If the developer announced before the launch that "a few thousand" would be premined, I would think nothing of it. Actually, I would be more inclined to support the coin, due to the upfront honesty.
If your cardealer is so upfront hones to tell you that he's goint to screw you on your car it doesn't mean that's a honest business! Every successful crypto went from a few cents to at least some bugs. That's usually more than a 100fold and enough to make some serious money for anyone.
Nobody stops the developer to be the first to invest 100USD in his invention and a developer that isn't willing to risk that little money is usually not willing to invest some more time after relaese. There is no need to revard developpers for a failed coin and a successful coin has already made them some nice money and donations.
If a dealer was upfront and honest that he was going to try to screw me on a car deal, I would at least have the opportunity to take my business elsewhere. If he told me how much profit he was going to make and I felt that it was reasonable, I would consider buying from them. I don't expect car dealerships to be not for profit organizations. If a *coin dev said ahead of time, before I invest any time in his coin, that a few 1000 were going to be premined as opposed to launching the coin and letting it be a surprise that 1,000,000 had been premined, It would not keep me away from a well developed coin.