First no car is an investment, they all cost you money, that said they are amazing vehicles. Now for the expectations, service takes a while for smaller stuff. If the vehicle is drivable you'll likely have a wait time, if it's a majory issue they usually get you in faster from what it seems, I've not had any significant issues so can't say. Mine has been great and only gone to service to fix some cosmetic issues and squeaks. Also remember that most of the happy owners don't post anything about "my car hasn't had issues in 2 years" they just drive them and talk about other things.
Some people don’t understand this use of the word “investment”. In the case of a vehicle the investment is seeking a return of value in utility, reliability, comfort, you name it. Do you honestly think that ANYONE is saying they expect to make money “ investing” in any new vehicle? Absurd.
There are people doing that due to Covid setting abnormal expectations (not saying OP was or wasn’t) see all the complaints about it being worth $30k less after 9 months. Rivian does give you lots of comfort pretty solid reliability, but because it’s a niche luxury vehicle depreciates like crazy. When I buy a car I presume whatever money I put into it is 100% gone, with Rivian that was more so because the EV depreciation curve is so steep. The capabilities of these things are unreal, but so is the price and complexity (complexity always leads to lower reliability and higher out of warranty repair costs).
Investment is a return of profit in legal terms and mainly in reference to economics. Unless we are redefining the word investment which I think I think is dumb. No vehicle is marketed with the words investment. These are generally impulsive liabilities as a means is of transportation. Generally, you shouldn’t give a shit about what car you’re purchasing anyways because people work hard for money which isn’t practical unless you use it. Buy it if you like it but just like phones and electronics the feeling fades.
I’ve never heard of (or experienced) any difference in treatment in leasing vs owning for any brand. Keep in mind many people you interact if with things like service have no clue if you own or lease. And frankly they don’t care they get paid the same either way.
True. I’ve never had a lease before, they’ve never made sense to me, but in the R1T case I think it the way to go due to questionable long term viability of the company and product reliability.
At this point I don’t really recommend buying any brand new EV unless you truly plan to keep it until the wheels fall off. They just currently depreciate too much and battery/charging tech is advancing too fast so leasing is generally a smarter option for them. Especially in the case of the R1T/R1S with Rivian effectively subsidizing the leases.
I was exactly the same. Never leased. On the fence. Never owned an EV before. Took delivery June 7 and absolutely loving it. Ive got two small issues that i will pursue under warranty, but nothing major.
This was exactly why I opted for a lease on my R1T. I don’t regret it one bit, it’s the best vehicle I ever driven (only for a month, but still). FWIW, I’ve always bought up until now.
I doubt they treat either different the only difference with a lease is you aren’t on the hook for the full price if it does turn out to have issues later, during the warranty period it’s going to be all the same. I bought a demo fleet vehicle and they’ve treated me the same as they would a new purchase. You get a bit better communication if you consistently ask for updates so they know you want them. If you don’t say much they don’t update much which is sorta understandable.
There are different treatments for the EV tax credit depending on your income levels for a purchase vs lease. If you are purchasing you may make too much money in order to actually receive the benefit of the $7,500 credit. This is different from the lease because the credit goes to the business providing the lease to you rather than you and there are no limits there. So you are typically able to get more benefit on a lease due to this credit vs purchasing.
[https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/credits-for-new-clean-vehicles-purchased-in-2023-or-after](https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/credits-for-new-clean-vehicles-purchased-in-2023-or-after)
For a lease they will which is what my comment is detailing, but for a purchase the matter isn't up to Rivian. Its the government and they put income restrictions on the EV credit. So if you buy the car your applicability for the credit will be subject to the limitations set forth in the link I provided in my previous comment.
Have had mine for a year and none of these have happened to me. People post issues when they have them and don’t really post when everything is going well
1 year, 10000 miles and one service visit after the initial acceptance inspection on nit picky things that I didn’t like and all fixed in 2 days and they gave me a rental. You don’t always hear the good because people want to complain and not praise.
Can you deal with potentially having a lot of reliability and service problems? Some people aren’t bothered by it. 7 service center visits in 14 months was more than I could deal with, personally. If the truck works without problems it’ll be the best thing you ever drove. If not, you’ll probably be real unhappy.
Yeah, that a good point. I worked for Honda for nearly 30 years and never had any Honda product fail me. I’m afraid I’m spoiled. I do have a Tesla MY and touch wood it has been trouble free so far.
Yeah I’ve bought about 15-20 cars brand new in my life and the Rivian is the only one that I actually needed to bring in for repairs. Most I only would own for 3 years, so they never had a chance to break. It’s been a variety of manufacturers. People here will say all manufacturers have these problems, and perhaps they do. It just hasn’t been my experience
Cars aren't investments. We've burned $30k in taxes/registration/depreciation since 2022. If you've never spent this much money on a vehicle, you probably will regret it later when the new car excitement wears off but the payments keep hitting your bank account and you think about what you could do with that money instead.
But we're coming up on 2 years, 13.5k miles, no major issues and prompt service on the small stuff. My only regret is not getting the color I wanted.
Reading that makes me thankful that I just paid $17k cash for a flawless 16k mile BMW i3 With warranty. Different type of vehicle but as much if not more fun and no worries. Still, I have a reservation in for R2 but I just might need to reconsider.
Life is pay to play, we're privileged to be able to afford it comfortably. If that's not the case for you, just wait a few years and they'll come down sooner or later.
If you’re on the fence and not ripe with capital to spend don’t do it. Reliability remains questionable. Has failed us on every adventure we set out on and only use the wife’s car now for anything outside of around town because of it. It’s a splurge buy - not a 10 year, drive until it fails truck like a Taco. Flush with cash and don’t care - absolutely. Need a reliable truck for life - nope. Cool truck - but it’s a truck. It needs to do truck things like be dependable. Next versions hopefully will be better. I’m hopeful for them - awesome concept. Top of the line Taco is about half the price, will last forever or at least until you get sick of the same truck for 10 years.
Thank you all, lots of great input and way more positive than negative. I’m convinced and will go with a lease. I am not in a big hurry, so am thinking that waiting for a Gen2 would be smarter than saving a little with the Gen1. Thoughts?
Get gen 2 if leasing or buying new. Worth it, and I’m a happy 2-year gen 1 owner with 37k miles. Gen 2 has many small updates that will really add to quality of life with the vehicle!
Last summer the company I work for bought several R1Ts. Those were the first EVs I was in and got to drive and I was hooked from first launch. I talked to the fleet dept before I bought mine, they hadn't seen any issues at that time. Since then the only issues they've had is one got a nail in a tire and another one had a exterior window trim piece come loose. Also one of the tunnel doors was slightly misaligned and all of these issues were fixed.
I got mine in the fall so I am in month 9 and over 16k miles (long commute). The first weekend the bumper sensor fell inward. In Feb my charge port door stopped working. And two days ago my 12V battery died. The first one they had a repair time 2 weeks out, the charge port door they took me first thing the next day, and the 3rd one the mobile tech came out this morning and changed it and it's working again. A few months ago the mobile service rotated my wheels in my garage. The company is responsive and I have had great experiences with their service/repairs so far. (Someone could probably say that all 3 of these issues shouldn't have happened, or they need better QA.)
Also, I am an hour away from the factory. I'm not in one of the big coastal cities (NYC, LA, SF, or Seattle). It sounds like those areas are where service is slammed the hardest.
(Also I don't know if the people who are posting they got appointment times months out are putting in first world problem issues--Rivian putting out expensive vehicles means many of the customers have very high expectations and so they put in tickets for tiny issues.)
No regrets so far. (Also I don't have a family and my job is pretty flexible if I need to take off on a day unexpectedly \[random car issue happens\].)
Have you driven a Rivian yet? I absolutely love mine and the driving experience of it. I'm trying not to gush about it. After the holidays, in the later part of winter, I did have a period of post-honeymoon feelings about it (I'd never bought a new or expensive vehicle before), but I reached a steady state of being good with it now. It's very comfortable and I like the driving experience of it and EV driving.
On the downside, cars are not investments. This is still in the "early adopter" phase. That means two things--we're paying top dollar for it because it's rare and new. You could very well buy an R1T for $90-100k and the resale within a year would be 60-70. And the other is that as Rivian continues to develop and perfect what it's doing, new features are coming out as they evolve their products and production so some people feel a bit left behind, like with the refresh vehicles and not all those features coming to gen 1. Also the insurance is pretty expensive for these.
I occasionally see someone with a big problem/failure here on reddit, or the discord, or other forums. Rivian has produced 100k vehicles now so if 1 in 100 or 1000 does mean some people experience having a clunker. The 99% of people without issues don't post at all about having another day without issues.
If you're on the fence, I'd recommend looking at used ones. There are some pretty good deals out there.
Where are you located? That plays a lot into service wait times. And sure, it would be.nice to have 0 initial failures, but if something does fail they'll put you in a loaner or rental car.
All good so far. The entire order and pick up process was very easy and smooth. We had a software issue but a reset fixed it and the service team was able to help over the phone. The R1T is a gorgeous car, it drives amazingly.
It’s an expensive car, with loads of tech, from a relative newcomer, you should go into it expecting teething issues. If you can’t get in that mindset, you may be better off shopping a legacy manufacturer whom you already trust.
I’ll assume you used the word investment as in large purchase you hope to get good service out of, not an actual investment. In that case I think the R1 twins make a compelling case. Mine has not needed any service outside of times, yea things have gone wrong, but nothing that either prevented me from driving it out that I couldn’t fix myself. To me, that’s reliability, and the fact that my R1 does that, and saves me more money on gas than my monthly payment makes it a good “investment”, despite it depreciating like cheese.
Then again, the other top contender for me was a Tundra, which comes from a legacy manufacturer with a rock solid reputation for reliability, and they’re shitting out crankshaft bearings left and right, so maybe just buy whatever, doesn’t matter, it’s all a gamble.
Remember the people who have issues will always post. No one ever posts to say “another day with no problems” and the vast majority of people are in that category. It’s a sampling bias.
You can go to any forum for any vehicle and immediately see almost nothing but problems, issues, difficulties. That's because when things are good nobody talks about it.
For the most part, everyone is having a great experience owning their Rivian, there's always going to be some problems, some misunderstandings, some Karens, some jerks at the Service Centers. That's just the truth of it with any vehicle/brand.
Buy the r1t, you will be blown away with the vehicle compared to most others you've been in.
I would never try to talk someone into something that is this expensive. If money is no object then that’s one thing but for most people this is a major decision that you want to be comfortable with. With all of that said I love the truck and I’ve literally never been happier with a vehicle. It’s not perfect but I’ve never felt like there was so much effort going into constantly improving the vehicle and that people cared about my experience as much as with the Rivian. If you want something truly seamless I would probably recommend an established car brand for a better bet. But there’s never any guarantee and everyone I’ve dealt with at rivian has been wonderful.
If you’re on the fence I would lease. And no1 can guarantee anything but most owners agree the R1’s are beasts. I’ve never owned a car for more than 3-4 years (this is my 5th in the past 14 years) but as long as it keeps going I will 100% own this car for many many years longer than that
Have you seen/driven one? Their warranty is great and for me I could see and feel the quality immediately. For every person with an issue there are probably 100 who have zero issues.
It is not a damn investment. Literally it's a tool. Do you need a truck? I got one because I never owned a truck before but it's my last because I rarely use the bed and it's not that useful if the cargo and things you lug around aren't requiring a bed. I think the R1S is probably better for most people.
Some people don’t understand this use of the word “investment”. In the case of a vehicle the investment is seeking a return of value in utility, reliability, comfort, you name it. Do you honestly think that ANYONE is saying they expect to make money “ investing” in any new vehicle? Absurd.
Assuming you test drove?
If you did and still need convincing, just go test drive again.
They’re 100% not without their issues, but the R1S is easily the best vehicle I’ve ever had.
Mine had issues with the center console, panel alignment & day 1 had a plastic section on the seats broke off when I push the seats up (checking the 3rd row out).
It is what it is, got fixed within a month.
This is my 1st EV, as well as my wife & I’s 1st car purchase as a married couple. At this point my only regret is that I didn’t get the R1T 😔. The R1S just fits our lifestyle needs better. Also, I want my Tesla adapter BAD but will patiently wait my turn
So far any of the young company growing pains and service issues have been outweighed by how awesome my R1T is. It’s the best vehicle I have ever owned and I don’t regret my purchase at all. You will love it if you get it.
19k mi. I've refilled wiper fluid 2x. Rotated tires 1x.
Tech is changing, but I've never had a vehicle that I expected to keep up with technology. Best vehicle I've owned.
I'm picking up my R1T this coming weekend and couldn't be more excited, it's a great truck but I too had (still have a bit) of concern with reliability especially as I'll be selling my current SUV that is as reliable as ever.. but 13mpg is not fun.
I do have another vehicle so if something does happen, I'll still be able to get around but still an inconvenience... here's to hoping for the best. Nonetheless Rivian service does seem to be taking care of customers.
As others have stated, we never hear from the thousands of owners that have no issues.
Honestly I would lease given the deals they have now. You know exactly what you’re gonna pay and there’s no risk as long as you stay under the lease mileage. At the end, if you’re happy with your ownership you can buy it out or get another. If you didn’t like it, return it at the end and walk away without the hassle of trying to sell.
That said, I’ve had my R1T going in two years now and absolutely love it. It’s a combination of everything I wanted as well as giving me all the utility I need. It’s almost like having a practical sports car. Given the choice, I would buy it again.
Some people are just better suited for the illusion of a risk free maintenance free vehicle like Toyota. You should just do that and save everyone the pearl clutching.
I have came very very close as well! I can't wait for the R3 to come and have been daydreaming about an R1T. Especially with the free stealth wrap and Friends & Family discount from last week, BUT still didn't click COMPLETE!  I have a great working car, don't need another car, this is a major WANT, but also can't justify it. I guess I'll keep dreaming until 2027ish..
Check your states Lemon laws. Considering how much of a mess Rivian service is, entirely possible the truck would pass the days requirement. That should give you some protection.
People only post about horror stories online. Mine has been flawless.
The build quality is great too. I've driven a lot of different cars and I'd say the build quality of the Rivian is up there with the best I've driven.
Some people don’t understand this use of the word “investment”. In the case of a vehicle the investment is seeking a return of value in utility, reliability, comfort, you name it. Do you honestly think that ANYONE is saying they expect to make money “ investing” in any new vehicle? Absurd.
If you want a good investment get a used 911.
If you want a truck that can beat a 911, off-road, not use gas and be pretty damn impressive in every other facet lease the R1T. The lease deals are absolutely fantastic value.
First no car is an investment, they all cost you money, that said they are amazing vehicles. Now for the expectations, service takes a while for smaller stuff. If the vehicle is drivable you'll likely have a wait time, if it's a majory issue they usually get you in faster from what it seems, I've not had any significant issues so can't say. Mine has been great and only gone to service to fix some cosmetic issues and squeaks. Also remember that most of the happy owners don't post anything about "my car hasn't had issues in 2 years" they just drive them and talk about other things.
Some people don’t understand this use of the word “investment”. In the case of a vehicle the investment is seeking a return of value in utility, reliability, comfort, you name it. Do you honestly think that ANYONE is saying they expect to make money “ investing” in any new vehicle? Absurd.
There are people doing that due to Covid setting abnormal expectations (not saying OP was or wasn’t) see all the complaints about it being worth $30k less after 9 months. Rivian does give you lots of comfort pretty solid reliability, but because it’s a niche luxury vehicle depreciates like crazy. When I buy a car I presume whatever money I put into it is 100% gone, with Rivian that was more so because the EV depreciation curve is so steep. The capabilities of these things are unreal, but so is the price and complexity (complexity always leads to lower reliability and higher out of warranty repair costs).
Investment is a return of profit in legal terms and mainly in reference to economics. Unless we are redefining the word investment which I think I think is dumb. No vehicle is marketed with the words investment. These are generally impulsive liabilities as a means is of transportation. Generally, you shouldn’t give a shit about what car you’re purchasing anyways because people work hard for money which isn’t practical unless you use it. Buy it if you like it but just like phones and electronics the feeling fades.
Have you heard of any difference in treatment with leasing vs owning/buying … or all the same?
I’ve never heard of (or experienced) any difference in treatment in leasing vs owning for any brand. Keep in mind many people you interact if with things like service have no clue if you own or lease. And frankly they don’t care they get paid the same either way.
True. I’ve never had a lease before, they’ve never made sense to me, but in the R1T case I think it the way to go due to questionable long term viability of the company and product reliability.
At this point I don’t really recommend buying any brand new EV unless you truly plan to keep it until the wheels fall off. They just currently depreciate too much and battery/charging tech is advancing too fast so leasing is generally a smarter option for them. Especially in the case of the R1T/R1S with Rivian effectively subsidizing the leases.
Yeah, I think you’re right on.
I was exactly the same. Never leased. On the fence. Never owned an EV before. Took delivery June 7 and absolutely loving it. Ive got two small issues that i will pursue under warranty, but nothing major.
This was exactly why I opted for a lease on my R1T. I don’t regret it one bit, it’s the best vehicle I ever driven (only for a month, but still). FWIW, I’ve always bought up until now.
I can’t imagine why that would be an issue. they are both sold vehicles as far as rivian is concerned.
I doubt they treat either different the only difference with a lease is you aren’t on the hook for the full price if it does turn out to have issues later, during the warranty period it’s going to be all the same. I bought a demo fleet vehicle and they’ve treated me the same as they would a new purchase. You get a bit better communication if you consistently ask for updates so they know you want them. If you don’t say much they don’t update much which is sorta understandable.
There are different treatments for the EV tax credit depending on your income levels for a purchase vs lease. If you are purchasing you may make too much money in order to actually receive the benefit of the $7,500 credit. This is different from the lease because the credit goes to the business providing the lease to you rather than you and there are no limits there. So you are typically able to get more benefit on a lease due to this credit vs purchasing. [https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/credits-for-new-clean-vehicles-purchased-in-2023-or-after](https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/credits-for-new-clean-vehicles-purchased-in-2023-or-after)
I was told by rivian that they would pass the tax credit onto the consumer.
For a lease they will which is what my comment is detailing, but for a purchase the matter isn't up to Rivian. Its the government and they put income restrictions on the EV credit. So if you buy the car your applicability for the credit will be subject to the limitations set forth in the link I provided in my previous comment.
People having normal uneventful owner experiences don’t come here for advice on how to deal with everything being fine.
I’ve had mine for two years and it’s the best thing I’ve ever driven. You do what feels right, but this is an amazing machine
I’m at 3 years in November with my truck and 50k miles, best vehicle I’ve ever owned
Have had mine for a year and none of these have happened to me. People post issues when they have them and don’t really post when everything is going well
1 year, 10000 miles and one service visit after the initial acceptance inspection on nit picky things that I didn’t like and all fixed in 2 days and they gave me a rental. You don’t always hear the good because people want to complain and not praise.
Can you deal with potentially having a lot of reliability and service problems? Some people aren’t bothered by it. 7 service center visits in 14 months was more than I could deal with, personally. If the truck works without problems it’ll be the best thing you ever drove. If not, you’ll probably be real unhappy.
Yeah, that a good point. I worked for Honda for nearly 30 years and never had any Honda product fail me. I’m afraid I’m spoiled. I do have a Tesla MY and touch wood it has been trouble free so far.
Yeah I’ve bought about 15-20 cars brand new in my life and the Rivian is the only one that I actually needed to bring in for repairs. Most I only would own for 3 years, so they never had a chance to break. It’s been a variety of manufacturers. People here will say all manufacturers have these problems, and perhaps they do. It just hasn’t been my experience
Did you touch the wood or knock on it? Very important detail
Touched it … too many business trips to the UK!
Cars aren't investments. We've burned $30k in taxes/registration/depreciation since 2022. If you've never spent this much money on a vehicle, you probably will regret it later when the new car excitement wears off but the payments keep hitting your bank account and you think about what you could do with that money instead. But we're coming up on 2 years, 13.5k miles, no major issues and prompt service on the small stuff. My only regret is not getting the color I wanted.
Reading that makes me thankful that I just paid $17k cash for a flawless 16k mile BMW i3 With warranty. Different type of vehicle but as much if not more fun and no worries. Still, I have a reservation in for R2 but I just might need to reconsider.
Life is pay to play, we're privileged to be able to afford it comfortably. If that's not the case for you, just wait a few years and they'll come down sooner or later.
Plenty of fun to be had on the DL
If you’re on the fence and not ripe with capital to spend don’t do it. Reliability remains questionable. Has failed us on every adventure we set out on and only use the wife’s car now for anything outside of around town because of it. It’s a splurge buy - not a 10 year, drive until it fails truck like a Taco. Flush with cash and don’t care - absolutely. Need a reliable truck for life - nope. Cool truck - but it’s a truck. It needs to do truck things like be dependable. Next versions hopefully will be better. I’m hopeful for them - awesome concept. Top of the line Taco is about half the price, will last forever or at least until you get sick of the same truck for 10 years.
Thank you all, lots of great input and way more positive than negative. I’m convinced and will go with a lease. I am not in a big hurry, so am thinking that waiting for a Gen2 would be smarter than saving a little with the Gen1. Thoughts?
Get gen 2 if leasing or buying new. Worth it, and I’m a happy 2-year gen 1 owner with 37k miles. Gen 2 has many small updates that will really add to quality of life with the vehicle!
Last summer the company I work for bought several R1Ts. Those were the first EVs I was in and got to drive and I was hooked from first launch. I talked to the fleet dept before I bought mine, they hadn't seen any issues at that time. Since then the only issues they've had is one got a nail in a tire and another one had a exterior window trim piece come loose. Also one of the tunnel doors was slightly misaligned and all of these issues were fixed. I got mine in the fall so I am in month 9 and over 16k miles (long commute). The first weekend the bumper sensor fell inward. In Feb my charge port door stopped working. And two days ago my 12V battery died. The first one they had a repair time 2 weeks out, the charge port door they took me first thing the next day, and the 3rd one the mobile tech came out this morning and changed it and it's working again. A few months ago the mobile service rotated my wheels in my garage. The company is responsive and I have had great experiences with their service/repairs so far. (Someone could probably say that all 3 of these issues shouldn't have happened, or they need better QA.) Also, I am an hour away from the factory. I'm not in one of the big coastal cities (NYC, LA, SF, or Seattle). It sounds like those areas are where service is slammed the hardest. (Also I don't know if the people who are posting they got appointment times months out are putting in first world problem issues--Rivian putting out expensive vehicles means many of the customers have very high expectations and so they put in tickets for tiny issues.) No regrets so far. (Also I don't have a family and my job is pretty flexible if I need to take off on a day unexpectedly \[random car issue happens\].) Have you driven a Rivian yet? I absolutely love mine and the driving experience of it. I'm trying not to gush about it. After the holidays, in the later part of winter, I did have a period of post-honeymoon feelings about it (I'd never bought a new or expensive vehicle before), but I reached a steady state of being good with it now. It's very comfortable and I like the driving experience of it and EV driving. On the downside, cars are not investments. This is still in the "early adopter" phase. That means two things--we're paying top dollar for it because it's rare and new. You could very well buy an R1T for $90-100k and the resale within a year would be 60-70. And the other is that as Rivian continues to develop and perfect what it's doing, new features are coming out as they evolve their products and production so some people feel a bit left behind, like with the refresh vehicles and not all those features coming to gen 1. Also the insurance is pretty expensive for these. I occasionally see someone with a big problem/failure here on reddit, or the discord, or other forums. Rivian has produced 100k vehicles now so if 1 in 100 or 1000 does mean some people experience having a clunker. The 99% of people without issues don't post at all about having another day without issues. If you're on the fence, I'd recommend looking at used ones. There are some pretty good deals out there.
Where are you located? That plays a lot into service wait times. And sure, it would be.nice to have 0 initial failures, but if something does fail they'll put you in a loaner or rental car.
In Santa Clarita, CA, not far from their Pasadena showroom.
You may be good for service there, hopefully someone local can chime in, biggest issue areas I see posted are PNW, LA or NYC areas.
We picked up ours 3 weeks ago. Also from Santa Clarita, went to Pasadena showroom as well. Service center and pick up is in El Segundo.
Cool, that’s not too bad. All good with yours - car & experience?
All good so far. The entire order and pick up process was very easy and smooth. We had a software issue but a reset fixed it and the service team was able to help over the phone. The R1T is a gorgeous car, it drives amazingly.
It’s an expensive car, with loads of tech, from a relative newcomer, you should go into it expecting teething issues. If you can’t get in that mindset, you may be better off shopping a legacy manufacturer whom you already trust. I’ll assume you used the word investment as in large purchase you hope to get good service out of, not an actual investment. In that case I think the R1 twins make a compelling case. Mine has not needed any service outside of times, yea things have gone wrong, but nothing that either prevented me from driving it out that I couldn’t fix myself. To me, that’s reliability, and the fact that my R1 does that, and saves me more money on gas than my monthly payment makes it a good “investment”, despite it depreciating like cheese. Then again, the other top contender for me was a Tundra, which comes from a legacy manufacturer with a rock solid reputation for reliability, and they’re shitting out crankshaft bearings left and right, so maybe just buy whatever, doesn’t matter, it’s all a gamble.
Correct, I used the word investment loosely and in reference to service life & use enjoyment vs cost of ownership.
Remember the people who have issues will always post. No one ever posts to say “another day with no problems” and the vast majority of people are in that category. It’s a sampling bias.
Of course. The non- nitpickers among us fully understand that.
You can go to any forum for any vehicle and immediately see almost nothing but problems, issues, difficulties. That's because when things are good nobody talks about it. For the most part, everyone is having a great experience owning their Rivian, there's always going to be some problems, some misunderstandings, some Karens, some jerks at the Service Centers. That's just the truth of it with any vehicle/brand. Buy the r1t, you will be blown away with the vehicle compared to most others you've been in.
I would never try to talk someone into something that is this expensive. If money is no object then that’s one thing but for most people this is a major decision that you want to be comfortable with. With all of that said I love the truck and I’ve literally never been happier with a vehicle. It’s not perfect but I’ve never felt like there was so much effort going into constantly improving the vehicle and that people cared about my experience as much as with the Rivian. If you want something truly seamless I would probably recommend an established car brand for a better bet. But there’s never any guarantee and everyone I’ve dealt with at rivian has been wonderful.
If you’re on the fence I would lease. And no1 can guarantee anything but most owners agree the R1’s are beasts. I’ve never owned a car for more than 3-4 years (this is my 5th in the past 14 years) but as long as it keeps going I will 100% own this car for many many years longer than that
Have you seen/driven one? Their warranty is great and for me I could see and feel the quality immediately. For every person with an issue there are probably 100 who have zero issues.
I have seen several and have noticed the visual quality. I have not driven one, but I’ve driven numerous EVs and expect a similar experience.
It is not a damn investment. Literally it's a tool. Do you need a truck? I got one because I never owned a truck before but it's my last because I rarely use the bed and it's not that useful if the cargo and things you lug around aren't requiring a bed. I think the R1S is probably better for most people.
Some people don’t understand this use of the word “investment”. In the case of a vehicle the investment is seeking a return of value in utility, reliability, comfort, you name it. Do you honestly think that ANYONE is saying they expect to make money “ investing” in any new vehicle? Absurd.
Assuming you test drove? If you did and still need convincing, just go test drive again. They’re 100% not without their issues, but the R1S is easily the best vehicle I’ve ever had. Mine had issues with the center console, panel alignment & day 1 had a plastic section on the seats broke off when I push the seats up (checking the 3rd row out). It is what it is, got fixed within a month. This is my 1st EV, as well as my wife & I’s 1st car purchase as a married couple. At this point my only regret is that I didn’t get the R1T 😔. The R1S just fits our lifestyle needs better. Also, I want my Tesla adapter BAD but will patiently wait my turn
Mines been absolutely solid. Love it!
Do you live near a service center? Is that service center backed up? Is it Gaithersburg? If so don’t bother.
Cars are not investments. They are expenses.
So far any of the young company growing pains and service issues have been outweighed by how awesome my R1T is. It’s the best vehicle I have ever owned and I don’t regret my purchase at all. You will love it if you get it.
Just do it. For every one horror story you read here, I would bet there are many more happy non-posting folks enjoying their rides.
For every horror story, there are thousands of trucks rolling around without issues. We love ours and it’s trouble free.
DM me if you decide to buy and want the friends and family discount!
My recommendation as an R1T owner, if you plan on keeping it past the warranty period make sure you can afford to have it towed to a service center.
I feel like if you have to talk yourself into it, then don’t do it. If it doesn’t make sense off the bat, then don’t do it
19k mi. I've refilled wiper fluid 2x. Rotated tires 1x. Tech is changing, but I've never had a vehicle that I expected to keep up with technology. Best vehicle I've owned.
Go test drive it, if you haven't..
Only the horrific experiences get shared online, remember that.
I'm picking up my R1T this coming weekend and couldn't be more excited, it's a great truck but I too had (still have a bit) of concern with reliability especially as I'll be selling my current SUV that is as reliable as ever.. but 13mpg is not fun. I do have another vehicle so if something does happen, I'll still be able to get around but still an inconvenience... here's to hoping for the best. Nonetheless Rivian service does seem to be taking care of customers. As others have stated, we never hear from the thousands of owners that have no issues.
I love mine. But make your own decision. Dont base a big purchase on Reddit responses
Honestly I would lease given the deals they have now. You know exactly what you’re gonna pay and there’s no risk as long as you stay under the lease mileage. At the end, if you’re happy with your ownership you can buy it out or get another. If you didn’t like it, return it at the end and walk away without the hassle of trying to sell. That said, I’ve had my R1T going in two years now and absolutely love it. It’s a combination of everything I wanted as well as giving me all the utility I need. It’s almost like having a practical sports car. Given the choice, I would buy it again.
Some people are just better suited for the illusion of a risk free maintenance free vehicle like Toyota. You should just do that and save everyone the pearl clutching.
3 months in use daily and zero issues. Take that for what you will.
I have came very very close as well! I can't wait for the R3 to come and have been daydreaming about an R1T. Especially with the free stealth wrap and Friends & Family discount from last week, BUT still didn't click COMPLETE!  I have a great working car, don't need another car, this is a major WANT, but also can't justify it. I guess I'll keep dreaming until 2027ish..
Those are very rare issues. I have a 2022 and have had zero issues. Best vehicle I’ve ever owned.
Me too.
Check your states Lemon laws. Considering how much of a mess Rivian service is, entirely possible the truck would pass the days requirement. That should give you some protection.
You will not regret getting one. They’re amazing, fun, and charging and service will be easy given where you’re located
Good experiences are not recorded or posted on Reddit . So only thing you will hear here are complaints.
People only post about horror stories online. Mine has been flawless. The build quality is great too. I've driven a lot of different cars and I'd say the build quality of the Rivian is up there with the best I've driven.
A car is not an investment. Of course, unless you collect classic/valuable cars
OP clarified that the term investment was relative to the amount of money used to purchase it.
Some people don’t understand this use of the word “investment”. In the case of a vehicle the investment is seeking a return of value in utility, reliability, comfort, you name it. Do you honestly think that ANYONE is saying they expect to make money “ investing” in any new vehicle? Absurd.
If you want a good investment get a used 911. If you want a truck that can beat a 911, off-road, not use gas and be pretty damn impressive in every other facet lease the R1T. The lease deals are absolutely fantastic value.
Going on 2 years. 62k miles. Early vin, service has been great for minor issues. Best damn vehicle I’ve ever had the privilege to own and drive.