Validate my justification to convince wife

[MidnightRivian]

I've changed my mind, feel bad for the QX. I "dislike" it. Its been a good car overall, we've done multiple road trips in it, and I still like to think it was good bang for the buck. Its essentially the driving bit for me not liking it - so slow compared to the Model 3, the CVT, the dynamics. Thats the main reason, other than the fact that its just an old platform at this point with old interior, electronics, etc.

Dump the QX60 asap and lock in 5% rate with USSFCU.

I hated the QX60 driving experience as a loaner and couldn’t bring myself To buy one. Instead I just pre-ordered the R1S like you and waited patiently for my Rivian s00n to come true.

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[Bruins06]

I will agree with most here that getting a Rivian will not save you money overall.
For some/most, charging the Rivian will cost less than filling the tank of an equivalent ICE vehicle such as the QX60.
Those savings may be offset the following:
Registration for my R1T in California was over $1200 this year.
Insurance is expensive on the Rivian
Replacing tires every 20-25K miles instead of every 60K miles on an ICE vehicle
Rivian will eventually have a subscription charge for the wifi hot spot and probably to have access to all of Rivians features. I expect it to cost no less than $20 monthly, hopefully under $50.
All that said, if I were you I would not pass up on this opportunity to own such a cool and capable vehicle at a reasonable price (pre-price hike and with $7500 federal rebate).
In fact, I purchased an R1S for my wife pre-price hike because I was so happy with my R1T.
Do the Rivian test drive if it's still available.

 

[mkg3]

The only reason I buy EVs is because the economics make sense.

Vehicle price is what it is. In my case, its R1S, and other mid sized SUV's my wife likes costs about the same or more (e.g., Range Rover)

We charge at home so its $0.11/kwh super off peak, and still cost less when on the road between ~$0.50/kwh than gas.

Registration in CA for non-commercial vehicle, is only the function of the purchase price regardless of make or model. My R1S is $839/yr

No oil and filter change every 10K miles, or any other ICE based maintenance.

Tire wear is higher but only marginally. I never get any tires to last beyond 30K miles anyway so Rivian maybe in 25K range. I do rotate tires.

Insurance for me (this is so dependent on driving record, where you live, how much you drive and how many other vehicles are on the policy so cannot make any generalized statement) is ~$360/6 months, or $720/yr. We always have one more vehicle than the number of drivers.

I believe ALL automakers are going to charge for cellular connection as we go forward so that's a push.

The BEST thing is NO DEALER to deal with or time to take the vehicle in for routine maintenance. Though Rivian SC appears to be ridiculous at the moment...

 

[teej]

Just communicated with my guide. I didn't think I had the option to postpone my purchase, but was told I can put my order on hold and the pricing will stay the same. I had asked about postponing until next year. I'm going to discuss with my wife again and we may now decide to just push the can down the road. I don't mind waiting and also giving Rivian some more time to stabilize a few things, make a few more tweaks (which I know can include cost-cutting measures too). I think we'll be in a better position to make a concrete decision beginning of next year. Rates may go up even more, but hopefully not by much.

 

[Acoustic71]

I know plenty of people with horses and not one of them consider a horse a value based proposition. From what I know about horse care it's on par to buying a boat. Just a hole in the water you throw money into but instead of water it's your stable. I also am aware you were making a joke.

As a former Arabian horse farm owner in western MA for most of the 1980's, I approve this message.

I can also add that whenever a client complained about their horse being stupid, that the problem wasn't the horse. The problem was at the other end of the lead (leash).

 

[Donald Stanfield]

Replacing the wife unit can sometimes be way more expensive, but it can also be worth it.

Ask me how I know....

Yeah fortunately mine doesn't need replacing because if she did I'd hate to see the bill on that one.

 

[Count Orlok]

Replacing the wife unit can sometimes be way more expensive, but it can also be worth it.

Ask me how I know....

It's cheaper to keep her

 

[Electrified Outdoors]

While your discussing TCO, think about how much you will need to put into the existing vehicles. The Tesla probably not much but the other maybe more over the next 3-5 yr. There is also some value in having reliable transportation. When it's in for service you can't use it and God forbid you have a breakdown.

As far as need....nobody here needs a Rivian....a 3-5 year old used vehicle is usually the most practical but I can always speak for myself when I say I spend a lot of time in the car and I like to have something nice and you can't take all the saved money with you. Don't ruin yourself of course..
But a Rivian or any new vehicle really is a splurge. With that said it does have some very practical....and dare I say....adventurous uses ?

And then there's this ???

 

[NineElectrics]

New proposal: use R1S justification to validate wife.

 

[BigE]

I have a Dec 2021 R1S reservation for $78,800 and I signed the BPA to also qualify for the $7500 rebate, bringing my net price to ~ $71k. It will cost me around $99k now for a similar configuration because of the post Mar 2021 price increase and because I would have to add the all-terrain upgrade to try and mirror my current configuration as much as possible. And no rebate. So about a $28k difference.

Now here's the conundrum. We don't really need a new car. I would love to replace our 2017 Infiniti QX60, but its paid off and running fine. Hate driving that thing, but I also have my paid-off 2020 Model 3 "sleeper" performance and my wife and I drive both 50:50. I had put a deposit down on the R1S thinking that we would replace the QX by the time we get delivery, but my wife was never completely on board and definitely isn't now either. She's not into cars, and yes, we probably can spend our hard-earned $s on other things or maybe just save more. But I really want the R1S! And now I have a guide assigned and need to confirm my configuration.

I'm thinking about approaching this from a financial perspective and explaining to her that in the long run getting the Rivian at the pre-March 2021 pricing, with the $7500 rebate, is an opportunity that we will never get again. I'm also thinking that if we keep the R1S for 7-8 years, our total cost of ownership will probably not be too bad, given the lower initial price + rebate. And we'll probably still end up replacing the QX60 in the next 3-4 years anyways, and who knows what we do at that point.

Tell me if my justification has holes in it or if anyone has other convincing tidbits that I can add.

We were in a somewhat different boat…we had a 10 year old vehicle (MDX) that also drank Premium fuel. So we were getting something new. We also have a small camper to tow. I did cost of ownership of a 2023 MDX Type S, Honda Ridgeline and New Tundra. With pre-March pricing, our R1T is considerably cheaper to own than the Tundra & the MDX and maybe slightly more expensive than the Ridgeline. 13,000 miles in with a 2,000+ towing, several 1,000 mile road trips and total cost of charging is $940 and 2 tire rotations totaling $96. Still to be determined is long term reliability but thus far it’s been great.

 

[DevSecOps]

Do you really want to be the richest person in the cemetery??

Aim to be the happiest person in the cemetary.

My grandmother just passed last week. Every year she would say that she was "running out of money" and she was always worried about spending on anything. At 94 she was still the majority owner of a very large company, making millions a year. As an Italian immigrant with nothing as a child, she couldn't get over the "save every last penny" mentality. No matter how hard we convinced her to buy anything and everything she wanted, she just couldn't do it.

I don't know the OPs financial situation, but some people just can't bring themselves, mentally, to purchase something expensive even if they can afford it 100x over.

But I agree 100% - Aim to be the happiest in the cemetery.

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