Should I even consider a used R1T? Dethrone a Trailhunter or Ranger Raptor?

[momike]

Hi all,
I've poked around here and before dismissing the fantasy of a Rivian outright I thought I'd ask for opinions.

I'm in the market for a truck. My baseline assumption has been that I'd buy a new Trailhunter. I'd like something capable off-road, and powerful enough to be fun and useful for truck things, but mostly will use it as a daily. Possible camping setup in future but that's not immediately in the works.

All else being equal, I'd jump at the chance for the performance of a Rivian (never been in one but the numbers are otherworldly and they look awesome on all fronts). I love a rig with power, hence also considering the RR. And I'm very pro EV for a range of reasons. It appears that a used quad motor R1T could be had for about the price of one of these other rigs new. All that is tempting me.

My main concern is reliability. I live in western Colorado, 6 hours from Denver or SLC where I assume the nearest service center is. I see some horror stories about reliability and build quality, and I'm wondering a few things.

1) are the horror stories considered outliers and exceptions, or would I be rolling the dice?

2) I'm assuming purchasing used from Rivian would get me some sort of certified warranty, but in that event does anyone have experience with how service would be handled given my location? I belive I saw somewhere that they have a mobile repair service, if so what has the experience been with that? Regardless of whether the case was an un-drivable vehicle, or something that would require multi-day shop time, or something minor, it would be a deal breaker to add 12 hours of drive time for repairs as a general expectation. I experienced that with my Sprinter and it was one of the reasons I sold it.

3) once out of warranty, how does the TCO tend to compare with a Tacoma in general? Or more specifically, does a breakdown break the bank?

I guess my take on Rivian from the outside is that they're awesome for someone who's got the cash for this to be a more casual purchase, has a quiver of vehicles, and can afford to take some risk and deal with bumps in the road during ownership. That doesn't describe me. Am I right with all of this? Would really welcome thoughts because if I can make this make sense for my situation I'd love nothing better to be in one of these rigs.

Thanks for any input!

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[Killer95Stang]

I'd be hard pressed to spend that kinda money on a Ford Ranger Raptor and Im a hige Ford guy. Do not know too much about the Trail Hunter, so I can't comment in that.

Even though I feel that the Rivian is a way better option for your use case scenario, you do make some good points above. Im 20 minutes from a service center, so even when something goes wrong, they take care of it with no issues. I'm not one of the guys that whines when Rivian puts me in a Maserati or Lucid for a couple weeks while they diagnose and fix my R1S. I like driving everything. I also have a couple classic cars (if you consider the 90s a classic) that I can drive if I need to. What scares me the most is not being able to fix my Rivian myself when it goes out of warranty. Ive done pretty much all the maintenance on my cars since I was a teen. Not being able to buy parts over the counter is probably the biggest issue for me.

 

[Erik+]

Also in western Colorado and bought a used quad R1T. Have had basically zero issues and love almost everything about the R1T. I went from a 2500 diesel to the Rivian, and couldn't be happier with it for what I need a truck for. Depending where you are at in the state, send me a PM, and if you are close by, I can give you more thoughts on my experience or show you my truck if you would like.

 

[antimatter]

I think whatever you buy, first and foremost you should go with something that you can get support for locally. I'm lucky to live 25 minutes away from the nearest Rivian service center, and that played a big part in my deciding to get one. If you're 6 hours away, I'd say to wait for a service center to open closer before you consider the brand. Heck, even if you go internal combustion, I'd still suggest buying something that your local dealer will be able to service. I bought used, BTW ('23 Dual motor Performance with a Max Battery) this past June. I tend to buy most of my vehicles used as I like letting someone else take the depreciation hit. I also think buying used helps avoid a lemon, as someone else will have dealt with that before I got to the truck.

So, buy something you can get serviced locally. Take a Rivian for a test drive if you're ever in an area that has availability. And keep an eye on the brand in case you like it and you can get local support in the future.

 

[Budman]

I’ve owned 2 R1T’s. A combined 85,000 miles with no issues. I’ve driven from Minnesota to both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of Canada with no hesitation or problems.

That said. I’m 10 minutes from my local service center. Even with my good history with Rivian being 6 hours away would be of concern with any vehicle.

 

[BigSkies]

I'm in Denver, and highly recommend the truck. I'm admittedly biased. There's no other vehicle I'd rather be in at any price point.

I would hesitate based on your distance from a service center. Things will go wrong. Usually they're minor. But you don't want to drive 6 hours to service if a gear-tunnel latch fails either.

The trucks are amazing, but they're not designed to be user serviceable.

I'd like to think the upcoming R2 launch will give Rivian the financial justification to open a service center in the Grand Junction area. I think Rivian would sell well there. But nothing has been announced, and this is pure speculation on my part.

 

[boosted20v]

To a couple of your questions that haven't been answered yet. Mobile service is good and if it can be done remotely it seems that Rivian prefers to go that route. That being said everything can't be done by the mobile techs. As far as buying used, Rivian has a great warranty 5 yr. 60k miles for early quads, so if you find one with low miles you'll be good for a little while. That said it looks like it will be an expensive truck to maintain out of warranty and when mine is up, I'll be looking to replace it(with another Rivian).

 

[ndmiller]

6 hours from a Service Center is 100% no go for picking up a Rivian, read the horror stories. It may work out but I wouldn't risk it and I own a Rivian R1T. My SC is 5 minutes from work.

DO NOT DO IT, wait for a closer SC.

 

[momike]

Great answers, thank you. Seems on balance a convincing no, for now...

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Great answers, thank you. Seems on balance a convincing no, for now...

IMO, only you know the answer because it depends on your specific needs/uses. If this new truck, whatever it is, will be used mostly on the road and in "civilization"—and mostly as a passenger vehicle— with the occasional adventure that isn't too far off-grid (as far as the charging infrastructure allows)... The R1 will give you better on-road experience than any of your other off-road capable options. It will also give you better off-road experience than almost anything else on the market. If you plan to go off-grid extensively, it's way easier to take "fuel" with you to extend range of your ICE options. "All else being equal..." And the problem is they really aren't. They're different animals meant for different end-users and needs/wants.

 

[beatle]

Consider repairs out of warranty to not only be expensive, but they will also put you out of a vehicle for potentially weeks. Service often takes a very long time. People with trucks under warranty will get loaners or a free rental. If you have another vehicle to get you around in everything that CO throws at you, this may not be as big an issue, but coordinating the transportation to/from a SC that's not nearby will be a colossal time sink for you and whoever is following you. With Rivian clamping down on people sharing information that will let them service their own vehicles, expect this situation to occur for more things than a traditional automaker since you won't be able to do much other than brakes and tires yourself. I would definitely not expect Tacoma reliability, and TCO will be way, way higher.

 

[Schroederhc]

The primary concern would be the 12-hour round-trip distance for service. I have had my T Dual lrg Performance close to 2 years, 30+k miles—the best vehicle I have ever owned. I dont plan on parting ways with it, so I purchased an extended warranty from X-Care, an EV-focused business. I believe the best value is the 23-24 R1T Quads with enough miles that the bugs and recalls have been worked out. I have seen some deals that tempted me; however, mine is paid for and completely dialed in for me. Let us know what you end up doing.

 

[hammick]

Personally I wouldn't consider anything older than a '24 Rivian and preferable a '25 G2. The '22 Launch Edition loaner with 33k miles I'm driving makes all kinds of unpleasant drive train noises. It also has that musty AC odor.

 

[Judd]

I have a 2023 R1T quad that I bought used. It’s way more fun to drive that I anticipated. It’s been in the shop 1 time in the 7 months I’ve owned it for the AC drain “recall”.

If you make longer than a charge trips often, I believe I’d have a different opinion. Charging away from home is both a pain and expensive, in my opinion. That’s the only negative that I’ve found.

Saying that, I’d never own one if I didn’t live within an hour of a service center. That deal alone would keep me from buying one. It’s not if, it’s when will you need service…and I’d say that on an ICE vehicle too.

Good luck.

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