Discussion
I've sold my i3S 3 weeks ago.
I really enjoyed it and the i3 Rex before it.
I used it for 100 mile daily commute and at 5 miles/kWh in the summer on Octopus 5p rate, it was great.
I loved the car to bits but don't miss it as much as I thought I would.
That's because I replaced it with an Ioniq 5 which I'm also loving.
I really enjoyed it and the i3 Rex before it.
I used it for 100 mile daily commute and at 5 miles/kWh in the summer on Octopus 5p rate, it was great.
I loved the car to bits but don't miss it as much as I thought I would.
That's because I replaced it with an Ioniq 5 which I'm also loving.
so called said:
I've sold my i3S 3 weeks ago.
I really enjoyed it and the i3 Rex before it.
I used it for 100 mile daily commute and at 5 miles/kWh in the summer on Octopus 5p rate, it was great.
I loved the car to bits but don't miss it as much as I thought I would.
That's because I replaced it with an Ioniq 5 which I'm also loving.
Honeymoon period, we had the same when we replaced ours with the Tesla. Give it time and you'll be pining for the quirkiness of the i3. I really enjoyed it and the i3 Rex before it.
I used it for 100 mile daily commute and at 5 miles/kWh in the summer on Octopus 5p rate, it was great.
I loved the car to bits but don't miss it as much as I thought I would.
That's because I replaced it with an Ioniq 5 which I'm also loving.
SWoll said:
so called said:
I've sold my i3S 3 weeks ago.
I really enjoyed it and the i3 Rex before it.
I used it for 100 mile daily commute and at 5 miles/kWh in the summer on Octopus 5p rate, it was great.
I loved the car to bits but don't miss it as much as I thought I would.
That's because I replaced it with an Ioniq 5 which I'm also loving.
Honeymoon period, we had the same when we replaced ours with the Tesla. Give it time and you'll be pining for the quirkiness of the i3. I really enjoyed it and the i3 Rex before it.
I used it for 100 mile daily commute and at 5 miles/kWh in the summer on Octopus 5p rate, it was great.
I loved the car to bits but don't miss it as much as I thought I would.
That's because I replaced it with an Ioniq 5 which I'm also loving.
We are very fond of our i3s which we have had for over 2 years now, its a company car lease that runs out next year.
Burned off the lights last week by a Polestar 2, there is always a quicker car out there.
Already looking at options to replace it, as ideally we want an i3 with slightly more space and more practical rear doors. That seems to be an impossible request. An id3 looks about the right size but appears very bland in comparison and I doubt anywhere near as good to drive. The Cupra Born has me interested but doesnt appear to be the electric hot hatch I would like from initial reviews. Hoping something good comes out in the next 12 months.
Burned off the lights last week by a Polestar 2, there is always a quicker car out there.
Already looking at options to replace it, as ideally we want an i3 with slightly more space and more practical rear doors. That seems to be an impossible request. An id3 looks about the right size but appears very bland in comparison and I doubt anywhere near as good to drive. The Cupra Born has me interested but doesnt appear to be the electric hot hatch I would like from initial reviews. Hoping something good comes out in the next 12 months.
F20CN16 said:
LordGrover said:
One note of caution, ensure new stock has full sized screen.
Thanks. The centre screen? Assume they’ve had component supply issues so may have fitted a smaller display?
Just a random addition from me on anyone considering an I3... I have not suffered with range anxiety and home charge once every couple of weeks off a 3 pin but I don't often have the aircon on. Not a problem for me if I did and when I do you see the GOM take a hit on miles available, so a warning to others.
Bit of a long way round to the actual point...
Over winter the little thing had a propensity to steam up. Pre conditioning lovely, all clear... 10 mins in to a journey steamy windows quick blast of the climate control sorted. What I found better and have enjoyed immensely is the sunroof. Tilt it in the winter to avoid said steamy windows or open in the summer with the windows down great (lets a nice bit of light in to the cabin too, not that the I3 particularly struggles).
So anyone thinking of an I3, if they can, spec a sunroof. I certainly haven't regretted mine.
Bit of a long way round to the actual point...
Over winter the little thing had a propensity to steam up. Pre conditioning lovely, all clear... 10 mins in to a journey steamy windows quick blast of the climate control sorted. What I found better and have enjoyed immensely is the sunroof. Tilt it in the winter to avoid said steamy windows or open in the summer with the windows down great (lets a nice bit of light in to the cabin too, not that the I3 particularly struggles).
So anyone thinking of an I3, if they can, spec a sunroof. I certainly haven't regretted mine.
F20CN16 said:
Bit of a thread bump, but I couldn’t find a general i3 thread. Looking at finally getting an i3 after years of wanting one. For us it’s going to be the second car to my I-PACE, and it’ll be the 120Ah/41kWh version. Wondered what others would choose with used car prices being so high. Do we buy a new one from BMW stock (the very last cars made - no more custom orders are available) for about £33k, or a 2019 with 20-30k miles for £23k. Looking to max out the allowed deposit on the new car finance which is around 50%. APR 4.9% which is… can probably get better elsewhere. Would 100% be avoiding the 11% APR of used BMW finance and paying 2/3 in cash and the rest on a bank loan. What would you do?
I’m drawn to the new one because IMO used car prices will be high for some time, therefore equity is somewhat higher. Now they no longer build i3s I see them becoming sought after. Planning to keep it for 5 years or more though, so maybe future value less of a concern. Buying the used one means paying quite a high price due to used prices right now. It feels like not a great leap in price to the new one, from one 3 years old and already at 30k miles.
I'd buy the s/h and spend £10k on a really nice holiday..... ;-)I’m drawn to the new one because IMO used car prices will be high for some time, therefore equity is somewhat higher. Now they no longer build i3s I see them becoming sought after. Planning to keep it for 5 years or more though, so maybe future value less of a concern. Buying the used one means paying quite a high price due to used prices right now. It feels like not a great leap in price to the new one, from one 3 years old and already at 30k miles.
(my 2019 i3s was bought s/h last year)
F20CN16 said:
wobert said:
F20CN16 said:
LordGrover said:
One note of caution, ensure new stock has full sized screen.
Thanks. The centre screen? Assume they’ve had component supply issues so may have fitted a smaller display?She doesn’t associate £500 for a new screen as a good use of money.
All post-LCI cars have the larger screen, with the exception of those hit with supply issues…
F20CN16 said:
Good point… we are in need of a holiday after a busy year actually!
You’ve had a couple of i3 I believe, so you don’t think £23k is too much?
Specifically:
https://usedcars.bmw.co.uk/vehicle/202206176875807
Edit: Also considering a Zoe but they seem so expensive. Similar age and mileage with rapid charge capability -£17-18k and there’s the battery lease on top. I don’t get the pricing of them. Similar new price as the i3, and you don’t own the battery. The i3 is just a nicer car.
the market for all s/h cars is stong at the moment, but i think an i3 is a safe bet espcially if you plan on keeping it for a reasonable amount of time as i think values will remain firm on this ground breaking little car. You’ve had a couple of i3 I believe, so you don’t think £23k is too much?
Specifically:
https://usedcars.bmw.co.uk/vehicle/202206176875807
Edit: Also considering a Zoe but they seem so expensive. Similar age and mileage with rapid charge capability -£17-18k and there’s the battery lease on top. I don’t get the pricing of them. Similar new price as the i3, and you don’t own the battery. The i3 is just a nicer car.
Edited by F20CN16 on Friday 22 July 12:11
Worth driving the "s" model even if just for reference against the non-s version. I'm quite actually conflicted between the two, as the S is faster, significantly grippier, nicer to drive at motorway speeds, but is also a far less "dynamic" car in terms of the way it moves or more accurately, doesn't move on it's tyres. My old non-s could be drifted around like an old classic formula car from the 1960's and it's dynamic range was actually significantly broader than the more tied down "s" model. The ride on the S is also pretty firm, which doesn't bother me in the slightest but might if you have a famile / kids etc (improves markedly with passengers in the car). Some people find that movement disconcerting, i absolutely loved it. Later non "s" models esp BEV rather than REX are better tied down after the spring / damper revisions bought in with the bigger batteries. The "s" also, imo, looks quite a bit better than the non s models, but looks are subjective of course.
the Zoe is actually a really good car, however the i3 is not just good, it's actually brilliant, and in terms of driving enjoyment the zoe gets nowhere near at all. The i3 is a genuinely a smiles per mile kinda car. 7 years in an i wouldn't swap it for any other car as my daily :-)
F20CN16 said:
You were spot on with that. The one I have my eye on has the small screen. Booooo
I'm not actually that fussed with the large screen in the i3, because as a short range mostly town car i'm not spending hours in it, or using the NAV much. If you haven't got all the tech options like the reversing camera (pointless on a car as small and square as the i3.,...) then really the big screen is little actually benefit imeThe only significant improvement is the upgraded hifi option as the std radio is awful (as per all BMW's tbh) i wouldn't bother with anythng else on the options list - actually, scratch that, i'd deffinately make sure it has the light interior option (loft or lodge i can't remember which) where the light coloured wood dash looks terrific and really makes the interior feel special
Can you not get a pre registered example, there must be a few sitting around. In May 19, I picked up a six month old i3s for 28k with 20miles on it.
Personally I would go for the newest one as they have stopped production.
My dealer rang me a couple of months ago asking if I wanted a new one, but I have a Rex which suits my needs better. Mine has suffered £6k depreciation in three years.
Personally I would go for the newest one as they have stopped production.
My dealer rang me a couple of months ago asking if I wanted a new one, but I have a Rex which suits my needs better. Mine has suffered £6k depreciation in three years.
Another bump from me as I was pretty much asking the same questions as F20CN16 (good grief, did I get that right?). Fast forward and we've just placed a deposit on the dearest one remaining on the BMW site! Why? The preferred colours were grey or blue, which eliminated the black and the stormtrooper. Preferred interior was the suite, preferred alloy size was twenty inch, sunroof was preferred as was HK. To get all those in 'stock' cars meant also trading up to a car with intelligent LED lights and adaptive cruise control -- both of which will likely never be used significantly with our current urban short range driving. Oh well, perhaps another owner in future will appreciate the high spec.
I checked wobert's post about the screen and compared it to the screen in the car -- amazed that we have the smaller sceeen! I suppose that retrofitting the newer screen may invalidate warranty somehow but as mentioned, since we'll seldom use nav, perhaps it may not be missed. It's annoying though as it looked nice in the demo that we took out today.
Basically, I know nothing about these or electric cars. I think that it's the spiritual successor to the family A2 run around.
I've requested f&r dashcams, an additional set or alloys with winter tyres (though I'm also open to sourcing them used, depending on the finance options BMW offer), a screen cover and a luggage net for the boot (I don't know if there is an official accessory).
I think that we'll get away with a granny plug (as described earlier in this thread) whenever we get the chance. Is it correct that the car won't allow us to charge over 80% so should protect the life of the battery?
Unless things change for us massively i.e. we move to a remote Scottish island where chip oil is the only viable fuel, I anticipate that we'll be owning this for at least five years, so I want to look after it.
I may even get it detailed in and out and ppf on some of the high exposure areas, just to prolong the aesthetic qualities (unless someone whacks it and Mrs Bolide inevitably scraped her favourite curbs).
Does adaptive cruise control work in stop/start traffic?
Also, the Auxiliary Cabin Heating System, what does it do?
I checked wobert's post about the screen and compared it to the screen in the car -- amazed that we have the smaller sceeen! I suppose that retrofitting the newer screen may invalidate warranty somehow but as mentioned, since we'll seldom use nav, perhaps it may not be missed. It's annoying though as it looked nice in the demo that we took out today.
Basically, I know nothing about these or electric cars. I think that it's the spiritual successor to the family A2 run around.
I've requested f&r dashcams, an additional set or alloys with winter tyres (though I'm also open to sourcing them used, depending on the finance options BMW offer), a screen cover and a luggage net for the boot (I don't know if there is an official accessory).
I think that we'll get away with a granny plug (as described earlier in this thread) whenever we get the chance. Is it correct that the car won't allow us to charge over 80% so should protect the life of the battery?
Unless things change for us massively i.e. we move to a remote Scottish island where chip oil is the only viable fuel, I anticipate that we'll be owning this for at least five years, so I want to look after it.
I may even get it detailed in and out and ppf on some of the high exposure areas, just to prolong the aesthetic qualities (unless someone whacks it and Mrs Bolide inevitably scraped her favourite curbs).
Does adaptive cruise control work in stop/start traffic?
Also, the Auxiliary Cabin Heating System, what does it do?
Edited by bolidemichael on Sunday 14th August 01:35
Don't worry about charging to full. Just plug in and leave. It's actually good to let it get to an indicated 100% (not actually 100% as they is a significant buffer to protect the battery) as it allows for cell balancing.
The i3 is a cracking car. Bought ours to dip a toe in the EV market and love it.
The i3 is a cracking car. Bought ours to dip a toe in the EV market and love it.
I’ve got the front end ppf’d, as it’s black and used two days a week for the motorway commute. I would just get the gloss black bits done to prevent swirls. Grey will help hide most light scratches.
I bought a new set of turbine wheels with winter tyres. Tyres now need replacing, but since the pandemic wfh more, so not used.
I only ever charge at home using a wall box, only charged once on a wall socket when out. Having a home charger makes a lot of sense. I had a £500 grant for mine, not sure what it is now.
Mines coming up to 28k and four years old. Not had a single issue with it. Can’t see me selling for the foreseeable.
I bought a new set of turbine wheels with winter tyres. Tyres now need replacing, but since the pandemic wfh more, so not used.
I only ever charge at home using a wall box, only charged once on a wall socket when out. Having a home charger makes a lot of sense. I had a £500 grant for mine, not sure what it is now.
Mines coming up to 28k and four years old. Not had a single issue with it. Can’t see me selling for the foreseeable.
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