Cybertruck, is it worth it

[wjmartins]

I currently own a Tundra 5.7L V8, which I purchased new in 2009. I do all my own maintenance, truck has never seen a dealer service department, has 140,000 miles on the ODO and has been trouble free, beyond standard maintenance. So for me, the cost is initial price of purchase, gas at 16 miles to the gallon average, tires and maintenance parts. The truck is in great condition, there are a few of them running around with 1 million miles on the ODO.

So I thought it is time to wait for the Cyber Truck and then get rid of the Tundra. I am really impressed by the Cybertruck features.

Then I did some referencing here on the forum in the battery replacement section. It looks as if the standard experience is around 10 years, then we are in for a $20,000+ battery replacement cost? Based on my situation and costs comparing gas, parts EV battery life, it comes out to a wash. There is no cost advantage. Comparing to a Tundra, there would be a weekly cost saving on gas, but after 10 years I need a lump sum, offsetting that saving and spending more than 50% of the vehicle value in costs to keep it on the road.

Looks like a great option to lease, or for the owner who buys a new vehicle every 5 years or so.

Looks like I am out.

 

[israndy]

You are looking at cars that are 10 years old, technology has come a long way

And how can it be a wash if you DIDN'T put a million miles of pollution in the air, that's a big deal. If they cost the same (and I don't think they do) we are much better off w/o the brake dust, used oil, and carbon monoxide the new Tundra will generate.

 

[Unclepaul]

OP will have lots of time to make his decision. There are hundreds of thousands of people already in line ahead of them, with cash deposits placed, to get deliveries. He can easily put down his own deposit and get in line as well. Will have lots of time to study if it is "worth it" for him to take delivery.

Tesla is looking to take over the "lasts a long time" crown from Toyota. Their Million Mile design should outlive even the mighty Toyota.

 

[ThomasD]

You could put a million miles on the car before the battery runs out. It seems that age is more of a deterrent to battery life than mileage. Not sure how long the battery life is going to be on any electric Truck if it gets used as a Truck. Heavy towing heavy hauling in the Bed. Snow Plowing or being used as a Work Truck in a Fleet.

 

[wjmartins]

OP will have lots of time to make his decision. There are hundreds of thousands of people already in line ahead of them, with cash deposits placed, to get deliveries. He can easily put down his own deposit and get in line as well. Will have lots of time to study if it is "worth it" for him to take delivery.

Tesla is looking to take over the "lasts a long time" crown from Toyota. Their Million Mile design should outlive even the mighty Toyota.

That will be great!!

Not sure if anyone has posted a poll on the battery section in the forum? Visiting that section leaves me a bit concerned.

 

[wjmartins]

You are looking at cars that are 10 years old, technology has come a long way

And how can it be a wash if you DIDN'T put a million miles of pollution in the air, that's a big deal. If they cost the same (and I don't think they do) we are much better off w/o the brake dust, used oil, and carbon monoxide the new Tundra will generate.

I agree 100% with you on the pollution big deal.
Will be interesting to see what happens next year with EV demand, should a Republican be the new president.

 

[FLRifleman]

In your use case, yes you're better off financially with a gas truck. An average of 10,000 miles a year or less is low annual mileage. All batteries calendar age, and yes the replacement cost is high. An EV can be a great tool for the high mileage driver, as properly managed, the battery cycle life is high, the maintenance is low, and electric motors are highly durable. For a low mileage long-life vehicle such as yours, a gas engine is the best choice. An EV and a gas vechile are two very different tools. It comes down to picking the right tool for the right job.

 

[Cal1]

So why are you posting this? You shouldn’t need someone to convince you. You’re wrong on so many things but why even talk about it?

Just move on.

BTW I bought a new 2012 Tundra and paid $33k (MSRP was $37k) Like your’s it was a great truck. Sold it this year for $28k to buy a 2022 used Lightning. Gas cost was way more expensive than you represent here. So much so that I would think “do I want to pay $5 to drive in town or 50 cents?” It really is that different. I pay 8.16 cents per kWh. A trip to my wife‘s cancer center in Portland is 62 miles round trip. It cost me $1.62. I have a fraction of the maintenance (no differential, no transfer case, no tranny, brakes seem to last forever. There is simply no comparison.

But I doubt a CT will keep its value as well as my Tundra. I’ve always lost my ass on every Tesla I bought. The Lightning will most assuredly lose even more. But I got it now and if I can convince you to drop out of the race I move up one spot on my CT reservation! But this is pretty ludicrous if you haven’t even ordered one.

 

[wjmartins]

So why are you posting this? You shouldn’t need someone to convince you. You’re wrong on so many things but why even talk about it?

Just move on.

BTW I bought a new 2012 Tundra and paid $33k (MSRP was $37k) Like your’s it was a great truck. Sold it this year for $28k to buy a 2022 used Lightning. Gas cost was way more expensive than you represent here. So much so that I would think “do I want to pay $5 to drive in town or 50 cents?” It really is that different. I pay 8.16 cents per kWh. A trip to my wife‘s cancer center in Portland is 62 miles round trip. It cost me $1.62. I have a fraction of the maintenance (no differential, no transfer case, no tranny, brakes seem to last forever. There is simply no comparison.

But I doubt a CT will keep its value as well as my Tundra. I’ve always lost my ass on every Tesla I bought. The Lightning will most assuredly lose even more. But I got it now and if I can convince you to drop out of the race I move up one spot on my CT reservation! But this is pretty ludicrous if you haven’t even ordered one.

It's OK to be wrong and ask questions in order to learn.
I think Rifleman's post makes a great point, but the CT is tempting due to all it's features.
Not dropping out of the race and wish you the best with your Lightning. You would have to wait 11 years to have a full comparison to the Tundra you sold. You had it for 11 years and basically lost only $5,000 in depreciation. That will be hard to beat.

 

[EvilNuff]

Well we don't know the final price so there's no way to determine any worth personal evaluations.

 

[tashtibet]

if people don't care about the Environment thing which is also ones health & wealth. But people who owns V8 are primarily Gas Station sponsors-you are burning your Paycheck faster. What is the main Purpose of Life?

 

[henderrj]

I currently own a Tundra 5.7L V8, which I purchased new in 2009. I do all my own maintenance, truck has never seen a dealer service department, has 140,000 miles on the ODO and has been trouble free, beyond standard maintenance. So for me, the cost is initial price of purchase, gas at 16 miles to the gallon average, tires and maintenance parts. The truck is in great condition, there are a few of them running around with 1 million miles on the ODO.

So I thought it is time to wait for the Cyber Truck and then get rid of the Tundra. I am really impressed by the Cybertruck features.

Then I did some referencing here on the forum in the battery replacement section. It looks as if the standard experience is around 10 years, then we are in for a $20,000+ battery replacement cost? Based on my situation and costs comparing gas, parts EV battery life, it comes out to a wash. There is no cost advantage. Comparing to a Tundra, there would be a weekly cost saving on gas, but after 10 years I need a lump sum, offsetting that saving and spending more than 50% of the vehicle value in costs to keep it on the road.

Looks like a great option to lease, or for the owner who buys a new vehicle every 5 years or so.

Looks like I am out.

If it's a wash, I'd go electric every time. Although the environment is a big deal, honestly it's not the main reason I go electric. Neither is cost. We had a Kia soul EV, a 2014 Tesla Model s, a 2015 BMW i3, and a 2018 model x. My sister asked me why I went Tesla again, as we've had some issues with the company itself. They just make better cars! Why would you drive around in a noisy, stinky, vibrating gas vehicle, when you can drive a smooth, oder free, quiet electric car? (Really, my garage never stinks anymore. I can leave the door to the house open when I'm working in there. And the car doesn't heat up the garage when I park it in there.)

For a couple Grand I paid for an extended warranty on my S battery through 057 tech. I'm closing in on 10 years on that battery, over 270,000 miles, and the battery is as strong as it was 5 years ago. I think this whole age thing is something you read on forums, as people mostly come to forums to complain. I know of a lot of people with more mileage than mine on their Teslas, and, as has been stated, this is old technology! Just like gasoline motors have increased in quality dramatically in the last 30 to 40 years, battery life and capability will do the same. In fact, appears to already have done the same!

I signed up for a cyber truck reservation about a week after it was announced, and I don't expect to even get a chance to buy one for 2 years. If you sign up now you're going to be lucky if in 3 to 4 years you can get one. It's worth putting a hundred bucks in. Of course you could also do the same for the fisker pickup, the alaska. That might be a really good deal too. But then again, that's a new company.

Oh yeah, and I wake up every morning with the same amount of "gas" in my tank, unless I want to go on a trip. Then I just crank it up. Can your 100 year old tech do that?

 

[TessP100D]

if people don't care about the Environment thing which is also ones health & wealth. But people who owns V8 are primarily Gas Station sponsors-you are burning your Paycheck faster. What is the main Purpose of Life?

Boy. That’s a lot of Jibber-Jabber

 

[israndy]

Won't be the first person to ask What's the meaning of life

 

[tashtibet]

Boy. That’s a lot of Jibber-Jabber

guilty shines bright in the darkest of night

 

[TessP100D]

It’s hard to know when birds take flight?

 

[coleAK]

I currently own a Tundra 5.7L V8, which I purchased new in 2009. I do all my own maintenance, truck has never seen a dealer service department, has 140,000 miles on the ODO and has been trouble free, beyond standard maintenance. So for me, the cost is initial price of purchase, gas at 16 miles to the gallon average, tires and maintenance parts. The truck is in great condition, there are a few of them running around with 1 million miles on the ODO.

So I thought it is time to wait for the Cyber Truck and then get rid of the Tundra. I am really impressed by the Cybertruck features.

Then I did some referencing here on the forum in the battery replacement section. It looks as if the standard experience is around 10 years, then we are in for a $20,000+ battery replacement cost? Based on my situation and costs comparing gas, parts EV battery life, it comes out to a wash. There is no cost advantage. Comparing to a Tundra, there would be a weekly cost saving on gas, but after 10 years I need a lump sum, offsetting that saving and spending more than 50% of the vehicle value in costs to keep it on the road.

Looks like a great option to lease, or for the owner who buys a new vehicle every 5 years or so.

Looks like I am out.

You can drive your current tundra another ~300k miles just for the upfront cost of a CT. Buying a new vehicle to replace a working vehicle never makes sense from an environmental or financial standpoint. Keep the 2009 until it falls apart.

 

[israndy]

Or sell it to someone who will drive it in such a way. So many people seem to think that no one should buy new vehicles, but where do you think ALL vehicles come from, at one point they were NEW vehicles. If you sell your Tundra maybe someone driving an International will see it for sale and send his beater to the junkyard and you'll get the new truck. That would be better for the environment, if not all your all's wallets.

 

[EvilNuff]

if people don't care about the Environment thing which is also ones health & wealth. But people who owns V8 are primarily Gas Station sponsors-you are burning your Paycheck faster. What is the main Purpose of Life?

According to Conan it is to crush your enemies, see them driven before you in battle and hear the lamentations of their women.

 

[coleAK]

You are looking at cars that are 10 years old, technology has come a long way

And how can it be a wash if you DIDN'T put a million miles of pollution in the air, that's a big deal. If they cost the same (and I don't think they do) we are much better off w/o the brake dust, used oil, and carbon monoxide the new Tundra will generate.

It is never more environmentally sound to trade in a working ICE for an EV. Take the OP for example. If he ditched the Tundra, even if he trades it in with Tesla on a new CT. That Tundra will be re-sold (likely at auction) and still be on the road putting out brake dust, used oil, carbon emissions,…. And then you will have the additional pollution created from the making of said new CT and the pollution associated with driving it around.

If environmental is a concern bike commute. And do not get a new vehicle (even an EV) until your current vehicle is dead.