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BMW i3
- Thread starter gregincal
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Trev Page
Member
Can you please give me links to these i3 you see online for $20K? Very interested at those prices. Thanks
I had a chance to test drive an i3 a few weeks ago. It was not that impressive. I've had half a dozen BMWs over the years, and always appreciated their dynamics, but the i3 is missing all of that. It's slightly more entertaining than a base FWD ICE economy hatch, but not much.
Plus it looks weird and the interior materials are so ostentatiously "recycled" feeling that it's like sitting in a dumpster.
I wouldn't buy one, not even for 20k. At that price point, buy a GTI and wait for CPO Model 3s to be available in a couple of years.
Plus it looks weird and the interior materials are so ostentatiously "recycled" feeling that it's like sitting in a dumpster.
I wouldn't buy one, not even for 20k. At that price point, buy a GTI and wait for CPO Model 3s to be available in a couple of years.
dhrivnak
Active Member
I had a different view as the car was nimble and responsive. I thought the interior was quite roomy and all in all the I3 was a credible alternative. True not quite Model S territory but it is much easier to park and about 1/3 less cost than a base 60
gavine
Petrol Head turned EV Enthusiast
Did you drive the BEV or REX? The REX is about a second slower to 60 due to the 300lb added weight of the gas motor. The i3 gets its performance from lightness and the BEV weighs around 2600 lbs. Adding 300lbs to it is more than a 10% increase.
I have an i3 BEV and I find that, although it's not even close to Tesla performance, it is fun to drive. It is also quick and nimble. Again, the REX probably not so much.
Not sure, honestly--it was a BMW test drive event, and I didn't see the spec sheet.
It was ok in a straight line, but not hugely remarkable. Same surge of torque right off the line as the Model S, just less of it and a much more dramatic fall off as speed increased.
It was really in the turns where I thought it was meh. Nimble enough, but the steering was pretty dead and the tires had what felt like negative grip. For any other manufacturer it would have been fine, but for BMW? It just felt bland.
It was ok in a straight line, but not hugely remarkable. Same surge of torque right off the line as the Model S, just less of it and a much more dramatic fall off as speed increased.
It was really in the turns where I thought it was meh. Nimble enough, but the steering was pretty dead and the tires had what felt like negative grip. For any other manufacturer it would have been fine, but for BMW? It just felt bland.
Now is the time to reserve a Model 3 so you will still likely receive the federal and depending on the state you live in, state incentives. A few years from now CPO Model 3's may be as expensive as a new one that you buy later this year or early 2018, as the incentives will be gone on new ones, the CPO's will rise in value/price as well.
Cars for Sale: Used 2014 BMW i3 for sale in Anaheim, CA 92806: Hatchback Details - 450219197 - Autotrader
Cars for Sale: Used 2014 BMW i3 for sale in Anaheim, CA 92806: Hatchback Details - 450219182 - Autotrader
Cars for Sale: Used 2014 BMW i3 w/ Range Extender for sale in Cerritos, CA 90703: Hatchback Details - 451437796 - Autotrader
There are bound to be more appearing as the 2014 leases end.
@slipnslider
Interesting that like for like spec mileage and condition, the REX's are holding their money better. (Same is true here in the UK market, with REX cars being worth additionally more used than the REX option cost new.)
Interesting that like for like spec mileage and condition, the REX's are holding their money better. (Same is true here in the UK market, with REX cars being worth additionally more used than the REX option cost new.)
gavine
Petrol Head turned EV Enthusiast
Amateurs buy REXes and quickly learn that they rarely (if ever) use it and even more rarely ever need it.
I'm not surprised. REx cars are much more flexible - and maybe more importantly, won't feel nearly as scary to the 99% of the car buying public who have never owned an EV.
For most folk the same is true for auto insurance. They buy it but don't use it. It does provide some peace of mind however.
Add to that the reliability of the i3 BEV and the lack thereof for the REX and the i3 BEV is one I'd have bought for Rio were they available here. Sadly, only the i3 REC and i8 are sold here and very, very few of those since both are priced here rather like Patek Philiippe, but without much of a warranty.Not to mention that the one i3 I know about in Rio needs new tires every 5,000 km or so, with regular road hazards destroying tires and wheels. The i3 REX seems to have been intended only for impeccable roads and very frequent service. My neighbor keeps trying to use it anyway, and there is free charging at our favorite Supermarket and our favorite shopping center too.
That's my take on it too.
I'm a pragmatist about it, and if people are choosing between a REX and an ICE (or low EV mileage PHEV), then I see it as a good thing. A baby step into full BEV if you will.
Munro & Associates COMPLETE teardown report for only $10:
https://munrolive.com/support-/-store/ols/products/bmw-i3-reports
Valore
Member
Here's the rundown of BMW's annual i3 sales.
- 2013: 311
- 2014: 16,052
- 2015: 24,057
- 2016: 25,528
- 2017: 31,482
- 2018: 36,829
- 2019: 39,501
jcaspar
Member
For comparison
Chevy Bolt sold 16,418 in 2019.
Tesla Model 3 sold 87,282 in the first quarter of 2020
Chevy Bolt sold 16,418 in 2019.
Tesla Model 3 sold 87,282 in the first quarter of 2020
Valore
Member
That's not quite correct.
Tesla produced 87,282 Model 3 and Model Y combined. We don't know how many of those were Model 3 and how many were Model Y.
Only 76,266 Model 3 and Model Y were delivered though.
If it's 50:50 between 3 and Y, then 38,133 Model 3 were sold in the first quarter of 2020.
Those are US sales numbers for Bolt.
Per FINAL UPDATE: Quarterly Plug-In EV Sales Scorecard, that's correct for US Bolt sales but Bolt is sold outside the US (albeit in not great numbers, esp. given that the car was never mirrored and GM got rid of their European operations so I'm not even sure it as the Ampera-E is still selling much/at all).
BMW i3 (BEV And REx) sales in the US were 4,854 in the same period.
Chevrolet Bolt EV Sales Numbers has covers another 8,200 or so for markets outside the US for 2019 but I'm not sure if that's complete.
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jcaspar
Member
Correct. This is Model 3 and Y. Tesla Model 3 was the best selling car in all of California during this period. Better than any Honda, Toyota mode.
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