Equipment Recommendations - The Home For New System and Upgrade Advice

Anyone have experience with this brand of conditioners? Found a cheap one in the wild

I don’t have any particular pros/cons on Monster’s power line, but I imagine that unit could be several years old.
 
Back to motoring, I put a reservation in for a 2026 Rivian R2 today. I was tempted by my affliction for 80’s/90’s Fiat Panda 4x4’s, but ultimately decided on the more traditional box R2.

Fiat Panda
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Rivian R3

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First Rivian pickup I've ever seen in the wild drove past me today while walking the dogs. It was pretty damn sick.
 
Back to motoring, I put a reservation in for a 2026 Rivian R2 today. I was tempted by my affliction for 80’s/90’s Fiat Panda 4x4’s, but ultimately decided on the more traditional box R2.

Fiat Panda
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Rivian R3

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Hahaha! My mum had a standard Fiat Panda in the late 80s. Temperamental beast. Had to cover the engine with a blanket at night in the winter or else it wouldn’t start in the morning, the manual choke made its own mind up on whether it liked you or not and like all fiats of the time prone to rust.
 
My wife is debating the R3X. I hope she does it as I want to borrow it.
Question... I know Rivian isn't exactly a sure thing to survive considering the EV downturn... I assume these machines are pretty proprietary in terms of design. If they go tits up at some point, will it still be possible to get repairs and parts for such specialized vehicles?

(I know, I'm a ray of sunshine)
 
Question... I know Rivian isn't exactly a sure thing to survive considering the EV downturn... I assume these machines are pretty proprietary in terms of design. If they go tits up at some point, will it still be possible to get repairs and parts for such specialized vehicles?

(I know, I'm a ray of sunshine)
Good question that I don’t know the answer to. My thought process is that, pound for pound, EV’s require less maintenance than gas cars. So, if VW/Ford/GM/Honda eat the market of these new startups, at least the fundamental vehicle, in concept, requires less maintenance. And as the auto world is, like it or not, going electric, I imagine knowledge and parts will start to shop up in 3rd parties.

This is of course conjecture, hope, and speculation. But *if* Rivian is around in 2026 for me to actually purchase the R2 fully, I think they’ll make it.

Of course, I thought HD-DVD would win and owned a minidisc in the 90’s. I’m probably not the best prognosticator for these things.
 
Good question that I don’t know the answer to. My thought process is that, pound for pound, EV’s require less maintenance than gas cars. So, if VW/Ford/GM/Honda eat the market of these new startups, at least the fundamental vehicle, in concept, requires less maintenance. And as the auto world is, like it or not, going electric, I imagine knowledge and parts will start to shop up in 3rd parties.

This is of course conjecture, hope, and speculation. But *if* Rivian is around in 2026 for me to actually purchase the R2 fully, I think they’ll make it.
I guess for like, up market boutique EVs my biggest concern is they're basically computers more than cars. Obviously shocks and struts and axles can be replaced, but if the company goes bye bye will it be possible to replace or fix the computer side of things, the battery, firmware etc. It's a whole new world of vehicle and one that isn't nearly as easily repaired as literally anything that preceded it.

Also I'm with you, GIVE ME BETAMAX OR GIVE ME DEATH
 
Question... I know Rivian isn't exactly a sure thing to survive considering the EV downturn... I assume these machines are pretty proprietary in terms of design. If they go tits up at some point, will it still be possible to get repairs and parts for such specialized vehicles?

(I know, I'm a ray of sunshine)
Pontiac went tits up and I still use my 2000 Grand Prix….

AS A BEER COASTER

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First Rivian pickup I've ever seen in the wild drove past me today while walking the dogs. It was pretty damn sick.
I see them quite a bit on the roads in central Illinois. A neighbor has the R1S. It’s very nice.

I put a deposit on an R2 the day it was announced. The wife really wants an electric car. I just hope the company is still in business in 2026.
 
Question... I know Rivian isn't exactly a sure thing to survive considering the EV downturn... I assume these machines are pretty proprietary in terms of design. If they go tits up at some point, will it still be possible to get repairs and parts for such specialized vehicles?

(I know, I'm a ray of sunshine)
Not clear whether Rivian will survive. I hope it does. But I’ve read that this EV downturn is not what it’s being made out to be. Problem seems to be that the rate of growth is slowing but year over year more vehicles are being sold.

The real problem is that Ford and GM can’t sell their big expensive EV vehicles. They make such huge margins in the ICE trucks it’s hard for them to bite the bullet and make the shifts needed to produce smaller more affordable vehicles. Like the Japanese in the 70s and 80s the Chines are coming to fix that problem for Americans. See BYD.
 
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Question... I know Rivian isn't exactly a sure thing to survive considering the EV downturn... I assume these machines are pretty proprietary in terms of design. If they go tits up at some point, will it still be possible to get repairs and parts for such specialized vehicles?

(I know, I'm a ray of sunshine)
Rivian have a pretty big contract with Amazon for Delivery trucks. They actual assemble them in Normal, IL which about 35 miles from my hometown. Hopefully that buys them some financial breathing room as we work through our electric vehicles growing pains.
 
Rivian have a pretty big contract with Amazon for Delivery trucks. They actual assemble them in Normal, IL which about 35 miles from my hometown. Hopefully that buys them some financial breathing room as we work through our electric vehicles growing pains.
Along those lines, their loss per vehicle (currently still cost more to make than they sell for) is shrinking by a good percentage. Hopefully the R2 does for Rivian what the Model 3 did for Tesla.
 
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