Honest Feedback on buying 2023 R1T- knowing what you know

[tubbydog12]

Good day owners. I’m one day away from purchasing an R1 T with 10,000 miles. The truck looks brand new. The price is very very good. The owner is simply ordering an R1S to replace. I have been reading this forum for six days the good the bad and the ugly. I am in Houston with the service center 19 miles away. Clearly I still have much remaining warranty on the truck- having said that reading about the steering wheel vibrations, suspension challenges longer lead times for service and repeat service for same issues gives me pause. Then I read how outstanding the vehicles are??‍ I drove one, wow. The production number is 18 XXX not sure that matters but it’s not one of the earliest ones. I’m on the fence looking for some feedback that might push me away or comfort me. This would be my first electric vehicle. I do appreciate anyone’s feedback greatly.

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[Great Gatsby]

I have an R1S that I bought used at around 10,000 miles as well. As everyone said, these vehicles are truly a joy to drive (I've put an additional 10,000 miles on mine in less than six months of ownership). It is truly my favorite vehicle that I've ever owned (having owned sport cars, other SUVs and EVs in the past) and I cannot imagine owning anything else. I look for any reason to leave the house and find myself just sitting in it admiring the interior when I arrive at places.

With all that being said, the truth is the truth. When things are great, they are great. When they are bad, they are awful. Service center wait times are truly atrocious. You can get a vehicle with minor issues or something close to a lemon. Obviously, if you have the patience and are ok with driving a loaner while your vehicle is at the shop for what could be weeks or months, then I'd say go for it. Full speed ahead. Even with some of the issues I've had, I endorse this car and company wholeheartedly. The warranty transferring is a godsend. Would I own this out of warranty? Probably not, but at only 10k miles, you are at least all set on that front.

TLDR: Yes, its awesome. Yes, they could (or could not) be unreliable. Yes, service center wait times are unacceptable. Would I buy it again? Yes. 1,000x over yes.

 

[mpshizzle]

Sounds like you found yourself a good vehicle!
A few things to keep in mind
1) The forum is where people come to complain. For every raging, angry customer on here there are 10 more happy owners that don't know this forum exists
2) On average Rivians DO go to service more than most legacy auto makers
3) Rivian customers are on the whole VERY happy with their vehicles. I've heard many people say "It's the best vehicle I've ever owned".

I'd agree with that statement. My R1S is the most well thought out vehicle I've ever had. I can tell that the engineers and designers had fun making it. You can feel the passion. That said - beein on the bleeding edge, there are bugs, quirks, problems, etc. My ownership experience has been far from perfect. But between the exceptional customer experience at the SLC service center, and the amazing engineering of the vehicle, I'm a very happy customer.

But I would not recommend Rivian for my mom. At least not yet. Far too many quirks and bugs. At least for now, I'd recommend Tesla to my Mom over Rivian. Far fewer bugs and quirks. Much more stable and established.

If you're looking for something that is dead simple that you don't have to think about, Rivian is not it. If you enjoy a well thought out product with insane capabilities, at the cost of quirks and bugs, Rivian is for you. I'm a very techy tinkerer who loves adventures. So I feel VERY happy.

EDIT - one thing to keep in mind is that large percentage of people who own Rivians and are on this forum are on the coasts - and due to the density of people, they are the ones suffering the longest wait times at service centers.

 

[Mark_AZR1T]

You're an ideal candidate for a Rivian. Go for it!

 

[cohall]

My R1T is in the 5K vin range. I‘ve not regretted my purchase a single time. To the contrary, it remains the best vehicle I’ve ever owned.

Only you can decide if the risks and concerns outweigh the upside. Everyone has different tolerances for such things.

 

[2kwik4u]

Got my '24 R1T at the end of September '24, and have put 8,700 miles on it so far. I leased and at this point, I'm unsure if I'll buy at the end of the lease, or return and go another route.

I've never been more polarized over a vehicle during ownership. The great things are truly great. The bad things are insanely agitating. I can not stand the HVAC controls in the touch screen, and the lack of an opening sunroof. I LOVE the frunk and gear tunnel, as well as the silky smooth driveline and one pedal driving. Phone as a key is amazing when it works, and infuriating when it doesn't. Then there's lots of stuff that's just "pretty good".

 

[shap]

Got my '24 R1T at the end of September '24, and have put 8,700 miles on it so far. I leased and at this point, I'm unsure if I'll buy at the end of the lease, or return and go another route.

I've never been more polarized over a vehicle during ownership. The great things are truly great. The bad things are insanely agitating. I can not stand the HVAC controls in the touch screen, and the lack of an opening sunroof. I LOVE the frunk and gear tunnel, as well as the silky smooth driveline and one pedal driving. Phone as a key is amazing when it works, and infuriating when it doesn't. Then there's lots of stuff that's just "pretty good".

100% agree - I love and dislike this truck at the same time. Also, 2-3 months waiting for any SC appointment is a big problem. Full monopoly on any repair - Rivian is the only entity who can fix these trucks and they can set any price they want. So out-of-warranty work can be a challenge (many reporting breaks/rotors needed to be replaced in around 50k (2k), also dampers seems to need replacement in around 60-70k (~8k)).

 

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Mine is a 19xxx R1T so probably made a few weeks after the one you're looking at. It was my first EV and after two years it's been fantastic. Very few issues, none of them significant (e.g., a bit of pollen trapped under the PPF on gear tunnel door, which they replaced under warranty). You're right on the cusp of when they started making some changes. Just off-hand, you'll probably have two horns (not one). You'll probably have two 12v batteries (not one). You may have the cast subframe or the welded one, you're right on the changeover point for that.

I've really not had any problem with steering wheel vibrations that weren't caused by unbalanced tires. Get the tires balanced, get a good alignment done if you notice any unusual wear or feel pulling. Everything is still covered by warranty. Let us know how it goes!

 

[tubbydog12]

Mine is a 19xxx R1T so probably made a few weeks after the one you're looking at. It was my first EV and after two years it's been fantastic. Very few issues, none of them significant (e.g., a bit of pollen trapped under the PPF on gear tunnel door, which they replaced under warranty). You're right on the cusp of when they started making some changes. Just off-hand, you'll probably have two horns (not one). You'll probably have two 12v batteries (not one). You may have the cast subframe or the welded one, you're right on the changeover point for that.

I've really not had any problem with steering wheel vibrations that weren't caused by unbalanced tires. Get the tires balanced, get a good alignment done if you notice any unusual wear or feel pulling. Everything is still covered by warranty. Let us know how it goes!

It’s 18861… ill pm you directly

 

[Donald Stanfield]

I've had a Rivian since September of 2022, and I still don't think I'd rather have anything else on the market. Mine have been pretty trouble-free and have been exceptional overall.

 

[COdogman]

My 2023 R1T is in the 17XXX range and it's the best vehicle I've ever owned. Buy it and enjoy it.

 

[cbrcanuck]

Good day owners. I’m one day away from purchasing an R1 T with 10,000 miles. The truck looks brand new. The price is very very good. The owner is simply ordering an R1S to replace. I have been reading this forum for six days the good the bad and the ugly. I am in Houston with the service center 19 miles away. Clearly I still have much remaining warranty on the truck- having said that reading about the steering wheel vibrations, suspension challenges longer lead times for service and repeat service for same issues gives me pause. Then I read how outstanding the vehicles are??‍ I drove one, wow. The production number is 18 XXX not sure that matters but it’s not one of the earliest ones. I’m on the fence looking for some feedback that might push me away or comfort me. This would be my first electric vehicle. I do appreciate anyone’s feedback greatly.

My R1T is very near that VIN, and I still love it after two years of ownership and around 25,000 miles I haven't had any major issues, just tiny ones that were easily and quickly addressed. Still the best vehicle I've ever owned (also my first EV). Knowing what I know now, I'd have zero hesitation to pull the trigger again!

 

[tubbydog12]

My R1T is very near that VIN, and I still love it after two years of ownership and around 25,000 miles I haven't had any major issues, just tiny ones that were easily and quickly addressed. Still the best vehicle I've ever owned (also my first EV). Knowing what I know now, I'd have zero hesitation to pull the trigger again!

Thank you- do you have Meridan sound system?

 

[DayTripping]

I was in a similar situation. I was initially leaning toward new but ended up buying used do to the incredible deals you can find on them with the depreciation hit already baked in. Having been hit with depreciation on an expensive EV, I decided to buy a used on this time. Just google "tesla model s plaid depreciation" and you'll see what I dealt with.

I ended up buying a 2023 with 6k miles and a VIN a bit newer than yours almost 6 months ago. I am in the DFW area. As already mentioned, you are right in the VIN range where there were some significant updates to the suspension. You may or may not have them but I'd still buy the truck again even if mine didn't have them.

Mine hasn't been without issue but nothing major at this point. Too many people in Dallas for the one service center so wait times suck. On the flip side, the work done was excellent and took care of my issues.

A big plus on the Gen 1 quad motors is the long warranty. It is 5/60 for bumper to bumper and 8/175 on the battery and drivetrain. This is much longer than the dual motors and depending on when yours went into service (i.e. sold) you may have a lot of warranty left. I had about 4 years left on the bumper to bumper part of mine.

Before buying an EV, make sure you have a good place to charge it. You don't want to use public charging if you can help it. Get at least a 50 amp, preferably 60 amp, circuit to charge it at home.

Hopefully it is at a good price. Are you willing to share the price and options and we can provide feedback? Is it private party or a dealer? I shopped dealers are they are more negotiable on price and not married to the truck.

There are only 2 cars that I've bought in the last 20 years that I'd immediately replace with the same if something happened to them; my Tesla Model S Plaid and my Rivian R1T quad motor. If I couldn't get the same exact models, I'd replace them with as close as I could get.

Good luck with your purchase! If you need more help, this is a great forum to ask questions. Not everyone drinks Rivian Kool-Aid so you can get some pretty forthright answers.

 

[NY_Rob]

Most likely a 2023 R1T with 10K miles on it has had any issues (if there were any) corrected by now, so I would expect a problem free vehicle.

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