My First and Likely Last Post

[moosetags]

How far is too far, may I ask. Our nearest SC toys is 5 hours away, in Denver.

We are in the western Florida Panhandle. The nearest Rivian Service Centers (Jacksonville and Atlanta) are a little over 300 miles from here. It's about five hours for us also. It's six hours on the clock as we are in the Central Time Zone.

Brian

Sponsored

 

[nc10]

Long story short, instead of the R1T, I am going to get a Tesla Model Y instead for the following reasons:

I rented a Y via Turo for a 4 day weekend before I got my R1T 8 months ago. Model 3/Y are best selling EV's in the free world. Tesla charger network in a league of its own. Model Y efficiency >> Rivian R1S. Performance is quite good. Much quicker deliveries. Safe choice, good value in the EV market.

When I was driving the Y, the screen rebooted as I was driving on a entrance road at a mall parking lot. Could still, steer, brake, accelerate, but see nothing on the display for a few minutes, pretty disconcerting. Tesla's have issues also even with a decade+ of experience.

Going from a R1S to a model Y seems like going from a Ford Explorer to a Subaru Crosstrek. Rivian works only if you value the additonal space, offroad capabilities, better performance, and can live with the upfront cost, lower efficiency, less available service network.

From Rivianstories.com, a picture comparing the two vehicles:
https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/attachments/tesla_model_y-jpg-ixlib-rails-0-3-jpg.22428/

 

[nugent1021]

I need and want a pick-up truck. a sedan doesn't work for us. I've looked at the the Ford Lightning and am not super impressed. I'll take a look at the Silverado E when I can see one in the flesh.

I believe I will wait for my R1T. I do not even have a guide yet, even though my order date is November 28, 2018. Rivian tells me that they will not sell me a truck because I live too far from one of their Service Centers.

Discouraged, but still hanging in.

Brian

I think we’re in the same boat, I’m in Tallahassee. Hang in there. I have properties to keep up, so need a truck for Pesticides, tools, concrete, tiling, plumbing, etc. And need the 0-60 3 seconds.

 

[moosetags]

I think we’re in the same boat, I’m in Tallahassee. Hang in there. I have properties to keep up, so need a truck for Pesticides, tools, concrete, tiling, plumbing, etc. And need the 0-60 3 seconds.

We are about 120 mi west of Tallahassee in Walton County. Let us know if you get any movement.

Brian

 

[ELECTRUK]

Hi everyone, OP here. I'd never heard "OP" until this thread - ya'll are experts! I remember wearing OP shorts when I was a kid.

I've read all of your responses and found a lot of them entertaining. Thank you to those who took the time to read and understand my original post (OP!). For others, let me try to clear up some confusion:

• I'm not trying to make a direct comparison between the Model Y and the R1T. They are indeed apples and oranges. One is an amazing off-road adventure pickup with vented seats, nicer interior, air suspension, better color options, etc. The other is a dime-a-dozen crossover SUV EV that is still pretty kick ass in my opinion.
• I agree, Teslas are "boring". They are everywhere. Their novelty has long since worn off.
• Despite being "boring", they have been around much longer and have worked out more of the kinks than Rivian has and have developed a first class charging network. That's important to me.
• Despite being "boring", they have actual stores where you can easily see what their vehicles look like and easily take one for a test drive. I test drove one last week in DC and loved it! I hope some day when Rivian has advanced, they too will have stores/dealerships where people can easily go look at and drive their vehicles.
• The government is offering me $7,500 in "free" money. I'll take it!

I've never owned an EV, so I'm looking at the Model Y as my starter car that will do everything I need to do for the most part. In 2-5 years, when the market is flooded with EVs from nearly all manufactures and charging stations are as ubiquitous and reliable as gas stations are now, I will likely trade the Model Y in for something different, perhaps even a blue Rivian, adventure package, with 20" all-terrain tires.

Until then, the Rivian that I've been waiting a year for can now belong to one of you.

Cheers! ?

 

[Dark-Fx]

The government is offering me $7,500 in "free" money. I'll take it!

I think what's often overlooked about these tax credits is it also increases the "off-the-lot" depreciation of the vehicle. You can't really look at the market of the last two years to make that deduction but it will definitely be true when supply catches up with demand.

 

[rivian_germany]

@ELECTRUK
I have a Tesla model 3 LR and an R1T, and I absolutely love them both. They both have 5 seats -- the R1T is a bit bigger in the back but still will never be as cozy as our 2009 honda odyssey with DVD (kids are 9, 12, 15). So no EV road trips until I can get the R1S (or maybe a hybrid Sienna??) and sell the one of the current EVs. Problem is, I love different things about both. The Tesla feels like driving a missile, but gets about 3.21 mi/kW (I drive pretty hard) (13k miles avg), while the R1T gets about 1.77 mi/kW for me (1400 mi so far). But the R1T is such an awesome electric beast. I have no remorse buying either vehicle, yet. I was a pre-Mar22 Rivian order so I will get the tax benefit and lower price == ~72k after rebate, vs 51k for the M3LR (paid in 2021, no rebate). I will probably sell the truck to someone who needs it more than me. And I will cry when I do.

Honestly I don't even know why I bought the R1T except that I figured I could drive over curbs to avoid traffic, but really it's kind of overkill for just that... I think if the price were 92k I would have let it go as well, as I don't really NEED a fancy adventure off-road monster truck. Even if it is worth 92k, it's just not in my budget. Sorry, guess I am rambling. But I see your point of view, OP.

 

[R.I.P.]

Greetings, Rivian Lovers!

I am writing this post with a bit of sadness, because I have decided to cancel my R1T order. I placed the order in April of 2022 and at the moment my estimated delivery is April - May of 2023 - so close! One side effect to having to wait so long for a vehicle is that it gives you months/years to debate your decision and whether or not it is/was a good one. Two months ago I was "all in" and envisioning my life with a shiny new blue R1T. I had watched countless videos on YouTube showing how capable they are off-road, how great the storage is, how beautiful they are, etc. I couldn't wait to buy some lumber and throw it in the back of the truck, or take it camping nearby. I am starting to see more and more R1Ts on the road in the DC/VA/MD area (including the occasional R1S). But then I watched some videos by the "Now You Know" guys who own a Rivian and have had some pretty major issues with theirs and some not-so-stellar experiences with Rivian service.

Long story short, instead of the R1T, I am going to get a Tesla Model Y instead for the following reasons:

1. I have the possibility of getting a $7,500 tax rebate. I don't have that option with a Rivian, and $7,500 is a lot of cash to leave on the table.
2. The difference in price between the two vehicles is $35K ($92,500 for the R1T and $57,500 for the Model Y the way I configured them). I can have my bathrooms remodeled with that money. That's a lot of beer money.
3. Both companies have quality/build/service issues, but in my opinion, despite what the J.D. Power Satisfaction Survey says, Rivian is just too young and working through too many kinks.
4. The Tesla charging network is vast and the super chargers "just work". I know they will be opening them up to other EVs in the near future, but I don't want to have any trouble charging or finding a charging station with a Rivian.
5. We live in a pretty remote/rural location and sometimes only have one vehicle at our house. If that one vehicle is a Rivian and it gets bricked like it did for the "Now You Know" guys, we'd have to have it towed 100 miles to Richmond (the closest service location) and then what - catch an Uber to the closest city to rent a car? I have no idea. Our internet is also not great, and I worry that if the R1T decided to pull down an OTA update, it could fail and possibly brick the truck.
6. I am getting a trailer hitch on the Model Y so I will still be able to haul lumber, tree branches, etc.

I love everything about the Rivian, and have ever since I saw them in the "Long Way Up" documentary. They are gorgeous and look like they are a blast to drive. But for me, they need a few more years under their belt to be as reliable as Tesla who have been in the game for many more years. My guess is that in 3-5 years I will be buying a Rivian (R2T?). Heck, in 3-5 years there will be a lot of other EV choices on the market. Mark my words though, I will never buy a Tesla Truck as those are hands down the ugliest thing I've ever seen!

I ended up selling my R1T and buying a second Tesla. My Rivian ownership was quite a jolt in realization of how far ahead of the rest Tesla is at this point. Rivian may get there, I am still a fan. Who knows, I may end up owning another one down the line when they are more fleshed out as a manufacturer.

 

[Inkedsphynx]

We're all entitled to make the decisions we make for the reasons we make them.

J.D. Power surveys indicate satisfaction is higher for R1T owners than any Tesla model. Personally, I trust that data point much more than a single internet creator who had issues. I've had 0 issues requiring service in my 9 month ownership, so even if you want to ignore good data sources, I've already brought you up to a 50/50 shot the Rivian is problem free

No real purpose to my post, others have said basically the same. Not sure what the purpose to your post was either. I don't run to a forum every time I make a decision about something, and you never owned the R1T to be able to provide any valuable feedback about the vehicle itself.

I guess the real losers here are all the people that spent time reading useless posts in a useless thread

 

[Jeeves]

I had a Model Y before my R1T. It’s one of the best vehicles on the road. I loved it. It did most things really, really well.

Having had my R1T since June, I still think the Tesla Model Y is one of the best cars on the road, but there is absolutely no way I could go back to the MY after the R1T, even with the crappy WalMart charging. The R1T is just too good.

 

[Titanium91352]

The smartest move Rivian made was to penetrate the market with two before untouched markets, the truck and the SUV. I own both and for the category they serve it hands down beats anything Tesla has to offer, I can see if a person needs a car but has made a deposit on a truck or SUV, they would back out of the order. But for a family like mine where I needed a truck to go to work and back with tools and my wife in need of an over five seater, both our R1T and R1S made sense and still does. We just had a significant storm with R3 conditions and both the truck and the SUV outperformed my Raptor in those conditions.

 

[nc10]

I'm not trying to make a direct comparison between the Model Y and the R1T.

Sry, just that every point was phrased as a direct comparison, so seemed like you were. Quality. Price, charging network, SC location, build time, rebate.... good luck.

 

[White Shadow]

I made a similar decision as the OP, but decided to stick with ICE for a few more years. I'll reconsider in probably four or five years. It will be interesting to see how EVs and infrastructure improve by then. In the meantime, I'll use forums like this one to stay informed from actual owners.

 

[JHep]

We did before it became evident that the rivian was much more vehicle and practical for us for not much more with no EV credit on the Y. And after driving a YP and realizing the suspension was about as good as a go-kart. My friend put it in FSD while I was test driving and it drove us across opposing traffic and would have hit a guardrail if not for me taking over.

We did before it became evident that the rivian was much more vehicle and practical for us for not much more with no EV credit on the Y. And after driving a YP and realizing the suspension was about as good as a go-kart. My friend put it in FSD while I was test driving and it drove us across opposing traffic and would have hit a guardrail if not for me taking over.

I ? percent concur! I have to tell you, and have been scrolling to read the comments, as I bought the Tesla performance model Y for every single reason the original poster posted on here – cost, charging, Network, duration of company existence. I have just over 3000 miles on my YP and am looking to sell it for a fatty loss that turns my gut (Thanks a lot, Elon Musk!)

Six days after we purchased our vehicle, he dropped the price $7500 more dollars. And now, the charging network is being opened up to all EVs. I am learning that there are some challenges in having the perfect charge with a Rivian to Tesla Supercharger, but it’s not worth the reason that I am wanting to sell it.

After doing all of my research, nothing came up about phantom breaking. Maybe because I was listening to the influencers who probably have hefty stock in Tesla. The current lawsuit re; for the FSD is just the tip of the iceberg since they’ve eliminated radar and gone to strictly cameras. There is an article in the Washington Post about how while people using autopilot are experiencing dangerous phantom braking far more frequently than in the past. Me, being one of them.

I live in a rural area, and from what my current research is bringing up is that two lane highways in rural areas are more apt to have more frequent phantombraking than freeway driving or multilane highway.

I drove a Mazda, CX5 for five years with adaptive cruise control and had a braking issue once. Scared the poop out of me.

I didn’t put my MP on auto pilot for a while, wanting to learn the feel of the EV/one pedal driving first. The first time I did, I was crossing a bridge with a semi-truck coming towards me in its own lane and my car slammed his brakes on! My adrenaline was surging! I thought OK, it misread it because of the bridge oBethesda structure. Random incidents.

The next time, on a 2 lane highway, a car made a left turn about a 3/4 of a mile in front of me – brake slams on a 60 Mph Rd. Had someone been behind me, they would’ve completely rear ended me. OK, time number two, suspect, but wondering if my settings were wrong.

I went home and watched YouTube videos on adjusting the sensitivity of adaptive cruise control. I turned it to as low sensitivity as possible.

I gave it another whirl. This time, nobody or anything around me. No wind. No sun glare, no nothing. Brakes slammed. Now I’m frustrated and scared. I asked Tesla rep. what was going on and the representative at the service center told me that “sometimes that happens and you need to be prepared to take over.”

I continue to attempt to use it, as I didn’t pay $70,000 for a car I can’t use cruise control (auto pilot) on. Henceforth, I am using autopilot with my drivers foot in a cramped, poised position, ready to immediately push down the accelerator and my right hand cocked against the stock, ready to disengage autopilot. Not exactly a comfortable way to drive a car. I’m getting anxiety being prepared to have the brakes slam. They do. Again, and again, and again. Every single time I try to use it. Always with no threat, and 75% of the time with absolutely nothing around me. The rest of the incidences it’s most often an oncoming semi-truck.

I can’t use it. That’s unacceptable.

So, I did more research on phantom breaking. There’s a class action lawsuit start-up due to this. The Washington Post (and others) has highlighted the braking issues in a recent article about a week ago.

One last note, no matter what vehicle you’re buying, take the time to step aside for a half an hour, and try to decipher the legal jargon in the contract you’re signing. Opt out of the arbitration clause!!! FFS at my age, I should know this. All corporations seem to have this clause, nowadays.

If we can minimize our loss to a few thousands, it’s gone. I’ll buy an interim ICE car and wait for my (expensive indeed) Rivian. Who knows how long it will be until Tesla acknowledges this and decides to fix it and what the legal battles are going to be?

MAJOR regrets.
Buyer beware.

JHep
Reservation Holder R1S

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/02/02/tesla-phantom-braking/

https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/phantom-braking-in-my-new-model-y.253378/page-13

https://usautolaw.com/lawsuits/tesla-autopilot-phantom-braking-lawsuit/

https://electrek.co/2022/02/17/tesla-nhtsa-investigation-autopilot-phantom-braking-problem/

 

[norivian]

Greetings, Rivian Lovers!

I am writing this post with a bit of sadness, because I have decided to cancel my R1T order. I placed the order in April of 2022 and at the moment my estimated delivery is April - May of 2023 - so close! One side effect to having to wait so long for a vehicle is that it gives you months/years to debate your decision and whether or not it is/was a good one. Two months ago I was "all in" and envisioning my life with a shiny new blue R1T. I had watched countless videos on YouTube showing how capable they are off-road, how great the storage is, how beautiful they are, etc. I couldn't wait to buy some lumber and throw it in the back of the truck, or take it camping nearby. I am starting to see more and more R1Ts on the road in the DC/VA/MD area (including the occasional R1S). But then I watched some videos by the "Now You Know" guys who own a Rivian and have had some pretty major issues with theirs and some not-so-stellar experiences with Rivian service.

Long story short, instead of the R1T, I am going to get a Tesla Model Y instead for the following reasons:

1. I have the possibility of getting a $7,500 tax rebate. I don't have that option with a Rivian, and $7,500 is a lot of cash to leave on the table.
2. The difference in price between the two vehicles is $35K ($92,500 for the R1T and $57,500 for the Model Y the way I configured them). I can have my bathrooms remodeled with that money. That's a lot of beer money.
3. Both companies have quality/build/service issues, but in my opinion, despite what the J.D. Power Satisfaction Survey says, Rivian is just too young and working through too many kinks.
4. The Tesla charging network is vast and the super chargers "just work". I know they will be opening them up to other EVs in the near future, but I don't want to have any trouble charging or finding a charging station with a Rivian.
5. We live in a pretty remote/rural location and sometimes only have one vehicle at our house. If that one vehicle is a Rivian and it gets bricked like it did for the "Now You Know" guys, we'd have to have it towed 100 miles to Richmond (the closest service location) and then what - catch an Uber to the closest city to rent a car? I have no idea. Our internet is also not great, and I worry that if the R1T decided to pull down an OTA update, it could fail and possibly brick the truck.
6. I am getting a trailer hitch on the Model Y so I will still be able to haul lumber, tree branches, etc.

I love everything about the Rivian, and have ever since I saw them in the "Long Way Up" documentary. They are gorgeous and look like they are a blast to drive. But for me, they need a few more years under their belt to be as reliable as Tesla who have been in the game for many more years. My guess is that in 3-5 years I will be buying a Rivian (R2T?). Heck, in 3-5 years there will be a lot of other EV choices on the market. Mark my words though, I will never buy a Tesla Truck as those are hands down the ugliest thing I've ever seen!

I drive a Y now. I share you issues/concerns about Rivian charging and its RAN. I am dragging my feet on the Rivian because of the accessibility and reliability of charging networks it can access/use.

Also, not really sure how prevalent the vehicle issues are but I simply can’t afford to deal with them anytime.

I was going to trade in my Y to get the T. I decided I can’t do it at this time. Maybe later this year…

Sponsored