Demo Rivians Now for Sale

[onesoil]

I guess it’s my turn for demo purchase problems.

I hit check out on a demo R1T nine days ago (truck in Salt Lake UT, and I live in California)… California was not listed as a problematic state, and I have a friend who also took delivery in another state and drove it home to California. I spoke to a sales person … said everything was fine.

I was able to finish all the purchase paperwork 3-4 days ago, including making the final payment, provided proof of insurance. Only one step left… schedule pickup.

The delivery coordinator said, unfortunately I cannot register in California. Then I escalated because my friend had done it somehow.

Now two days later I’m playing phone tag with a new person to figure out how to resolve this. They have my money …

I’ll gladly take delivery in California if they can ship it to me … and I would be OK driving it from Utah OR switching my reservation to the one in normal Illinois (it happens to be a color I like )…. so that they could ship it to me maybe. Getting a little impatient… we’ll see how this turns out if I can actually speak to someone tomorrow.

any other data points from you all about picking up elsewhere then registering it in California?

Ask them to let you self register. I picked mine up and registered it myself in VT so that I could navigate a (legal) loophole that cut my registration fee in half, that I was sure Rivian wouldn’t know about or likely be able to achieve for me. They gave me a temp tag and let me drive it away from Chelsea with no problems. The registration packet showed up in the mail a few days or a week later. I just got it registered, though I would have had 90 days on the temp tags.

I’m not sure if this will work in CA, but worth looking into. FWIW, they also offered to deliver it to VT on a flatbed for $1k, or even allow me to send my own hauler (which would have been $700), but I wanted eyes on the truck at delivery.

While it was nearly immaculate in terms of paint and panel figment, it’s now in Chelsea getting some suspension work because I heard some clunks in the rear and half shaft clicking. Service has been easy to coordinate, and while the mobile guy didn’t hear what I was describing, they had already scheduled a loaner swap (an R1S with a flatbed transport to and from Chelsea to VT) due to some items the mobile guy wouldn’t be able to look into. They just informed me that the front half shafts have been replaced, and the rear struts will be when parts arrive (tomorrow, hopefully).

I feel very fortunate to have snagged my ideal spec (literally everything, except no RUS) for nearly $30k off new pricing. I even got perhaps the first RUS retrofit approved, which they are halfway through installing while it’s at the SC. So far I think I’ve lucked out with the Chelsea MA SC being the one I am closest to—communication has been excellent, timelines have been met or exceeded, and though I’ve dealt with multiple people through the service experience, they all seem to take thorough notes and be up to speed on my truck.

The purchase process took almost a month and was a disorganized mess with my “Inside Sales Guide” until I was assigned my Delivery Guide (and put in contact with the Delivery and Mobile Operations Manager at theChelsea SC), from which point onwards things have been nearly perfect.

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[voxel]

I got my demo R1S contract with pricing + trade in value + $3750 tax credit. It only took 3 weeks from original reservation!

The destination fee + registration + etc. basically eat up the tax credit lol.

I'm going to mull it over this weekend.

 

[MidnightRivian]

I got my demo R1S contract with pricing + trade in value + $3750 tax credit. It only took 3 weeks from original reservation!

The destination fee + registration + etc. basically eat up the tax credit lol.

I'm going to mull it over this weekend.

Post some pictures. I think you should get it. Tons of folks are wanting to snatch up R1S from the Demo shop but rarely will you find them available.

What is the specs / pricing / miles?

 

[Laserboy1054]

I got my demo R1S contract with pricing + trade in value + $3750 tax credit. It only took 3 weeks from original reservation!

Congratulations, voxel!
I truly sympathize with the various folks who have encountered serious issues with the purchase process for the demo units! But my own experience couldn't have gone more smoothly. My test drive was exactly one week ago today and I didn't even know about the existence of the demo program until two days later. But I just submitted my final paperwork a couple of hours ago. All that's left is for my insurance dude to provide me with proof of insurance (poor guy is working 16-hour days dealing with claims from some massive hail we've had around here) and the whole thing is in the bag except for payment and delivery. I don't walk around with that sort of cash in my pockets (I'm a recently-retired Physics professor), so I'll need a couple of weeks to pull it all together, but we're scheduled to pick the R1T up in Richmond, VA on June 5.

Anyway, I hope the difficulties people have encountered are quickly resolved! Best wishes.

 

[jeepfreakedc]

Current situation in Virginia:

1. Demo order confirmed 3/18
2. Customer Service ticket opened given the statement on demo vehicles not being able to register in VA
3. I get a call from Sales rep this morning stating they cannot sell to me in VA but will check with manager on this use case, awaiting call back
4. I called VA DMV about registering and titling a demonstrator vehicle in VA and the response was "as long as it has 4 wheels and is drivable on VA roads, you can register it". She then proceeded to state that the only people who can make the statement about not being able to register in VA is a VA DMV employee
5. More to come....

Did they ever call back with word from a manager? I have yet to hear from a manager in over a week, in spite of making a few requests to my Sales Guide and the normal customer service line while I've waited. It is entirely possible that they are wrong about VA registration, so I hope you get somewhere with them.

Update on my demo purchase saga:

I thought my waiting was finally over, and was about to "Lock in" my "configuration" yesterday (I'll explain the quotes). The first (or second, depending on when I start counting) bungled deposit clearly had the price wrong at $87k (pic one). Now, 8 days after making my third deposit, it seems that the price is incorrect in the other direction—my portal is showing a purchase price of $62,057 ($70,557 is the price listed on the demo page for the truck I have reserved). The second photo was from midway through the 8 day wait, also with an incorrect price.

As much as I wanted to lock in the order at this price, I was concerned that the build shown still didn't reflect the actual vehicle I am purchasing, so before locking in what looks like a very discounted "generic" configuration (LA Silver, 21", BM interior), I reached out to my guide. He called me at 7:30 PM EST (again calling well after my preference, over 6 hours after I left a VM ?).

I have asked my guide several times to confirm that it is okay to have this generic configuration on my portal. Each time he has told me that this is what I should be seeing, but the correct build/VIN is assigned to me on the back end. "No worries." He hasn't been sure when, if ever, the build specs will be accurately reflected in my portal. So when I (somewhat hesitantly) pointed out that now the price was $8500 less than the demo page indicated, and the configuration was still wrong, he told me he had to check with his team and get back to me... He pointed out that the $9443 discount was now correctly applied, but he wasn't sure why it was taking it off of the LAS/21"/BM build.

Has anyone who has successfully locked in one of these demo vehicles seen something like this? Did you end up paying exactly the price as stated on the demo page? I hope this level of disorganization and/or incompetence is limited to my purchase/sales guide... for Rivian's sake.

[/QUOTE]

So, I reserved a demo two days ago, and I'm still waiting for my "guide" to reach back out to me. I've scheduled one meeting and it came and went, and have another one scheduled tomorrow. To get to this lock it in phase, I'm assuming you have to actually talk to a person? I've tried to find a way to do this on my own, but have had no luck. Does anyone have any suggestions?
I just happened to look on the demo site, and guess what, the R1T I ordered was back up again as available. I checked my email and no cancellations or anything. Only the email saying order confirmed. So frustrating. I guess I'll try being on the phone all day tomorrow until I can finally get someone to help. Anyone have any top secret numbers where you can get someone helpful???

 

[voxel]

It’s a slow process. You reserve the demo then put in a $1K order which then gets matched to your demo a week later. In my case 3-4 weeks later then you confirm the specs and get a demo discount of $7-9K off the MSRP.

 

[onesoil]

Did they ever call back with word from a manager? I have yet to hear from a manager in over a week, in spite of making a few requests to my Sales Guide and the normal customer service line while I've waited. It is entirely possible that they are wrong about VA registration, so I hope you get somewhere with them.

Update on my demo purchase saga:

I thought my waiting was finally over, and was about to "Lock in" my "configuration" yesterday (I'll explain the quotes). The first (or second, depending on when I start counting) bungled deposit clearly had the price wrong at $87k (pic one). Now, 8 days after making my third deposit, it seems that the price is incorrect in the other direction—my portal is showing a purchase price of $62,057 ($70,557 is the price listed on the demo page for the truck I have reserved). The second photo was from midway through the 8 day wait, also with an incorrect price.

As much as I wanted to lock in the order at this price, I was concerned that the build shown still didn't reflect the actual vehicle I am purchasing, so before locking in what looks like a very discounted "generic" configuration (LA Silver, 21", BM interior), I reached out to my guide. He called me at 7:30 PM EST (again calling well after my preference, over 6 hours after I left a VM ?).

I have asked my guide several times to confirm that it is okay to have this generic configuration on my portal. Each time he has told me that this is what I should be seeing, but the correct build/VIN is assigned to me on the back end. "No worries." He hasn't been sure when, if ever, the build specs will be accurately reflected in my portal. So when I (somewhat hesitantly) pointed out that now the price was $8500 less than the demo page indicated, and the configuration was still wrong, he told me he had to check with his team and get back to me... He pointed out that the $9443 discount was now correctly applied, but he wasn't sure why it was taking it off of the LAS/21"/BM build.

Has anyone who has successfully locked in one of these demo vehicles seen something like this? Did you end up paying exactly the price as stated on the demo page? I hope this level of disorganization and/or incompetence is limited to my purchase/sales guide... for Rivian's sake.

So, I reserved a demo two days ago, and I'm still waiting for my "guide" to reach back out to me. I've scheduled one meeting and it came and went, and have another one scheduled tomorrow. To get to this lock it in phase, I'm assuming you have to actually talk to a person? I've tried to find a way to do this on my own, but have had no luck. Does anyone have any suggestions?
I just happened to look on the demo site, and guess what, the R1T I ordered was back up again as available. I checked my email and no cancellations or anything. Only the email saying order confirmed. So frustrating. I guess I'll try being on the phone all day tomorrow until I can finally get someone to help. Anyone have any top secret numbers where you can get someone helpful???
[/QUOTE]

I never did speak with a manager. It took about a month from beginning to end, but once I was past the Inside Sales Guide and on to my delivery guide (not sure if those exist anymore) and the Chelsea, MA team, communication and efficacy seemed to improve significantly.

It took me about a day before my Inside Sales Guide reached out to me. He then sent over a Demo purchase agreement (I don't recall exactly what that contained, but it was non-binding, just something that stated that I was aware it wasn't a new vehicle). Then He instructed me to make a deposit for a new R1T (generic configuration, that didn't matter apparently). I already had a deposit in the system for an R1S, but apparently, that couldn't be converted, so I had to make a new one and get a refund. I could go on about all the other mistakes that happened, but I already did in the post you quoted, so no need to rehash it all.

I would imagine the Demo purchase experience has changed somewhat since I purchased mine—they seem to be phasing out the Delivery Guides, they seem to have changed some rules about the transport of Demo trucks, etc.

If you still haven't heard from a sales guide, you might just try calling the main customer service line to demand that someone call you back about your Demo purchase. That sometimes worked for me when I was in the purchase limbo and couldn't reach my inside sales guide.

Overall, it was well worth the painful purchase experience—I think we ended up paying at least $25k less than a comparably specced new build, and got Meridian, powered tonneau, and frunk/center console 12v! Mine also happened to be in impeccable shape and seems to have nearly perfect panel gaps. It is currently getting half shafts and rear dampers replaced, but it's been a fairly fuss-free experience so far dealing with the SC.

Good luck with your Demo purchase "Adventure!"

 

[Count Orlok]

that PN CY might be calling my name...

 

[mcarver316]

So, I reserved a demo two days ago, and I'm still waiting for my "guide" to reach back out to me. I've scheduled one meeting and it came and went, and have another one scheduled tomorrow. To get to this lock it in phase, I'm assuming you have to actually talk to a person? I've tried to find a way to do this on my own, but have had no luck. Does anyone have any suggestions?
I just happened to look on the demo site, and guess what, the R1T I ordered was back up again as available. I checked my email and no cancellations or anything. Only the email saying order confirmed. So frustrating. I guess I'll try being on the phone all day tomorrow until I can finally get someone to help. Anyone have any top secret numbers where you can get someone helpful???

I never did speak with a manager. It took about a month from beginning to end, but once I was past the Inside Sales Guide and on to my delivery guide (not sure if those exist anymore) and the Chelsea, MA team, communication and efficacy seemed to improve significantly.

It took me about a day before my Inside Sales Guide reached out to me. He then sent over a Demo purchase agreement (I don't recall exactly what that contained, but it was non-binding, just something that stated that I was aware it wasn't a new vehicle). Then He instructed me to make a deposit for a new R1T (generic configuration, that didn't matter apparently). I already had a deposit in the system for an R1S, but apparently, that couldn't be converted, so I had to make a new one and get a refund. I could go on about all the other mistakes that happened, but I already did in the post you quoted, so no need to rehash it all.

I would imagine the Demo purchase experience has changed somewhat since I purchased mine—they seem to be phasing out the Delivery Guides, they seem to have changed some rules about the transport of Demo trucks, etc.

If you still haven't heard from a sales guide, you might just try calling the main customer service line to demand that someone call you back about your Demo purchase. That sometimes worked for me when I was in the purchase limbo and couldn't reach my inside sales guide.

Overall, it was well worth the painful purchase experience—I think we ended up paying at least $25k less than a comparably specced new build, and got Meridian, powered tonneau, and frunk/center console 12v! Mine also happened to be in impeccable shape and seems to have nearly perfect panel gaps. It is currently getting half shafts and rear dampers replaced, but it's been a fairly fuss-free experience so far dealing with the SC.

Good luck with your Demo purchase "Adventure!"
[/QUOTE]

What helped with expediting my delivery was scheduling a test drive at the service center where my demo was located. During the test drive, I explained that I am already sold and just waiting for delivery notice. The test drive guide was very helpful- within 72 hours, I came back to the service center and picked up my R1T. For context, my purchase confirmation was in limbo until I decided to schedule a test drive to speak to a human in person. YMMV.

 

[jeepfreakedc]

Well, after a strongly worded email to my guide with rivian customer service ccd last night, my sales guide hit me up today He was super friendly and sent me a link to make the deposit. It appears like the demo vehicle has already been linked to my purchase. The only issue is my R1T is in Chicago and I’m in Atlanta. It will be worth it to fly out there and drive it back to save 25kish though. Hopefully, I’ll have a couple weeks to pick it up, since I’ve got several work trips coming up. I’m hoping if I do my trade in, I can drop it at my local rivian dealer and fly to Chicago instead of having to drive both ways. Thanks for the help!

 

[mcarver316]

After about 12 days of ownership, I just noticed this molding just behind the front passenger fender popping off. It looks like someone tried to pry it off with a flathead screwdriver or something similar. The molding won't pop back in no matter how firmly I pushed.

I notified the guide who helped me with the purchase and hopefully there is some resolution to this.

Moral of the story: check the vehicle carefully and thoroughly before accepting delivery.

 

[voxel]

I’m hoping if I do my trade in, I can drop it at my local rivian dealer and fly to Chicago instead of having to drive both ways.

Nope. Trade ins need to be dropped off at same location as pickup.

 

[TollKeeper]

After about 12 days of ownership, I just noticed this molding just behind the front passenger fender popping off. It looks like someone tried to pry it off with a flathead screwdriver or something similar. The molding won't pop back in no matter how firmly I pushed.

I notified the guide who helped me with the purchase and hopefully there is some resolution to this.

Moral of the story: check the vehicle carefully and thoroughly before accepting delivery.

I had the same problem on my 2024 R1S LE... Mobile service came out, and said this is the way the come from the factory.. But he did unbolt everything, and get it all back together. It still has a minor gap fender to liner, but is much better, and the camera no longer has at speed wind buffeting.

I wish I could get one of these Demo's in Colorado... Why is it that we cant again?

 

[jeepfreakedc]

Nope. Trade ins need to be dropped off at same location as pickup.

Well that sucks. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Patrick87]

I reserved An El Cap Granite/Ocean Coast R1T quad yesterday.

The guide I've been working with for the past 3 months sent me the email requesting the $1k down within the hour of reserving.

I'm driving from east TN to Richmond, VA to pick it up s00n.

FYI, he did confirm that demos in Normal, IL can be shipped to other service centers, as others have noted.

Looking forward to finally having one of these!

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