Replacing my i3, with ??
Discussion
Otispunkmeyer said:
Cheers
I meant i3 plural, can’t afford an i3s… but there are a number of BEV only i3 with 94Ah available for 13k-15k. The 60s are a few k cheaper and weirdly seems like the REx versions are keenly priced too. I guess the REx actually isn’t that attractive?
Personally i'd avoid the REX like the plague! Super complex, heavier, worse handling, significantly less reliable, and you'll use it twice a year...I meant i3 plural, can’t afford an i3s… but there are a number of BEV only i3 with 94Ah available for 13k-15k. The 60s are a few k cheaper and weirdly seems like the REx versions are keenly priced too. I guess the REx actually isn’t that attractive?
Make sure you get DC fast charging and forget the REX imo!
SWoll said:
No, 120ah BEV. All that weight pushed towards the rear + skinny tyres are always going to lead to understeer at speed, especially in the wet.
Covered 15k in ours in 12 months of mixed driving. I stand by my suggestion it's a car much better suited to city driving, especially if it's a windy day.
er, weight towards the rear? for the BEV? er, nope, it has a pretty much perfect 50:50 mass distribution which is why it is intrinsically so well balanced, and the tyres are skinny at both ends, so no understeer due to them! I find mine almost completely un-affected by wet, what with having hard compound narrow eco tyres, so no aquaplaning, and not a tyre that makes massive grip i the dry. I prefer driving ours in the wet actually :-)Covered 15k in ours in 12 months of mixed driving. I stand by my suggestion it's a car much better suited to city driving, especially if it's a windy day.
Being tall and low mass, it's certainly badly affected by high speed cross winds, but as long as you don't fight the car, nothing dramatic happens. just relax and alls good. It can be suprisingly flighty at high speeds (up near it's speed limiter) on undulating bumpy roads at high throttle openings, certainly flighty beyond the capability of the DSC to intervene fast enough.
But yes, it is better as a city car (for which environment it was designed) but after 5 years of Fast B road driving, not one car has ever "got away" from my i3, come rain, shine or snow (it's really good in the snow, even on summer tyres because like those bicycle width tyres cut through snow well)
cheddar said:
It sounds like your current i3 does 95% of what you need it to yet you're thinking of chucking £25k at something that'll do the other 5%.
this^^^ you're not wrong, although it's not quite £25k, as i think our current car is worth around £13k to £14K. In all honesty,the current car probably does 99% of what we want!Max_Torque said:
Personally i'd avoid the REX like the plague! Super complex, heavier, worse handling, significantly less reliable, and you'll use it twice a year...
Make sure you get DC fast charging and forget the REX imo!
Not sure I agree (but I own a 60Ah REx so that’s expected!) - the frequency of stops if you’re driving a longer distance will mean charging it en route becomes a pain, especially in winter. Make sure you get DC fast charging and forget the REX imo!
I managed my 110 mile each way commute in summer (yeah, just like those diesel mentalists) without using any fuel if I was prepared to stop and charge en route, but I’m not sure I would’ve been comfortable if I HAD to.
It is more complex and has the odd expensive issue though, I’d recommend buying approved used if you are going to so that you have some backup in the first year at least!
I guess it would be less of a concern with the 94Ah.
My new commute will be 20 miles each way and I've always loved the look and ethos of the i3.
Am I imagining things or have they got MORE expensive over the last couple of years?
I'd be looking at a 60Ah non-REx version, was hoping they'd be under 10k by now but it's slim pickings at the bottom.
Am I imagining things or have they got MORE expensive over the last couple of years?
I'd be looking at a 60Ah non-REx version, was hoping they'd be under 10k by now but it's slim pickings at the bottom.
Just past the 32k miles mark in my 19-plate i3 and I think I'm about to have my second front ARB replaced as the clonking issue has returned.
Oh and I'm on my 3rd windscreen already - both times there's been a stone chip at 50mph and 10 seconds later it turns into a 12-18 inch crack
Apart from that, do love the car. I've seen 235 miles on the guess-o-meter before and even in -2C on the motorway I've done 125 miles on a charge.
Oh and I'm on my 3rd windscreen already - both times there's been a stone chip at 50mph and 10 seconds later it turns into a 12-18 inch crack
Apart from that, do love the car. I've seen 235 miles on the guess-o-meter before and even in -2C on the motorway I've done 125 miles on a charge.
modeller said:
i3S 120Ah , or an ID3. We went from a 64Ah REX to an i3S 94Ah REX .. latter now gone due to lack of use with CV19. Very sad day.
The BMW is too expensive really compared to the VW .. but it's such a quality item.
Same price if you buy one of the pre-registered 120ah ones out there. Mine was a month old and had done 10 miles. £26,950 with the extras I wanted (not many). Be quick though. BMW pre-registered at lot at the end of last year, presumably to beat the fines for emissions. But they seem to be going fast. The BMW is too expensive really compared to the VW .. but it's such a quality item.
ChocolateFrog said:
My new commute will be 20 miles each way and I've always loved the look and ethos of the i3.
Am I imagining things or have they got MORE expensive over the last couple of years?
I'd be looking at a 60Ah non-REx version, was hoping they'd be under 10k by now but it's slim pickings at the bottom.
Early ones didn't sell in huge numbers and most people went for range extenders. Am I imagining things or have they got MORE expensive over the last couple of years?
I'd be looking at a 60Ah non-REx version, was hoping they'd be under 10k by now but it's slim pickings at the bottom.
The bottom of the EV market isn't brilliant value really - very limited supply and lots of demand. People have caught on that an early i3 (or Leaf, or Zoe) makes a very decent runabout or commuter particularly if you have another car in the family to use. The "network effect" of people knowing friends, family, neighbours, colleagues who are happily using EVs is starting to kick in so it's not the big step into the unknown that early owners had.
With a £25k budget for an EV I'd look at the MG5. Sounds like it would be very useful for the OP's requirements.
Yeah, I know it's not funky like an i3. So if OP prefers funk to practicality, fair enough, go for it.
I'm in a similar situation as the OP, I had a Leaf 24 for 3 years (alongside an ICE estate car) and wondered what to replace it with, as absolutely nothing which presented itself seemed to do everything I wanted at such low running costs. So I got another Leaf, but in a nicer colour and went for a 30kwh model. No regrets. Couple of years time from now though, and I might replace both the Leaf and our ICE estate car with an MG5. I reckon it'll do absolutely everything we'll ever need a car to do.
Yeah, I know it's not funky like an i3. So if OP prefers funk to practicality, fair enough, go for it.
I'm in a similar situation as the OP, I had a Leaf 24 for 3 years (alongside an ICE estate car) and wondered what to replace it with, as absolutely nothing which presented itself seemed to do everything I wanted at such low running costs. So I got another Leaf, but in a nicer colour and went for a 30kwh model. No regrets. Couple of years time from now though, and I might replace both the Leaf and our ICE estate car with an MG5. I reckon it'll do absolutely everything we'll ever need a car to do.
Edited by ElectricSoup on Tuesday 2nd March 13:35
Edited by ElectricSoup on Tuesday 2nd March 13:51
we went from an i3 (94ah rex), purchased from new in 2017 to a new e-niro 4 64 in October just gone. We too found it wonderfully quirky during the 60,000 miles we covered in it.
Problem is, the EV market has moved on, and the i3 seems to have stood still. Range, refinement, performance & equipment can all be top trumped by the cheaper eniro.
we had a good PCP deal on the i3, but it was still coming in at £460 per month over 4 years - the eniro is £100 cheaper per month and TWICE the range.
other plus points are the eniro is bigger inside has a lower centre of gravity and feels a lot more sure footed being enthusiastic around the B roads.
Genuinely sad when it went, it had character, but not worth the premium, especially when it just can't compete stats wise with what's available now.
Problem is, the EV market has moved on, and the i3 seems to have stood still. Range, refinement, performance & equipment can all be top trumped by the cheaper eniro.
we had a good PCP deal on the i3, but it was still coming in at £460 per month over 4 years - the eniro is £100 cheaper per month and TWICE the range.
other plus points are the eniro is bigger inside has a lower centre of gravity and feels a lot more sure footed being enthusiastic around the B roads.
Genuinely sad when it went, it had character, but not worth the premium, especially when it just can't compete stats wise with what's available now.
ChocolateFrog said:
My new commute will be 20 miles each way and I've always loved the look and ethos of the i3.
Am I imagining things or have they got MORE expensive over the last couple of years?
I got mine when no-one really wanted one. AUC Ex-demo, 367 miles on the clock, for £16,250 in summer 2016.Am I imagining things or have they got MORE expensive over the last couple of years?
Today, at a guess it's worth between £13k and £14k. That really is pretty incredibly low depreciation tbh!
I know if i part-ex it, BMW will offer me about £9k for it, so i think i'll sell it privately, i don't think it will be a particularly hard sell tbh
Max_Torque said:
I got mine when no-one really wanted one. AUC Ex-demo, 367 miles on the clock, for £16,250 in summer 2016.
Today, at a guess it's worth between £13k and £14k. That really is pretty incredibly low depreciation tbh!
I know if i part-ex it, BMW will offer me about £9k for it, so i think i'll sell it privately, i don't think it will be a particularly hard sell tbh
There really was a proper dip in EV values (since massively recovered) wasn’t there. Was looking at a Zoe advertised on Speak EV earlier - 2013 22kWh with rapid charging for £5k. Battery lease. Sounds quite good until I noticed a related thread from 2018 where a 2014 car was up for £4600!!Today, at a guess it's worth between £13k and £14k. That really is pretty incredibly low depreciation tbh!
I know if i part-ex it, BMW will offer me about £9k for it, so i think i'll sell it privately, i don't think it will be a particularly hard sell tbh
I've had one for 2 years and it's been superb.
It's the 120 battery version with mid spec. Comfortable, well made interior. A decent drive and unique looks. The design of the front part of the cabin makes its feel you are sitting in a large, roomy car whilst at the same time it handles like a city car.
In two years all I've had to do is put windscreen washer in and check tyre pressure. Literally nothing else.
I can't think what we'd replace it - all the others on the market just seem like ICE cars turned electric.
It's the 120 battery version with mid spec. Comfortable, well made interior. A decent drive and unique looks. The design of the front part of the cabin makes its feel you are sitting in a large, roomy car whilst at the same time it handles like a city car.
In two years all I've had to do is put windscreen washer in and check tyre pressure. Literally nothing else.
I can't think what we'd replace it - all the others on the market just seem like ICE cars turned electric.
Max_Torque said:
ChocolateFrog said:
My new commute will be 20 miles each way and I've always loved the look and ethos of the i3.
Am I imagining things or have they got MORE expensive over the last couple of years?
I got mine when no-one really wanted one. AUC Ex-demo, 367 miles on the clock, for £16,250 in summer 2016.Am I imagining things or have they got MORE expensive over the last couple of years?
Today, at a guess it's worth between £13k and £14k. That really is pretty incredibly low depreciation tbh!
I know if i part-ex it, BMW will offer me about £9k for it, so i think i'll sell it privately, i don't think it will be a particularly hard sell tbh
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