YouTuber disappointed his gold-plated Tesla Cybertruck sells for less than expected

However, the Youtuber, whose real name is Zack Nelson, decided to branch out from his usual content and do something a little different: customize a Cybertruck with gold plating, then give it away in a sweepstakes.

Unfortunately, things did not go according to plan.

Gold-plated Cybertruck brings the bling — but not the big bucks

Despite the gold-plated truck’s impressive exterior, the vehicle’s actual value turned out to be much less than Nelson had hoped.

While the Cybertruck itself started at around $99,000, Nelson said he spent $60,000 to get it gold-plated in 2024. According to a Yahoo report, the plating was 99.7% gold, with a small amount of cobalt added for durability.

There was just one big problem. The sweepstakes winner did not want the truck and took a cash prize instead, leaving the YouTuber with a very expensive EV that had just 6,900 miles on it. Nelson decided to auction it off with Doug DeMuro’s Cars & Bids and was confident enough to list it with no reserve price.

Unfortunately, despite the listing being viewed more than 152,000 times and earning a total of 22 bids, the final price was just $102,000 — close to $60,000 less than what it likely cost, especially considering the truck also included an iPhone that works as the key, as well as an autograph on the front, all-weather floor mats, and Ridge and 24K gold decals on the body.

Nelson likely wasn’t too upset, though, since he donated all the proceeds from the sale to the Not A Wheelchair Foundation.

Car modifications aren’t always worth what you pay

While JerryRigEverything’s transaction turned out fine and the buyer and charity both ultimately benefited, not everyone can afford to lose thousands on a vehicle modification. And unfortunately, that’s a very real risk.

“When you make an expensive modification, you have to consider the market for it,” Melanie Musson, an insurance and finance expert at Clearsurance.com, told Moneywise. “Purely cosmetic upgrades add as much value as someone is willing to pay.”