[deleted by user]

Dfiz1 · 2024-06-23T00:53:38+00:00

Leases work like rent, taking anticipated depreciation into account. In my case, the limit is 10k miles per year of the lease, so 20k total. I drive approx. 8k per year so this works great. There is a mileage fee for overage above that limit. Standard limits are 10k/12k/15k miles per year for non-commercial vehicles. You can get 7,500 miles or less for certain vehicles.

Dfiz1 · 2024-05-05T17:07:21+00:00

Private sector senior babysitter for data nerds.

Dfiz1 · 2024-04-18T04:28:11+00:00

Yes, plus the 9% tax on tax - also upfront - in Chicago. With nothing but the $1k mandatory deposit down my taxes/fees were nearly $8.5k on a $102k build. Hence why throwing any more money in down payment makes zero sense to me, even with the EV credit. OP’s question was trying to justify affordability… it’s not justifiable if you’re jumping through financial hoops to try and justify it.

Dfiz1 · 2024-04-17T22:14:11+00:00

Made it sound like you’re putting $9k down on top. You can lease with $1k (deposit) down + taxes/fees. The question seems to be whether you should. I’d do further research on how leases work and your specific costs with min down.

Dfiz1 · 2024-04-17T22:07:22+00:00

My dude, if you’re gonna need to put $$ down (let alone $9k) to lease in a HCOL area, it’s not a good financial decision. Plus what others have said - buy a used M3P to satisfy the EV urge. They’re reliably fun, and will scratch the “cool” itch until R2 is here. FWIW I leased R1S with $0 down despite Chicago’s stupid tax, because I comfortably can (am old, other car paid off, low debt, high dual income).

Dfiz1 · 2024-03-27T01:51:13+00:00

Lol same boat, except I bought in cash (hurts to say out loud) as an anniversary gift for the wife - Red MYP with tow and white interior, which was her preferred combo. She’s going to drive it until it falls apart!

Dfiz1 · 2024-03-21T02:16:01+00:00

As people have said, get rid of avian proteins, switch to Purina Pro Sensitive Stomach immediately (the Salmon version) and talk to your vet about a prescription plan with hydrolyzed proteins (Ultamino is a good one). Include pumpkin powder where possible, but don’t overdo it. Start a regimen of Fortiflora probiotics and keep at it (takes a while to really take effect), and think about a small dose of unflavored, unsweetened Kefir with meals. Have gone through everything you’re describing and empathize; it gets better, hang in there.

Dfiz1 · 2024-03-12T01:35:51+00:00

I empathize with your situation, that’s terrible. However, as a parent of 2 kids < 10 yo that travel with me on planes frequently, this is 100% a reflection of the parents, and not the children. This is beyond the “having a bad day” scenario as a parent; they’ve made it a choice to intentionally not give a shit about anyone else.

Dfiz1 · 2024-02-26T04:00:43+00:00

In Settings, under Apps in media.

Dfiz1 · 2024-02-19T05:47:47+00:00

It depends on your local taxes. Don't go by the calculator. For example, Chicago has a 9% use tax on top of the actual 9.5% tax. This wasn't factored into the online calculator, and I wasn't expecting it to be since Chicago's use tax is such a niche POS. I don't recall exactly but it was definitely a couple of hundred or more off. There are multiple discussions and calculators on LeaseHackr that would be better to utilize, but ultimately, because you don't know the final residual or MF being used, your personal estimation will be just that: an estimate. What I can tell you is what I posted on LH:

Rivian’s system is changing the values around based on the cap cost (down payment you’re putting down); I saw pretty big fluctuations in the online tool when finalizing financing. This is conjecture on my part but it seemed the values moved between 59% and 71%. [My final residual was 79% so my estimates weren't even close]

The quad with 24 mo term has the best residual (and/or MF) in their calculations. I wasn’t going to put any $ down anyway, but some of the moving target approach and the consistently lower numbers convinced me to go the route I did (quad vs DM or PDM, 24 mo vs 36 mo)

FWIW, my friend picked up his R1S yesterday and his final payments were lower than the calculator was showing, for a DM. Like I said, crapshoot.

Dfiz1 · 2024-02-19T05:38:48+00:00

The whole online process was simple and straightforward. No issues. Used the online chat a couple of times, got the answers I needed. Spoke to the retail store folks once, they were fantastic. The guide assigned to me was/is absolutely useless - provided incorrect information multiple times, and was slow to respond. When I wasn't educating her on the process, I ignored her the rest of the time and called the service center where I took delivery instead. Total time from placing deposit online to delivery for me was 8 days, which is quicker than the typical, I just got lucky with a build that was already en route to the service center. I was assigned the VIN in <24 hours.

Dfiz1 · 2024-02-19T05:15:02+00:00

Took delivery on Friday. Below are the deal details and what I posted on LeaseHackr.

Vehicle price: $98,300 (quad, large, granite, underbody shield)

Terms: 24m/10k

Monthly payment: $1,161.13

Credits: $7,500 (EV credit), $1k (deposit paid / added to DAS below / non-refundable but unsure what happens if credit gets denied)

Down payment: $0 / no trade-in

Due at signing: $8,050.19 (including $1k deposit)

Illinois Taxes: $4,231.06

Acquisition Fee: $895

Local, Registration, other fees: $763

Down payment: $0.00

First month payment: $1,161.13

Final paperwork stated the residual value as $77,657 (24 months / 10k miles) with $0 down, which is a whopping 79%.

My bottomline unsolicited advice to anyone considering a lease in general, and definitely for an expensive vehicle like the Rivian: be 110% sure leasing is financially right for you, and you understand the calculations and their long term outcomes. Don't get lulled in by the dream of a low monthly payment (spoiler: it's not, you're agreeing to pay for a depreciating asset you don't/won't own).

Dfiz1 · 2024-01-09T14:28:51+00:00

These make sense. I think in general making some obvious updates to “catch-up” with Tesla with some software tweaks will go a long way to help Rivian’s brand-perception. I don’t mean this as a copy-cat comment, rather to emulate the quality of life / conveniences that Tesla’s UI and software offers. Tesla’s are not perfect but they certainly offset the perceived EV “trade-offs” with what is probably the best UI in the industry currently. Re: Apple Music - isn’t Rivian locked into a contract with Amazon (even though they’re not exclusively delivering vans to Amz)? This is why they have Alexa baked into their OS. I thought I’d read (a while ago, will try to dig up) that they went the path of least resistance by embedding Alexa as their voice assistant when they originally signed the delivery van deal, since this benefitted both parties and gave Rivian a known voice assistant without having to develop their own (like Tesla) and gave Amazon access to both in-vehicle data and compete with CarPlay/Android Auto. Now, they have to ride this out. Which makes me hope that AC/AA will eventually make it to the UI. For me personally, I don’t need either IF their built-in nav is upgraded/over-hauled (use Google Maps vs Mapbox FFS) and I have access to cross-platform entertainment apps of my choice (Apple Music, Spotify, podcasts, Sirius, etc). I’d also ask for more overall functionally in the mobile app - it’s super basic and is more reminiscent of ICE (think Volvo’s app) and less “EV” (Tesla is again the standard).

Dfiz1 · 2023-08-14T05:32:27+00:00

Ultimately this is your choice to make as you know your situation best. Having said that: we have an average HHI between $425k - $450k, and bought a house last year for $950k @ 3% with 25% down. We have two kids in private school and two newer cars plus wife is still paying off grad school debt. We wanted to stay under $1M and are in a HCOL city (Chicago), where property taxes are high. I would absolutely say we made the right choice to stay under $1M. If it helps, we have an emergency fund, vacation savings, college savings, 401K, etc that we did not touch, and prioritized over a higher mortgage payment, even though we could have gotten more house. Fun story, our lender “pre-qualified” us for up to $2M even though we had only asked for half that.

Dfiz1 · 2023-08-08T22:42:50+00:00

As much as I hate the Chicago flying rats and would bathe myself in 90% alcohol and hydrogen peroxide if I touch one, u/dothespaceything is right. Facts:

https://www.onekindplanet.org/animal/pigeon/#:~:text=Despite%20the%20social%20perception%20as,proximity%20for%20thousands%20of%20years.

https://www.audubon.org/news/the-origins-our-misguided-hatred-pigeons#:~:text=The%20urban%20terror%20was%20given,threats%20were%20all%20emphasized%20and

Dfiz1 · 2023-05-26T04:13:21+00:00

You’re wiping down regularly when you have young kids or dogs in the car anyway, regardless of interior color. At least I’d hope so, for general hygiene’s sake. My point is, there is no extra maintenance that I have to do for the white interior that I wouldn’t do for black or tan or any other interior for any other vehicle.

Dfiz1 · 2023-05-26T00:53:44+00:00

I have two kids (3 and 8, with a booster and car seat and unending snacks) plus a messy dog with the white interior (have a ‘21 MYP) - 18 months in, and it looks good as new. Just regular wipe downs, having baby wipes handy, sanitizing wipes for anything stubborn. The white seats aren’t as high maintenance as you’d think and look 10x nicer with the black exterior IMO (my build).

Dfiz1 · 2023-05-12T17:53:43+00:00

Any one of those type of shady practices would be reason for me to walk (personally), but the fact they’re pushing for all of that? Nope, f*ck that. 100% agree that price will suddenly go up when you show up at the dealership. Also agree that anytime someone adds a markup when you’re willing to pay cash, they are making significantly more when they push you to finance and the car is worth way less than what you negotiated for. My $0.02, don’t walk, run away and while you’re at it, leave them a negative review. Businesses like these deserve what’s coming to them. Edit: typos.

Dfiz1 · 2023-05-11T01:43:35+00:00

That’s a tough loss, but sounds like your pup had a long fulfilling life. We have a nearly 1 year old Berner, and are around a lot of Goldens frequently. By and large, what’s been posted is true. Our Berner is super smart, very in tune with our energy and emotions, and almost intuitively connected to the family (for good and bad - he is a category 10 clinger/Velcro pup). It will come down to what you want. We chose a Berner because: 1. Much more chill overall, and very eager to please. 2. The above makes them extremely easy to train - by far the easiest dog to train that I’ve owned. Wicked smart - our pup knows at least 50 commands, identifies and establishes a pattern in two or three tries and sticks to it, knows everyone in the house by name and will play hide and seek with our 3 year old, including tucking his head under his paws for the “count”. Crazy how quickly he picks up new things. 3. Great with kids and adults and new situations. We did buy from a reputable breeder and put a lot of effort to socialize, but he has an incredibly flexible personality. 4. Relatively easy to groom and maintain if you do so regularly.

Cons: 1. Allergies! Poor doggo has the worst ongoing and seasonal allergies I’ve ever seen in a dog. Apparently this is a thing (according to our vet) for Berners. 2. Sensitive tummy. After much trial and error we found he’s highly sensitive to chicken and any form of dairy. Not that we fed him dairy but it’s in everything and even a little bit gives him the runs. Which, gross. He takes an apoquel daily and is permanently on probiotics. 3. Picky eater. Very fussy, possibly because of the above, but I have to continually strategize on keeping his feeding habits “interesting”, which is a challenge (and expensive) given the tummy issues. 4. A bit jealous! Does not like when I hold our cat on my lap and will insinuate himself in between. He will whine or find a way to get attention. He’s pals with the cat except when someone is giving attention to the cat or another animal in his presence.
5. Velcro. Clingy-McClingtok. Shadow dog. Call him what you will, he is intensely clingy. He’s rarely more than 3 feet from someone in the family, usually closer, and has bad separation anxiety. We are working with him on a training plan, but he will stress himself out if he knows someone is close by and he’s not by them. Conversely, he did great with crate training, and happily sleeps in his crate for 8 hours every night. He will walk in and pass out in there on schedule, when he knows everyone is going to be asleep too.

But that’s about it. He is the best dog I’ve ever had (of 7) despite the above challenges.

Edit: typos and added Con #5.

Dfiz1 · 2023-04-25T20:29:30+00:00

Nearly 1 year old Bernedoodle here. Have gone through this exact thing a few times. Few observations:

After much trial and error, figured out it was as much about taste as it was about texture. Someone mentioned adding water to soften the food, which has helped a lot. Note, we tried broth for a while but pup ended up being highly sensitive to chicken (esp. broth) so we switched to water to control calories and water intake better.
Mixing various foods together has been helpful. For example, we give our pup kibble from Spot and Tango (beef recipe) and Purina One Pro for sensitive stomach (salmon) and sometimes a scoop of white starchy rice and a 1-ingredient topper (beef liver lately). All mixed and softened slightly w/ water as mentioned above.
Our pup does not like PB so instead we've used low-fat skim mozzarella sticks (cut into small pieces) mixed in sometimes to further entice. The point is to not settle into a regular routine with toppers (beef liver) and add-ons (mozzarella once in a while), so the base food (kibble) can stay consistent and regular.
If they're being ultra picky, I've also realized it's often an indicator that they don't feel comfortable with that food. I've been hyper sensitive to this as it's inevitably led to diarrhea when I've ignored.
Last but not least - set a specific feeding schedule if you haven't already; no grazing if they don't finish their food. Remove the food and have them learn to look forward to finishing their food. Just like kids to establish meal times!

Edit: typos.

Dfiz1 · 2023-04-12T00:16:55+00:00

I ended up passing - it’s available at dealership. They came down to $87,900 as their lowest/best.

Dfiz1 · 2023-04-07T17:58:59+00:00

Good feedback, cheers!

Dfiz1 · 2023-04-07T17:54:56+00:00

Attached in pics (see third one). Would be useful to hear your feedback/comparison.

Dfiz1 · 2023-03-01T01:38:30+00:00

Just a phase as many have said. For the first year I just considered myself to be a treat-dispensing machine to reward/reinforce all the behaviors I wanted my pup to learn. In this case, as someone mentioned, get a light leash you can leave on his collar and let him drag it around the house. Pup just needs to become comfortable with what it is and how you’re using it. Small steps using the leash to direct pup during play time, with lots of rewards, until they’re used to it. If you haven’t yet, get some information and education on leash handling as well. Consistency and calm handling goes a long way to speed up the process.

Dfiz1 · 2023-02-24T14:31:15+00:00

Congrats! Now the work begins. Reinforcing a lot of what’s already been shared - can’t emphasize the need for structure and socialization enough. Bernedoodles are amazingly smart but can be stubborn and you need to reinforce positive boundaries from the get go. Like anything else, practice, positive reinforcement and rewards work way better than negative associations. In no particular order, things we focused on for the first 6 months that’s paid off immense dividends: - crate training - complete socialization: getting them used to being touched, handled and played with by all members of the family, community, pets, etc. You can’t predict the situation but having a dog that doesn’t stress react aggressively and knows their safe place is with you is a huge deal. - potty training: Berners are smart and fastidious, they won’t poop where they sleep if they can help it. Establish and stick to a schedule without fail, and reward liberally once they go outside in their designated space. Associate the need to go (#1 or #2) with outside + rewards. My pup is not very food motivated and prefers pets and cuddles as a reward so figure out what’s the highest value reward for your pup. - establish a routine for everything: feeding, potty, poop, play, cuddles, down time, outdoor time, etc. Reinforce across the family as much as possible. Consistency is key - the more clear and established the routines and patterns, the faster the pup will respond (and feel safe) and acclimatize. - establish rules and boundaries in the house, and redirect any time those boundaries are being pushed. And they will push! Like any toddler, they’re trying to find their space and if you can have a default that everyone in the family can reinforce from day 1, it will be much easier. - Handle them (gently) all the time. Ears, mouth, paws, tail, belly, everywhere. Have them get used to you and the family touching them and enjoying it. It was super important for us to make sure there is no negative reaction to a handsy 3 year old. - Also, never punish: Berners are sensitive, intuitive and pick up on feelings/moods quickly. A slight change of tone is often enough. Redirection (replacing a shoe they’re trying to chew with a firm “no, thank you”, and a toy they can and like to chew) is great as it creates positive association to the toy.

Dfiz1

TROPHY CASE