Would you still buy your Rivian today?

[hsctiger]

First post, sorry for the doozy question. I'm sure I'll get some passionate responses.

Owned a Model S since 2014 and while it's been incredibly reliable even at 154,000 miles the time is coming to replace it. I love EV's, my experience despite crazy Elon mode has been mostly positive. Definitely more positive than my ICE cars in the past. So, I'm looking at Rivian as an option.

I'm used to the fact that EV's are still new technology, getting service can be a challenge (In VA, the auto dealers association continues to fight the direct sales /service model in the courts but there's a Rivian SC 15 minutes from my house), and I know all about how long it takes to charge. I've taken my family from VA to Disney twice, done Atlanta a few times, etc.

My wife swears she'd never see me in a pickup truck, but I'm keeping options open so the car may be R1T or R1S. I'm still sorting that out.

Won't go back to Tesla and Lucid seems like a risky option considering it's almost 60% owned by the Saudi PIF. Curious about Scout, too.

For people who own a Rivian, would you buy your car again?
If yes, what (if any) changes would you make?
If no, why?

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[Airnet]

We're still in the excited stage of ownership as we've only had our R1S tri for two weeks. Conclusion so are, we want another one.
I loved the online buying experience. Screw the dealers. Online buying was so much easier.

 

[md2023]

Yes! Absolutely. The truck is awesome, for the pre-price hike $ I paid. But maybe beyond what I am comfortable paying now.

 

[captainjp]

Yes I would. Scout is dead in the water.

 

[daeHelkcunK]

100% would. Love this vehicle

 

[Wat5]

Yes, absolutely

 

[JeremyMKE]

Yes there is nothing out there that meets my needs with as much joy as my R1T. Cost is a factor though.

 

[Craig Chapman]

Absolutely, I have had my R1T for 2 1/2 years. Love it! The most capable vehicle I have ever owned.

 

[NMflyfish]

Yes - R1S for 2 years and 35K miles. Some small issues but nothing significant. Pre-order for an R2 in the queue.

 

[Time2Roll]

Yes, Nothing else checks all the boxes like Rivian.

 

[Budman]

I've had an early build Gen 1 R1T. First pickup I've ever owned. Fabulous experience over 2 years and 55,000 miles. Traded in for a Gen 2 R1T which now has 25,000 miles on it.

Rivian all the way. 80,000 trouble free miles. When the R2 comes out we will be an all Rivian household.

Photo is trade-in day at Minneapolis service center. Saying goodbye to Gen 1 and hello to Gen 2.

 

[Bcross]

Absolutely. Only 6 months in and 8,000 miles but I still love driving my R1T.

The only issue that I have had was a failure at a fast charger and that was solved with a vehicle reset.

The only thing I would change is the total reliance on cellular for the entertainment system.

 

[BCondrey]

Yes, would absolutely buy another one. 40K miles between two trucks and no regrets.

 

[Joe Hoffman]

Yes, absolutely. Wonderful vehicle. Fun to drive every time I get in it.

 

[Supratachophobia]

First post, sorry for the doozy question. I'm sure I'll get some passionate responses.

Owned a Model S since 2014 and while it's been incredibly reliable even at 154,000 miles the time is coming to replace it. I love EV's, my experience despite crazy Elon mode has been mostly positive. Definitely more positive than my ICE cars in the past. So, I'm looking at Rivian as an option.

I'm used to the fact that EV's are still new technology, getting service can be a challenge (In VA, the auto dealers association continues to fight the direct sales /service model in the courts but there's a Rivian SC 15 minutes from my house), and I know all about how long it takes to charge. I've taken my family from VA to Disney twice, done Atlanta a few times, etc.

My wife swears she'd never see me in a pickup truck, but I'm keeping options open so the car may be R1T or R1S. I'm still sorting that out.

Won't go back to Tesla and Lucid seems like a risky option considering it's almost 60% owned by the Saudi PIF. Curious about Scout, too.

For people who own a Rivian, would you buy your car again?
If yes, what (if any) changes would you make?
If no, why?

I might be of the most help here....
Background:
-2016 Model S, drove it for 8 years, 215k+ miles.
-Ohio, so same challenges as VA with dealers association and referral rewards
-Many trips from Midwest to CO, and FL, and SC
-Positive experience despite Space Karen, not because of him
-Lucid too risky, also, only seated 5 at the time of Rivian purchase
-No desire to support Tesla with a new purchase, besides, can't get rear facing seats or sunroof in a new one

Rivian Experience:
-Price point, not a 100k car but neither was the Model S. The Rivian is *closer* though. Full disclosure, I got pre price hike discount.
-Just like Tesla (or any EV or any car purchase), there have to be many deciding factors for you. Safety, capacity, range, fun, low maintenance, environmentally friendly. The Rivian did, and does, check all those boxes for me.
-Company: there have been some hiccups in communication. However, Rivian, and its CEO, have been honest and operated with integrity during the learning, purchase, and support stages of ownership.
-Car: it does what's advertised. It's fun to drive, it's fast, great storage, and the range estimations are refreshingly accurate. That alone communicates a lot to me since Tesla was always playing range games. That kind of disrespect for the customer ended up permeating several other areas of the company, and all around, turned me away from the brand even before Elon went nuts.
-Software: just like Tesla, Rivian continues to make decent progress in regular software updates. I would say they do the "regular" part way better than Tesla ever did. Are there features that are still missing? Absolutely. But they can still get there.
-Concerns: I think the R1 series will be known for expensive after-warranty upkeep. You may find others who disagree with me, but I am not looking forward to air suspension, half shaft, alignment, Axle shims, etc. repairs. In addition, so many buttons and actuators where manual latches would have been a far better option in my opinion.


Conclusion:
Your question, Would I buy Rivian again? Maybe. I would say, overall, it's been fun and it's been positive. I don't opine about going a different direction, however, I do have serious concerns about if this will be another 200k mile car for me. For now, yes. Currently at 30k miles after 5 seasons of ownership.

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