Best Of

I was given access to the “R1T shop” by Rivian earlier this week, where I could select from trucks that would be available sooner than my configured model. My current expected delivery date would be Dec-Jan, and these ones are in production and available within 6 weeks or so.

I ended up selecting a white truck configured closely to my ordered one…other than the exterior color, other differences were the interior was the Forest Edge (green) interior, which was on all but one of the dozen or so available units. Plus they all have the powered tonneau cover, whereas I have ordered the manual cover.

But then my wife and I decided we may want a color more fun than the white, so we’re having Rivian “unmatch” our order from the VIN we selected and provide access to the store again.

Of course, that personal preference only matters if we keep it, which is at best a 50/50 shot given the enormous profit that could be had on a flip.

But then that got me to thinking, if I do decide to keep it, I’d probably want the SUV. That would probably put me into next year, though I still get the original pricing.

I’m all over the place.

So I've had an opportunity to get a lot of seat time in the Y this last week, and I have to say, I'm really impressed across the board. I know folks have had fit and finish issues, issues with material quality, etc. - but I'm really happy and feel like we got our money's worth. No rattles, no panel gaps, no marks - nothing. Having the extra space on the interior and the easier entry relative to the 3 has been a really nice change - it is also much quieter on the highway, which might be a function of the double layer glass on the doors.

As far as performance, well, it's a rocket. If I had one complaint, it is that it handles speed so well and is so quiet, that you really do not know how fast you're going unless you pay attention. The difference between 45 mph and 95 mph is barely perceptible. Not that I've tried.

Also, fun fact, if you keep hammering it off the line it really kills your range - I'm sure everyone is surprised to hear that. Again, not that I've been testing it out.

The only decision we need to make is whether I want to swap the Pirelli PZero summer tires out for Michelin Pilot 4S All seasons and use that year round, or buy a second set of wheels/tires that are smaller for fall/winter use when it gets cooler out.

Thanks @tifighter @corvette and @nyccarguy!

Obviously I'm quite happy with how the auction turned out. Based on some activity in May and early June I was expecting $110k to be the absolute top but a very pleasant surprise to see it go a little higher.

I will say in my limited time with the truck I feel Rivian did a great job. The fit and finish was much better than the Tesla I owned and the interior was top notch. Had the market been different I would have enjoyed keeping it but I suspect the lack of charging infrastructure would have been an issue.

Fortunately I'm still happy with the Defender, for an impulse purchase on a Friday afternoon it's turned into one of my favorite cars I've owned. Too bad it's a Land Rover and has a useful life of maybe 40 - 50k miles. I'm pushing 17k now so I figure I'm about halfway through with it.

got to put the truck(lette?) to work again today. My idea about buying it knowing we would be moving soon turned out to make sense. Weird feeling when one of my plans goes like that... But I digress.

we had rented a storage unit to offload stuff before showing the house. The end of the first month was coming up and I had no desire to pay $200 for month 2 (1st month was half off). since they only let you use their truck to move in, I did it DIY. moved 2 chairs (one a bulky recliner where the back did not come out) and a bunch of boxes. Boxes fit in the RDX too, but that big chair quite possibly was not getting in. and if it did fit, a huge pain to wrestle it inside. With the truck, just lifted it up and slid it on in.

game in very handy, even without being the biggest bed in the world.