RE: BMW i8 | The Brave Pill
Discussion
Shnozz said:
JamesyBoy1975 said:
from 57,000-67,000 EUR there are only 3 available across whole Europe (on AutoScount.de) that are less than 70,000 EUR, UK (and US) prices seem to be low compared to continental Europe. The 56,000 EUR (48,500) one is sitting on 200,000km.
In my experience that applies to every car on the road and not specific to the i8. DodgyGeezer said:
Shnozz said:
JamesyBoy1975 said:
from 57,000-67,000 EUR there are only 3 available across whole Europe (on AutoScount.de) that are less than 70,000 EUR, UK (and US) prices seem to be low compared to continental Europe. The 56,000 EUR (48,500) one is sitting on 200,000km.
In my experience that applies to every car on the road and not specific to the i8. In the past it was driven by "new plate" swappers and company car leases, then the flood of cheap JDM used cars...
blearyeyedboy said:
Thanks. That was great to read and gives me hope for realistically owning one one day (with two kids!).
I particularly also note the absence of any owners coming here to tell us tales of battery replacements resulting in financial ruin. That slant to the article is extremely unconvincing, especially given the cost of repairing, say, a knackered E92 335i...
Interesting isn’t it, when you think about the bills a 335i can chuck up (eg the price of new index 12 injectors are bloody eye watering). I’d happily have one.I particularly also note the absence of any owners coming here to tell us tales of battery replacements resulting in financial ruin. That slant to the article is extremely unconvincing, especially given the cost of repairing, say, a knackered E92 335i...
Edited by blearyeyedboy on Sunday 1st May 20:35
cerb4.5lee said:
The i3 could be as fast as Concorde...and I still wouldn't be seen dead driving one though! Have you seen the state of it?! 
The i3 ranks as the worst car BMW have ever made for me. The i8 isn't exactly my cup of tea either, but I'd be happy just looking at it all day though.
I love the i3, I’d have one in a heartbeat and would happily replace my other half’s 125i with one. I like the fact that it’s an EV that doesn’t look like a conventional car, it has exposed carbon details and they’re a hoot to drive. The i3 ranks as the worst car BMW have ever made for me. The i8 isn't exactly my cup of tea either, but I'd be happy just looking at it all day though.
garypotter said:
Alot of love for the i3 on hear but OMG worst car i have driven, imho a horrible little car built out of recycled crap.
Because recycling is bad….
plus most ICE cars will contain vast amounts of recycled materials.Court_S said:
cerb4.5lee said:
The i3 could be as fast as Concorde...and I still wouldn't be seen dead driving one though! Have you seen the state of it?!
The i3 ranks as the worst car BMW have ever made for me. The i8 isn't exactly my cup of tea either, but I'd be happy just looking at it all day though.
I love the i3, I’d have one in a heartbeat and would happily replace my other half’s 125i with one. I like the fact that it’s an EV that doesn’t look like a conventional car, it has exposed carbon details and they’re a hoot to drive. The i3 ranks as the worst car BMW have ever made for me. The i8 isn't exactly my cup of tea either, but I'd be happy just looking at it all day though.
garypotter said:
Alot of love for the i3 on hear but OMG worst car i have driven, imho a horrible little car built out of recycled crap.
Because recycling is bad…. plus most ICE cars will contain vast amounts of recycled materials.I'm getting on a bit though, so I really struggle to get onboard with all the EV stuff to be fair. I presume that if you are younger than me(or a Vegan or a tree hugger!
), then I guess that they would certainly be the business for sure. 
cerb4.5lee said:
I'm properly loyal to BMW, but for me they lost the plot with the i3. I saw one earlier today, and I just can't get past at how daft it looked sadly imo.
I'm getting on a bit though, so I really struggle to get onboard with all the EV stuff to be fair. I presume that if you are younger than me(or a Vegan or a tree hugger!), then I guess that they would certainly be the business for sure.
What bores me is just another boring, white goods car... My top example is the Ml1 Audi TT was an awesome bit of design, really cool retro, rocket man vibe... The MkII onwards have just been dull Audi faced crap.I'm getting on a bit though, so I really struggle to get onboard with all the EV stuff to be fair. I presume that if you are younger than me(or a Vegan or a tree hugger!
), then I guess that they would certainly be the business for sure. So whilst the i3 may not be for everyone, it's not completely anodyne. And the des is really coherent - I was the same to start with, but after owning one for 4 years, the looks really grew on me.
Unlike the Mk1 Leaf and all Prius' - which have been a jumbled mess!
On the subject, I think the same of the i8 - it really stand out.
Numpty with honours said:
When I first had my BMW i8 ( I bought an ex demonstrator for a fraction over list) the range after being charged on a warm day with the air con off was 19 miles ( never saw the acclaimed 21)
With 83,500 I get 16 on a warm day with the air con off
On a long drive up from Kent to Newcastle I get around 42MPG and bizarrely on the way down 45MPG in Eco Pro with air con on and around a further 3MPG with the air con off - the journey is some 325 miles and playing around with the fuel consumption is a way to pass the time
It was never really a £105k car, immediately after idiots like me who had to have one had satisfied their desire the true cost was nearer £80k and the deprecation based on that figure showed it to have a healthy demand such that with say 50,000 miles on the clock a six-year-old one would achieve around £45k today - mine with 83,500 is probably worth at most £32k on a good day
If you are to enjoy these types of car you have to have the resources to pay for a one off expenditure which might be as much as £10k - when I was young I bought high-end cars and I could not afford the potential of a large bill and it dented my enjoyment of such car as there was always the worry about a huge bill - owning a lotus excel SA I recall and having the engine seize was no fun and any pleasure from owning such a car evaporated instantly
An BMW i8 is a sports car, it is not a super car. It's an efficient car and has an enormous amount of style, it was very exciting when it first came out but now is appearing to be dated - but I love it !
Can you let me know when you are selling please. Im looking for an i8 but all the ones for sale are too low mileage thus out of my budget. ThanksWith 83,500 I get 16 on a warm day with the air con off
On a long drive up from Kent to Newcastle I get around 42MPG and bizarrely on the way down 45MPG in Eco Pro with air con on and around a further 3MPG with the air con off - the journey is some 325 miles and playing around with the fuel consumption is a way to pass the time
It was never really a £105k car, immediately after idiots like me who had to have one had satisfied their desire the true cost was nearer £80k and the deprecation based on that figure showed it to have a healthy demand such that with say 50,000 miles on the clock a six-year-old one would achieve around £45k today - mine with 83,500 is probably worth at most £32k on a good day
If you are to enjoy these types of car you have to have the resources to pay for a one off expenditure which might be as much as £10k - when I was young I bought high-end cars and I could not afford the potential of a large bill and it dented my enjoyment of such car as there was always the worry about a huge bill - owning a lotus excel SA I recall and having the engine seize was no fun and any pleasure from owning such a car evaporated instantly
An BMW i8 is a sports car, it is not a super car. It's an efficient car and has an enormous amount of style, it was very exciting when it first came out but now is appearing to be dated - but I love it !
As I hit the end of my mid-life crisis I have a dilemma. I have just returned my Aston Vantage after 2 and half years smiley face ownership and probably only have an opportunity to own one more “sports car”.
So what’s next.
I’m not a Porsche fan although I recognize that the 911 is probably the best thing out there, but I’m under pressure not to buy a gas guzzling, tax and insurance sapping machine with out having some potential divorce papers thrown at me
I have owned a Jag F type (great car) and various “standard” sports cars (MX5,z4 etc)
The Lotus Elise does tick some boxes on the cheaper to run list. However I never considered an i8 before as I just assumed it would out of my price range, but seeing you can pick up a fully serviced 50k 2015/16 model for around £45k makes it an interesting option.
Zero tax, 45mpg, known to be very reliable with stunning looks and those doors……would keep me away from trying the singles market again
Is it worth going for ?
My main concern is that once out of 100k 8 year’s warranty the battery will fail which I assume would cost a fortune. I mean batteries don’t last forever do they.
Comments welcome as the i8 is a very tempting option.
So what’s next.
I’m not a Porsche fan although I recognize that the 911 is probably the best thing out there, but I’m under pressure not to buy a gas guzzling, tax and insurance sapping machine with out having some potential divorce papers thrown at me
I have owned a Jag F type (great car) and various “standard” sports cars (MX5,z4 etc)
The Lotus Elise does tick some boxes on the cheaper to run list. However I never considered an i8 before as I just assumed it would out of my price range, but seeing you can pick up a fully serviced 50k 2015/16 model for around £45k makes it an interesting option.
Zero tax, 45mpg, known to be very reliable with stunning looks and those doors……would keep me away from trying the singles market again
Is it worth going for ?
My main concern is that once out of 100k 8 year’s warranty the battery will fail which I assume would cost a fortune. I mean batteries don’t last forever do they.
Comments welcome as the i8 is a very tempting option.
i've had my i8 for 4 years now, done 60k miles and am genuinely struggling to find something that i'd rather have right now.
Yes, there are plenty of great cars, just nothing that seems worth replacing the i8 for. It's a surprisingly good combination of an easy daily driver, not crazy maintance costs and just an interesting thing.
Planning to keep for 2-3 years more at least.
Yes, there are plenty of great cars, just nothing that seems worth replacing the i8 for. It's a surprisingly good combination of an easy daily driver, not crazy maintance costs and just an interesting thing.
Planning to keep for 2-3 years more at least.
I've had 2 of them! One of the cars I really miss, amazing looks, with a sense of occasion, and cheap running costs, also I always found it felt much faster than the headline numbers suggested. I would happily have another one.
Photo of my recent one. It did have the turbine style wheels, but I bought a set of the optional wheels, with a set of winter tyres on.
Photo of my recent one. It did have the turbine style wheels, but I bought a set of the optional wheels, with a set of winter tyres on.
I recall the then owner of Leicester City bought an i8 for all the first team squad when they won the league in 2016.
I'm not sure they if they were unique in some way (maybe painted / wrapped in the Leicester City blue), but does anyone know what happened to the cars, or did they just trickle onto the market and are unidentifiable as the City cars?
I'm not sure they if they were unique in some way (maybe painted / wrapped in the Leicester City blue), but does anyone know what happened to the cars, or did they just trickle onto the market and are unidentifiable as the City cars?
Dashnine said:
I recall the then owner of Leicester City bought an i8 for all the first team squad when they won the league in 2016.
I'm not sure they if they were unique in some way (maybe painted / wrapped in the Leicester City blue), but does anyone know what happened to the cars, or did they just trickle onto the market and are unidentifiable as the City cars?
Think they’re just the regular blue colour that was an option. One was for sale on Autotrader at a dealer a few weeks ago, not sure if it’s still listed. Was priced about the same as any other i8. I'm not sure they if they were unique in some way (maybe painted / wrapped in the Leicester City blue), but does anyone know what happened to the cars, or did they just trickle onto the market and are unidentifiable as the City cars?
DanL said:
I’m very tempted, but rather than asking for reasons to buy one - what are the reasons not to? I’m aware the boot is tiny, but I assume I could use the back seats to get around that.
Any other day to day (or even occasional) drawbacks that should be considered?
The boot is small, but the rear seats of the coupe mean that weekends away are fine.Any other day to day (or even occasional) drawbacks that should be considered?
Recommended tyres when new only have 6mm tread not 8mm. Always seems a swizz.
I think that a bmw warranty is a must. I have extended mine.
The opening of the doors can be a consideration. Always try to park in an end space. If someone parked very very close, you cannot squeeze in, you'd have to get on hands and knees!
- not happened to me, yet.
Mr Squarekins said:
This thread needs more pics!
You asked! On a brief run-out today before it’s MoT tomorrow. Car is old now (Mar ‘16) but owned by me from new and still an event to drive. It’s low mileage (20k) but reliable, dirt cheap to run, and still (IMHO) looks a million dollars. It’s under factory warranty (£1k pa).
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