New BEV for the other half
Discussion
And the options are doing my head in!
Budget is £25k, use will be 5k miles a year, mostly just her and my boy in the front, but at weekends it could be used for family of 4 transport for local days out. Once or twice a year it will do 165 Mile trip up north.
Current car is a Auris Hybrid which has not missed a beat in 8 years and 50k miles and costs buttons to run, it even has free road tax.
Whatever we buy must be reliable, and will be with us for about 8-10 years
I showed her the options of an i3, 208e, Zoe and 500e. She chose the i3.
So, our budget will get us a basic spec nearly new 120ah i3 with a couple of years warranty left or a slightly older one on 25k miles but a higher spec.
My concerns with the i3 are reliability and the suicide doors. On reliability, as we will be keeping it after the warranty runs out, I keep reading about expensive repairs out of warranty and people choosing to take out £1k warranties to cover this. Any experience of this?
On the doors, I borrowed my brothers i3 and for the life of me I couldn’t work out how to get the kids out the back in a tight space?
I keep thinking to my self why don't I just buy a new Zoe with a 5 year warranty and normal doors.
Or a top spec Yaris with 10 year warranty and no charging.
I really want to get the i3 but cannot have any Agro from the thing.
Any advice would be appreciated!!
Oh, and what really sold her on a new car was the ability to precondition the interior so the car was warm and defrosted in the morning, so I assume this rules out the Yaris but rules in plug in hybrids.
Budget is £25k, use will be 5k miles a year, mostly just her and my boy in the front, but at weekends it could be used for family of 4 transport for local days out. Once or twice a year it will do 165 Mile trip up north.
Current car is a Auris Hybrid which has not missed a beat in 8 years and 50k miles and costs buttons to run, it even has free road tax.
Whatever we buy must be reliable, and will be with us for about 8-10 years
I showed her the options of an i3, 208e, Zoe and 500e. She chose the i3.
So, our budget will get us a basic spec nearly new 120ah i3 with a couple of years warranty left or a slightly older one on 25k miles but a higher spec.
My concerns with the i3 are reliability and the suicide doors. On reliability, as we will be keeping it after the warranty runs out, I keep reading about expensive repairs out of warranty and people choosing to take out £1k warranties to cover this. Any experience of this?
On the doors, I borrowed my brothers i3 and for the life of me I couldn’t work out how to get the kids out the back in a tight space?
I keep thinking to my self why don't I just buy a new Zoe with a 5 year warranty and normal doors.
Or a top spec Yaris with 10 year warranty and no charging.
I really want to get the i3 but cannot have any Agro from the thing.
Any advice would be appreciated!!
Oh, and what really sold her on a new car was the ability to precondition the interior so the car was warm and defrosted in the morning, so I assume this rules out the Yaris but rules in plug in hybrids.
Edited by Itsallicanafford on Friday 17th September 19:26
Edited by Itsallicanafford on Friday 17th September 19:29
The doors are an utter pain, especially (like you've already figured out) in tight spaces. You can't even open them from the back without the front passenger assisting you.
Reliability wise, mine was the most unreliable car I've ever owned but it was one of the very early REx's. I'm sure they''ll be plenty of owners along shortly to tell you how pleased they are with theirs. Generally I think most of the problems are ironed out by now.
Reliability wise, mine was the most unreliable car I've ever owned but it was one of the very early REx's. I'm sure they''ll be plenty of owners along shortly to tell you how pleased they are with theirs. Generally I think most of the problems are ironed out by now.
Lily the Pink said:
Just picked up my MG5 today. It's about your budget, has a 200+ mile range, 7 year warranty. The only EV estate on the market ATM (not sure whether the Taycan counts as an estate, but looks and cost ruled that out).
I think these are best budget EV's on the market today and they are the only true estate car. This would be my recommendation if it's not too big.
LordFlathead said:
Lily the Pink said:
Just picked up my MG5 today. It's about your budget, has a 200+ mile range, 7 year warranty. The only EV estate on the market ATM (not sure whether the Taycan counts as an estate, but looks and cost ruled that out).
I think these are best budget EV's on the market today and they are the only true estate car. This would be my recommendation if it's not too big.
The range extender engine seemed to cause most problems in early i3. They seem pretty solid now, as you’d expect after 8 years or so of production.
Doors aren’t a problem with two people, and for the odd trip with 4 then kids can get easily in or out from either side. If both are tight then open front, let kid into space, open back and they get in.
Killer thing for the i3 is that it can be preconditioned using the the key, no need to schedule or faff with an app. Renault used to with the Zoe but lost it on the ZE50. Other than the Honda E, everything I can think of relies on an app.
Check out what deals you can do on a new one too, when I was looking in July it was just over £29k for a brand new regular, still under 30 for a i3S. Full 3 year warranty and 2.9% finance too.
Doors aren’t a problem with two people, and for the odd trip with 4 then kids can get easily in or out from either side. If both are tight then open front, let kid into space, open back and they get in.
Killer thing for the i3 is that it can be preconditioned using the the key, no need to schedule or faff with an app. Renault used to with the Zoe but lost it on the ZE50. Other than the Honda E, everything I can think of relies on an app.
Check out what deals you can do on a new one too, when I was looking in July it was just over £29k for a brand new regular, still under 30 for a i3S. Full 3 year warranty and 2.9% finance too.
Couple of comments from an i3 owner.
They are great to drive, styling is absolutely Marmite (so be prepared for that) and even after this long, still surprisingly efficient.
To hit your requirements though - pre-conditioning, not available on the key in the US, so I dont have it. But you can use the app and it takes a minute at best. Works well and I like it. You can also set a timer too, so if you know you are leaving at 7am the next day, it will turn on for that time and according to the weather etc it will get it to the right temp internally etc. Neat and works well. Check if this is available on the key though, or if the app is OK to use.
i3 reliability is good. Very early 2014 and 15 cars had issues, but they have built enough of them and have a lot of experience with the drivetrain to make it good. They are well built, internal materials are nice and I like the different textures etc. BEV's are good and BMW even increased the warranty on the batteries. REX models are reliable also, since its the Kymco 600cc engine in the back. Biggest issues seem to be around the fuel filler cap (for REX models) and a few electrical system gremlins, but since it uses common BMW stuff, simple to fix. Oh, and mentioned this before - check tires and their availability. They are a very unusual size and getting them can be a pain and expensive. Make sure you are OK with this - they arent cheap, even though they are small. Wear should be OK, but again dont expect them to last 20k miles each.
However, and being 100% honest here - interior! I like it. I like the space, driving position (its a little weird) and the different materials used (not all black plastic and leather!). However, space in the back is good for the size of the car, but I would not be comfortable to put adults or kids in the back for hours on end. IT DOES NOT HAVE REAR VENTS! So heating and aircon air comes from the front 4 vents only (i think its 4 - 2 either side and 2 in the middle). Depends on how old your kids are, but that rear suicide door has a high line on it and visibility might not be great, and it can and will get stuffy in the back if you arent careful. If you expect to run this as a family car for 4, its great, but on longer trips, it might be a challenge. Also, the ride is on the harsh / sporting side. Short wheelbase can lead to it feeling pitching on certain types of bumps and the ride isnt fantastic. I could imagine younger kids getting a bit car sick. Take one out for a longer test drive with your kids to make sure it works for you.
My kids are older and for the vast amount of miles its one or two people in the car. My daughter loves it (driving) and its been a completely hassle free ownership experience. Its fun, frugal, swift and surprisingly practical (boot is small, but hey, its a small car!). But I totally get that its focus is pretty narrow and absolutely wont fit all circumstances.
Oh, and one last thing - it can feel twitchy at speed in the wind. Not worse than some other cars that I have had, but the steering feels very direct and it can get thrown around a little at 70+. Not a problem and I have had worse cars in the past. But again, depends on what you have now and the type of driving you do.
They are great to drive, styling is absolutely Marmite (so be prepared for that) and even after this long, still surprisingly efficient.
To hit your requirements though - pre-conditioning, not available on the key in the US, so I dont have it. But you can use the app and it takes a minute at best. Works well and I like it. You can also set a timer too, so if you know you are leaving at 7am the next day, it will turn on for that time and according to the weather etc it will get it to the right temp internally etc. Neat and works well. Check if this is available on the key though, or if the app is OK to use.
i3 reliability is good. Very early 2014 and 15 cars had issues, but they have built enough of them and have a lot of experience with the drivetrain to make it good. They are well built, internal materials are nice and I like the different textures etc. BEV's are good and BMW even increased the warranty on the batteries. REX models are reliable also, since its the Kymco 600cc engine in the back. Biggest issues seem to be around the fuel filler cap (for REX models) and a few electrical system gremlins, but since it uses common BMW stuff, simple to fix. Oh, and mentioned this before - check tires and their availability. They are a very unusual size and getting them can be a pain and expensive. Make sure you are OK with this - they arent cheap, even though they are small. Wear should be OK, but again dont expect them to last 20k miles each.
However, and being 100% honest here - interior! I like it. I like the space, driving position (its a little weird) and the different materials used (not all black plastic and leather!). However, space in the back is good for the size of the car, but I would not be comfortable to put adults or kids in the back for hours on end. IT DOES NOT HAVE REAR VENTS! So heating and aircon air comes from the front 4 vents only (i think its 4 - 2 either side and 2 in the middle). Depends on how old your kids are, but that rear suicide door has a high line on it and visibility might not be great, and it can and will get stuffy in the back if you arent careful. If you expect to run this as a family car for 4, its great, but on longer trips, it might be a challenge. Also, the ride is on the harsh / sporting side. Short wheelbase can lead to it feeling pitching on certain types of bumps and the ride isnt fantastic. I could imagine younger kids getting a bit car sick. Take one out for a longer test drive with your kids to make sure it works for you.
My kids are older and for the vast amount of miles its one or two people in the car. My daughter loves it (driving) and its been a completely hassle free ownership experience. Its fun, frugal, swift and surprisingly practical (boot is small, but hey, its a small car!). But I totally get that its focus is pretty narrow and absolutely wont fit all circumstances.
Oh, and one last thing - it can feel twitchy at speed in the wind. Not worse than some other cars that I have had, but the steering feels very direct and it can get thrown around a little at 70+. Not a problem and I have had worse cars in the past. But again, depends on what you have now and the type of driving you do.
I have a basic spec 120 i3 (bought with 10 miles on the clock) for use as a daily and it has become our go to car as it is surprisingly fun to drive (we are lucky enough to have a RS4 and 911 too, for perspective). It has been faultless and we just top up on granny charger overnight once or twice a week.
As above, not a great car for fast trips on motorways due to steering geometry among other things (it doesn’t feel “planted”) but highly recommend.
They are big inside and our retriever fits in the boot. I like the doors (but they are a pain at times).
Good app and ability to precondition (heat or cool) before departure.
We paid 26k for ours.
Currently costing just over 4p a mile.
Range 145 winter. 180 summer. In Comfort. More in Eco.
As above, not a great car for fast trips on motorways due to steering geometry among other things (it doesn’t feel “planted”) but highly recommend.
They are big inside and our retriever fits in the boot. I like the doors (but they are a pain at times).
Good app and ability to precondition (heat or cool) before departure.
We paid 26k for ours.
Currently costing just over 4p a mile.
Range 145 winter. 180 summer. In Comfort. More in Eco.
Chaps, thanks for all the replies, some great tips and lots of food for thought, thanks again for taking the time to reply. We are going to drive one today, it’s fully specked up, 2 year old with 23k on the clock so no sure if it will be the right choice for us as I might want a slightly newer one which is lower spec but at least my other half will get to drive it, it might be a firm no from her once she see the doors but I want her to know the pitfalls so I don’t get it in the neck!
Itsallicanafford said:
Nice spec. I don’t like white, but that’s me. One thing I do like about the i3 is the selection of colors and interiors that you can get. Really bored of black on black with black leather! Those blue seat belts are a nice twist!
I only looked quickly, but what year is it? And do you need CarPlay / android auto? There are some limitations on what you can do and aftermarket options depending on the year. About $400 for a 2017 or earlier and you can get an aftermarket system. Post 2017 and it can start to get expensive, but I think 2019 they added it as a feature.
Oh and like many other modern cars, you can code them easily too. So you can really setup personalization on them. It’s kinda cool. Auto fold mirrors, default to Eco mode etc. but you can do this on VW products too. I like the idea of personalization.
But do drive it for an extended test drive. It has quirks.
I think it was 20 month old but had 23,000 miles on the clock. Anyway, we drove it, wife liked it, but the car looked a little bit shabby, especially the boot area which was heavily scuffed. We offered £25k, they said we were ‘miles out’ on a car that was up for £26,490.00 so we walked out.
I respect the fact they know what margin they need to make and they know what the car owes them, but if I would have been on the other side of the table, I would have spent 2 minutes to explain why that offer was unacceptable and let me look on group stock to see if we have something suitable etc etc. Anyway. One will come up, and one with lower miles and more warranty, but maybe a lower spec.
Good thing from today is she likes it so the i3 is green lighted!
I respect the fact they know what margin they need to make and they know what the car owes them, but if I would have been on the other side of the table, I would have spent 2 minutes to explain why that offer was unacceptable and let me look on group stock to see if we have something suitable etc etc. Anyway. One will come up, and one with lower miles and more warranty, but maybe a lower spec.
Good thing from today is she likes it so the i3 is green lighted!
Edited by Itsallicanafford on Saturday 18th September 19:26
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