In 2014, My 2003 Honda Accord got rear-ended. I bought my Dad’s 2007 Accord from him and have been driving it for the last 11 years. I thought about getting a new vehicle last year and giving my oldest the Accord, but instead decided to let my Dad buy them a new car and I kept driving the Accord. It was fine, and I didn’t drive it frequently.
Things went downhill quickly in 2025.
The car reached 150K miles, the air conditioning stopped working, and the roof headliner came loose.
I did not even want to look at the car, let alone drive it. After my Dad passed away, I knew I had the means to remove my this 19-year-old vehicle from my life.
I thought back to my desire for an electric vehicle and considered my research from last year. I knew that the Rivian would not hold our dogs, but it didn’t need to. This was going to be our daily driver. We would save our Kia Carnival for transporting dogs.
I came down to three cars in wildly different price ranges: Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, Porsche Taycan, and Rivian R1S
I was fairly set on getting a used version of these three as the used prices of EVs is where the value is at. I ultimately decided against the two sporty cars as I knew I would not actually be taking them to a track or able to have much fun with them. The Taycan would provide a more luxury feel, and you could get up to $100K off the MSRP, but you would still spend a large amount.
I ultimately decided on a 2023 R1S Quad Large Battery because I was able to get it directly from Rivian, and they maintained their warranty until 2028 and battery until 2031. I was very happy with the process and was able to do almost all the paperwork online and pickup the vehicle two hours away.
So how has it been?
I must admit that the ride was not as smooth as I liked initially. I also did not understand how one foot driving works. But after learning about adjusting ride height and suspension and learning how regenerative braking works, I have been enjoying the ride.
There is a fast charging station five minutes from my house, and although I would love another 50 miles of range, I have also learned that taking a 30-minute stop on the way to your destination can be a good thing.
Now, about that R2 reservation…
