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A recent post on Reddit's r/electricvehicles forum titled "A Used EV for the Rest of Us?" about a new Tesla owner asking people to

please not damage his 2022 Model Y sparked a memory from my past that shows history does repeat itself.

My First Toyota

My first Toyota was a Corolla in the early 1990s. At the same time, I recently married and was a University student struggling to make ends meet by working 48-hour weekend shifts as a paramedic and attending classes M-F.

We had upgraded from a small half-duplex apartment with insect issues to a relatively new retiree condo on the city's outskirts.

Almost immediately after the move, my $600 used, struggling Subaru threw a rod and left us without wheels.

Getting to school meant six miles back and forth by bike or bus. Neither of those options lasted long, forcing us into our first car debt.

Subsequently, we bought a brand new Toyota Corolla because we knew that a reliable new car was a necessity with in-laws arriving to help take care of our newborn.

My neighbors, however, were not impressed.

As I stated earlier, our new apartment complex was mainly for retirees. Several of whom were WWII vets.

When I was a kid, my dad was a WWII vet. My neighbors were vets. The whole town was filled with vets. In other words, I was a Generation Jones kid raised by vets of which WWII was still a near-memory during the 1960s.

My unimpressed neighbors remarked on multiple occasions that if I knew what they had gone through, I would not have even thought of ever buying a car made by the Japanese.

I got it. I really did. And had served in the military before college.

However, my justification for buying a Corolla at that time was that, being low on funds, it was more affordable and dependable than a Chevy or Ford, which did little to appease their sentiments.

I understood where they were coming from. But life goes on.

It's History Repeating Itself

This little reverie was sparked by the Reddit forum OP's plight.

I remember that finances (or lack thereof) superseded many of our shopping decisions.

While some of the OP's post responses discussed putting anti-Elon stickers on his Model Y car to help him identify himself as not an Elon fan, other responses pointed out that buying a price-dropped Tesla is a smart and valid move regardless of whether you are a liberal or a conservative.

Two responses in particular were quite astute:

What Do We Make Of This Today?

Now that Tesla is in a slump and news reports abound with stories that it's a bad time to be a Cybertruck owner looking to unload a problematic vehicle, what does this say about car shoppers who are buying used Tesla sedans and Cybertrucks today?

And rather happily too, as the OP attests, since now he can afford a Tesla sedan at an affordable price on a schoolteacher's salary. But does worry about repercussions.

Related article: I talked to a guy with a Cybertruck at a Supercharger the other day, and I asked how he liked it. He said it was awesome, but was surprised at how often he was getting double "fingered" while driving it

Tell Us What You Think: Is the car-related political and sociological climate about to change, with fewer reports of Tesla vandalism expected once mainstream Americans start buying less expensive used Tesla models? Was the Tesla vandalism really just a knee-jerk reaction by the already socially and mentally unhinged? With less costly used Tesla models available, are you more willing to buy a Tesla today than yesterday?

Please let us know in the comments section below.

Timothy Boyer is an automotive reporter based in Cincinnati who currently researches and works on restoring older vehicles with engine modifications for improved performance. He also reports on modern cars (including EVs) with a focus on DIY mechanics, buying and using tools, and other related topical automotive repair news. Follow Tim on Twitter at @TimBoyerWrites as well as on Facebook and his automotive blog "Zen and the Art of DIY Car Repair" for useful daily news and topics related to new and used cars and trucks.

COMING UP NEXT: I Am So Happy To Be Rid Of My Tesla Model Y! I Have Wanted This Car For So Long And Today It Became A Reality.

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