Do I get a better trade in offer from Rivian if I have PDR done on a couple of small dents first?

[Teddy184]

I'm trading in my 2022 R1T for an R2. The truck interior is pristine. The exterior has a small crease on the tailgate and a barely noticeable dent on a rear panel. The truck has 34,000 miles on it with a functioning auto tonneau cover. I have had virtually no issues with it other than the recall notices. I would describe it's condition as excellent other than the two dents. wondering if it's worth getting them repaired prior to trade-in. Wondering what others have experienced when trading in a vehicle.

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[ndmiller]

I've never heard of Rivian SC team even looking at trades to see if they represent what you put in about your trade when placing an order.

In my case Lexus 570LX over 100K miles, they just took the keys, locked the truck until I needed to swap my stuff. They unlocked, I swapped my stuff and they locked and went back inside. No walk around, no looking inside, checking function or milage, not a care in the world,

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Doubtful. Rivian Financial is backed by Chase. It’s Chase that is putting up the $ and giving the quotes. Unless damage is glaringly egregious, it likely won’t matter. Auction buyer’s and next owner’s problem.

 

[thomasoris]

I'm trading in my 2022 R1T for an R2. The truck interior is pristine. The exterior has a small crease on the tailgate and a barely noticeable dent on a rear panel. The truck has 34,000 miles on it with a functioning auto tonneau cover. I have had virtually no issues with it other than the recall notices. I would describe it's condition as excellent other than the two dents. wondering if it's worth getting them repaired prior to trade-in. Wondering what others have experienced when trading in a vehicle.

I tried to trade in a R1S for another, and I believe they were dramatically lower than what I considered fair. For example, they offered me $78k and had a very similar R1S for sale, same year, same options with 20,000 more miles for sale for $95k.

 

[Teddy184]

I got a Carvana quote to compare and it's $2k higher but I live in Mass so I'd only be paying sales tax on the net R2 purchase if I stick with the Rivian trade-in.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

I got a Carvana quote to compare and it's $2k higher but I live in Mass so I'd only be paying sales tax on the net R2 purchase if I stick with the Rivian trade-in.

PDR specialist typically charge $300~$500 per body panel.

Was the Carvana quote sight-unseen or after a visual inspection? Did you review fine print associated with that quote?

I know for a fact that Carmax would always give an enticing quote online. But, upon in-person inspection, nit pick every possible imperfection to lower the quote. They'll even use a paint thickness gauge to detect any body work that has been done. You easily end up with a final offer that is more than $2k less. This is standard used-car industry practice. And just about every buyer in the used-car business has just one job: buy inventory at lowest cost, so their employer could flip the cars at highest price possible. This is how they drive profitability and sustainability of their business. I would be shocked if Carvana doesn't do the same.

It's different for Rivian. They are only acting on behalf of Chase and facilitating ownership transfer, from you to Chase. Based on tales shared online, Rivian doesn't scrutinize. They spend more time on getting you squared away in your new car.

$300~$500 per panel. This is why Rivian's quotes are lower.

 

[jprev]

PDR specialist typically charge $300~$500 per body panel.

Was the Carvana quote sight-unseen or after a visual inspection? Did you review fine print associated with that quote?

I know for a fact that Carmax would always give an enticing quote online. But, upon in-person inspection, nit pick every possible imperfection to lower the quote. They'll even use a paint thickness gauge to detect any body work that has been done. You easily end up with a final offer that is more than $2k less. This is standard used-car industry practice. And just about every buyer in the used-car business has just one job: buy inventory at lowest cost, so their employer could flip the cars at highest price possible. This is how they drive profitability and sustainability of their business. I would be shocked if Carvana doesn't do the same.

It's different for Rivian. They are only acting on behalf of Chase and facilitating ownership transfer, from you to Chase. Based on tales shared online, Rivian doesn't scrutinize. They spend more time on getting you squared away in your new car.

$300~$500 per panel. This is why Rivian's quotes are lower.

I've sold 4 cars to Carvana over the last few years. Price better than trade-in offers, consistently somewhere in mid bluebook range. The latest was 5k over the Rivian offer. In each case I was astonished to see how little they inspected the condition. Carvana rep pretty much checked mileage and dash lights, then handed over a check already filled out for the agreed price (even with a 20-year-old not-pristine Infiniti FX). In three cases I ignored the first offer and after a few days I received a follow-up email with an improved price. YMMV

 

[Teddy184]

Thanks everyone. Appreciate the input. Food for thought.

 

[jackfu]

PDR specialist typically charge $300~$500 per body panel.

Was the Carvana quote sight-unseen or after a visual inspection? Did you review fine print associated with that quote?

I know for a fact that Carmax would always give an enticing quote online. But, upon in-person inspection, nit pick every possible imperfection to lower the quote. They'll even use a paint thickness gauge to detect any body work that has been done. You easily end up with a final offer that is more than $2k less. This is standard used-car industry practice. And just about every buyer in the used-car business has just one job: buy inventory at lowest cost, so their employer could flip the cars at highest price possible. This is how they drive profitability and sustainability of their business. I would be shocked if Carvana doesn't do the same.

It's different for Rivian. They are only acting on behalf of Chase and facilitating ownership transfer, from you to Chase. Based on tales shared online, Rivian doesn't scrutinize. They spend more time on getting you squared away in your new car.

$300~$500 per panel. This is why Rivian's quotes are lower.

Not my experience selling to carmax for my R1s. They paid out exactly to the online quote after a quick look around inside and out, with a quick lap around the parking lot. The offer was 4k more than what Rivian was offering. Covered my Lyft ride home from the lot too.

Carvana when I used them in the past was even easier. Guy came to my house, took a quick look around, put a lockbox on it, and a tow truck came to pick it up the next day.

 

[antimatter]

When I traded in my '21 Ridgeline on my R1T, the Rivian rep I dealt with told me they shred the license plates and send the cars to an auction site. I don't think Rivian is really motived to deal with non-Rivian trade-ins, so the question becomes how much hassle can you avoid and how much sales tax you'll save. I did get quotes from Carmax and Carvana just for reference (Carmax still emails me, LOL), but the Rivian quote was close enough that the sales tax savings more than made up for the difference. Private sales will probably get you the best result if you don't mind dealing with FB and Craigslist flakes and weirdos.

 

[Skeldog99]

Yeah traded a ford lightning platinum for a 2026 R1T dual max. They didn’t look at it. Was on an auto transporter a few days later once I took delivery. I was happy to get away from the truck (lightning) since there were missing parts from the factory Covid build.

 

[Christa_R]

I'm trading in my 2022 R1T for an R2. The truck interior is pristine. The exterior has a small crease on the tailgate and a barely noticeable dent on a rear panel. The truck has 34,000 miles on it with a functioning auto tonneau cover. I have had virtually no issues with it other than the recall notices. I would describe it's condition as excellent other than the two dents. wondering if it's worth getting them repaired prior to trade-in. Wondering what others have experienced when trading in a vehicle.

it's based on your assessment of the state - excellent, very good, etc. You do have to upload photos when you actually buy a rivian and everything you upload is "reviewed" but I don't know how well anyone is reviewing. On the day you pick up and trade your vehicle, you give them your keys and they take off the plates, ask you to check that you got everything out and that's it.

Unless it's a Rivian, the cars are sold at auction.

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