waitingonanr1s
Well-Known Member
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- #1
I just wanted to post my experience on the purchase and delivery day process. I placed my R1S order in November 2021 and originally had a Q1 2024 delivery window.
I never received an invitation to the First Mile drive, but did call in to request one a couple of weeks ago. Went for that on Sat, July 22 at the Denver SC and was sure that the R1S was right for me after that. I mentioned to the rep that I was flexible in configuration, ready to purchase, and would appreciate if he could put in a request for shop access. He definitely downplayed it and said he didn't even know R1S was in the shop. I went ahead and followed up with a chat request for shop access on Mon, July 24.
I was granted shop access on Tues, July 25. Initially there weren't any that matched my configuration, but many were the same except for color. It was at this point that I really started considering the other colors, and realized how great all of them are. I decided I would just wait and see a bit before making any decisions. On Thurs, July 27 I logged in to find my exact configuration - an R1S, 20" AT, El Cap Granite, with Black Mtn/Dark Ash Interior.
I immediately snatched it up - VIN 10XXX (manufactured in May). Within 30 minutes I got a text from the SC offering to set up pickup in as soon as 2 days (vehicle was just pending final QC). I told them I wasn't quite ready, and needed to chat with my guide regarding purchase logistics, as well as time to arrange for financing.
Despite my clean driving record, Rivian insurance declined to quote me - they said it had to do with my address in Denver and that underwriting was becoming very picky in the area. Rep was very friendly and said sometimes bundling with renters policy could help, but they still declined to quote.
I really wanted new or newer car replacement coverage and ended up quoting every insurer I knew that offered the coverage. There was a $7,000 spread in the 6 month premium between the cheapest and the most expensive policy. Two others declined to quote - Farmers citing they don't cover vehicles with horsepower >700 in CO and Hartford (didn't bother to call). Strangely the cheapest quote was the one with the best coverage (AAA) - it includes new car replacement for the first 2 years and OEM parts coverage (only insurer I found to quote the latter). So overall it worked out well, but setting up insurance was a much bigger pain than I've ever experienced with any other vehicle (I've never had an insurance company decline to provide coverage before).
I also sweated financing a bit, as I wasn't quite prepared to go through the process immediately (I was planning on a wait of a few more weeks to allow time to pay down some debt). I have a 2022 Genesis GV70 (ICE) that is only about 1/3 paid off (didn't trade it in) and a good amount of credit card debt financed under various low interest rate promotions. It didn't paint a pretty picture for my debt to income ratio. The best rate I was able to secure was 7.25% from PenFed, but having to wait on a check for another week (they only send via US mail) was painful and dragging out the process. So I decided to accept the 8.3% offer from Rivian, with the plan to refinance once I've had a chance to pay down some CC debt and possibly sell my GV70 (I love that car too, so not sure what I'll ultimately do with it). It also allowed me to move up delivery by one day, rather than push it back by multiple, which I would've had to have done if I went with PenFed.
I did have a paid off 2016 Toyota 4Runner to trade in and that process was very streamlined and painless. Rivian's offer beat Carmax and Carvana's offer by 2,000 and 2,500 respectively, so I obviously went with them. I just had to snap a few photos of the interior/exterior of the car and title to confirm that step.
My guide was very helpful and responsive along the way, even as I flip-flopped on the financing. I did have to wait until to the end of the day for a phone call on the first day (the only time we talked), but text message communication was always prompt, with no more than a few hours going by in between responses. It was definitely a solid guide experience.
Finally today came and I went to take delivery at the Denver SC. I actually got there 15 minutes early, but they started the process right away. Paper work signing was quick, and I didn't pay any attention to the trade-in processing, other than to sign stuff. The rep took care of checking in the trade in, while I inspected my new R1S! So not sure what he really looked at, but it didn't involve me and didn't seem too involved. I had him walk me through the key setup items for the R1S - pairing phone, setting recommended settings, etc. - and asked him a few random questions. I'd spent so much time on this forum and YT, and didn't feel the need for a detailed tour.
I was worried about the low VIN, but I would rate the build quality as excellent. I took the time to inspect, inventory and test everything - frunk, tailgate, seats, air suspension, charge port door, etc. I only noted 3 very minor items, which I likely wouldn't have noticed had I not spent so much time reading other folks experiences -
1) A very slight panel misalignment on one side of the tailgate.
2) Another even smaller panel alignment on the bottom of the passenger side door/fender.
3) An anomaly that I thought at first was paint scraping inside the driver door hinge, but I think it's actually excess paint that dried in there; however, not totally sure on that. The rep wasn't sure exactly what it was, but there was no evidence of scraping on the door itself.
The rep noted all of these items for me and encouraged me to submit a ticket. I'm holding off on submitting until I have some more time with the vehicle so I can submit everything together if something else pops up.
I took the afternoon to give it a solid test drive up into the mountains - Squaw Pass, but just the paved highway, since I can't get in for PPF/ceramic for about 2 weeks. It was a solid 3 hours spent breaking her in, and I was more than satisfied with the performance. I'm very happy with my purchase and can't wait to start adventuring across CO and the US!
I never received an invitation to the First Mile drive, but did call in to request one a couple of weeks ago. Went for that on Sat, July 22 at the Denver SC and was sure that the R1S was right for me after that. I mentioned to the rep that I was flexible in configuration, ready to purchase, and would appreciate if he could put in a request for shop access. He definitely downplayed it and said he didn't even know R1S was in the shop. I went ahead and followed up with a chat request for shop access on Mon, July 24.
I was granted shop access on Tues, July 25. Initially there weren't any that matched my configuration, but many were the same except for color. It was at this point that I really started considering the other colors, and realized how great all of them are. I decided I would just wait and see a bit before making any decisions. On Thurs, July 27 I logged in to find my exact configuration - an R1S, 20" AT, El Cap Granite, with Black Mtn/Dark Ash Interior.
I immediately snatched it up - VIN 10XXX (manufactured in May). Within 30 minutes I got a text from the SC offering to set up pickup in as soon as 2 days (vehicle was just pending final QC). I told them I wasn't quite ready, and needed to chat with my guide regarding purchase logistics, as well as time to arrange for financing.
Despite my clean driving record, Rivian insurance declined to quote me - they said it had to do with my address in Denver and that underwriting was becoming very picky in the area. Rep was very friendly and said sometimes bundling with renters policy could help, but they still declined to quote.
I really wanted new or newer car replacement coverage and ended up quoting every insurer I knew that offered the coverage. There was a $7,000 spread in the 6 month premium between the cheapest and the most expensive policy. Two others declined to quote - Farmers citing they don't cover vehicles with horsepower >700 in CO and Hartford (didn't bother to call). Strangely the cheapest quote was the one with the best coverage (AAA) - it includes new car replacement for the first 2 years and OEM parts coverage (only insurer I found to quote the latter). So overall it worked out well, but setting up insurance was a much bigger pain than I've ever experienced with any other vehicle (I've never had an insurance company decline to provide coverage before).
I also sweated financing a bit, as I wasn't quite prepared to go through the process immediately (I was planning on a wait of a few more weeks to allow time to pay down some debt). I have a 2022 Genesis GV70 (ICE) that is only about 1/3 paid off (didn't trade it in) and a good amount of credit card debt financed under various low interest rate promotions. It didn't paint a pretty picture for my debt to income ratio. The best rate I was able to secure was 7.25% from PenFed, but having to wait on a check for another week (they only send via US mail) was painful and dragging out the process. So I decided to accept the 8.3% offer from Rivian, with the plan to refinance once I've had a chance to pay down some CC debt and possibly sell my GV70 (I love that car too, so not sure what I'll ultimately do with it). It also allowed me to move up delivery by one day, rather than push it back by multiple, which I would've had to have done if I went with PenFed.
I did have a paid off 2016 Toyota 4Runner to trade in and that process was very streamlined and painless. Rivian's offer beat Carmax and Carvana's offer by 2,000 and 2,500 respectively, so I obviously went with them. I just had to snap a few photos of the interior/exterior of the car and title to confirm that step.
My guide was very helpful and responsive along the way, even as I flip-flopped on the financing. I did have to wait until to the end of the day for a phone call on the first day (the only time we talked), but text message communication was always prompt, with no more than a few hours going by in between responses. It was definitely a solid guide experience.
Finally today came and I went to take delivery at the Denver SC. I actually got there 15 minutes early, but they started the process right away. Paper work signing was quick, and I didn't pay any attention to the trade-in processing, other than to sign stuff. The rep took care of checking in the trade in, while I inspected my new R1S! So not sure what he really looked at, but it didn't involve me and didn't seem too involved. I had him walk me through the key setup items for the R1S - pairing phone, setting recommended settings, etc. - and asked him a few random questions. I'd spent so much time on this forum and YT, and didn't feel the need for a detailed tour.
I was worried about the low VIN, but I would rate the build quality as excellent. I took the time to inspect, inventory and test everything - frunk, tailgate, seats, air suspension, charge port door, etc. I only noted 3 very minor items, which I likely wouldn't have noticed had I not spent so much time reading other folks experiences -
1) A very slight panel misalignment on one side of the tailgate.
2) Another even smaller panel alignment on the bottom of the passenger side door/fender.
3) An anomaly that I thought at first was paint scraping inside the driver door hinge, but I think it's actually excess paint that dried in there; however, not totally sure on that. The rep wasn't sure exactly what it was, but there was no evidence of scraping on the door itself.
The rep noted all of these items for me and encouraged me to submit a ticket. I'm holding off on submitting until I have some more time with the vehicle so I can submit everything together if something else pops up.
I took the afternoon to give it a solid test drive up into the mountains - Squaw Pass, but just the paved highway, since I can't get in for PPF/ceramic for about 2 weeks. It was a solid 3 hours spent breaking her in, and I was more than satisfied with the performance. I'm very happy with my purchase and can't wait to start adventuring across CO and the US!
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