It’s okay to change your mind. This is how the phrase “money-back guarantee” came about. Things get more complicated when some principles are involved. You can’t publicly call your boss “the worst person in the world” and then change your mind with a simple “Oh, I was wrong.” Likewise, influencers need to stick to their opinions or nobody will want to hear what they say.
YouTuber Ryan Pined finds himself in such an awkward position after he slammed Tesla in an acid video describing why he dropped the Model X and bought a Rivian R1S instead. Pineda spoke euphorically about how well the Rivian compared to the Model X. If you recall, the R1S’s build quality was one of the things that impressed Pineda, but it was the delivery experience that blew him away. Now he had to swallow his words because in another video he explained what prompted him to sell the Rivian and buy a Tesla Model Y instead.
But it’s worth taking a look at his background to better understand his choices. Pineda is a former professional basketball player turned successful entrepreneur. He makes most of his income from real estate investments. More specifically, Ryan flips houses and rents them out. So we’re not surprised that he treats his cars the way he treats real estate. As he admits, there was nothing wrong with the Rivian, except that it might behave like a big, heavy SUV. But Pineda sold it anyway for a quick buck considering how overpriced these SUVs are.
Ryan paid $78,000 for the R1S and collected the full $7,500 US federal EV tax credit. The YouTuber sold the SUV for $120,000, more than 50% above the sticker price. As you can see, Pineda did well by selling the Rivian and did even better by getting a great deal on a Model Y. Yes, from the car brand he previously said had patchy build quality. Worst of all, he had to admit that he talked “a whole bunch of crap about Tesla” in his previous video.
Pineda got the Model Y at the new discounted prices, paying $58,000 for a full-featured configuration. Thanks to his cousin, a Tesla employee, Ryan also got the free fully self-driving beta feature, so now he’s happier than ever. The sporty Model Y is also more nimble to drive than the Rivian and its earlier Model X. Knowing his reasons for the Rivian toppling, did he make the right decision? Meet us in the comments section below.
