Would you have Purchased the CT if, "it looked more like a normal truck?"

[EricGregori]

If more people experienced FSD the demand would go through the roof (well, maybe not with this lame subscription model). It is simply amazing how people refuse (REFUSE) to see anything not perched on their nose.

The subscription model is the only way a lot of people can afford it. Not everyone can drop $8K, $12K, or $15K.

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[EricGregori]

The f-150 and Silverado EVs did not fail because they look like a regular truck. They failed because they are made by ford and Chevy. Those companies don’t know how to make a good modern vehicle. It’s all about the software, and Tesla makes good software.
My dad has the EV Porsche and the EV hummer. And hates the way my Cybertruck looks, and isn’t a fan of Elon, but every time we take my CT someone he loves the screen and all the software features. He was also bragging about how good his autodrive in the Porsche was, until he experienced the FSD in the CT. It’s not even comparable.

Something Tesla does not get enough credit for is their electrical hardware design. They adopted efuses before most of the industry. The Hummer still uses old style fuses. The Tesla inverter design was also way ahead of GM designs (I do not work with Porsche so I do not know about Porsche).

Tesla has been a pioneer in shifting to Silicon Carbide (SiC) MOSFETs, which reduce switching losses, shrink physical size, and improve overall efficiency at high speeds.

 

[EricGregori]

LOL. Not many people actually need a dually. And smoke stacks are a fancy way of saying "I'll never need to use the bed of this truck".

Plus, That's one hot Cylon. Just saying.

(I get you were probably being funny. I hope so.)

Thanks for getting the joke. My neighbor used to have duallies and stacks to drive to the grocery store. I use to call him a DFT (Dumb f..k in a truck). Many friends ,that work on farms and tow horses, they actually need the duallies.

 

[EricGregori]

Agree to some extent, I had a lightning and went to the cybertruck.

F150s are amazing pickup trucks and the lightning is just like a traditional F150 but electric which is great but highway range specifically was very limited.
Tesla make the best electric vehicles, tech, FSD, turning radius, real world range and charging network are on a different level.

I didn't like the look of the cybertruck when it first came out but I test drove one when I had the lightning and realized how much better it was while still retaining the pickup bed and snow capability. After having it for almost 18 months I still see it as an incredible vehicle (and I typically swap trucks/cars frequently.....I frankly am itching to jump into something else but the FSD spoils you so much it is hard to give up, combine it with all the other features/capabilities and it is a no brainer to keep the CT)

I sold my Chevy Volt to my son, and every once in awhile I have to drive it. Going back to a car without FSD is uncomfortable now (I have been using FSD for almost 2 years, almost 18K miles).

 

[EricGregori]

You sound like the target customer for a Slate pickup. All plastic body panels, no paint.

Plastic body panels are the reason I want a Cybercab. I owned a 96 Saturn and when I junked the car (because the engine died) the body still looked great.

I would think plastic body panels on a truck would be a negative compared to stainless steel.

 

[EricGregori]

We were kind of in that group until version 14 and now both of us use it exclusively except for disengagements. If Tesla were to clean up the lane-choice, speed, and parking issues I don’t know how much [normal] driving I would ever do.

For me the only issue is parking. It has "parked" in some interesting places. We started using the "pull over" option and just manually select a spot then use auto park.

The one exception is at Superchargers. It nails that parking every time.

It would be cool of you could manually park in a spot, and mark that as your parking spot at that location. If the spot is taken, the car could go into auto park and let you manually select a spot.

 

[TyPope]

Thanks for getting the joke. My neighbor used to have duallies and stacks to drive to the grocery store. I use to call him a DFT (Dumb f..k in a truck). Many friends ,that work on farms and tow horses, they actually need the duallies.

Sure. I towed a 30' enclosed car hauler for 16 years and my single rear wheel F-250/350 all towed it like it wasn't there. A 5th wheel trailer (and 38' camper for a couple years) really make those trucks come into their own. The ride is a lot smoother, nothing seems to bother them. Now, they aren't nearly as quick as my Beast is but that's a different measurement completely. LOL!

But, I never saw the use of a dual rear... I know, I know... somebody out there has a specific need. Not me. I suppose it'd be safer if you lost a tire... But, my F-450 Dually didn't really haul more weight. It'd pull more. But, I don't think it would haul more.

 

[Merc_s55]

I hate driving down the road and having the same vehicle pull up next to me. That's why I drive the vehicles I do. Also, because I'm in Manitoba it's always possible that I have the only one. For years I had one of 2 Deloreans, 1 of 2 Amphicars, 1 of 1 48 Lincoln Continentals. And many others. Right now I have the only 1927 Rolls-Royce and 1 of 2 Starsky and Hutch cars in Manitoba.
Oh. Let's not forget the looks, the Stainless and FSD.
Dare to be different.

 

[VAF84]

I don’t dislike the look, but I prefer the traditional truck look better. I also think it would really improve the sales numbers. Range is what personally kept me from buying it over the Sierra EV as my primary driver.

However, the looks keep it from becoming another vehicle in the household as my wife refuses to drive it for that reason, and we’ll likely wait for the model YL. The truck is polarizing and essentially a rolling statement to others regardless of your values. Not to mention I don’t like to stand out in my line of work, and I already do by owning an EV truck, and it’s a pain to constantly have to talk about it.

Having said that, looks do matter, and I much prefer the near constant compliments of my Sierra EV Denali’s looks, by both EV lovers and haters, to having put up with the nay sayers comments on the CT.

I think the biggest sales pitch is Tesla EV expertise in the design/tech and FSD. That’s why I didn’t cancel my reservation, and why it still may end up in our household, despite its looks. Still waiting for 400+ range.

Other domestic EV trucks are struggling to sell, likely due to price. They are still roughly $10-20k more than comparable ICE.

All this to say, the CT isn’t a bad looking truck, especially wrapped, but it’s just not the best looking truck.

Side note: I also really liked my ex Lightning, but sold it due to range and slow charging.

 

[Jhodgesatmb]

For me the only issue is parking. It has "parked" in some interesting places. We started using the "pull over" option and just manually select a spot then use auto park.

The one exception is at Superchargers. It nails that parking every time.

It would be cool of you could manually park in a spot, and mark that as your parking spot at that location. If the spot is taken, the car could go into auto park and let you manually select a spot.

We just returned from a trip and FSD screwed up parking at superchargers about 30% of the time. What I mean is that it wouldn’t even try to park at a stall. When it tried it nailed it. I have come to disengage when I get to parking lots because FSDs selection is so bad.

 

[EricGregori]

We just returned from a trip and FSD screwed up parking at superchargers about 30% of the time. What I mean is that it wouldn’t even try to park at a stall. When it tried it nailed it. I have come to disengage when I get to parking lots because FSDs selection is so bad.

Maybe my experience is better because every Supercharger I have visited in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan has been at a grocery store (large open lot) or gas station (chargers are easy to get to).

Sometimes FSD takes very odd routes to the supercharger (it likes to drive behind large stores) but I just let it do what it wants.

 

[EricGregori]

The vast majority of the people that say they have an allergic reaction to the styling are likely not buyers or lemmings that mindlessly worry about what everyone else thinks.

It looks futuristic, it appeals to my inner child that loved watching Blade Runner and the Running Man growing up, and by the reaction, is a product designed to have brand appeal to another, newer generation.

I love my truck more every day. And have zero regrets. Having owned Tesla vehicles for nearly 15 years, that's quite a statement.

Best answer!!

I gave up worrying about what other people think around my junior year in high school. It really surprised me that so many people weigh "popularity" so high when making such a big purchase.

 

[EricGregori]

All Teslas currently on the market are designed with a steering wheel and pedals, so that they can be driven manually. FSD is therefore an optional feature. And given that it costs $99 every month (or $1,188 every year), we can reasonably call it a "luxury option".

The best-selling Tesla vehicle is the Model Y. The best value Model Ys are the standard RWD/AWD versions. The default finance/lease terms for a Model Y standard are on the order of $460 to $575/month. So adding FSD boosts the monthly payment by around 17% to 22%.

This forum caters to Cybertruck owners. The CT is currently the most expensive Tesla model, and I'm sure that CT owners are (on average) more affluent than Model 3 or Model Y owners. So maybe $99/month is no big deal for them.

But in 1Q 2026, the CT was only a tiny fraction (3%) of Tesla's US sales. The overwhelming majority of Tesla owners in the US drive an MY or M3. And even if they are impressed by FSD, maybe they can't justify increasing their monthly car payment by ~20% for a luxury option.

Tesla and Lemonade offer lower insurance rates if you use FSD. As this expands into more states and other insurance companies follow suite, the math starts to get better for FSD.

One thing I like about the subscription model is that I can buy FSD for just the summer when I used it most. I did this my first year of ownership. When I started driving between Chicago and Detroit monthly I wanted FSD for every one of those drives.

 

[EricGregori]

I hate driving down the road and having the same vehicle pull up next to me. That's why I drive the vehicles I do. Also, because I'm in Manitoba it's always possible that I have the only one. For years I had one of 2 Deloreans, 1 of 2 Amphicars, 1 of 1 48 Lincoln Continentals. And many others. Right now I have the only 1927 Rolls-Royce and 1 of 2 Starsky and Hutch cars in Manitoba.
Oh. Let's not forget the looks, the Stainless and FSD.
Dare to be different.

I have wanted a Delorean since the early 80's (before BTF). Such a unique looking car.

 

[JerseyMike]

I don’t dislike the look, but I prefer the traditional truck look better. I also think it would really improve the sales numbers. Range is what personally kept me from buying it over the Sierra EV as my primary driver.

However, the looks keep it from becoming another vehicle in the household as my wife refuses to drive it for that reason, and we’ll likely wait for the model YL. The truck is polarizing and essentially a rolling statement to others regardless of your values. Not to mention I don’t like to stand out in my line of work, and I already do by owning an EV truck, and it’s a pain to constantly have to talk about it.

Having said that, looks do matter, and I much prefer the near constant compliments of my Sierra EV Denali’s looks, by both EV lovers and haters, to having put up with the nay sayers comments on the CT.

I think the biggest sales pitch is Tesla EV expertise in the design/tech and FSD. That’s why I didn’t cancel my reservation, and why it still may end up in our household, despite its looks. Still waiting for 400+ range.

Other domestic EV trucks are struggling to sell, likely due to price. They are still roughly $10-20k more than comparable ICE.

All this to say, the CT isn’t a bad looking truck, especially wrapped, but it’s just not the best looking truck.

Side note: I also really liked my ex Lightning, but sold it due to range and slow charging.

Good points, the notoriety is one of the big issues, stinks that we have to worry and have sentry mode on….occasionally a finger or thumbs down

Things are getting better but it is just a shame that people are so polarized

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