Trading in a two-year-old vehicle with nearly 30,000 miles on the odometer usually means preparing yourself for a disappointing offer, especially when the vehicle in question is as controversial as the Tesla Cybertruck. However, one owner managed to walk away with a surprisingly strong trade-in value after deciding to replace his electric pickup with a Rivian R2, and the deal has sparked quite the argument between Tesla and Rivian enthusiasts.
Reddit user u/MapleOrbit7392 shared the experience in the r/RivianR2 subreddit, explaining that he recently traded his Cybertruck for a new Rivian R2 in HMG. According to the owner, he originally purchased the Tesla for $79,900 in early November 2024 and received $72,300 from Rivian after putting more than 29,000 miles on the truck.
That works out to a difference of just $7,600, meaning the Cybertruck retained approximately 90.5% of its original purchase price based on the figures provided. Considering how much criticism the Cybertruck receives online, it’s a surprisingly favorable outcome for someone who spent two years driving one of the most divisive vehicles on the road.
Interestingly, the owner wasn’t particularly unhappy with his Tesla and actually described it as a great truck despite its reputation. His decision to switch appears to have been more about enjoying a new vehicle than escaping a bad ownership experience, although he admitted that there’s already one Cybertruck feature he misses.
Cybertruck Owner Praises Tesla Despite Switching to Rivian R2
Embedded Reddit post follows; please give it a moment to load completely.
Traded my Cybertruck for an HMG R2 yesterday
by
u/MapleOrbit7392 in
RivianR2
The owner explained that Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system was one of his favorite features, with the Cybertruck indicating that he used it for approximately 80% of his driving. That’s a significant amount of time spent relying on the system, and it’s understandable why someone accustomed to that experience might find switching to another manufacturer’s driver-assistance technology a noticeable adjustment.
Fortunately, his initial experience with the Rivian R2 has been encouraging, particularly after taking the vehicle on a road trip to Chicago shortly after delivery. He praised Rivian’s Universal Hands-Free system for its highway performance but expressed hope that the company could eventually offer point-to-point driving capabilities comparable to Tesla’s FSD, suggesting that software could be just as important to his long-term satisfaction as the vehicle itself.
The timing of the trade also left him questioning whether he’d made an unusually smart decision, as he said he encountered news suggesting Tesla planned to wind down Cybertruck production in Texas the following year. While that production claim hasn’t been independently established by the Reddit post, it added another layer of uncertainty to his decision, particularly for owners wondering what the future might hold for their trucks
Comments and Reactions to Cybertruck Owner Trading for Rivian R2
Unsurprisingly, the discussion quickly turned into a heated debate over the Cybertruck itself, with some Reddit users celebrating the owner’s decision to move away from Tesla altogether. “Anyone who gets rid of a Cybertruck is taking a step in the right direction,” one commenter declared, while another simply wrote, “Nature is healing,” demonstrating how strongly some enthusiasts feel about the controversial electric pickup.
However, other users pushed back against the hostility, arguing that there’s nothing wrong with appreciating both manufacturers rather than treating electric vehicles like rival sports teams. “I happen to own both and think they are both great in different ways,” one owner explained, while another argued, “EV drivers should be banding together, not disparaging one another,” a reasonable perspective considering that the original poster had nothing particularly negative to say about his Cybertruck.
The debate eventually expanded into questions about Cybertruck sales, Rivian’s financial position, and whether Tesla’s driver-assistance technology gives it an advantage over competitors. One commenter argued that “EV’s are great vehicles. Rivian and Tesla don’t have to be this devisive topic,” which perhaps captures the strangest part of the entire discussion: a driver managed to enjoy two different electric vehicles, receive an excellent trade-in offer, and still somehow trigger an argument about which brand deserves to exist.