BMW i3 with 95,000..............bad idea?

[SWoll]

Shaoxter said:

Actually, your pic shows why I picked an i3 over a Tesla - because it's so much smaller! Although it must be said that my i3 is purely a city car, if you don't have another car to do long distances or have to commute on a motorway on a daily basis the Tesla would be a better (and more expensive) option.

Indeed. The Model 3 is not a big car in the grand scheme of things but the i3 is perfect for the rat race, school run, supermarket parking etc.

Downside is the tiny boot and only 4 seats so can be rather limited practicality wise, and those rear doors whilst cool can be a massive PITA.

[ElectricSoup]

SWoll said:

Shaoxter said:

Actually, your pic shows why I picked an i3 over a Tesla - because it's so much smaller! Although it must be said that my i3 is purely a city car, if you don't have another car to do long distances or have to commute on a motorway on a daily basis the Tesla would be a better (and more expensive) option.

Indeed. The Model 3 is not a big car in the grand scheme of things but the i3 is perfect for the rat race, school run, supermarket parking etc.

Downside is the tiny boot and only 4 seats so can be rather limited practicality wise, and those rear doors whilst cool can be a massive PITA.

That's why the Leaf beats the i3 in my book. Practicality. Proper sized boot, ordinary layout etc. As a short run town/commute car, the difference between a car with a 100 mile range and 140 miles is utterly irrelevant.

[Major T]

I'd say having 95k on the clock can be a good thing - any niggles sorted and probably used regularly (e.g. not sat around for months with a flat battery).

The early REX did have problems which tend to arise earlier in the car's life, and the fixes should be lasting. Chances are this car will be worth a punt and ready to go for many more miles.
From what I've seen, the batteries in the i3 are well managed and should still have plenty of life at 95k. The electric range should be showing ~60 miles or more in winter weather, depending on recent trips.
I run my '15 i3 with no ext warranty. There will be cheap vs expensive options for any repairs.

[mike150]

Plenty of good advice here.

So today I went and drove a 2019 i3 in a BMW dealer, nice car in blue with HK stereo, privacy glass and 429 style wheels, 3000 miles and it's on for £29950 but......

They had my perfect spec NEW i3 in the showroom, white S with the HK and privacy glass. It's getting pushed hard to me!!!!!! 33 grand!

The 19 120Ah one I drove today does not feel any different to the one with 91k on it. I thought it might feel better but it's just more money and like new obviously.

I'll keep looking and thinking ...... that's most of the fun isn't it?

[granada203028]

Definitely a bad idea unless it's a grand. By now all the in built obsolesce will be kicking in, BMW never intended it to last this long. It should be thrown away and by a new one, help the spiral of economic growth and consumption.

The thing will be cripplingly difficult and expensive to work on, and all the information a closed shop. My Leaf needs a 10p tailgate switch but it's £100....

[CooperS]

my 94ah REX is coming up to its third birthday..... its nearly on 70k miles.

Been generally reliable until gear box oil leaked into the motor and both needed changing 12k miles ago...… that was a £6k bill I didn't have to fork out for but made me think twice about paying on the PCP.c

Its going back end of Feb... and it could do with its passenger door handle replaced and the rex fuel actuator is becoming sticky (both are common problems)

if its cheap and you don't mind the gamble they are great cars (imo)

[Nick928]

We ran a 2014 i3Rx for four years and 90k+ miles.
Replaced it in Sept 18 with a new i3Rx.

Mileage isn’t an issue, I’m guessing as a result of software updates ours had better range at 90k mikes than when new.
Regarding issues we had an unknown issue (BMW wouldn’t be specific) to do with the ‘high voltage charging circuit (sounded like BS to me), one of the wheels leaking pressure, fuel flap release failed, battery cooling circuit failed (sounded like and the volume of a helicopter taking off under the car) and the Bluetooth connection playing up.
The Rex proved reliable and transformed the usability of the vehicle from a range POV. You always knew you could take it even if the remaining battery range was close where in a battery only version you couldn’t take the risk.
We only sold due to the warranty running out and while we tried all the alternatives at that point the i3Rx was still the most special and genuinely enjoyable to drive.
BMW have been very good with the i3 and as a result we’ve supplemented it with an i8.

Ideally buy a new one (obviously Rex is NLA) but if used is what you budget allows then buy from a main dealer with warranty.

Edited by Nick928 on Sunday 12th January 11:55

[Depthhoar]

mike150 said:

Plenty of good advice here.

So today I went and drove a 2019 i3 in a BMW dealer, nice car in blue with HK stereo, privacy glass and 429 style wheels, 3000 miles and it's on for £29950 but......

They had my perfect spec NEW i3 in the showroom, white S with the HK and privacy glass. It's getting pushed hard to me!!!!!! 33 grand!

For reference, I bought a new i3 120ah at the end of October 2019 for £28,000 (drive away price). That included all the Govt discount etc..

Keep looking. There are good deals to be had if you're prepared to travel.

Have a look here for what's on sale in the UK. (Some dealer stock new cars there, too. Also shows the historical price trend for each car for sale): https://tesla-info.com/BMW/bmwi-forsale-uk.html

[awg454]

Hi we have a 2015 Rex just turning 60k miles been a great little car so far no major issues,there is a really good Facebook group with loads of info https://www.facebook.com/groups/bmwi3uk

[mike150]

Depthhoar said:

For reference, I bought a new i3 120ah at the end of October 2019 for £28,000 (drive away price). That included all the Govt discount etc..

Keep looking. There are good deals to be had if you're prepared to travel.

Have a look here for what's on sale in the UK. (Some dealer stock new cars there, too. Also shows the historical price trend for each car for sale): https://tesla-info.com/BMW/bmwi-forsale-uk.html

Thanks, good info. My ideal car is a 42kw S but they aren't out very long and are alot of money for a car that's sole purpose is to be efficient and cheap!

I'm wondering what my BMW dealer will be prepared to go to on their new S. They are at £32k now........ Still wayyy too much depreciation ahead imo!

I didn't mention.......... I'm in Northern Ireland and EV cars do not have the demand that they have in South East England as their are very few charging points and no penalties for Ice vehicles so there are not very many EVs to chose from. When I tell anyone I'm thinking of an electric car there face seems to screw up a bit 😂

[dmsims]

Have you considered a Golf GTE?

Okay it might not be what you want as the balance between battery and ICE is very different (think 25 mile EV range in summer) but if it is then late teens £ will get you a nice car and extended comprehensive VW warranty is £200 a year

As other have said I wouldn't want this type of vehicle without warranty cover

[Major T]

granada203028 said:

Definitely a bad idea unless it's a grand. By now all the in built obsolesce will be kicking in, BMW never intended it to last this long. It should be thrown away and by a new one, help the spiral of economic growth and consumption.

The thing will be cripplingly difficult and expensive to work on, and all the information a closed shop. My Leaf needs a 10p tailgate switch but it's £100....

Not sure if this is serious or not, but if so, couldn't be more wrong.
Car manufacturers design products to last at least 10yrs / 150k, typically.
The i3, is pretty easy to work on (nuts and bolts like other cars) and loads of technical information and service manuals are available online.

for example, I suspected something wrong with my charging module which transpired to be a problem with the charging post, not the car. But during a lunchtime of research, I'd found the replacement procedure and a used part for a couple of hundred (rather than £3/4k that BMW would charge)

[Pooh]

Have you considered a 40KWH Zoe?, I looked at the i3, Leaf and Zoe and chose the Zoe because:

The i3 made me and everybody who went in it feel a bit odd, the range wasn't great, the boot was tiny, the handling was poor and it was expensive, I did like the looks, interior and straight-line speed but not enough to overcome the downsides.

The Leaf was ugly inside and out, zero fun to drive, poor range and it had the most uncomfortable seat I have ever experienced, the cushion is very short and my legs kept going numb but interior space was good and performance was okay.

The Zoe is a bit slow above 40mph and it has a fairly poor quality interior but it is fast enough, it has 5 seats, a decent boot, proper rear doors, a good range (I have had 185 miles out of a charge) and is cheap to buy.
I have done almost 60k miles in two years, I have had no problems other than a fault with the infotainment screen that was fixed with a software update, it has cost me very little to run and it is actually fun to drive down a twisty road but it can get a bit bouncy if the road has any big undulations.
I paid £11500.00 for my Dynamic Nav plus the battery lease, the cheapest equivalent car on Autotrader is £12190.00 so even allowing for the higher mileage of my car, depreciation has been virtually zero.

[ElectricSoup]

Pooh said:

Have you considered a 40KWH Zoe?, I looked at the i3, Leaf and Zoe and chose the Zoe because:

The i3 made me and everybody who went in it feel a bit odd, the range wasn't great, the boot was tiny, the handling was poor and it was expensive, I did like the looks, interior and straight-line speed but not enough to overcome the downsides.

The Leaf was ugly inside and out, zero fun to drive, poor range and it had the most uncomfortable seat I have ever experienced, the cushion is very short and my legs kept going numb but interior space was good and performance was okay.

The Zoe is a bit slow above 40mph and it has a fairly poor quality interior but it is fast enough, it has 5 seats, a decent boot, proper rear doors, a good range (I have had 185 miles out of a charge) and is cheap to buy.
I have done almost 60k miles in two years, I have had no problems other than a fault with the infotainment screen that was fixed with a software update, it has cost me very little to run and it is actually fun to drive down a twisty road but it can get a bit bouncy if the road has any big undulations.
I paid £11500.00 for my Dynamic Nav plus the battery lease, the cheapest equivalent car on Autotrader is £12190.00 so even allowing for the higher mileage of my car, depreciation has been virtually zero.

How much is your battery lease? And are you comparing your Zoe's range to a 40kwh Leaf, or one with a lesser capacity? Most Leafs don't have a battery lease, which is why the Zoe is cheaper to buy, but it nails you with a monthly fee (£100 or so?), negating the fuel savings.

Leaf seat comfort, for me, is up there with my old SAAB, which is high praise.

[Pooh]

ElectricSoup said:

Pooh said:

Have you considered a 40KWH Zoe?, I looked at the i3, Leaf and Zoe and chose the Zoe because:

The i3 made me and everybody who went in it feel a bit odd, the range wasn't great, the boot was tiny, the handling was poor and it was expensive, I did like the looks, interior and straight-line speed but not enough to overcome the downsides.

The Leaf was ugly inside and out, zero fun to drive, poor range and it had the most uncomfortable seat I have ever experienced, the cushion is very short and my legs kept going numb but interior space was good and performance was okay.

The Zoe is a bit slow above 40mph and it has a fairly poor quality interior but it is fast enough, it has 5 seats, a decent boot, proper rear doors, a good range (I have had 185 miles out of a charge) and is cheap to buy.
I have done almost 60k miles in two years, I have had no problems other than a fault with the infotainment screen that was fixed with a software update, it has cost me very little to run and it is actually fun to drive down a twisty road but it can get a bit bouncy if the road has any big undulations.
I paid £11500.00 for my Dynamic Nav plus the battery lease, the cheapest equivalent car on Autotrader is £12190.00 so even allowing for the higher mileage of my car, depreciation has been virtually zero.

How much is your battery lease? And are you comparing your Zoe's range to a 40kwh Leaf, or one with a lesser capacity? Most Leafs don't have a battery lease, which is why the Zoe is cheaper to buy, but it nails you with a monthly fee (£100 or so?), negating the fuel savings.

Leaf seat comfort, for me, is up there with my old SAAB, which is high praise.

I have the highest level of battery lease because of the mileage I do, I don't recall the exact figure but the total cost of the PCP and battery lease is about the same as I save in fuel compared to my previous car, so the car itself is essentially free.
I am comparing the range to the 40kwh leaf that was on sale 2.5 years ago when I ordered the ZOE.
If the seats suit you that is great, I could not have bought the car even if it had been the best EV in the world because of the discomfort I suffered, I had the car for a week and I have never been so happy to give a car back, it took several days for my legs to stop hurting.

[ElectricSoup]

Pooh said:

ElectricSoup said:

Pooh said:

Have you considered a 40KWH Zoe?, I looked at the i3, Leaf and Zoe and chose the Zoe because:

The i3 made me and everybody who went in it feel a bit odd, the range wasn't great, the boot was tiny, the handling was poor and it was expensive, I did like the looks, interior and straight-line speed but not enough to overcome the downsides.

The Leaf was ugly inside and out, zero fun to drive, poor range and it had the most uncomfortable seat I have ever experienced, the cushion is very short and my legs kept going numb but interior space was good and performance was okay.

The Zoe is a bit slow above 40mph and it has a fairly poor quality interior but it is fast enough, it has 5 seats, a decent boot, proper rear doors, a good range (I have had 185 miles out of a charge) and is cheap to buy.
I have done almost 60k miles in two years, I have had no problems other than a fault with the infotainment screen that was fixed with a software update, it has cost me very little to run and it is actually fun to drive down a twisty road but it can get a bit bouncy if the road has any big undulations.
I paid £11500.00 for my Dynamic Nav plus the battery lease, the cheapest equivalent car on Autotrader is £12190.00 so even allowing for the higher mileage of my car, depreciation has been virtually zero.

How much is your battery lease? And are you comparing your Zoe's range to a 40kwh Leaf, or one with a lesser capacity? Most Leafs don't have a battery lease, which is why the Zoe is cheaper to buy, but it nails you with a monthly fee (£100 or so?), negating the fuel savings.

Leaf seat comfort, for me, is up there with my old SAAB, which is high praise.

I have the highest level of battery lease because of the mileage I do, I don't recall the exact figure but the total cost of the PCP and battery lease is about the same as I save in fuel compared to my previous car, so the car itself is essentially free.
I am comparing the range to the 40kwh leaf that was on sale 2.5 years ago when I ordered the ZOE.
If the seats suit you that is great, I could not have bought the car even if it had been the best EV in the world because of the discomfort I suffered, I had the car for a week and I have never been so happy to give a car back, it took several days for my legs to stop hurting.

I see, thanks. Surprised to hear that you found a noticeable difference in range between the two. My monthly PCP without battery lease is roughly half my former monthly fuel spend in a Mercedes E320 CDI estate. (£150 compared to £300), so personally I'm way in front on that score. This is a 24kwh car, bought second hand at 2 years old. Have now been running it 2 years, 4 months. I expect I'll pay the balloon and keep it in 8 months time when the PCP ends.

[Pooh]

ElectricSoup said:

Pooh said:

ElectricSoup said:

Pooh said:

Have you considered a 40KWH Zoe?, I looked at the i3, Leaf and Zoe and chose the Zoe because:

The i3 made me and everybody who went in it feel a bit odd, the range wasn't great, the boot was tiny, the handling was poor and it was expensive, I did like the looks, interior and straight-line speed but not enough to overcome the downsides.

The Leaf was ugly inside and out, zero fun to drive, poor range and it had the most uncomfortable seat I have ever experienced, the cushion is very short and my legs kept going numb but interior space was good and performance was okay.

The Zoe is a bit slow above 40mph and it has a fairly poor quality interior but it is fast enough, it has 5 seats, a decent boot, proper rear doors, a good range (I have had 185 miles out of a charge) and is cheap to buy.
I have done almost 60k miles in two years, I have had no problems other than a fault with the infotainment screen that was fixed with a software update, it has cost me very little to run and it is actually fun to drive down a twisty road but it can get a bit bouncy if the road has any big undulations.
I paid £11500.00 for my Dynamic Nav plus the battery lease, the cheapest equivalent car on Autotrader is £12190.00 so even allowing for the higher mileage of my car, depreciation has been virtually zero.

How much is your battery lease? And are you comparing your Zoe's range to a 40kwh Leaf, or one with a lesser capacity? Most Leafs don't have a battery lease, which is why the Zoe is cheaper to buy, but it nails you with a monthly fee (£100 or so?), negating the fuel savings.

Leaf seat comfort, for me, is up there with my old SAAB, which is high praise.

I have the highest level of battery lease because of the mileage I do, I don't recall the exact figure but the total cost of the PCP and battery lease is about the same as I save in fuel compared to my previous car, so the car itself is essentially free.
I am comparing the range to the 40kwh leaf that was on sale 2.5 years ago when I ordered the ZOE.
If the seats suit you that is great, I could not have bought the car even if it had been the best EV in the world because of the discomfort I suffered, I had the car for a week and I have never been so happy to give a car back, it took several days for my legs to stop hurting.

I see, thanks. Surprised to hear that you found a noticeable difference in range between the two. My monthly PCP without battery lease is roughly half my former monthly fuel spend in a Mercedes E320 CDI estate. (£150 compared to £300), so personally I'm way in front on that score. This is a 24kwh car, bought second hand at 2 years old. Have now been running it 2 years, 4 months. I expect I'll pay the balloon and keep it in 8 months time when the PCP ends.

I bought my car new because I couldn't get a 2nd hand 40kwh Zoe so it did cost more than buying a second-hand car, range was one of my main considerations when choosing the car because I do a lot of miles, almost entirely on A and B roads and the Zoe was the best from that perspective. I also plan to buy my car when the PCP ends in just over a year.

[granada203028]

Major T said:

Not sure if this is serious or not, but if so, couldn't be more wrong.
Car manufacturers design products to last at least 10yrs / 150k, typically.
The i3, is pretty easy to work on (nuts and bolts like other cars) and loads of technical information and service manuals are available online.

for example, I suspected something wrong with my charging module which transpired to be a problem with the charging post, not the car. But during a lunchtime of research, I'd found the replacement procedure and a used part for a couple of hundred (rather than £3/4k that BMW would charge)

Hello yes I did exaggerate a bit to make the point. The switch was 36p and I had to buy 10. Even for 10000 it is 16p.

[granada203028]

Mids said on the Golf GTE thread:

Ultra reliable though (Golf GTE), especially compared to my i3 which had several issues (thousands of pounds spent on repairs, definitely wouldn't want to run one out of warranty).

[Richyboy]

kurokawa said:

Have seen some horrifying repair and maintenance story about i3 when out of warranty.

The conclusion I get will be never run an i3 without dealer warranty(which quote me over £1k per year), unless you want to gamble with a possible big bill.

An ICE went wrong, there are still indie garage, an EV went wrong..., not to mention I am yet able to find any 3rd party warranty insurance cover the vital/expensive parts of an EV.

Damn it. Wanted one out of warranty for ages but it’s a lifestyle product rather than a workhorse isn’t it? I love the dimensions, small city car easy to park but negatives on long term ownership pulls me back from purchase.