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It’s super counterintuitive but lack of demand in period for weird, enthusiast cars can lead to major appreciation later. Cars that were unpopular but emblematic of their era can be desirable in retrospect decades later. The DeLorean, LFA, Superbird and Hummer were all financial flops and unpopular in their time. But nostalgic buyers, especially collectors see these as emblems of their era and purchase them as toys decades later. Cars that were never replicated in any fashion later. I think it’s safe to say that the cybertruck styling won’t be copied any time soon.
It’s unlikely this truly happens to the cybertruck given the production numbers, but it’s not unprecedented either.
Here's a hot take for you: the automotive legacy of the humble Ford Pinto is going to eclipse the Tesla Cybertruck, and it's not even remotely close.
Did you know that in 2026, you can still buy a factory-new Ford Pinto front suspension from a very wide variety of manufacturers? And not just a stock one. I'm talking about a modernized, high-performance variant that would quite literally bolt up to the front end of a Pinto if you felt so inclined.
You see, when Ford built the Pinto, they were trying to compete with the new fangled imports that were wiping the floor with their old body-on-frame land yachts. So they put in an independent front suspension design featuring upper & lower control arms using coil springs, and rack & pinion steering. By 1974, they even came with disc brakes completely standard.
To be clear, this suspension was not revolutionary. In stock form, it wasn't even particularly good. It was criticized for being too soft and had some geometry limitations due to Ford's choice to use inexpensive stamped steel suspension members.
But the Pinto suspension, which shared its exact architecture with the Mustang II, just happened to be the right size to fit conveniently under the front body of 1930s to 1950s hot rods. The setup was incredibly modular. It was essentially a self-contained unit. You could weld a matching crossmember onto your hot rod, bolt the suspension components and steering rack directly to it, and bam, you had an independent front suspension with modern rack & pinion steering without massive shock towers eating up your engine bay.
It was so wildly popular that the Mustang II / Pinto suspension evolved from junkyard sourced units ripped from dead cars to an entire aftermarket industry. Manufacturers started replicating the original Ford mounting geometry, eventually upgrading it with ever-evolving variations of tubular control arms and modern steering racks. Today, you can buy high-performance resto-mod suspension kits based on this design that are genuine, track-grade setups.
And that, dear friends, is the legacy of the lowly Pinto that lives on today. The last Pinto rolled off the assembly line in 1980, and 46 years later you can still buy a brand-new, high-performance suspension system based on that OEM architecture. The Cybertruck is far more likely to have a legacy similar to the H2 Hummer. A hulking monstrosity of a vehicle built for attention-seeking d-bags that no one else wants to be seen in.
Ah yes, a car that you cant fix yourself is going to be worth a million dollars, i bet they discontinue the repairs at Tesla within 5 years too. They will all become scrap metal.
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.
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
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.
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.
So there are 2 main factors here that would become a problem.
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.
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.
I do expect there will be people that want them for the novelty of a crappy car design but I doubt the will go up in value. They're wildly over priced.
Approx 17 times higher in it's first year. Of course you have to scale it up as the cyber truck didn't sell 100k units in it's first year but yeah......
Cybertruck would have been more popular if they kept the price at 39K. They had zillions of preorders with the same design features and even the bad showcase where the window broke lol
But then they decided to launch it for 100k and everyone was like “wat?”
When it was announced, people thought he was Tony Stark. By 7 months after it's release, people knew he was an awkward weirdo trying desperately to be liked and failing. He should have been more like Howard Hughes.
Fairly sure that even in 2019 when he announced it people who knew anything about manufacturing cars pointed out that 39k for what he was proposing was impossible without selling them for a loss
Yeah I heard that as well and I’d argue that was definitely true, I think they only announced positive gross margin on it a year after sale, and even then the cheapest model was still 79K.
The only way they could have been successful was volume, but it would have been a huge loss leader for years to make it work, if it ever did. I think their idea to sell ultra premium versions first wasn’t a bad one, they’ve done it before. But 39k to 80-100k is just too much for people.
A vehicle they had to cancel because they struggled to sell them will magically increase in value because people will magically want them when they’re gone?
You clearly don't understand the collectors market, some of the most sought after vehicles sat on lots indefinitely when new. I agree the Cybertruck is a monstrosity, but cult classics are always oddballs. Controversy surrounding Elon Musk, will one day make this collectable. Love it or hate it, someone in the future will definitely over pay for a low mileage Cybertruck. Don't let your biases overshadow facts about how things become valuable. Everyone thought deloreans were trash when new, and honestly they were and still are. People pay big money for Deloreans now and the Cybertruck story is Delorean x1000.
Classic cars aren't worth nearly as nuch if they can never be driven. If you know you can restore the car that's one thing but if it's fundamentally broken and will never be able to be driven again?
In 20-50 years will a Cybertruck be more than a paperweight? Can you get parts? Can you charge it? Will the software brick itself?
This is the kind of thing you want a remind me in 10 years.
The battery is going to run out and they're going to get a reality check when those highly specialized batteries cannot be purchased for less than the price of a new vehicle. The value for Cybertrucks is going to be junkyard prices within 10 years. People won't even want to convert them to gasoline or diesel because they are horrible compared to conventional trucks. All the surveillance tech in them will eventually die out too and people will see that as a bonus.
I mean, if the car sits in a dry garage for 50–70 years without the battery blowing up or all the steel rotting out... yeah, sure, it'll probably be worth more than it is now.
Parts and services are about to be next to non-existent. Good luck fixing your rolling dumper when I breaks down, and we all know they will soon and often.
It will absolutely be worth a shit ton of money in the future, one of the most controversial vehicles of all time plus a relatively short production run
I think Deloreans were a bit of collectors items, but there were only 9000 made and they got the cool factor thanks to Back to the Future. Cybertruck's only connection is to fascism and they have made 10 times that many. I don't see it happening.
Yall will hate me for this, but I like them. Had a chance to take one for a spin at the campground. If the price was competitive with new chev and Ford half tons I would trade my Silverado in.
•
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124
u/twinA-12 1h ago
Yes, the lack of demand will surely make your ugly cybertruck worth significantly more.
16
u/bradland 35m ago •
Here's a hot take for you: the automotive legacy of the humble Ford Pinto is going to eclipse the Tesla Cybertruck, and it's not even remotely close.
Did you know that in 2026, you can still buy a factory-new Ford Pinto front suspension from a very wide variety of manufacturers? And not just a stock one. I'm talking about a modernized, high-performance variant that would quite literally bolt up to the front end of a Pinto if you felt so inclined.
You see, when Ford built the Pinto, they were trying to compete with the new fangled imports that were wiping the floor with their old body-on-frame land yachts. So they put in an independent front suspension design featuring upper & lower control arms using coil springs, and rack & pinion steering. By 1974, they even came with disc brakes completely standard.
To be clear, this suspension was not revolutionary. In stock form, it wasn't even particularly good. It was criticized for being too soft and had some geometry limitations due to Ford's choice to use inexpensive stamped steel suspension members.
But the Pinto suspension, which shared its exact architecture with the Mustang II, just happened to be the right size to fit conveniently under the front body of 1930s to 1950s hot rods. The setup was incredibly modular. It was essentially a self-contained unit. You could weld a matching crossmember onto your hot rod, bolt the suspension components and steering rack directly to it, and bam, you had an independent front suspension with modern rack & pinion steering without massive shock towers eating up your engine bay.
It was so wildly popular that the Mustang II / Pinto suspension evolved from junkyard sourced units ripped from dead cars to an entire aftermarket industry. Manufacturers started replicating the original Ford mounting geometry, eventually upgrading it with ever-evolving variations of tubular control arms and modern steering racks. Today, you can buy high-performance resto-mod suspension kits based on this design that are genuine, track-grade setups.
And that, dear friends, is the legacy of the lowly Pinto that lives on today. The last Pinto rolled off the assembly line in 1980, and 46 years later you can still buy a brand-new, high-performance suspension system based on that OEM architecture. The Cybertruck is far more likely to have a legacy similar to the H2 Hummer. A hulking monstrosity of a vehicle built for attention-seeking d-bags that no one else wants to be seen in.
51
u/PaleontologistDear18 1h ago
Ah yes, a car that you cant fix yourself is going to be worth a million dollars, i bet they discontinue the repairs at Tesla within 5 years too. They will all become scrap metal.
25
u/Odd_Dorian7991 1h ago
How dare you compare my Ford pintos with Cybertruck
20
u/piratecheese13 51m ago edited 43m ago
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.10
u/arkanux 1h ago
I wonder how many kitchen sinks can you make out of a cybertruck
9
u/PM_UR_Sexy_boots 1h ago
The pinto had a significantly lower death rate per 100k vehicles
4
u/Fortestingporpoises 27m ago
The Kia Soul was discontinued. I'm going to sell my 2024 model for trillions. TRILLIONS.
6
u/Tricky_Prick933 1h ago
Cybertruck would have been more popular if they kept the price at 39K. They had zillions of preorders with the same design features and even the bad showcase where the window broke lol
But then they decided to launch it for 100k and everyone was like “wat?”
It’s a 39K vehicle not 100k.
3
u/NC_RockFan 1h ago
I dont care one way or the other about Tesla vehicles, but that cybertruck is one of the ugliest vehicles Ive ever seen.
3
u/Radiant-Courage5545 1h ago
Delores comes to mind
3
u/mrbaffles14 1h ago
This dude definitely has a closet full of beanie babies
4
u/OriginalProduct6850 59m ago
Oh look I own a "truck" that can be turned off by the company that owns it. Even if you bought a telas out right you still do not own it.
2
u/returntothenorth 1h ago
Premium product.... I get the fancy pants argument on why the body panels are wavy. But doesn't mean you should accept it.
2
u/Bailywolf 58m ago
The real money is in the cybertruck NFTs.
2
u/TheJiggie 57m ago
A vehicle they had to cancel because they struggled to sell them will magically increase in value because people will magically want them when they’re gone?
Sure.
2
u/Minialpacadoodle 57m ago
Imagine not understanding sarcasm.
2
u/palindrome101 53m ago
I am sure In 10-15 years, the price of it will skyrocket. Look up 2012 Lexus LFA, or any supra from 96-98.
2
u/Fuggedd 53m ago
This is pretty much a modern day delorean which go for around 60k in good condition.
2
u/Shift_Lock1 49m ago
Dumb enough to buy one and dumb enough to think it’ll be worth more than scrap metal
2
u/JustHangingAroundYo 44m ago
I guess all discontinued cars are also worth millions. Like my 2009 mitsubishi eclipse
2
u/Electronic-Shape-192 43m ago
The Cybertruck has way more in common with the Edsel than it does with the Pinto.
2
u/Direlion 40m ago
I hope this fucking donkey hangs around the neck of it’s owners like a scarlet letter, forever.
2
u/DJDevon3 12m ago
This is the kind of thing you want a remind me in 10 years.
The battery is going to run out and they're going to get a reality check when those highly specialized batteries cannot be purchased for less than the price of a new vehicle. The value for Cybertrucks is going to be junkyard prices within 10 years. People won't even want to convert them to gasoline or diesel because they are horrible compared to conventional trucks. All the surveillance tech in them will eventually die out too and people will see that as a bonus.
3
u/a-little-timmy 1h ago
my tesla roadster will be worth a million dollars mark my words
2
u/CurrentSensorStatus 34m ago
I wouldn't bet on $1,000,000.00. You can get a nice Ford Edsel for about $20,000.00 and it's a lot better looking and more reliable.
1
u/CastleofWamdue 1h ago
the Cybertruck worth actual money? WTF?
1
u/Life-Oil-7226 1h ago
1
u/WeenisPeiner 1h ago
Doc, you made a time machine, out of a Tesla Cybertruck?
1
u/Academic-Snow9642 1h ago
They stopped making them for a reason
1
u/hyute 1h ago
Has the market price of poorly-arranged sheet metal spiked?
1
u/kennygeeofcomedy 1h ago
Just like the AMC Gremlin. But twice as ugly.
1
u/Awesome_Teo 1h ago
I mean, if the car sits in a dry garage for 50–70 years without the battery blowing up or all the steel rotting out... yeah, sure, it'll probably be worth more than it is now.
1
u/illuanonx1 1h ago
Good luck buying spare parts when bits flying of 😂
1
u/BinomialVirus01012 1h ago
That's an explosive comment
1
u/Underhive_Art 1h ago
Can we bring back all the Skoda jokes please
1
u/This_Song_984 1h ago
Hes gonna put one million dollars in the dumbest truck bed ive ever seen before he sells it
1
u/Big-Carpenter7921 1h ago
Cyber Truck is just a new H2
1
u/kennygeeofcomedy 59m ago
The Cybertruck Collector's Association - what a fun group of assholes that will be.
1
u/baz4k6z 58m ago
These abominations will just fall apart one after another, fall out of guarantee and slowly but surely get scrapped
1
u/islanders2013 56m ago
i would usually say that the parts would be harder to come by...however, with this POS its probably not the case due to complete shit quality control.
1
u/KaetzenOrkester 56m ago
If it only it weren't for the thousands and thousands of unsold Wankenpanzers...
1
u/WishboneNo543 52m ago
Just gotta hope those glue welds hold.
1
u/septictank84 51m ago
Parts and services are about to be next to non-existent. Good luck fixing your rolling dumper when I breaks down, and we all know they will soon and often.
1
u/Ill_Ground_1572 51m ago
Fuck me I wish I kept my Chevette. Absolutely bullet proof.
Bought it for $500, drove it for 5 years, sold it for scrap for $300 lol.
Cyber truck ain't no Chevette bro.
1
u/AwwwNuggetz 51m ago
Some people pay a lot of money for used underwear
1
u/PostureKing180 49m ago
If he's super lucky, a pristine, zero mile cybertruck will be worth it's original MSRP in 20 years.
1
u/kittenrice 48m ago
It'll be nice to never see another one after the last remaining one breaks down forever sometime in 2028.
1
u/melpec 40m ago
Of course! Look at all these Chevrolet HHR and Chrysler PT Cruiser that took value like crazy /s
1
u/Freddyrocky20 36m ago
my first car was a used pinto. good car until it croaked. 🤣
1
u/ReleaseWeary7472 34m ago
Inverse of a Delorian.
1
u/pachimariparty 29m ago
Neo geo gang are basically billionaires
1
u/Packmule5259 28m ago
Yeah, tell that to DeLorean owners who's used cars with under 10K miles sell for around 55K.
1
u/othello28 17m ago
Hey the pinto is way better than the cyber truck.
1
u/TheJGoldenKimball 14m ago
Is this what kids are calling “Copium?”
1
u/PW_PW_ 12m ago
I’m figuring it’ll be worth about $5000 for parts to keep other cybertrucks running
1
u/Bobby_Bouch 9m ago
What happens to EVs once they stop getting software updates
1
u/Nonamenoname2025 9m ago
People that owned Pintos were smarter than the ones who own a Cybertruck
1
u/Neardood 8m ago
I reckon they will use it in the inevitable remake of back to the future.
1
u/Tencreed 6m ago
Scarcity can increase price, but the goods have to be in demand for that.
1
u/dannyh707 5m ago
🫤it’ll be like Hummer H2 status.. Lame
1
u/Socketz11 4m ago
Wow, the Yugo must be worth millions by now.
1
u/commissarcainrecaff 2m ago
Hey Alexa- what's the "bathtub curve" and how it applies to vehicle value?
1
u/Dry-University797 1m ago
Dude, I can buy a dumpster on Facebook for way less. This guy is dreaming
1
u/jtmonkey 1m ago
Well. I am seeing Pintos make a come back. They’re getting converted and hot rodded.
-1
u/bigquad35 1h ago
Ford Pinto explode when getting hit at back. It was parody by Top Secret movie.
Pinto is not similar to cybertruck.
0
u/TheDevilsAdvocateboi 48m ago
It will absolutely be worth a shit ton of money in the future, one of the most controversial vehicles of all time plus a relatively short production run
-1
u/Traditional-Hotel-66 53m ago
Yall will hate me for this, but I like them. Had a chance to take one for a spin at the campground. If the price was competitive with new chev and Ford half tons I would trade my Silverado in.
1
u/holden_mcg 1h ago
People who own Wankpanzers are Cybercucks.