Buy now, or wait?

[DJC]

Hi everyone - my R1T reservation is coming up in April/May. Exciting times!

I'm an May'22 preorder and thinking through my options - would love to gather thoughts and perspectives from other owners / to-be owners (although I know much of this is personal preference/circumstance). For broader context, my family and I live in Truckee, CA - we mostly use our cars for carting around skis and bikes, occasional road trips, and monthly commute to the Bay Area for work. Here are the two hot topics in my mind:

1. Which car to sell? We have a 2022 Tesla MYP and 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee (50K miles on clock). Should we go all EV and never look back, or keep the Jeep as something we can bang around and not care too much about?
- Thoughts on going Tesla + Rivian - more future proofed vs keeping ICE, and better use case separation between the cars (e.g. Tesla more for highway/commute, Rivian for everything activity related)
- Thought on Rivian + Jeep - keep ICE as a backup / banger car, but then we own two cars which are effectively the same type / serve the same purpose. And I'd probably miss autopilot for the commute.

2. Wait for the Powered Tonneau? This is one of the most disappointing changes to the spec - a differentiating feature, would prevent the bed filling with snow during winter and give us extra peace of mind against theft when we're in San Francisco.

I spoke to my guide this week and received no new insight (below). Should we just make peace with the manual cover, or is it worth gambling on the rumors that they'll fix it soon and bring it back into production? My gut feel is we'd be really sad if we get the car in Q2 and they brought it back in Q3. But also scared of asking for a delay and that pushes back into 2024?

From guide on the cover:
'as of now the powered tonneau has been put on a pause and is going through a redesign and there is no date set or communicated yet so it could be months or years unfortunately no clear timeline set yet.'

'More specific information along with pictures of the manual tonneau is set to be released soon but no dates just yet. In my own list of order holders most are choosing the manual tonneau and some are option for the no tonneau option and I have none that are waiting for the powered tonneau as there is no date or even date range of when it could come back so it could very well be a significant weight. Lastly unfortunately the powered tonneau was something that was built into the bed of the specific trucks that had it so it is NOT able to be retrofitted, in other words the tonneau cover choice you make is what will stay for the life of that vehicle.'


Thanks for reading and for sharing any / all thoughts!

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[Ravenron]

My $.02...You don't indicate whether cost of vehicles is an issue but I would either keep the Jeep and sell the Tesla or, if your spouse wants a nicer car as well, I would consider keeping both for all the reasons you mention.

As far as the tonneau is concerned, I would not wait for it. It sounds as though your primary concern is lockable storage and the manual cover would provide that. Even if you don't get the Rivian manual, there should be other aftermarket options coming. Personnally, in your position, I would just get the manual and move on. Mine stays closed almost 100% of the time - opened once when I had to move a large item (since 1 Oct 22).

Get the truck now and enjoy the heck out of it! It truly is everything you've read and seen. You're gonna love it!!!

 

[Mike TDM]

Just an FYI on waiting for power tonneau cover--part of email I recently received from my guide --- It's your Rivian Guide! I wanted to check with you to see if you wanted to purchase a vehicle. It is not looking like there will be a powered tonneau at this point in the R1 series.

 

[R1Tacoma]

I personally feel like the powered cover would be just another thing that can break down the line (though I'm excited to see the new iteration). I've mostly been in the manual camp for the duration of my preorder, so I'd rather grab what's great (and currently available) instead of waiting for perfect.

As for which car to sell, might as well go full EV! You've outlined great use cases for keeping the MYP along with the R1T!

 

[COdogman]

I personally wouldn’t let the tonneau situation affect my delivery at all, but everyone is looking for something that works for them. I figure I have made it this far with my current truck without a tonneau so I can live without one on my Rivian too. As your guide said, the redesigned powered tonneau seems to be pretty far off still.

As far as which vehicle to keep, I would keep the Tesla and go all EV. The only reason I would potentially keep the Jeep is if you go on frequent long road trips. But even if that is true you have access to the Tesla charging network so you already have that solved! Your Rivian is made to go on adventures so don’t baby it?

 

[norivian]

Hi everyone - my R1T reservation is coming up in April/May. Exciting times!

I'm an May'22 preorder and thinking through my options - would love to gather thoughts and perspectives from other owners / to-be owners (although I know much of this is personal preference/circumstance). For broader context, my family and I live in Truckee, CA - we mostly use our cars for carting around skis and bikes, occasional road trips, and monthly commute to the Bay Area for work. Here are the two hot topics in my mind:

1. Which car to sell? We have a 2022 Tesla MYP and 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee (50K miles on clock). Should we go all EV and never look back, or keep the Jeep as something we can bang around and not care too much about?
- Thoughts on going Tesla + Rivian - more future proofed vs keeping ICE, and better use case separation between the cars (e.g. Tesla more for highway/commute, Rivian for everything activity related)
- Thought on Rivian + Jeep - keep ICE as a backup / banger car, but then we own two cars which are effectively the same type / serve the same purpose. And I'd probably miss autopilot for the commute.

2. Wait for the Powered Tonneau? This is one of the most disappointing changes to the spec - a differentiating feature, would prevent the bed filling with snow during winter and give us extra peace of mind against theft when we're in San Francisco.

I spoke to my guide this week and received no new insight (below). Should we just make peace with the manual cover, or is it worth gambling on the rumors that they'll fix it soon and bring it back into production? My gut feel is we'd be really sad if we get the car in Q2 and they brought it back in Q3. But also scared of asking for a delay and that pushes back into 2024?

From guide on the cover:
'as of now the powered tonneau has been put on a pause and is going through a redesign and there is no date set or communicated yet so it could be months or years unfortunately no clear timeline set yet.'

'More specific information along with pictures of the manual tonneau is set to be released soon but no dates just yet. In my own list of order holders most are choosing the manual tonneau and some are option for the no tonneau option and I have none that are waiting for the powered tonneau as there is no date or even date range of when it could come back so it could very well be a significant weight. Lastly unfortunately the powered tonneau was something that was built into the bed of the specific trucks that had it so it is NOT able to be retrofitted, in other words the tonneau cover choice you make is what will stay for the life of that vehicle.'


Thanks for reading and for sharing any / all thoughts!

In my case, it’s hard to buy without the power Tonneau and camp stove. I decided to wait after already having the truck on my fingertips. I was disappointed at myself at first but now feeling good i opted not to buy just yet.

The other deal killer for me was the charging network- availability and reliability. I use a Model Y as daily commuter now and I use EA whenever available. Well, can’t rely on EA chargers mainly/solely when on the road; good that i can use Tesla chargers if i have to… but won’t have that luxury with Rivian. So, I decided to just wait a little bit more before buying. I’d hate just to have a nice truck with limited use.

 

[mini2nut]

No powered tonneau replacement cover in the future?

I definitely see this coming and current power tonneau cover owners will be bitching up a storm soon. I predict owners will be offered a manual cover replacement instead.

 

[DJC]

Thank you, everyone - really helping my thinking. This community is awesome. And please keep more thoughts coming if anyone else has something to share!

Question for you on this, norivian -- what process did you go through to delay? Is your order on hold until they reintroduce the powered cover, at which point you'll give them notice that you'd like to hop back in line? And when/if you rejoin the line, did they give you any insight on whether you'll be at the back of the queue? Cheers!

In my case, it’s hard to buy without the power Tonneau and camp stove. I decided to wait after already having the truck on my fingertips. I was disappointed at myself at first but now feeling good i opted not to buy just yet.

The other deal killer for me was the charging network- availability and reliability. I use a Model Y as daily commuter now and I use EA whenever available. Well, can’t rely on EA chargers mainly/solely when on the road; good that i can use Tesla chargers if i have to… but won’t have that luxury with Rivian. So, I decided to just wait a little bit more before buying. I’d hate just to have a nice truck with limited use. My whole neighborhood would probably come by to check it out ? but that’s not what motivates me.

 

[Guy]

No powered tonneau replacement cover in the future?

I definitely see this coming and current power tonneau cover owners will be bitching up a storm soon. I predict owners will be offered a manual cover replacement instead.

Completely agree unfortunately. They will cut their losses and cover existingnpowered covers for the five year warranty. Maybe provide some compensation and not off the Pierre cover in the future (even though the space is there for the retrofit offering if they really wanted to). This will be cheaper than retro fitting 10-15 thousand covers each taking multiple hours in service centers already overloaded.

 

[mini2nut]

Exactly. My frunk trunk is not closing and it's a 2-month wait for a service appointment.

 

[norivian]

Thank you, everyone - really helping my thinking. This community is awesome. And please keep more thoughts coming if anyone else has something to share!

Question for you on this, norivian -- what process did you go through to delay? Is your order on hold until they reintroduce the powered cover, at which point you'll give them notice that you'd like to hop back in line? And when/if you rejoin the line, did they give you any insight on whether you'll be at the back of the queue? Cheers!

I simply was “unmatched” to the R1T VIN then I am back on the cue waiting. I was told I don’t lose my place on the list/line.

 

[DJC]

I simply was “unmatched” to the R1T VIN then I am back on the cue waiting. I was told I don’t lose my place on the list/line.

Interesting! Thanks for sharing. Curious how it works when you'd like to jump back into the line / how long your wait will be. Keep us posted!

 

[R1Tacoma]

Interesting! Thanks for sharing. Curious how it works when you'd like to jump back into the line / how long your wait will be. Keep us posted!

I also pushed out delivery until the summer- my guide told me I can let him know when I'm ready and he'll start the vin search and match process again. Incredibly easy!

 

[zipzag]

As far as "should we go all EV" you have experience and no one has better judgement on this issue than you.

If finances aren't a high priority I would buy now. Rivian obviously has warranty issues and concerns and is going to be very hesitant to add back the power tonneau.

 

[milliemc]

I personally feel like the powered cover would be just another thing that can break down the line (though I'm excited to see the new iteration). I've mostly been in the manual camp for the duration of my preorder, so I'd rather grab what's great (and currently available) instead of waiting for perfect.

As for which car to sell, might as well go full EV! You've outlined great use cases for keeping the MYP along with the R1T!

My vote would be to go full-EV.

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