Decisions taken on 3 year old i3

Last month my UK i3 (BEV) celebrated its third birthday and as a result I was faced with making a number of choices. The first was whether to keep the vehicle by settling my BMW Financial Services contract. This was pretty much a no brainer as I love the car, it still suits me perfectly, and the settlement fee was considerably less than the price a similar second hand vehicle would cost.

The second decision was whether to extend the vehicle's warranty. I ran up BMW FS and was quoted an annual price of over £1000 with an additional £153 for break down cover. My cars has never required any warranty work and the only time I ever used the break down cover was when I punctured a tyre. I have therefore decided that their quote is not good value for money particularly bearing the absence of any engine parts and likewise I am not sure purchasing breakdown cover is worthwhile either.

My strategy is to keep the car for many years to come with the possibility of a battery upgrade some time in the future. Interested to know if any one else has made similar choices.

David

Battery options have already been ruled out for U.K. drivers - even if you didn't baulk at the price tag of €5k plus fitting. Whilst the price for an extended warranty is untenable, the prospect of there being no inclusive support once the drivetrain warranty ends remains a real consideration - unlike an ICE where acquired knowledge is ten a penny, you're limited to BMW, and an almost unlimited cost depending on what is wrong.

A blank cheque is something not many of us like writing - but this is the actual situation you'll be in, and I doubt there is anything the user can do to keep his car on the road.

I've opted to make the fullest use of my vehicle - but when the warranty ends, I'll sell on to someone who doesn't mind the risk.

You may have just answered my question too. I'm in the northern California Bay Area and have been very serious about buying a 2014 REX with under 20k miles for just under $25,000. I've been driving a Mazda MX-5 for 4 years. It's a 2012 that I bought used, and largely because of some back problems my wife developed, she hasn't ridden in the Miata for almost 3 years. Consequently, I basically use it only for local errands and a couple of solo longer trips a year and the car only has a total of just under 9k miles! I'm shocked at had little I've driven it. We're both retired, and when we go somewhere together, we take our other car, a Honda Accord.
Given this usage, a BEV would seem perfect, but reasoning that we would use an I3 more and take some longer trips (and the unknown trauma of range anxiety), the REX seemed like the way to go for maybe $4,000 more than a BEV. We took a test drive of a REX and loved the car's aesthetics and performance. I even checked the tires based on the concerns expressed on this forum.

But, although would would have more warranty coverage by getting a Certified PO vehicle, the concern is still there about what happens down the road when the warranty ends. With the continual improvements in EV range, and with the unknowns expressed in this thread, is this the way to go? Frankly, I don't know of another vehicle that fits our needs as well (including driving enjoyment) . On the other hand, tales of quick wearing and hard to find tires, exploding hatches, and dying batteries are scaring me off. Shortly after my 325i went out of warranty I sold it so avoid the costs. I sold it to a friend who has put on almost another 100k miles, mostly trouble free. Do I just need a Mini Cooper? Convince me one way or another.

A used car is always a crap shoot. The good thing is that the i3 BEV has relatively minimal amount of routine maintenance, and nearly all of that is based on 'normal' car things: brakes, tires, cabin air filter that can be addressed outside of BMW, if you wish. During the first several years, especially on a new model, most if not all of the vehicle specific problems have shown up and have been resolved. I'm planning on keeping mine until it either pisses me off, or something new comes out that entices me to take the depreciation hit. Depreciation/year gets better the older the car is.

I am currently looking for a 2014 i3. The cost of possible repairs does scare me too. Since a Rex has a lot more parts to it, and all kinds of sensors to warn of issues that may or may not be a serious problem, it represents a higher financial risk than a Bev. For the times that I think I would need a longer range vehicle, I figure that I could rent a vehicle, or just keep my older ice. The cost between a used Bev and Rex is about $3000. That money could pay for the alternative travel choices, and give me a little more relief from ERA - 'expensive repair anxiety'!

I just bought an 60Ah i3, 16 month old and 10K km. I paid 25k € on BMW dealer. I have two years of warranty. My idea is to keep it as much as possible, I love the shape, and been the first generation, I want to keep it. I think it will be repairs free for a long time, and in 4-5 years, BMW or third party will offer a 500km battery pack that I will buy it. Let´s see the result in a few years....

I'm now going on 3 years on my Rex. Doing it over again, I would 1) Get a BEV--most of my maintenance/recall problems have been associated with the range extender. I think a BEV is likely to have very little maintenance costs, which are always an issue with BMW's. 2) Lease a new one with any incentives available. I bought and my i3 is worth less than 50% of the purchase price. Then, at the conclusion of the lease, do a deal to buy it if you like it. For the poster saying his wife has a bad back--everytime my wife and I go out in the i3, she complains about the coal cart ride of our 2014. I've heard that the 2017's have a more compliant ride. Also, there are hints that the 2018's will have yet a larger battery (i3 is non-competitive against Ionic, Model 3 and Bolt) and different tires (which are sorely needed).

I have had around 10 drivetrain malfunctions. I would consider this a lemon. Who knows what steps I should take now?

jptl4fun said:

I have had around 10 drivetrain malfunctions. I would consider this a lemon. Who knows what steps I should take now?

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Contact a lawyer who handles lemon cases. Expect to go to arbitration.

Bob Wilson

jptl4fun said:

I have had around 10 drivetrain malfunctions. I would consider this a lemon. Who knows what steps I should take now?

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Another possible solution is to contact one of BMW Car Club of America's ombudsmen. Not a member of BMWCCA ? Easy enough to join. I haven't had any personal experience with an ombudsman nor do I have any anecdotal stories, but it might be worth looking into.

jptl4fun said:

I have had around 10 drivetrain malfunctions. I would consider this a lemon. Who knows what steps I should take now?

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Each state has their own definition of a lemon, so without checking on that, you may not prevail with any claim on a legal standpoint. BMW corporate may still negotiate with you but they are not required to unless you've met the legal requirements defined in your state's law.

In some, it's the number of times they have addressed and failed to resolve the situation, in others, it's the number of days out of service, or some combination of that and possibly others. Your state consumer protection agency should be able to guide you.