"Better, Faster, Cheaper"Nobody's going to put anything down on something they don't want or can't ever afford.
Not true. A number of people put $1,000 down on a Model 3 reservation with the sole purpose of trying to sell their reservation (their place in line) once they are up to order - ebay was swimming in $3,000 reservation spots for a while - the risk is low as you can always just get your deposit back if you don't sell your place in line. With only a $100 refundable deposit the cost so much less than Model 3 speculation, AND there is an added (at least perceived) bonus of locking the price against any unexpected price hikes or even inflation. I overheard some people at a casino on Friday night talking how they each got themselves a Cybertruck reservation, with no interest of buying the truck, purely to sell their place in line when the time comes. Same guys talked about their speculating with crypto-currencies too (they called it "investing").
If Tesla fixes their parts and service troubles, I might be in a market for Model S, or maybe even Model 3 SR. I would give Tesla two $100 refundable deposits if I could lock the Model S P100D and Model 3 SR price today - it doesn't mean I will buy them, but $100 loan is worth locking the prices. Heck, I'd give them 5 additional $100 refundable deposits if they let me lock down 5 Model 3 SR's at $35K for up to 4 years - if the price goes up, I can easily sell my reservations for half the price difference. If the price goes down or stays the same, or nobody buys them, I ask for a refund.
PS> I personally don't think cybertruck reservations guarantee the prices, but some people do.