Don't let the Scout become a status symbol; why $60k misses the point of the Revival

[tomgillotti]

You’ve misconstrued my my point about resto-mod. It wasn’t a comparison about production nor should it be. It’s a point about perceived value and what market will bear for those who want a Scout for Scout sake and not for the EV tech lover or gotta have it first crowd-which are still part of sales success don’t get me wrong-but this is a product that by design is intended to use nostalgia, otherwise VWAG could have just rebranded a Touraeg, made it meet US standards and started selling them 6 months ago. SM chose a different path and that nostalgia is key to their success no matter how much you argue it the other way. And when looking for a Scout experience you have two choices. By a Scout resto-mod (or keep it in mint rusted condition) or buy one of the new versions by SM. And by comparison the new model at $60K, mass produced or not-is the only viable option to an original scout if that is a buyer’s desire. And if it isn’t then the entire SUV market is now fair game with prices from mid $30K to nearly $200K. Your arguments are flawed because you are arguing over cost of good as though it’s a commodity item. In basic theory it is, however the majority of buyers choose based on emotion which is where pricing can play the role it does. Otherwise they’d be 2 companies making today’s version of the Model T in black and only black. And two so they keep each other honest. No frills, no color choices, no heaters (we all own a blanket) no A/C-drive in your shorts and tank top and so on…. The current market exists today because everyone in some shape or form wants to be recognized and acknowledged based on status such as vehicle or home. If not, there wouldn’t be 10 year old cars rolling on brand new $4,000 rims. When boiled down vehicle sales are about vanity, otherwise you buy a white sedan-more layers of paint when white and a car has less margin than an SUV and the world raised most of us successfully with cars. So in my belief, to succeed in your arguments the big 2 vehicle manufactures need to reduce model choice to (1) and (1) color and no amenities and force prices down to $15K per vehicle. But they won’t-because they know vanity sells and they will fail with that model. So grab the 3 or 4 folks here that maybe want to grab their pitch forks and follow your cause and start your march to the front doors of the Big 3 and tell them to change. However, until other nonsensical items and dress up clothes for pets and plastic surgeons and make -up companies and diet programs cease to exist vanity won’t allow car companies to reduce their prices by the 25% you think they should.
I see it daily where people are driving 10year old BMWs out of warranty with expensive rims and tint and $1,000’s of dollars of crap when thy could drive a 4 year old Honda civic or Toyota Corolla and spend less on service and repairs. Problem is-image matters to most and there is the problem that manufactures have to overcome. I shop at Costco for shirts, coats, etc and don’t care about brands so short of the Scouts, I’m the ideal client for this mindset change-but I can afford a Scout and I want one and sometimes that’s the simplest way to see things-because logic doesn’t matter-if it did we wouldn’t have leased cars-you’d buy what you can afford and drive it until it was no longer repairable or safe-much like the original Scouts

You make a valid point about vanity and emotion—if we all bought purely on logic, we'd all be driving beige Camrys. No argument there; the "Cool Factor" is real currency. But here is where the "Resto-Mod / Vanity" argument hits a wall: Scale.

VW didn't invest billions into a South Carolina factory to build a boutique "Vanity Toy" for the small group of enthusiasts who remember the International Harvester era. They built it to move hundreds of thousands of units.

1. The "Nostalgia" Limit

The "Resto-Mod" crowd you mentioned is tiny.

Case in point: I am 41 years old, and until this revival was announced, I had never even heard of the Scout brand. The last Scout rolled off the line in 1980. That means basically anyone under 45 has no living memory of these trucks.

If Scout prices this vehicle at $60k+ relying on "Vanity" and "Heritage," they are targeting a very small, aging demographic. To fill a massive new factory, they need to sell to people like me—people who don't care about the 1970s history and just want a competitive electric truck.

2. The Real Competition... To fill that factory, Scout has to steal buyers from Ford, Chevy, and Toyota.

• Those buyers don't have "Scout Nostalgia."

• They don't care about the legacy.

• They care that a Silverado EV or F-150 offers X capability for Y dollars.

If Scout relies on the "Vanity Tax" you're describing, they risk ending up like the Ineos Grenadier—a cool, nostalgic, purpose-built truck that is incredibly rare because only the die-hards bought one. I don't want Scout to be a niche curiosity; I want them to be a real competitor. To do that, they have to win on the spreadsheet, not just in the heart.

 

[Chaz26]

I'm sure for quite a few people, technically owning any car might not be worth it from a purely financial standpoint. If you have a short commute or work from home, it might be cheaper to get a taxi/uber for short commutes and groceries and rent a car for the occasional long trip or truck when needed, versus buying, insuring, and fueling it up. It probably would be for me from a purely financial standpoint but there is no way I'm not having my own car.

 

[R1TVT]

You make a valid point about vanity and emotion—if we all bought purely on logic, we'd all be driving beige Camrys.

Again, your version of logic is not the same as everyone else's. Some people may live up a mountain pass with extreme freeze-thaw periods. Logic would tell them to find a truck with excellent capabilities to handle deep ruts, ice, mud, and snow on a steep gradient. NOT A CAMRY. I'm sorry if you are unable to see that other's logic differs from yours.

Case in point: I am 41 years old, and until this revival was announced, I had never even heard of the Scout brand. The last Scout rolled off the line in 1980. That means basically anyone under 45 has no living memory of these trucks.

Have you considered that there are those of us who have had experiences with the original Scout brand through parents, friends, relatives, etc.? These trucks still exist today, and to say that anyone under the age of 45 has no living memory is not accurate at all.

I personally know of two families that still have Scouts in their driveways today, with kids who are in High School.

 

[tomgillotti]

Again, your version of logic is not the same as everyone else's. Some people may live up a mountain pass with extreme freeze-thaw periods. Logic would tell them to find a truck with excellent capabilities to handle deep ruts, ice, mud, and snow on a steep gradient. NOT A CAMRY. I'm sorry if you are unable to see that other's logic differs from yours.


Have you considered that there are those of us who have had experiences with the original Scout brand through parents, friends, relatives, etc.? These trucks still exist today, and to say that anyone under the age of 45 has no living memory is not accurate at all.

I personally know of two families that still have Scouts in their driveways today, with kids who are in High School.

I think we are talking past each other on a few points, so let me clarify:

1. The Camry Metaphor-- to be clear, I wasn't suggesting anyone drive a sedan up a mountain pass. I was using the "Beige Camry" as a metaphor for a purely logical, zero-emotion purchase (an appliance). My point was simply agreeing with you that emotion/vanity does play a role in buying a truck. We agree on that.


2. "Living Memory" vs. Market Reality

Regarding the history: I’m sure many of us here (enthusiasts) have friends or family with old Scouts. We are on a Scout forum, after all—we are the exception, not the rule (not e, as I said; I had not heard of then previously). But if you walk into a random Target or Home Depot and ask 100 people under the age of 40 what a "Scout" is, 95 of them will think you are talking about the Boy Scouts.

That is my point about Scale.

VW can't fill a factory just selling to the people who remember the original trucks or the families who still have one. That pool is too small. To reach the volume they need (200,000+ units), they have to sell to the millions of people who have no connection to the brand.

For those millions of new buyers, "Nostalgia" isn't a selling point—price and specs are.

 

[R1TVT]

I think we are talking past each other on a few points, so let me clarify:

1. The Camry Metaphor-- to be clear, I wasn't suggesting anyone drive a sedan up a mountain pass. I was using the "Beige Camry" as a metaphor for a purely logical, zero-emotion purchase (an appliance). My point was simply agreeing with you that emotion/vanity does play a role in buying a truck. We agree on that.

Where do mud ruts and capability equate to emotion? Where do emotion or vanity enter my thought process surrounding capability, because that is not what I stated.

That is my point about Scale.


VW can't fill a factory just selling to the people who remember the original trucks or the families who still have one. That pool is too small. To reach the volume they need (200,000+ units), they have to sell to the millions of people who have no connection to the brand.

For those millions of new buyers, "Nostalgia" isn't a selling point—price and specs are.

Who is saying Scout can't tell their own story, and also have it amplified by those who know the Scout brand (and sell 200K+ units)? I did not say this. This, my friend, is called marketing.

 

[MClayton]

Where do mud ruts and capability equate to emotion? Where do emotion or vanity enter my thought process surrounding capability, because that is not what I stated.




Who is saying Scout can't tell their own story, and also have it amplified by those who know the Scout brand (and sell 200K+ units)? I did not say this. This, my friend, is called marketing.

Toyota sold about 160,000 Tundras last year. I just built and priced a nicely equipped 2026 Tundra SR5 4WD crew cab for about $60,000 on Toyota's website.

Scout will have a heck of a job selling 200,000 trucks per year, marketing or not. I hope Scout does well and is in the game for years to come, but pricing will play a big role in their future, no matter how much marketing there is.

 

[J Alynn]

Yep. This right here. That’s what I’m talking about. I’ll make sacrifices and eat ramen for however long is needed to save up for a more exciting vehicle!

Hope you mean the $.15 cent bags at the grocery store because these new ramen shops are like $20 for a bowl of noodle soup. It’s good but it’s way more that the grocery store instant bricks

 

[J Alynn]

Toyota sold about 160,000 Tundras last year. I just built and priced a nicely equipped 2026 Tundra SR5 4WD crew cab for about $60,000 on Toyota's website.

Scout will have a heck of a job selling 200,000 trucks per year, marketing or not. I hope Scout does well and is in the game for years to come, but pricing will play a big role in their future, no matter how much marketing there is.

Fair point but even based on reservations, 80% of buyers are going with Traveler. So even is SM sells 40,000 Terra trucks the percentages say the traveler will be 160,000 which is the 200,000 capacity. And I suspect 40,000 trucks a year-once proven is viable. And even if lower-if Audi starts production they may grab 15,000 units annually

 

[cyure]

Fair point but even based on reservations, 80% of buyers are going with Traveler. So even is SM sells 40,000 Terra trucks the percentages say the traveler will be 160,000 which is the 200,000 capacity. And I suspect 40,000 trucks a year-once proven is viable. And even if lower-if Audi starts production they may grab 15,000 units annually

Right because Toyota sold almost 100,000 4Runners in 2024 and they said they think it was less because people knew the redesign was coming. So I think it’s reasonable to add the 4Runner to the Tundra. Then the 200,000 number is doable.