Used i8 as daily?
Discussion
Posted this in BMW section but got no responses. Have an X3M Comp as a daily hack alongside other things I enjoy driving more on dry days. The X has been great but as reviews have pointed out, the engine is characterless and it has averaged 20mpg over the 26000 miles I have it in just over 2 years. It will also be worthless in a few years. Hence thinking of an i8 for the same value as the X - 50k ish. I expect the i8 will also be worthless after 5 more years (at 1 years old) but my running costs may also be less and I might have more fun. Anyone any thoughts on an older (5 years) i8 (probably buying with 25000 miles and taking to 100+)?
Still a fantastic looking car - many folk like the comfort of the factory warranty at about a grand a year (upto 60000 miles I think it is) as a small niggle (eg a/c or loom) can easily see value - the car will come with a few more years of battery warranty which will be fine as the cells seem to be holding out - average 40-50 mpg (saving pays for warranty !) - small boot but back seats for stuff - charge at home or whilst driving or free sites only - being as its PH should also comment obviously future classic
£50k should get you a very nice example from BMW approved so no additional cost for the warranty in the first year at least.
This one is priced at £53k and has done < 10k miles from new https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202202022...
We have a black example like the above locally to us that I see regularly and it's still a very special car to my eyes. Also I can't see values on the good ones dropping very far over the next few years with the push towards hybrid and EV.
This one is priced at £53k and has done < 10k miles from new https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202202022...
We have a black example like the above locally to us that I see regularly and it's still a very special car to my eyes. Also I can't see values on the good ones dropping very far over the next few years with the push towards hybrid and EV.
My wife used one as her daily for about a year. She did most of her 20 mile round trip commute on electric (she had the LCI with the bigger battery), and it used virtually no petrol although electricity still worked out at about 7p a mile.
To get from A to B it’s fine, the rear seats are a waste of space, the supermarket shop resulted in bags distributed throughout the cabin and getting in and out doesn’t lend itself to giving the elderly, large or lacking in agility a lift. But if none of that is a concern then it’s very capable of regular use. Ours went because I developed a bad back trying to get out.
To get from A to B it’s fine, the rear seats are a waste of space, the supermarket shop resulted in bags distributed throughout the cabin and getting in and out doesn’t lend itself to giving the elderly, large or lacking in agility a lift. But if none of that is a concern then it’s very capable of regular use. Ours went because I developed a bad back trying to get out.
Heres Johnny said:
My wife used one as her daily for about a year. She did most of her 20 mile round trip commute on electric (she had the LCI with the bigger battery), and it used virtually no petrol although electricity still worked out at about 7p a mile.
To get from A to B it’s fine, the rear seats are a waste of space, the supermarket shop resulted in bags distributed throughout the cabin and getting in and out doesn’t lend itself to giving the elderly, large or lacking in agility a lift. But if none of that is a concern then it’s very capable of regular use. Ours went because I developed a bad back trying to get out.
Possibly the most underwhelming review of a an almost 400bhp sportscar I've ever read Johnny.To get from A to B it’s fine, the rear seats are a waste of space, the supermarket shop resulted in bags distributed throughout the cabin and getting in and out doesn’t lend itself to giving the elderly, large or lacking in agility a lift. But if none of that is a concern then it’s very capable of regular use. Ours went because I developed a bad back trying to get out.
Sounds like you'd have been much better served with an i3 if efficiency, access and room for shopping were the key measures?
SWoll said:
Heres Johnny said:
My wife used one as her daily for about a year. She did most of her 20 mile round trip commute on electric (she had the LCI with the bigger battery), and it used virtually no petrol although electricity still worked out at about 7p a mile.
To get from A to B it’s fine, the rear seats are a waste of space, the supermarket shop resulted in bags distributed throughout the cabin and getting in and out doesn’t lend itself to giving the elderly, large or lacking in agility a lift. But if none of that is a concern then it’s very capable of regular use. Ours went because I developed a bad back trying to get out.
Possibly the most underwhelming review of a an almost 400bhp sportscar I've ever read Johnny.To get from A to B it’s fine, the rear seats are a waste of space, the supermarket shop resulted in bags distributed throughout the cabin and getting in and out doesn’t lend itself to giving the elderly, large or lacking in agility a lift. But if none of that is a concern then it’s very capable of regular use. Ours went because I developed a bad back trying to get out.
Sounds like you'd have been much better served with an i3 if efficiency, access and room for shopping were the key measures?
Heres Johnny said:
The question was as a daily driver. If the question was "whats it like in sport mode for a cross country thrash?" the answer would have reflected that.
Like pulling teeth.. So, what did you think of it as a drivers car, as that appears to be something the OP is also interested in based on his actual post rather than just the thread title?
I’ve had 2 of the them so far, both were used as daily drivers (both pre LCI) so had the smaller battery. The 2nd one I had over 70,000 miles and was still rattle free, beautifully built interior.
Certainly one of the best cars I’ve had, looks wise, I always loved it, and the doors, which looked fantastic, could be tricky in car parks, even if quite wide car parked next to me, I would have to hold the door, and limbo in, I always used to try and find and end space.
Handling wise, it was lovely, very responsive and light, I just wish it had a bit more steering feel, the tires were very thin though, maybe some wider tyres/wheels would help that. It did have quite a harsh ride as well.
Performance, I always found it felt quicker than the stats suggested, certainly had an impressive amount of shove for a 3 cylinder, 0-60 with dragy l, I found was quicker than the 4.4 seconds it’s said to have. Pop it in to sport mode, and it really went well. Lovely gearbox as well, with very fast changes with the paddles. Even though it was piped inside (and out) I loved the engine sound, the added sci fi like whine in sports mote added a bit of fun to it.
I always seemed to get about 11 miles of range out of the battery, it managed about 50-60mpg usually, and the fuel tank is only tiny, so very cheap to fill up and run.
The only reason I had to sell it, was the lack of luggage space, prams etc
Otherwise I would still have it,
A warranty would be a good plan though, as it could be costly if something does happen with the battery/cooling system.
Here was the 2nd one, still miss that car!
Certainly one of the best cars I’ve had, looks wise, I always loved it, and the doors, which looked fantastic, could be tricky in car parks, even if quite wide car parked next to me, I would have to hold the door, and limbo in, I always used to try and find and end space.
Handling wise, it was lovely, very responsive and light, I just wish it had a bit more steering feel, the tires were very thin though, maybe some wider tyres/wheels would help that. It did have quite a harsh ride as well.
Performance, I always found it felt quicker than the stats suggested, certainly had an impressive amount of shove for a 3 cylinder, 0-60 with dragy l, I found was quicker than the 4.4 seconds it’s said to have. Pop it in to sport mode, and it really went well. Lovely gearbox as well, with very fast changes with the paddles. Even though it was piped inside (and out) I loved the engine sound, the added sci fi like whine in sports mote added a bit of fun to it.
I always seemed to get about 11 miles of range out of the battery, it managed about 50-60mpg usually, and the fuel tank is only tiny, so very cheap to fill up and run.
The only reason I had to sell it, was the lack of luggage space, prams etc
Otherwise I would still have it, A warranty would be a good plan though, as it could be costly if something does happen with the battery/cooling system.
Here was the 2nd one, still miss that car!
Edited by jamesbilluk on Friday 11th February 10:52
Edited by jamesbilluk on Friday 11th February 10:53
SWoll said:
Like pulling teeth..
So, what did you think of it as a drivers car, as that appears to be something the OP is also interested in based on his actual post rather than just the thread title?
Lovely car actually, as others have said very well put together, you’d need both the battery and engine to make it come alive but when it did it shifted. A real sense of occasion when driving it too. For 50k as a used one (not checked the prices lately but at one point they’d shot up so maybe they’re back down) it’s a lot of car for the money. So, what did you think of it as a drivers car, as that appears to be something the OP is also interested in based on his actual post rather than just the thread title?
Heres Johnny said:
SWoll said:
Like pulling teeth..
So, what did you think of it as a drivers car, as that appears to be something the OP is also interested in based on his actual post rather than just the thread title?
Lovely car actually, as others have said very well put together, you’d need both the battery and engine to make it come alive but when it did it shifted. A real sense of occasion when driving it too. For 50k as a used one (not checked the prices lately but at one point they’d shot up so maybe they’re back down) it’s a lot of car for the money. So, what did you think of it as a drivers car, as that appears to be something the OP is also interested in based on his actual post rather than just the thread title?
SWoll said:
How would you rate the driving/ownership experience in comparison to the Vantage S? The i8 has always intrigued me but at £50k for what would be a highdays and holidays car in our usage I've always wondered whether it is special enough? Certainly has the looks.
The Vantage I had was the Vantage S, so 430bhp, 8 pot with a few sporty enhancements, the car always felt quite heavy, I had a day at Mlilbrook driving one as part of the deal and you could chuck one around on the handling tracks, alpine circuit, straigjht mile etc and I'd class it as accomplished rather than nimble. The gearbox was their single clutch manual thing that was an aquired taste and you had to either drive in a laid back way or full attack to get the best out of it, semi sporty gearchanges weren't easy. Chris Harris did a review of the Vantage S which seemed to nail my thoughts. What you got with the Aston was the noise and presence, I've had bikers acknowledge me, kids shot nice car (although they used to do that when I got my Tesla), the leather, turn up somewhere and people notice. I had a pub landlord once ask me if he could just sit in it as it was his dream car. There's that enduring history.The i8 feels light in comparison. pretty nimble. light steering, surprisingly airy, futuristic. A touch too much BMW normal DNA in the idrive and controls to be unique like, say the Z8 was back in its day. The drive was what you'd expect with the battery giving low down instant shove and the 3 pot turbo engine spinning up take over, and was relatively well sorted in doing that. The electric front motor would help pull you around corners. It was never a car for powerslides. Ideally it needed an extra 100 bhp to really be a rapid car and it could have easily taken it.
They're just very different characters and probably live up to what you'd imagine, the Vantage a bit old school leather and V8 muscle, the i8 the futururistic easy to drive car that looks as modern today as it did when iot came out.
SWoll said:
£50k should get you a very nice example from BMW approved so no additional cost for the warranty in the first year at least.
This one is priced at £53k and has done < 10k miles from new https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202202022...
We have a black example like the above locally to us that I see regularly and it's still a very special car to my eyes. Also I can't see values on the good ones dropping very far over the next few years with the push towards hybrid and EV.
Thanks all and yes, I’ve enquired about that one at SytnersThis one is priced at £53k and has done < 10k miles from new https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202202022...
We have a black example like the above locally to us that I see regularly and it's still a very special car to my eyes. Also I can't see values on the good ones dropping very far over the next few years with the push towards hybrid and EV.
I think its a great idea! The underlying parts seem to be reliable and from what I have seen, it should be pretty straight forward. I looked at this myself, but decided not to, for no other reason than I wanted to avoid hassle. But I did find out a couple of things - those doors. Look great but dont necessarily give great access (did try one out myself and it was fine), but in tight parking spaces it gets to be a nightmare. And servicing isnt bad (its the 3 cylinder turbo engine), but they arent necessarily the most reliable or accessible engine. And having followed a couple of people who ran them, it seems that they are borderline on cooling as they run hot. Warped heads can happen and keeping bubbles out of the water system is a nightmare - the pipes run in the most difficult places of the chassis.
That said, keep on top of the maintenance and treat it nicely and I have seen plenty of high milers around. And you can get some upgrades for them too! Not the fastest car in the world, but can be gently fettled to some pretty significant improvements. I like 'em!
That said, keep on top of the maintenance and treat it nicely and I have seen plenty of high milers around. And you can get some upgrades for them too! Not the fastest car in the world, but can be gently fettled to some pretty significant improvements. I like 'em!
Friend of mine ran one as a daily for about 5 years.
I remember the back seats being completely useless, so was the boot.
Doors were wide as well.
It looked great, his blue on black I thought was still the best colour combo.
He had to get rid of it because a kid was arriving and it just doesn't work then. He sold it for about the same amount he bought it, so in all it was a very cheap car to own.
I remember the back seats being completely useless, so was the boot.
Doors were wide as well.
It looked great, his blue on black I thought was still the best colour combo.
He had to get rid of it because a kid was arriving and it just doesn't work then. He sold it for about the same amount he bought it, so in all it was a very cheap car to own.
Ok, screw that…. Got me thinking and thought I would take a look on Autotrader.
Cheapest one I can find for 350 miles is an 2016 for $70k with 35,000 on the clock! And its not a CPO one either. CPO models, even dating back to 2018 are $100k+! WTAF?
I know that car prices are all over the place at the moment, but seriously? A couple of years ago, they couldn’t give them away, now they are close to retail at 2 years old!
Cheapest one I can find for 350 miles is an 2016 for $70k with 35,000 on the clock! And its not a CPO one either. CPO models, even dating back to 2018 are $100k+! WTAF?
I know that car prices are all over the place at the moment, but seriously? A couple of years ago, they couldn’t give them away, now they are close to retail at 2 years old!
.off_again said:
Ok, screw that…. Got me thinking and thought I would take a look on Autotrader.
Cheapest one I can find for 350 miles is an 2016 for $70k with 35,000 on the clock! And its not a CPO one either. CPO models, even dating back to 2018 are $100k+! WTAF?
I know that car prices are all over the place at the moment, but seriously? A couple of years ago, they couldn’t give them away, now they are close to retail at 2 years old!
UK 2018 CPO cars start at £57k, or approx 50% of original list. Seriously tempting when you compare to rivals.Cheapest one I can find for 350 miles is an 2016 for $70k with 35,000 on the clock! And its not a CPO one either. CPO models, even dating back to 2018 are $100k+! WTAF?
I know that car prices are all over the place at the moment, but seriously? A couple of years ago, they couldn’t give them away, now they are close to retail at 2 years old!
US used car prices are absolutely mental at the minute, and I thought ours were bad..
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