Tesla’s CyberTruck announcement has definitely polarized people with its styling. Personally, I seem to be in the minority of folks who love the retro-future design. More to the point, I’m going to need a truck within the next few years, and I think a CyberTruck would fit the bill nicely.
I like to pretend that I’m going to make a vehicle purchase based on pragmatic mission requirements, rather than emotion, but the truth is that any vehicle you plan on keeping for a long while is probably going to end up having some emotion attached to it. I’ve been driving the same Saturn VUE for sixteen years now. Don’t tell me that you don’t get emotionally attached to what you drive, no matter how objectively mediocre said vehicle is on paper.
But since we own our home, find ourselves hauling stuff around quite a bit in vehicles not entirely meant for that, and the VUE is eventually going to be passed on to our teenage drivers, that third vehicle is rapidly becoming a necessity. Really, the Ford F150, Chevy Silverado, Dodge 1500, Nissan Titan, or Toyota Tundra would all fit the mission requirements. As would the CyberTruck, based both on Tesla’s official specs and this handy comparison article from The Drive.
But here’s the thing: I got to ride in a fellow CAP member’s Tesla Model 3 during our recent SAREX excursion to the Black Hills. She ferried a group of us back to base camp after our day of flying was completed, and introduced us to her Tesla by asking us the question “Hey, do you guys like acceleration?” Being that we’re all kind of pilot-y types, the vote in the vehicle was unanimous. So she stopped, then put the pedal the floor, and my stomach exited out the back of my skull. The practicality of a truck, with the acceleration of a sportscar is what Tesla promises.
I don’t ride a Harley because it’s the most practical and fuel-efficient vehicle that we own for personal transportation (although it is both of those things as compared to our household’s other vehicles). I ride it because it’s loud, tons of fun, and puts a smile on my face every time I start it up. That’s what I want in a truck too. Not just a bland appliance for hauling stuff, but something that’s going to accomplish what I need it to do, while also putting a smile on my face. A “look at me, look at me!” design isn’t a bug, it’s a feature.
Admittedly, I won’t be putting money down on a CyberTruck any time soon. We’re still working through the Dave Ramsey Baby Steps, and taking on payments for a $50,000 truck just isn’t in the cards. But hey, the CyberTruck probably won’t start deliveries until 2022 anyway. By that time, we ought to be closing in on Baby Step 3, where we’re building up our 3-6 month emergency fund. Another year or two to cash flow a CyberTruck purchase doesn’t sound that crazy, if it’s something we agree to do.
So who knows? I may end up being the first guy in Sioux Falls with a CyberTruck. We’ll see in a few years. But if we had the money, I’d have put down my deposit already. The fact that the CyberTruck looks like it could have starred in the MegaForce movie doesn’t hurt. Hmm, I wonder if I could get a custom wrap for that…
