An R1S to tide me over until I get the R2

[dfairris]

I find myself in need of a car to tide me over until my number comes up in the queue for the R2. I'm thinking of buying a used R1S. I would trade in the R1S for the R2 when the time comes. I will wait to hear about my place in the queue in June before acting. But, if I can't place an order for a half year or more, I may pull the trigger on an R1S.

Does this make sense?
How much depreciation would I expect on the R1S in a year, say?
Which R1S to buy and which to avoid?
Other things to think about that I may be missing?

I could fall in love with the R1S. I've test driven one and always thought "too big for our current needs." But, who knows? A 400+ mile range is enticing.

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[carsly]

I recently did a review of a used R1T that you might answers a lot of questions:

Outside of the Gear Tunnel, it's basically the same vehicle as R1S and I cover that in the review as well. I own a 2025 R1S Gen 2 so questions on either Gen 1 or Gen 2 are welcome.

As for the short-term buy and trade strategy, you'll probably set $10-15K on fire as EV prices are temporarily high but the market will soften later this year as more 2023's roll off of leases and at some point gas prices will ebb. If you want to minimize depreciation loss over the short term, and unless you need a third row now, I'd look at a used Model Y for this short-term ownership window as entry point is a lot lower so financial risk is lower, maybe $5-7K.

 

[kanundrum]

Good move if you need the space.

 

[Great Gatsby]

I'd get a used Ioniq 5 or Mustang Mach-E. Great vehicles that can be found for $25k or less with depreciation already baked in. Also, a lot less can go wrong in those and they have more established dealerships, depending on where you live.

I loved my R1S but ate some serious depreciation on it. And I bought it used! So definitely be warned.

 

[beatle]

If you don't need a car right now, I'd just drive whatever you have until your order for the R2 comes in unless you're planning to keep your interim vehicle for at least 2 years, preferably 3 or longer. Even if your R1 doesn't depreciate (and it will), sales tax will raise the TCO a lot no matter how long you have the vehicle.

 

[hsctiger]

I have considered this route as well since my Model S is 12 years old and has 160k miles on it. Wife hates riding in it for the negative attention she thinks we draw. I've experienced some things including vandalism but not enough for that to make such a difference. Maybe I look/drive like a d-bag and just collect the haterade. I don't know.
But the bigger issue is whether or not I can wait that long on the R2. I'm a very late reservation but am quite flexible on paint colors and interior so maybe I'll get one by the end of the year.
If I do get a used R1 I'll cancel my R2 reservation though.

 

[the.phd]

you can get an R1S for what you'd spend on an R2 and don't have to deal with the insane EV depreciation. I'm headed out to CA to look at an R1S and hopefully drive it home on Monday, and will be cancelling my R2 reservation once I take delivery. Better more capable vehicle for the same price. It's a no brainer to me.

 

[thomasoris]

I find myself in need of a car to tide me over until my number comes up in the queue for the R2. I'm thinking of buying a used R1S. I would trade in the R1S for the R2 when the time comes. I will wait to hear about my place in the queue in June before acting. But, if I can't place an order for a half year or more, I may pull the trigger on an R1S.

Does this make sense?
How much depreciation would I expect on the R1S in a year, say?
Which R1S to buy and which to avoid?
Other things to think about that I may be missing?

I could fall in love with the R1S. I've test driven one and always thought "too big for our current needs." But, who knows? A 400+ mile range is enticing.

If you're looking at a R1S short term, you'll probably take a hit, how much? Example: I got a 2025 R1S used with very low miles a month ago. A week later, I saw Rivian had low interest financing on a 2026, so I explored moving to that and trading in my '25. Rivian offered me $10k less than what I paid for it 10 days earlier. I did all my homework beforing buying my '25, I didn't get ripped off and I paid less than a similar used on the Rivian site that had more miles on it.

If you're looking at short term, I'd go base R1S, maybe large back dual, but that's it. I'd look for an older one, which will be Gen 1, and one with some miles on it. You can probably find one in the mid-50's? If you were thinking of keeping the R1S for a length of time, I'd go 2025 or newer and ensure you have Gen 2. Just my opinion. I've had my name in for the R2, decided to go with the R1S and love it. It's big but honestly to me it doesn't drive big. Now the significant other is probably going to get the R2.

The benefit of getting the R1S is it moves you up the list for the R2 if you have a reservation. My guess, you'd be looking at the first half of 2027, but that's a guess.

 

[mark barron]

PIckup my 26 R1T at the plant tomorrow. R2 reservation only 6 months old, so maybe in a year? God grant me patience, but I want it now. Went from a Suburban to driving Prius’s 25 years ago. A big jump back in size. The R2 at the factory is beautiful. Can’t touch it, but sweet. With the back seat up, the rear storage area is certain very tall. But the floor space does not seem that much bigger that my prius’s. Squeeze in another bag maybe. Certainly can fill it up to the ceiling with much more stuff. I like a rear view mirror to work. R2 is a much smaller SUV than I expected. Bought a new 2001 Prius to support the tech. That’s how I see tech moving forward. I’m all in, pass me the kool aid.

 

[electromage]

I leased an Ioniq 5 while I wait for my reservation to come up. It's a nice car, lots of quirks from an EV standpoint but very nice to drive. It has NACS, plug and charge works with Superchargers and Ionna. I get about 300 mi range mixed, charges at up to 250kW. I'm not sure how leases are looking now but at the time it was a pretty good deal and Hyundai is probably going to lose about $15k when they auction it off.

 

[savethemanual]

I leased an Ioniq 5 while I wait for my reservation to come up. It's a nice car, lots of quirks from an EV standpoint but very nice to drive. It has NACS, plug and charge works with Superchargers and Ionna. I get about 300 mi range mixed, charges at up to 250kW. I'm not sure how leases are looking now but at the time it was a pretty good deal and Hyundai is probably going to lose about $15k when they auction it off.

Assuming yours is the single motor? 300 miles is great!

 

[dfairris]

Thanks, all. Lots of great ideas. I will wait until I hear from Rivian in June and put one of these many good options into effect.

 

[electromage]

Assuming yours is the single motor? 300 miles is great!

Mine is a Limited AWD, and I can't say I've ever driver 300mi at once, it's an estimate, but based on consumption typically 3.4-3.9mi/kWh it should be 290-330mi. Most of the time it's between 60-80% SoC.

Recently I was on a longer trip and hit Ionna at 15%, it charged to 80% in 19 minutes. I didn't even need that much but I wanted to support them because their stations are excellent.

 

[mclark2112]

I just turned in my R1S and picked up a BMW I4. I spent the last couple months looking for a used R1S, but decided it was just too much for a short term purchase. Then I was between an i4 and an iX, but the i4 was a great deal. I'll keep it until my R2 comes. Meanwhile, I have my wife's SUV for Home Depot trips.

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