Discussion
First time I've started one of these threads. Part of the reason why I've decided to do it with this car is because I really struggled to find dedicated owners threads on these.
A brief bit of history. Like most here I've been through lots of cars. A few years back I was utterly obsessed, chopping and changing cars every few months. I purchased a 996tt but after a year the gearbox went and I "downgraded" to a 996 C4... which I loved. This cured my affliction and I kept it 7 years.
I'm afflicted with mechanical sympathy so I would only ever use the 996 for longer journeys where I knew the oil would get up to temperature. As life got busier this led to me hardly using it. So I decided it was time to move on and look for something I would use more.
My choice was a Lotus Evora S. Being such a niche car I knew I'd have to travel for one so I put a call out on here to see if I could find a local owner. A very helpful chap met up with me and let me have a look around his. It was a lovely car, the suspension felt great from the passenger seat, great sound and performance felt strong. However, a few things made me feel I would end up treating it the same as the 996 and never using it.
So I then started looking at newer things. GR Yaris, M2, M3 (not a fan of m4s), a110, type R, 997.2 and lastly i8. A lot of them felt a bit too "normal". Fast and accomplished yes, but most of the time you don't get to experience that so I need something with it.
An i8 popped up for sale not far from me on one of the FB groups so I went and had a look. It was probably bottom of my list but it really impressed me with it's breadth of abilities. It felt like a real contrast from what I thought I was looking for. Anyway, I pissed about and missed out on that one.
A few weeks later another appeared not too far away. 2015 model with 54100 miles £29k. Service was a mix of main dealer and indie. Few stone chips here and there and two odd marks on the rear bumper but otherwise appears well looked after with 4 matching, new, Bridgestone tyres being a good sign following 1 front tyre being an advisory on the last MOT. A moment of madness and some battering followed and a deal was done.
I'm 3 days in to ownership now. A slog home on the motorway in rush hour traffic left me worried I'd made a huge mistake. Day 2 things improved. I ran a few errands mostly on the battery followed by a short blast out with my son.
Part of me hopes this thread is extremely uneventful.
A brief bit of history. Like most here I've been through lots of cars. A few years back I was utterly obsessed, chopping and changing cars every few months. I purchased a 996tt but after a year the gearbox went and I "downgraded" to a 996 C4... which I loved. This cured my affliction and I kept it 7 years.
I'm afflicted with mechanical sympathy so I would only ever use the 996 for longer journeys where I knew the oil would get up to temperature. As life got busier this led to me hardly using it. So I decided it was time to move on and look for something I would use more.
My choice was a Lotus Evora S. Being such a niche car I knew I'd have to travel for one so I put a call out on here to see if I could find a local owner. A very helpful chap met up with me and let me have a look around his. It was a lovely car, the suspension felt great from the passenger seat, great sound and performance felt strong. However, a few things made me feel I would end up treating it the same as the 996 and never using it.
So I then started looking at newer things. GR Yaris, M2, M3 (not a fan of m4s), a110, type R, 997.2 and lastly i8. A lot of them felt a bit too "normal". Fast and accomplished yes, but most of the time you don't get to experience that so I need something with it.
An i8 popped up for sale not far from me on one of the FB groups so I went and had a look. It was probably bottom of my list but it really impressed me with it's breadth of abilities. It felt like a real contrast from what I thought I was looking for. Anyway, I pissed about and missed out on that one.
A few weeks later another appeared not too far away. 2015 model with 54100 miles £29k. Service was a mix of main dealer and indie. Few stone chips here and there and two odd marks on the rear bumper but otherwise appears well looked after with 4 matching, new, Bridgestone tyres being a good sign following 1 front tyre being an advisory on the last MOT. A moment of madness and some battering followed and a deal was done.
I'm 3 days in to ownership now. A slog home on the motorway in rush hour traffic left me worried I'd made a huge mistake. Day 2 things improved. I ran a few errands mostly on the battery followed by a short blast out with my son.
Part of me hopes this thread is extremely uneventful.
Having briefly driven one of these I would describe the experience as "unlike anything else". It's one of those cars where if you want one, buy one. It'll never be possible to make a rational case for it and other people will always ask why you bought it instead of an x, y or z.
It's interesting and it's different and those are good reasons to buy.
To the inevitable question about battery life the answer seems to be that although many battery warranties are now expired, few owners have experienced difficulties. I think the warranty was 8 years.
It's interesting and it's different and those are good reasons to buy.
To the inevitable question about battery life the answer seems to be that although many battery warranties are now expired, few owners have experienced difficulties. I think the warranty was 8 years.
Luke. said:
Watching with interest.
What are your thoughts on it so far? Keeper?
Too early to tell.What are your thoughts on it so far? Keeper?
Initial thoughts were "oh no, I've made a mistake". Mostly because the drive home was horrible. Crawling along in traffic in pouring rain on a Friday night. However, it would have been a lot worse in the 996.
At the moment I'm getting used to the different modes. It really is like 3 cars in one. if anything it will be a grower and I plan to keep it for at least a year. If it sticks, much longer.
Falsey said:
Ive got to admit these really appeal but Ive never been brave enough to make a move towards one. They look so fresh.
How do you find the performance and theatre compared to the 911's?
Experiences seem to be a real mix of good and bad. Lots of owners have had them for years and no issues while some get hit with massive bills. A friend has owned one for 5 years now and not 1 issue. They seem to fall in to the reliable but when it goes wrong, it hurts big category.How do you find the performance and theatre compared to the 911's?
Theatre id say is on a par but just a different kind. It's looks, it's silly doors, driving position and view in the mirrors (similar to the turbo). Even the start up bong and whoosh. It's theatre but it's a contrast to the cold start bark and burble of a flat 6 with a dansk super sound exhaust.
In terms of performance. I've not really stretched it enough to say yet. I think it feels faster than it is. Feels like it has the missing in gear acceleration that was missing from my C4 and made it very frustrating when stuck behind traffic on b roads. Nowhere near the silly top end of the turbo although time could have skewed my memory of how fast that was. Handling wise I know these have been criticised by many. I did feel a little "shimmy" while pushing a bit in Saturday. I'm a s
t driver so the lower limit might actually be good as I never felt anything but insane grip in my 911s.Going from manuals to auto is another thing many pistonheaders would shudder at. I realise I'm no driving god, my left knee is causing me grief these days and it's just easier. All of this is just about being a bit more useable more of the time.
I have had a Roadster since 2019. It’s part of my little collection. It’s like none of the others. The NSX is a great analogue car and so small nowadays. The Z4M is a brute and needs careful handling but it’s always an event. The i8 is superb in every way except width. The car is simply too big but then I like small cars. The i8 is very comfy, doesn’t really look like a BMW inside or out (some common switches aside), and is well put together (but not as superbly as the NSX). The beauty of it is that you can potter behind a line of cars at the now obligatory 43mph, all calm and serene, wait for the opportunity, chuck it into sport and mash the pedal. It simply flies. Okay EV users will also know this so it’s nothing new. But it was in 2014 and sports cars are only just catching up. In that sort of situation the car is much better than a 911. It’s also surprisingly light at 1500kg courtesy of the carbon and aluminium build. So it handles well and seems light on its feet. It’s a bit non-communicative but it holds lines and does what you want it to. I don’t think it as a sports car but a GT. Even 11 years after it was introduced it still looks like a space ship. My average fuel consumption over my five years of ownership is 46mpg. Range isn’t much to talk about - I get about 31 miles on my LCI model. I tend to use it in Comfort which optimises engine and ev as it sees fit, unless I use Sport for the overtaking. Eco Pro is okay on the motorway at 75mph but throttle response is impacted. The car has been reliable (I still have it under warranty though) but there are issues which may or may not occur with any individual car. These include a/c compressor failure (walk away if it’s rattling) and various electrical things including fuel cap sensors and coolant sensors etc. Battery problems are rare although I am aware of one car suffering EME failure (the bit which controls the battery power to the front motor). That was a huge expense to repair. Think Mini-Supercar costs for repairs if you need them. It’s not cheap. It’s why my car is still under BMW warranty. Other than that it’s a BMW. Parts supply should remain for a while - it’s not a weird car made by a niche brand after all. BMW lost money on all of them despite the high purchase price. It seems likely that they will depreciate to normal BMW lows when many of them will suffer woes with people who don’t have the means to repair them. Cue lots of scrapped cars. I won’t benefit (as I am too old) but I fully expect that the remaining cars will appreciate over time as the car is recognised as the innovation it was. Being a hybrid and never replaced means it should not go the way of many others which are constantly updated. The i8 is already obsolete but it’s an obsolete classic. I love it.
BERNEV said:
I have had a Roadster since 2019. It s part of my little collection. It s like none of the others. The NSX is a great analogue car and so small nowadays. The Z4M is a brute and needs careful handling but it s always an event. The i8 is superb in every way except width. The car is simply too big but then I like small cars. The i8 is very comfy, doesn t really look like a BMW inside or out (some common switches aside), and is well put together (but not as superbly as the NSX). The beauty of it is that you can potter behind a line of cars at the now obligatory 43mph, all calm and serene, wait for the opportunity, chuck it into sport and mash the pedal. It simply flies. Okay EV users will also know this so it s nothing new. But it was in 2014 and sports cars are only just catching up. In that sort of situation the car is much better than a 911. It s also surprisingly light at 1500kg courtesy of the carbon and aluminium build. So it handles well and seems light on its feet. It s a bit non-communicative but it holds lines and does what you want it to. I don t think it as a sports car but a GT. Even 11 years after it was introduced it still looks like a space ship. My average fuel consumption over my five years of ownership is 46mpg. Range isn t much to talk about - I get about 31 miles on my LCI model. I tend to use it in Comfort which optimises engine and ev as it sees fit, unless I use Sport for the overtaking. Eco Pro is okay on the motorway at 75mph but throttle response is impacted. The car has been reliable (I still have it under warranty though) but there are issues which may or may not occur with any individual car. These include a/c compressor failure (walk away if it s rattling) and various electrical things including fuel cap sensors and coolant sensors etc. Battery problems are rare although I am aware of one car suffering EME failure (the bit which controls the battery power to the front motor). That was a huge expense to repair. Think Mini-Supercar costs for repairs if you need them. It s not cheap. It s why my car is still under BMW warranty. Other than that it s a BMW. Parts supply should remain for a while - it s not a weird car made by a niche brand after all. BMW lost money on all of them despite the high purchase price. It seems likely that they will depreciate to normal BMW lows when many of them will suffer woes with people who don t have the means to repair them. Cue lots of scrapped cars. I won t benefit (as I am too old) but I fully expect that the remaining cars will appreciate over time as the car is recognised as the innovation it was. Being a hybrid and never replaced means it should not go the way of many others which are constantly updated. The i8 is already obsolete but it s an obsolete classic. I love it.
Out of curiosity, how much is the BMW warranty, and I assume the main battery is specifically excluded?
The BMW warranty is £1100 a year and yes it excludes the battery….. I now know how much it costs to replace the battery pack and associated ev parts and it is a lot but no more than a Ferrari would cost you over 8 years if it did need replacing. People spend lots on keeping Ferraris afloat and think nothing of it. My view on the i8 is that it’s normal M costs for routine stuff but you might need to replace something at some point. It will hit you hard (hence warranty) but not more than several engine out services. My warranty has never been broken so a gap will cost more to reintroduce
BERNEV said:
The BMW warranty is £1100 a year and yes it excludes the battery .. I now know how much it costs to replace the battery pack and associated ev parts and it is a lot but no more than a Ferrari would cost you over 8 years if it did need replacing. People spend lots on keeping Ferraris afloat and think nothing of it. My view on the i8 is that it s normal M costs for routine stuff but you might need to replace something at some point. It will hit you hard (hence warranty) but not more than several engine out services. My warranty has never been broken so a gap will cost more to reintroduce
Thanks. Have you ever had occasion to use the warranty?Regarding warranty. The one I bought came with a 6 month warranty. I dare say it wouldn't be worth the paper it's written on should I have a big claim.
I put the details in to the BMW site and they quoted c£1800 which I believe goes down after year 1. Alternatively there seems to be a few 3rd party companies that owners have had good experience with. I got a quote via ALA and it was £1600 for 2 years warranty. Covers £100ph labour rate and a max single claim of £27,000.
It works out at £66pm. When I consider the road tax for the Evora was £760 per year it's basically the same for a warrantied car.
It gets even easier to justify if I throw fuel and servicing in. I can get a BMW service pack for £25pm and I averaged 73mpg on my drive out on Saturday compared to £400 for the oil alone for the Porsche and an average in the low 20mpg.
I put the details in to the BMW site and they quoted c£1800 which I believe goes down after year 1. Alternatively there seems to be a few 3rd party companies that owners have had good experience with. I got a quote via ALA and it was £1600 for 2 years warranty. Covers £100ph labour rate and a max single claim of £27,000.
It works out at £66pm. When I consider the road tax for the Evora was £760 per year it's basically the same for a warrantied car.
It gets even easier to justify if I throw fuel and servicing in. I can get a BMW service pack for £25pm and I averaged 73mpg on my drive out on Saturday compared to £400 for the oil alone for the Porsche and an average in the low 20mpg.
So pleased you have posted this, I am between cars at the moment and this sits on the list (mainly as I think it’s a sensible choice!) compared to some of the other options.
Like you say not huge amounts of info or threads out there.
I watched this yesterday and whilst I appreciate he’s quite handy in anything, the car looked impressive - https://youtu.be/VWuGDBxbyPk?si=pCCHcwX__k1qgIol
Will certainly be interested to see how you get on, I am about 3 months away from buying so please keep the thread updated with you me observations.
Keen to see how you get on with any rear passengers, it will mostly be me but part of the attraction is the ability to take others if I need too.
Awesome!
Si
Like you say not huge amounts of info or threads out there.
I watched this yesterday and whilst I appreciate he’s quite handy in anything, the car looked impressive - https://youtu.be/VWuGDBxbyPk?si=pCCHcwX__k1qgIol
Will certainly be interested to see how you get on, I am about 3 months away from buying so please keep the thread updated with you me observations.
Keen to see how you get on with any rear passengers, it will mostly be me but part of the attraction is the ability to take others if I need too.
Awesome!
Si
Hi Si,
First thoughts on the rear space. its about the same as a 911. All 4 of us went for a quick spin on Friday. My son and I are both 6ft, my wife is 5.8ft, sat behind my son and my daughter is 5ft sat behind me. My daughter was ok for room, my wife not so much.
So the rears are fine for small /young kids but can fit an adult uncomfortably in an emergency.
First thoughts on the rear space. its about the same as a 911. All 4 of us went for a quick spin on Friday. My son and I are both 6ft, my wife is 5.8ft, sat behind my son and my daughter is 5ft sat behind me. My daughter was ok for room, my wife not so much.
So the rears are fine for small /young kids but can fit an adult uncomfortably in an emergency.
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