Also, though, how many people actually like his antics? Like them enough to _buy a car_ that they wouldn't otherwise have bought? Do those people have any money?
In this case, its literally "put your money where your mouth is" which tends to the rational. I think people attracted to Musk's stupidity and with disposable income are fewer than people disgusted by it, and with the same disposable income.
Sorry to disagree but my non-statistical gut feel is, you're probably not right.
I agree with the words, but don't think they mean what you think they mean :)
People like to belong and be part of the "in" group so tend to think their views are more popular than they are.
The truth is that based on actual sales numbers, Tesla is just fine: https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/02/business/tesla-sales-q4/index.... Growth is slower, but that's true for EVs in general and there is a lot more competition than there used to be.
There's just no evidence that car shoppers care about Elon. I'd say avoiding Tesla's because of Elon's personality is the irrational take anyway. Don't buy them because they aren't built very well, don't not buy them because he's a jerk.
Elon isn't just a jerk. Many high-performing individuals are jerks. Elon is platforming and signal boosting racists and fascists and claiming it's all about freedom of speech. That's well beyond being a difficult person. SLAPP suits, racism and sexism in the workplace in his companies, making a tunnel boring company just to troll mass transit, etc. is what makes people want to avoid supporting him financially.
Model 3 is a fine EV especially at current used prices.