The Worst Thing Rivian Lifted from Tesla

[ironpig]

Color me surprised that my wanting to physically test drive my actual $80K vehicle BEFORE taking ownership of it was actually just me "advocating for the legacy auto model". The two are completely unrelated, and no, other manufacturers do not make you sign for factory-ordered vehicles before driving them.

Perhaps you could also help me buy a house without an inspection?

Rivian is a new company and doesn't have the time or profit margins to cater to people who aren't committed to their purchase process right now. They have thousands of customers who want the trucks sight unseen.

When I bought my Model S in 2014 - Same thing. New company - you order the car and it shows up when it's ready.

I'm not saying your request is unreasonable, but this is how Rivian and other boutique EV makers do it and if you want the truck, you do it their way. (for now)

If you don't like their terms, don't buy the truck. Go to Ford or GM and get one of their products. Yesterday I test drove my Ford Lighting when it arrived at the dealer. I only had to put down a $600 deposit after spec'ing out my truck over a year ago. I decided not to buy the truck last night (much to my dealer's delight because now they can add ADM for someone else's purchase) and I got my $600 credit back to my card by this morning. So that might be a better option for you.

(also if anyone wants that truck I'll refer you to the dealer)

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[Sgt Beavis]

I was good with the purchase process. My list of "silly things people do because that's what Tesla does" is glass roofs, no start button, and no CarPlay/AA.

I agree with all of this but I'd like to add the fact that Rivian is trying to copy Tesla's design aesthetic of a minimalist interior with as few buttons as possible. Using the screen for a multitude of functions makes it harder to drive. AC vents don't need to be power actuated. I dare say that manual vents are far superior and of course they are a helluva lot less likely to break.

 

[atebit]

Wow, it’s not a question of “being committed to the purchase process”. It’s more of a question of Rivian being committed to delivering a quality product to their customers.

I’m fine with my end of the process (custom-building, waiting, paying in full in advance). I’m not fine with “Quality is Job #8.75” in exchange.

 

[AxelR]

I wonder how people feel about buying cars worth hundreds of thousands of dollars such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, some Porsche and the other brands of exception. A lot of these people put money down sometimes only based on an idea, nothing more than a sketch and some me ideas.

@ironpig too bad you’re in SoCal I’d definitely go check out that Lightning.

 

[ironpig]

I wonder how people feel about buying cars worth hundreds of thousands of dollars such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, some Porsche and the other brands of exception. A lot of these people put money down sometimes only based on an idea, nothing more than a sketch and some me ideas.

@ironpig too bad you’re in SoCal I’d definitely go check out that Lightning.

I know people in LA who put down $100k or more to secure Porsche allocations on special models. Sometimes pre-announcement. It’s nuts.

But I also don’t think a Rivian should be like that. I think their $1000 reservation and buying terms are totally fair for the hottest EV on the market from a new company that needs to prioritize deliveries to those who are committed to the purchase.

(that dealer has 3 Lightnings now including the one I had reserved. Curious what they end up selling them for)

 

[AxelR]

But I also don’t think a Rivian should be like that. I think their $1000 reservation and buying terms are totally fair for the hottest EV on the market from a new company that needs to prioritize deliveries to those who are committed to the purchase.

I’d argue the hottest EV truck is really the Hummer. Talk about low numbers and way crazier specs

 

[SASSquatch]

Being afforded the ability to inspect the vehicle you are purchasing, both from the interior and from a test drive perspective should be a basic right. If you test drive and hear rattles, whines, squeeks, or any other B.S. the dealer, or Rivian needs to fix that $hit BEFORE you take delivery.

It needs to be THEIR problem, not YOUR problem after delivery, chasing down service appointments, etc. to deal with their manufacturing defects.

Would you sign off on a home purchase without even seeing it/inspecting it? A maxed out R1T is going to cost as much as some homes in parts of the country.

The OP is absolutely right IMHO and this practice by direct to consumer manufacturers is something that really gets my blood boiling.

 

[MNLightning]

Don't you have 7 days to return it? Or if the delivery test drive goes poorly refuse delivery? I know this would have been a tough choice for me to make after over 3 years of waiting but it was mine to make.

What am I not seeing about being able to inspect it? I wasn't rushed during delivery myself, in fact I never felt pressured during the purchase process. I think I was the one exturting pressure to get my damn truck already.

 

[Cavalryscout18]

The one thing I truly despise about purchasing a Tesla was how ridiculous it is to have to purchase such an expensive vehicle from a company with known terrible quality control without being able to drive it first. For example, many of the newer Model Ys have started exhibiting motor whine that is much louder than previous models. This is no doubt a result of Tesla relentlessly cutting costs, trying to find the absolute bottom customers will accept. The consumer has no way to screen for dynamic defects like these before signing, and just has to drive away with any squeaks, rattles, whistles, vibrations, and misalignments their copy was blessed with. This approach hugely lowers the bar for manufacturing, essentially leaving it up to the customer to wrestle with service to work out the last 5-10% of QC. At the end of the day, for us, all the anxiety they've removed by streamlining the actual purchase process was just deferred to the drive home, nervously waiting to see what it is you are actually stuck with.

I am very disappointed to see Rivian copy this model that is so hostile to the consumer. If you have faith in your product, you should let people test drive THEIR ACTUAL TRUCK before signing for it, similar to legacy auto makers. Their claimed "full refund" return period, similar to Tesla's old policy, is of no real value given that it always takes weeks to receive your first service appointment. It sounds like there are several somewhat common issues with people's trucks pulling to the right, vibrating at speed, whistling due to bad window seals, and squeaking or tocking suspension that would make a test drive incredibly informative. People should know what they are signing up for.

I don’t get it. If the customer doesn’t want to buy the vehicle, they don’t have to. If Rivian had to build out the infrastructure so that everyone could test drive their car first, we would be waiting another 3 years to get our trucks. This approach is “take it or leave it” and by the super long wait times, people are taking. I agree that one day it may catch up to them and they will need to improve this but to say they need to operate similar to dealerships, whose business models have been around for decades, is not practical. They would be broke and out of business before they delivered their first vehicle. It’s market dynamics at work: demand is so high that people are willing to take these vehicles as is. If not, and test driving was more important, they would need to offer these services to sell the vehicles, which they don’t, which tells me most people don’t really care.

 

[atebit]

Yes, you have 7 days/1000 miles to return it. Rivian refunds what you paid, minus the $7500 federal tax credit (and theoretically, and state local incentives they’re aware of) since only the original purchaser is able to claim that. Even if the original purchaser doesn’t claim the credit, no subsequent owner may.

@MNLightning, did your delivery specialist let you actually drive the truck before you signed on the iPad’s dotted line?

 

[MNLightning]

@MNLightning, did your delivery specialist let you actually drive the truck before you signed on the iPad’s dotted line?

Not sure exactly, did a walk around as I recall the got in and setup my phone to the truck. Drove it and then signed?? But I wasn’t focusing on the process and could be wrong. I have to add that I have purchased more than a dozen vehicles without a test drive. And some without even seeing them in person

 

[White Shadow]

Personally, I will never purchase a car without driving it first. I think I'm at 14 new vehicles and 3 used vehicles in my lifetime and I've driven every single one of them before handing over the check. Four times I rejected the vehicle because of issues that needed to be corrected and I didn't want a vehicle that had to be pulled apart and put back together again before I took possession of it.

 

[Avera]

okay okay...a stop button then ?. There are many occasions where I just simply want to turn it "off" and keep it off. Don't need it turning on the stereo and AC every time I open it's door. Having a "start" button didn't negatively impact the experience with my previous two EVs.

And I would still forget to push it. Few times I had to rent ICE vehicles when traveling. On two occasions, I left the key in the ignition, while engine was running....and just walked away.

 

[MXA121]

Maybe in a few years Rivian will have centers to go and sit in, test drive, etc. Until then many (like myself) ordered the R1T objectively without as much as seeing it in person because there is nothing else like it. If they showed up with my truck and it pulled to the left or had a rattle, yeah it would be a minor inconvenience, but Rivian would take care of it. Add in the warranty, return policy, and lemon laws and the consumer looks pretty well protected.

I follow other vehicle forums, and it is definitely not just Rivian and Tesla delivering products with quality defects. Just read about a guy who paid $10k over for a Gen 3 Raptor and drove the whole way home with the steering wheel off 15 degrees. He could refuse the truck, but then what? The dealer would just go to the next highest bidder. They will get it fixed under warranty and move on.

 

[bwoodahl]

… Just read about a guy who paid $10k over for a Gen 3 Raptor and drove the whole way home with the steering wheel off 15 degrees. He could refuse the truck, but then what? The dealer would just go to the next highest bidder. They will get it fixed under warranty and move on.

Ha, I refused my loaded Gen 3 Raptor when Ford sh*tcanned the BlueCruise. The dealer was happy about it, they had a long list of willing buyers with even more money to throw at it.

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