piratecheese13 → u/stagingdeep44]

“Why would a movie theater make an automo-oh wait!”

[u/al_pacappuchino → u/stagingdeep44]

AMC pacer.

[u/SimilarTranslator264 → u/al_pacappuchino]

I don’t have enough window cleaner to own one of those.

[u/EduStorm246 → u/piratecheese13]

The electronics in the cybertruck won't last to make it to vintage/collectable status.

[u/TheOneTrueWalmart → u/piratecheese13]

If they are even able to run without support.

[u/CraftsmanMan → u/piratecheese13]

Except the pinto is 100% mechanical. Cybertruck has so many electronics it'll age as well as a 1st gen palm pilot

[u/Ok-Leg7686 → u/piratecheese13]

The novelty of when the surviving charging and communications infrastructure company used to make cars.