Tesla is buying back my Cybertruck..

[FormerCyberTruckOwner]

Sooooo...I'm new here hello ?.

As you read Tesla has officially offered to buy back my CyberSuck.

Is it bad that I am concerned that posting here may lead me to getting some sort of negative attention?

Anyway, I pre-ordered the truck 4 years ago based off of the design and promised features. I wanted the truck and I expected it to be perfect.

Tesla has made cars before...
Tesla had delayed the truck multiple times...
Tesla marketed the truck as luxury...

What I got was none of that, with a side of poor customer service.

I wanted the politics to stay out of my purchase, but unfortunately they didn't. The amount of hate and negative attention is out of this world.

So here I am .. I want what the Cybertruck offered me but with a better build by a company who's focus is on their products not politics. No one else can even come close to being a Rival of the CT, other than RIVIAN.

I finally got to test drive one and it was a 2022 R1T Adventure Series. While the drive was admittedly not nearly as smooth, and it lacks the steer by wire, it did give me the power I wanted.

The seats were 1000x better than the Cybertruck.
The internal design was much more superior.
The vented seats actually worked.
The UI was user friendly and very similar to the CT.

I'm certain that a Rivian is in my future, so I'm here to get the inside and have some guidance.

Sponsored

 

[ukyank]

The R1T is great but probably not for you giving what you just wrote.
Well first you’re still not looking at a luxury vehicle (what made you think the cybertruck was going to be one btw?); Service is currently Rivian’s achilles heal & definitely worse than Tesla until they figure things out; Rivian is new & there are issues as a result - do you have the patience to deal with fixing build issues & such? I lean towards a no there. Again it’s a great vehicle but if one is expecting a perfect luxury vehicle to show up in their driveway you’ll just be disappointed again.

 

[moosetags]

Welcome to the Rivian Forums. We're glad to have you with us.

Brian

 

[COdogman]

Welcome. There are lots of threads here on almost every Rivian topic you can imagine, so dig in and remember that like all forums, this place is frequented by fans of the brand or those that are unhappy.

Personally I wouldn’t be caught dead in a CT, but I’ve been driving my 2023 R1T for just over a year now and aside from one required service to replace the HV battery that Rivian handled amazingly (swapped it in 6 days and gave me a loaner), I have had zero issues. It’s by far the best vehicle I have ever owned.

 

[ndmiller]

Welcome to almost any new automotive offering, Tesla doesn't own the market on letting customers down. Think Ford Bronco/Maverick/Mach E, Land Rover Defender, Toyota Tacoma (new intro), Rivian R1's, Volvo recent offerings, Jeep Gladiator, Lexus LX600/GX550 intros. All of these had issues, delays and customer service problems.

At this point you sort of have to pick your automotive pain and how to make it more convenient. Lexus dealer is on the way to work (Wife's Car), Rivian SC is 2 miles from work (My R1T) and Daughters car, Ford Maverick has mobile service within 150 miles (GA-SC-AL). Issues have arisen, but have mostly been taken care of for all three. FWIW the R1T is one of the nicest vehicles I've driven, although not perfect in any sense.

 

[ThumprMN]

…...

The seats were 1000x better than the Cybertruck.
The internal design was much more superior.
The vented seats actually worked.
The UI was user friendly and very similar to the CT.

I’m legitimately curious to know more about your determination about the Rivian seats being better…. I love my R1T and think the seats are fantastic, but some on the forums have been very critical of the comfort and the vented features. Can you share more?

 

[Zorg]

R1T is smaller than the CT, so depending on your needs this may or may not be a good thing. Aside from the power tonneau cover not working for a year, we have had no issue with our 2022 R1T. Thermals are my main pet peeve with the truck in the summer as it sometimes impact fast charging. Otherwise it's been great

 

[FormerCyberTruckOwner]

I’m legitimately curious to know more about your determination about the Rivian seats being better…. I love my R1T and think the seats are fantastic, but some on the forums have been very critical of the comfort and the vented features. Can you share more?

Well to the CT defense, maybe I got a lemon.
The vented seats never really vented me. Even with the AC full blast. I occasionally felt and heard a lot of wind noise but had no cooling effects. The amount of wind noise near the headrest is annoying.

When I text drove the RT all I had was the vented seats on and my ass was cold. I felt the air being pulled through the seat.

The seats were also way way more bolstered correctly, felt more comfortable and the interior was amazing.

The CT is plane jane. Just some basic seats with nothing but horribly made panels, with divets and dings. They called them "features" in their service report.

Now the cabin is way more quiet in the CT, but I hope in the new version has this as a priority.

The sound system I need to compare.

 

[Electrified Outdoors]

Welcome! I think the CT is a good vehicle....it is groundbreaking in a lot of ways. I don't get the hate either, but by this time next year I would imagine folks will be more used to it. Its a big risk that Tesla took on the design.

With all that said, CT is not a vehicle you want to own if you don't like constant and sometimes negative attention. Can I ask why Tesla is buying it back? Was there something wrong with it?

As far as the R1T its a futuristic but more conservative design than CT. R1T has been out for just under 3 years now and there are enough of them that you don't get the stares or attention that you did a year ago.

Rivian does have its quirks but I would say vs the Tesla you will notice the software is not as mature. You don't have quite as many features...yet...that you do in the Tesla. One thing I really miss is the media features (netflix, youtube, hulu, etc.). I also somewhat miss EAP/FSD on the highway. The Rivian driver assist is a little rough around the edges but does well enough on straight roads with light to moderate traffic.

Rivian service is a bit of a challenge right now, but it is improving....slowly. For now, patience will be required with service.

The customer service with Rivian is night and day difference. Rivian is a very customer focused company as to where Tesla operates more like a minimalistic tech company.

The R1T is an awesome machine too. You will not be disappointed with it.

 

[schlosrat]

I put money down on a CT the first day they were revealed. Initially, I'd thought it was too ugly and weird, but before the day was done I'd fallen in love and wanted one. I stayed that way for years, but then there were delays (not unexpected), and then the price went up and the range went down, and then I saw a few up close and personal... And I bought a 2024 R1T!

I've never sat in a CT, but I've taken my new R1T on a few short road trips around FL and it's been a pure joy to drive. I like the displays (plural!) better, and the overall fit and finish are great compared to the spartan interior of a CT. The size is perfect for me, too; and the build quality is amazing. It's undoubtedly the nicest vehicle I've ever owned - and I don't have the 2025, which is supposed to be a bit better in terms of some features.

Tesla happily refunded my $100, and I'm happily driving an R1T with zero regrets. I've got a date at the Orlando SC to get the rear display USB-C ports addressed (mine are unpowered), but that's such a minor issue it hardly bears mentioning.

I'm not a CT hater or a Tesla hater - I seriously considered a Model Y at one point, but I do love my Rivian. I would not be at all opposed to owning a Tesla in the future. That said, and laying aside my experience with my particular R1T, I'd have to say that if you want a trouble-free luxury truck today you may need to go with an ICE vehicle. The electric options all have their quirks. Even the F-150 Lightning is not something I'd expect to be perfect, and Ford has a long history of making good trucks.

If you've got your heart set on an EV truck, though, I think the R1T may be the best one available today despite the possible service issues some have had - so long as it's a good fit for what you want to do with a truck. It's not a full-sized truck, and even with the strong towing capacity, it will still suffer from the same fact-of-life range reduction when towing that all EV trucks suffer from.

 

[jjswan33]

Service is currently Rivian’s achilles heal & definitely worse than Tesla

Rivian service in Oregon has been great over the last year or so. That is where OP is according to his profile.

 

[iansriv]

Well to the CT defense, maybe I got a lemon.
The vented seats never really vented me. Even with the AC full blast. I occasionally felt and heard a lot of wind noise but had no cooling effects. The amount of wind noise near the headrest is annoying.

When I text drove the RT all I had was the vented seats on and my ass was cold. I felt the air being pulled through the seat.

The seats were also way way more bolstered correctly, felt more comfortable and the interior was amazing.

The CT is plane jane. Just some basic seats with nothing but horribly made panels, with divets and dings. They called them "features" in their service report.

Now the cabin is way more quiet in the CT, but I hope in the new version has this as a priority.

The sound system I need to compare.

I like the seat coolers too. Would like it to be a bit more cold but it's nice. I find the cabin very quiet. There is a bit of wind noise but I've read there are fixes for that.


I've had a lot of fun with my R1. This is my first EV. I rented a M3 last year and liked it. So, I had hoped that the CT would be a good product. As far as the Rivian, I would get as many test drives as possible. Spend time here. Lots of good information. We do get side tracked sometimes but are a relatively sane group. Cheers.

 

[FormerCyberTruckOwner]

The R1T is great but probably not for you giving what you just wrote.
Well first you’re still not looking at a luxury vehicle (what made you think the cybertruck was going to be one btw?); Service is currently Rivian’s achilles heal & definitely worse than Tesla until they figure things out; Rivian is new & there are issues as a result - do you have the patience to deal with fixing build issues & such? I lean towards a no there. Again it’s a great vehicle but if one is expecting a perfect luxury vehicle to show up in their driveway you’ll just be disappointed again.

Good to hear. Honestly the Tesla service has not been great at all. Yes I am patient and understand new vehicles, Tesla has experience and still sucked. I want the CT but between the service and the politics of the CEO I'm glad they are letting me walk away.
Elon said the Cybertruck was going to be top of the line and a Luxury Truck. Top materials and technology were the selling points i noticed at least.

After test driving the Rivian I can say that it is more luxurious than the CT by far, if that tells you anything. Especially since you said they lack that feature. I guess it's all a matter of opinion in the end, and ultimately the RT is the only thing on the market close to the CT performance. I am confident with VW on board that Rivian will step things up on the service side of the operation.

 

[Dark-Fx]

Rivian service in Oregon has been great over the last year or so. That is where OP is according to his profile.

A year ago I would tell people to stay away based on my service experience. It's been great this year here though, especially in comparison.

 

[FormerCyberTruckOwner]

I put money down on a CT the first day they were revealed. Initially, I'd thought it was too ugly and weird, but before the day was done I'd fallen in love and wanted one. I stayed that way for years, but then there were delays (not unexpected), and then the price went up and the range went down, and then I saw a few up close and personal... And I bought a 2024 R1T!

I've never sat in a CT, but I've taken my new R1T on a few short road trips around FL and it's been a pure joy to drive. I like the displays (plural!) better, and the overall fit and finish are great compared to the spartan interior of a CT. The size is perfect for me, too; and the build quality is amazing. It's undoubtedly the nicest vehicle I've ever owned - and I don't have the 2025, which is supposed to be a bit better in terms of some features.

Tesla happily refunded my $100, and I'm happily driving an R1T with zero regrets. I've got a date at the Orlando SC to get the rear display USB-C ports addressed (mine are unpowered), but that's such a minor issue it hardly bears mentioning.

I'm not a CT hater or a Tesla hater - I seriously considered a Model Y at one point, but I do love my Rivian. I would not be at all opposed to owning a Tesla in the future. That said, and laying aside my experience with my particular R1T, I'd have to say that if you want a trouble-free luxury truck today you may need to go with an ICE vehicle. The electric options all have their quirks. Even the F-150 Lightning is not something I'd expect to be perfect, and Ford has a long history of making good trucks.

If you've got your heart set on an EV truck, though, I think the R1T may be the best one available today despite the possible service issues some have had - so long as it's a good fit for what you want to do with a truck. It's not a full-sized truck, and even with the strong towing capacity, it will still suffer from the same fact-of-life range reduction when towing that all EV trucks suffer from.

I'm ok with being the guinea pig for a company that is new. The CT while big is not necessarily more useful. I do use it as a truck on my farm, but I think the Rivian would suffice for my needs.

As mentioned towing....even the CT suffers a great deal when towing, so I'm not getting the rig to tow a camper or anything long distance so I'm ok with just having the ability to tow when needed.

I'm concerned that the CT is a flop and that the non foundation would be where I light actually enjoy the truck.

Sponsored