What Made You Choose Your Car?

[carmigo]

Of all the vehicles out there, what drew you to your ride? Did you instantly know what you wanted or did you shop around first?

We’re curious about your journey. We assume most of you are going to talk about your Rivian, but tell us about other ones too if you want.


On a personal note, here’s why I chose my Jeep Renegade — I know, wrong crowd but bare with me. The Corolla I had before was totaled (RIP Alejandro) and I needed a car that was affordable but still an upgrade. I was initially drawn to a Jeep because I had a friend with this sick purple jeep with removable doors. I also enjoyed that Jeeps had little easter eggs hidden around them. Plus, Jeeps aren’t shy with color and I liked that I could have a fun colored car without any extra work or money. Plus jeep owners know how to have fun and have cute traditions like leaving each other ducks.

All that considered, I did look at other options but kept eyeing the sweet Jeep Wrangler on the lot. It was way out of my price range and I was looking for something more compact for day to day stuff. The folks at the dealership showed me to an orange used renegade and it was a pretty good fit for my needs and price range. I named her Velma. I’m pretty happy with her and I like that it syncs with apple play, and is decent on fuel efficiency.


Anyway, tell us about your vehicle and what made you choose it. Was there much of a choice? Sometimes we choose our vehicles and other times they choose us, like when your parents stick you with that old family car but then you go on to have amazing memories with it. Either way, reply with how you chose or ended up with your car.

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[SANZC02]

I have a Jeep GC that completely suits all of my needs with comfort, towing, off-road, highway trips, room for pups, etc.

I purchased a Tesla Model S in 2016 and it converted me to the EV driving experience. I have been looking for an EV vehicle that could replace my Jeep GC since and the R1S was the first vehicle I found that looked like it could do it. Placed my reservation a few days after I saw the specs for the R1S. I’ve only had the R1S a few weeks but have 5500 miles on it already. The Jeep GC is sitting in the driveway but pretty sure I will be getting rid of it shortly.

There were no other EV vehicles I see now or on the near horizon that suits my use case so if not for the R1S I would still be waiting and enjoying my Jeep GC.

 

[COdogman]

I have thoroughly enjoyed my Tacoma TRD Pro very much over the last 5 years - it’s so reliable and can literally go anywhere I want to take it. A mid size truck is perfect for me since 99% of the time it’s just me in it. Yes, it’s sluggish and gets terrible gas mileage - no one buys a Tacoma looking for speed and efficiency, but it’s by far the best vehicle I have ever owned.

When my R1T is ready it will be a YOLO vehicle for me. More performance than I could ever hope for in a truck and WAY more luxury than I need. It also fulfills my goal of getting away from buying gasoline while not compromising on utility. I can use it for work and play and enjoy every second of both!

 

[carmigo]

I have a Jeep GC that completely suits all of my needs with comfort, towing, off-road, highway trips, room for pups, etc.

I purchased a Tesla Model S in 2016 and it converted me to the EV driving experience. I have been looking for an EV vehicle that could replace my Jeep GC since and the R1S was the first vehicle I found that looked like it could do it. Placed my reservation a few days after I saw the specs for the R1S. I’ve only had the R1S a few weeks but have 5500 miles on it already. The Jeep GC is sitting in the driveway but pretty sure I will be getting rid of it shortly.

There were no other EV vehicles I see now or on the near horizon that suits my use case so if not for the R1S I would still be waiting and enjoying my Jeep GC.

I'm strongly considering an EV after my jeep. Tesla is probably what I'll try to get but I'm open to other options. Think I might have to follow your lead. (btw, if you feel like selling that jeep, you could check out our website and list for free)

 

[carmigo]

I have thoroughly enjoyed my Tacoma TRD Pro very much over the last 5 years - it’s so reliable and can literally go anywhere I want to take it. A mid size truck is perfect for me since 99% of the time it’s just me in it. Yes, it’s sluggish and gets terrible gas mileage - no one buys a Tacoma looking for speed and efficiency, but it’s by far the best vehicle I have ever owned.

When my R1T is ready it will be a YOLO vehicle for me. More performance than I could ever hope for in a truck and WAY more luxury than I need. It also fulfills my goal of getting away from buying gasoline while not compromising on utility. I can use it for work and play and enjoy every second of both!

Ooooo an R1T, how exciting. How long do you have to wait?

 

[COdogman]

Ooooo an R1T, how exciting. How long do you have to wait?

According to my guide it is sitting somewhere in the factory waiting for final QC checks. Anytime I now I will get a VIN # and an email invite to begin the purchase process. After that, who knows? I’m guessing I should have it by end of March!

 

[carmigo]

According to my guide it is sitting somewhere in the factory waiting for final QC checks. Anytime I now I will get a VIN # and an email invite to begin the purchase process. After that, who knows? I’m guessing I should have it by end of March!

Not too bad, hoping we get an update in march with your new R1T!

 

[Baymax]

I’m a car guy. I’ve got an R1S on order because I haven’t encountered the performance of an R1 from any other vehicle in history!

- 0-60 in 3.1 seconds? YES PLEASE!

- Sports-car-esque handling on mountain roads? YES PLEASE!

- Comfortably haul my family of 5 and all our stuff to Moab in a 3-row SUV? YES PLEASE!

- Quietly conquer most of Moab’s toughest trails in a bone-stock factory spec & warrantied vehicle? YES PLEASE!

- Spend a few bucks on charging vs. ever-rising gas prices? YES PLEASE!

- get regular OTA updates with new features like camp mode? YES PLEASE!

- Deal directly with the manufacturer instead of a dealership that adds NO VALUE in today’s modern distribution channels? YES PLEASE!

- save the planet?? …well, I’ll call that an “ish.” Is a big, heavy SUV the most efficient way for me to save the planet? Absolutely not. But in terms of big, heavy SUVs, the R1S is one of the most planet-friendly, so “save-the-planet-ISH?” YES PLEASE!

 

[Donald Stanfield]

It was the best option on the market for my needs. I needed a truck for taking garbage to the dump, I’m too stubborn to pay for trash collection since I drive right past the dump on my way to work a couple times a week.

So that requirement ruled out SUV’s. Smelly kitchen garbage riding in the same cab as you sucks, especially during summer. I also like sports cars and things that go fast. What’s the fastest truck on the market? The R1T is clearly the winner based on those two requirements.

For a similar price I could have bought a beater truck and a pretty nice sports car but then I’m playing musical vehicles and storing something I only use occasionally and having to drive the beater to work every time I took out garbage. Honestly if the Rivian didn’t exist I would have probably done the beater truck route as the TRX or Raptor R are just as expensive to buy but also are ginormous and wouldn’t fit in my garages. So I’d be parking my 90-110k dollar truck outside and that just seems silly to me.

Plus I test drove a TRX and I would absolutely hate taking that into any sort of city or anywhere that room was tight.

 

[R1Tom]

EV acceleration in a midsized pickup with decent handling and great looks.

Bonus has been EV operational costs savings, great audio system, great interior, and more storage space than I ever could have imagined...in a midsized pickup.

 

[Biturbowned]

We had an old/trusty Tacoma that got terrible gas mileage and was due for some heavier maintenance. My dream was a 6mt 997.2 Carrera S, but the prices for those went hyperbolic around the pandemic and the 911s I was looking at were coming close to the price of a brand new R1T (factoring in tax credit). I couldn’t justify spending that much on a 10+ year old car that would still require significant running costs. The R1T solves the maintenance/running cost problem and also allowed me to offload the Tacoma so we’re not insuring/registering 3 vehicles. Our experience with the Model Y has been amazing, so we felt comfortable to go all in on electric.

 

[madgrey]

I need at least one "family/utility vehicle" for occasional towing, hauling nasty stuff to the dump, carting around 2,3, or 4 people, picking up engines and tractor parts, etc. I briefly had a nice wagon for doing this, but it failed on the nasty jobs. Therefore, a pickup truck has filled this requirement for 22 of the last 23 years.

The R1T worked because it meets the requirements and is also insanely fast and better sized than most pickups I've owned. Also, I really wanted to get an EV.

 

[kyunam]

Just loved great design!
boxy, simple, flat, no curvy contour, front looking like a toy car, all sides are proportioned well.

 

[John G.]

Quite simple:

The Rivian R1T was the first fully electric pickup truck made in America. Think about that!

Along with the R1T's breakthrough features and benefits, I just knew I had to have one!

 

[John G.]

Oh, and Rivian isn't even a "mainstream manufacturer" who has battery problems!

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