Buy BMW i8 now or wait a few months?

[mrv12]

Hey all!

I've recently been looking into getting an i8 over the past few months, but have been put off due to the hefty depreciation of the car. I will be buying a used i8, 2014-15 with some miles on the clock and I've seen some in the price range of £70-75k. The question is, has the depreciation of the car somewhat stabilised or does anyone think it's going to lose even more value? I've been told to wait a few months until the initial 2 year leases have come to an end, and have been returned to BMW.

Please let me know your opinion.

Thanks!

[mrv12]

johnnyreggae said:

According to Howmanyleft there were 11 cars registered in Q2 2014 which according to your theory might come off lease in the next couple of months - how is that going to affect the prices even if all of them are leased when many were probably BMW demo and have already been resold ? Q3 ends with 105 cars total presumably including dealer demo cars (again most resold) and I'm not convinced many early adopters leased so they could resell quickly

To be honest your theory reeks of urban myth !

I wasn't aware of the Howmanyleft website, good to know.

But I believe in Q3/Q4 of this year is when the prices will come down. So I'll hold out until then. Thanks

[mrv12]

I went to go see a 2014 i8 around 2 weeks ago, and checked the price today. They've reduced it by £2.5k from the price they told me, already!

Glad I'm waiting now. Unlucky to those who have bought brand new.

[mrv12]

Amateurish said:

MrOrange said:

mrv12 said:

Unlucky to those who have bought brand new.

I *do* have the benefit of driving mine around whilst you're waiting to afford yours. And I will get my £45k tax rebate that little bit sooner, which is nice

To get that rebate, do you effectively have to drive it 100% for business purposes?

This.

If your accountant has managed to get you a £45k rebate then this is the smart way to have an i8 but I think theres a bit more to it than just saying it's a car solely for business.

[mrv12]

erics said:

It is a stonking car are £100k and even more so for the day when it gets to £60k.

I paid full whack for mine and for some strange reason, i don't regret it. I just think it's the best car at this price point. Way more versatile than a 991 and much less ubiquitous.

Cost 0 to run. Bar a bit of petrol everynow and then.

In essence the huge depreciation could be considered the real running cost, if you decide to sell it of course.

[mrv12]

purpleperil said:

Isn't the 'Huge' depreciation the 'Real' running cost on any new, ordinary supercar? Don't expect it to be any better or worse than a Porsche or Lamborghini

Is an i8 a "supercar" though? But regardless of that it seems the i8 is depreciating faster than other supercars. Within a year or two, the technology being used in the i8 will be considered old. It's a hybrid that can only do ~22 miles on electric, meanwhile Tesla can do over 200 miles. If I could stomach the depreciation of the i8 I would buy one now, but I think it's just a smarter choice to wait it out a little longer.

Edited by mrv12 on Wednesday 18th May 14:45