Someone else searching for an 2021 i3 S fully loaded with the all the options that were offered BMW as a part of “ their last year’ program.

[Mustrum Ridcully]

"Red is my preferred color i3S from 2021, with genuine dark leather and dark oak dash. I don't want the extra weight of the Rex, as my longest trips these days are for doctor appointments in the Boston area, which is about 110 miles away. I want a large navigation screen and HK audio system similar to the one in my MINI. One review I read said the Rex was not offered with the Sport trim in for 2021 is this true? I will consider other colors except for all black or all white



The two things that I expect to add on my own are a blind spot warning swstem if I can find a good one with the help of the gang here. I have a dash cam that is sitting on my desk. (I won in a hospital raffle a VIOFO Dash Cam A119 Mini 2, STARVIS 2 Sensor, 2K 60fps/HDR 30fps Voice Control) I expect that once I find my /’perfect i3S I will be asking for help installing it.



I am willing to wait for what I want from the BMW Certified program. I hope to find a car with less than 30,000 miles. I am willing to travel up to about 1000 miles to get it, but I would pay for transportation if it were over that. I expect that, with luck, this will be my last car.



Currently, I am driving my 2004 MINI Cooper S, which I have owned from new. It was the first car I ordered just the way I wanted it. It took several months from when I ordered it for it to arrive. It is in British Racing Green with a white roof and wheels, and it has all the options I wanted, such as factory navigation, sport suspension, six-speed down leather, HK sat radio, and more.



I am over 75 with health problems that have reduced my annual miles. I no longer drive from Maine to Santa Fe, NM every year or two to visit my sister. My car has just 72,000 miles and a complete service history. It is well-kept in my basement heated garage, where a mechanic who has serviced it for over 15 years has offered me $3,800.00 for it.

I am a retired professional pilot and professional yacht captian. My hobbies are centered around my home machine shop, making parts to repair antique machines and firearms. I live in the Midcoast Maine area and the BMW dealer near Portland about 60 miles away from me, told me that the only certified BMW cars they sold well were cars that they themselves had sold pleased and hence had full-service history directly with them. This means I need to find another BMW dealer to help with this search or to search the BMW-certified web pages every day or two for the I3 that I want



Cheers,

M R"

 

[alohart]

I believe that REx versions of both the i3 and i3S were sold through the final 2021 U.S. model year.

I looked for a 2019+ i3 BEV for over a year without finding one that met my requirements. I then asked IQAutos' concierge buying service to find one for me. Within 2 months, they found at an auction house a lease-return i3 that met my requirements and sold it to me for 5% over their auction purchase price with no dealer prep charges or charges for transportation to their Atlanta-area dealership. I bought it sight-unseen which made me nervous, but they sent me an inspection report and detailed photos. That was almost 2 years ago. I remain very happy with our used 2019 i3 BEV which replaced the 2014 i3 BEV that we bought new.

 

[Mustrum Ridcully]

Art, thanks for the pointer.

Based on your recommendation, I have signed up with them at https://iqautos.com/inventorycloud. The larger battery size is nice, though I see some posts about the 120 AH battery in the S that make me slightly nervous. I have been driving the 2004 MINI Cooper S That I bought new for 20 years now, and here I am on delivery day 20 years ago this month. Brownie points to those who recognize the dealer. And this MINI is mostly BMW with its vintage infotainment navigation system. My main gripe is that I have not been able to get new Navigation DVDs for it since 2014, and in fact, the last two updates were from a grey market BMW dealer, and Ia had to do a bit of minor hacking to get the BMW logo replaced with the MINI wings on the screen when you start up the car... I still love the car, but if I am to remain independent, rowing the lovely 6-speed manual in my MINI, which has no modern safety options other than traction control and antilock brakes, needs to be replaced. The lack of a blind spot warning in the i3 is a worry, and I hope to find an after-market device to address that with the help of the folks here on the forum.

 

[BMWCCA#41]

I tried to sign up with IQ Autos, but they said they were no longer sourcing i3 because they're out of warranty. That didn't make any sense to me. How did you manage to sign up? I'd love a '21 just coming off lease.

 

[BMWCCA#41]

Followed up with IQ today and they reiterated that they're not sourcing any BMWs, not just the i3, due to pandemic production issues. Offered to sell me a Tesla.

That's a great '04 MINI. I had a red '04 Cooper. It was destroyed in late '05 by a saltwater flood from Hurricane Wilma.

I'm currently driving a '17 Ford Focus with a (German designed) 3cyl/turbo engine and a 6-speed. I love driving manuals and will hate giving it up when I go electric. My 82-year-old husband's having trouble getting in and out of the Ford. The tall i3 will be easier.

 

[Arm]

I may have considered selling you mine but then I'd be left without a car lol.

 

[Mustrum Ridcully]

I tried to sign up with IQ Autos, but they said they were no longer sourcing i3 because they're out of warranty. That didn't make any sense to me. How did you manage to sign up? I'd love a '21 just coming off lease.

Well I went through the process provided my cell number and wastold one. of their experts would be in touch but nothing from them since that text yesterday. I will keep searching the BMW-certified system every day or so.... My first choice Color is something called "Blueridge something and I have only see them in photos and video.... so I guess it will be rare. I don't even know if it was available for the s in 2021.

 

[mojo]

My first choice Color is something called "Blueridge something

My 2021 "S" is in Blue Ridge Mountain, so you ~should~ be able to find one. But I suspect that what you'll find is that if you care about an exact spec, you'll probably have to compromise on the colour. I wanted Galvanic Gold, but had to compromise on BRM.

 

[alohart]

I tried to sign up with IQ Autos, but they said they were no longer sourcing i3 because they're out of warranty. That didn't make any sense to me. How did you manage to sign up? I'd love a '21 just coming off lease.

That's too bad. The IQAutos owner is very familiar with i3's and was very helpful locating one for me.

IQAutos currently has a 2015 and 2018 i3 for sale on their lot, neither of which has a valid general warranty.

Few 2021 i3's were sold in the U.S., so maybe IQAutos feels that finding an ideal one would be unlikely and not worth their effort.

I have created a search for my ideal 2021 i3 at CarGurus.com. I've been receiving regular email messages listing available 2021 i3's across the U.S. Unfortunately, these are being sold by dealers so are marked up considerably compared with the 2019 i3 that IQAutos found for me as is at an auction house before dealer markups had been applied.

 

[alohart]

Followed up with IQ today and they reiterated that they're not sourcing any BMWs, not just the i3, due to pandemic production issues. Offered to sell me a Tesla.

They are currently selling 6 BMW's. All auto manufacturers had pandemic production issues, so this doesn't make sense to me.

It probably wouldn't hurt to contact Matt Hayes ([email protected]) who I believe is the IQAutos owner.

 

[user 9975]

I have a 2021 i3s in white and black with Deka, tech package, HK audio, loaded every option stickered at $57 I believe . It's off lease in July. 19,000 miles on it. I may buy it even though residual is high at $33k but since the price of all cars have escalated so much it might make sense for me to do.

 

[accidentalyEV]

I tried to sign up with IQ Autos, but they said they were no longer sourcing i3 because they're out of warranty. That didn't make any sense to me. How did you manage to sign up? I'd love a '21 just coming off lease.

Hello, I have a 2021 I3s with Rex that is still under factory warranty and I was going to lost it for sale in two months.

 

[Mustrum Ridcully]

My 2021 "S" is in Blue Ridge Mountain, so you ~should~ be able to find one. But I suspect that what you'll find is that if you care about an exact spec, you'll probably have to compromise on the colour. I wanted Galvanic Gold, but had to compromise on BRM.

Yes I expect I will have to compromise on color to get a BMW-certified 2021 BEV optioned the way I want it don't think I have ever actually seen a 3i in any other color than panda or all black here in Maine. I have very lucky to have AtlanticMotors as the independent shop thanking care of my MINI for the last 18 years as the nearest dealer to me is over 120 miles away in Peabody Massachusetts where I bought my BRG

My 2021 "S" is in Blue Ridge Mountain, so you ~should~ be able to find one. But I suspect that what you'll find is that if you care about an exact spec, you'll probably have to compromise on the colour. I wanted Galvanic Gold, but had to compromise on BRM.

I am envious your car is just what I am looking fir I guess. if this one in Texas in Gold was in your Blue Ridge Mountain I would be jumping on it.

https://www.bmwusa.com/certified-preowned-search/detail/WBY8P2C00M7H63530

 

[alohart]

I am envious your car is just what I am looking fir I guess. if this one in Texas in Gold was in your Blue Ridge Mountain I would be jumping on it.

https://www.bmwusa.com/certified-preowned-search/detail/WBY8P2C00M7H63530

I recently looked at a 2021 Galvanic Gold i3 being sold by a local dealer. I love the exterior color, but I want a Giga World (Lodge) trim. This one is a Mega World (Loft) trim with noticeable stains on the gray driver seat that the dealer was unable to remove. The all gray interior looks so plain and boring to me compared with Giga World. When we bought our 2014 Giga BEV new, Mega World was the lowest trim level which was missing several features included in Giga World. With Deka World being the lowest trim level in 2021 i3's, I think that Mega World now includes almost the same features as Giga World with the exception of some interior and exterior door handle LED's.

I considered swapping the Giga World interior in our 2019 i3 with the Mega World interior of the 2021 i3. However, the 2021 i3 has the HK entertainment system that our 2019 doesn't have which means that the door cards are different and could not be swapped.

I also don't want a moonroof which this 2021 i3 has. The cabin heats up noticeably when our i3 is in our intense, tropical sunlight. I had light gray vinyl film installed on our 2019 i3 to reflect some of the infrared (IR) radiation. I would have had to do something similar to the 2021, but tinting the moonroof glass would prevent only some of the IR radiation from entering the cabin. Also, several moonroof i3's have had rainwater leak or drain problems that I want to avoid. Also, the significant additional weight of the moonroof itself and the painted metal roof of a moonroof-equipped i3 is in the worst place: at the top of a tall i3 where it would affect handling the most.

Oh, well, I'll keep looking…

 

[Skye2002]

So you

Art, thanks for the pointer.

Based on your recommendation, I have signed up with them at https://iqautos.com/inventorycloud. The larger battery size is nice, though I see some posts about the 120 AH battery in the S that make me slightly nervous. I have been driving the 2004 MINI Cooper S That I bought new for 20 years now, and here I am on delivery day 20 years ago this month. Brownie points to those who recognize the dealer. And this MINI is mostly BMW with its vintage infotainment navigation system. My main gripe is that I have not been able to get new Navigation DVDs for it since 2014, and in fact, the last two updates were from a grey market BMW dealer, and Ia had to do a bit of minor hacking to get the BMW logo replaced with the MINI wings on the screen when you start up the car... I still love the car, but if I am to remain independent, rowing the lovely 6-speed manual in my MINI, which has no modern safety options other than traction control and antilock brakes, needs to be replaced. The lack of a blind spot warning in the i3 is a worry, and I hope to find an after-market device to address that with the help of the folks here on the forum.
View attachment 599

So you are worried about not having a blind spot monitor? I will pose a question to you... are your exterior mirrors positioned correctly? If you can see the sides of your car from your normal driving position, then I would suggest that they need to be moved out. This will solve your problem. I think over 90% of drivers have incorrectly positioned mirrors, and the number of cars I see with small stick-on convex mirrors is crazy. Having said that, I can certainly appreciate the need for truck drivers being able to see the side of their rigs... some having multiple mirrors.

 

[Mustrum Ridcully]

I recently looked at a 2021 Galvanic Gold i3 being sold by a local dealer. I love the exterior color, but I want a Giga World (Lodge) trim. This one is a Mega World (Loft) trim with noticeable stains on the gray driver seat that the dealer was unable to remove. The all gray interior looks so plain and boring to me compared with Giga World. When we bought our 2014 Giga BEV new, Mega World was the lowest trim level which was missing several features included in Giga World. With Deka World being the lowest trim level in 2021 i3's, I think that Mega World now includes almost the same features as Giga World with the exception of some interior and exterior door handle LED's.

I considered swapping the Giga World interior in our 2019 i3 with the Mega World interior of the 2021 i3. However, the 2021 i3 has the HK entertainment system that our 2019 doesn't have which means that the door cards are different and could not be swapped.

I also don't want a moonroof which this 2021 i3 has. The cabin heats up noticeably when our i3 is in our intense, tropical sunlight. I had light gray vinyl film installed on our 2019 i3 to reflect some of the infrared (IR) radiation. I would have had to do something similar to the 2021, but tinting the moonroof glass would prevent only some of the IR radiation from entering the cabin. Also, several moonroof i3's have had rainwater leak or drain problems that I want to avoid. Also, the significant additional weight of the moonroof itself and the painted metal roof of a moonroof-equipped i3 is in the worst place: at the top of a tall i3 where it would affect handling the most.

Oh, well, I'll keep looking…

All good info for my search. And good points about the moon roof. I am ignorant about interior trim options as I never saw the original sales web pages. I just know I don't want black or white and I would like wood on the dash and leather as the leather seats in my 20-year-old Mini Cooper S show little wear.
This is the text that I got from IQautos when I signed up. I have had no further contact since this text so I will call them voice on Monday. Does anyone know of other search companies with a good reputation?
#######%%%%%%%
IQautos is here to help you with any vehicle, shipping, trade-in, warranty or financing questions. Call 470-310-3111 for a more immediate response. In the meantime, save our contact for quick replies https://a.podium.co/DGPeYy4

 

[Mustrum Ridcully]

So you

So you are worried about not having a blind spot monitor? I will pose a question to you... are your exterior mirrors positioned correctly? If you can see the sides of your car from your normal driving position, then I would suggest that they need to be moved out. This will solve your problem. I think over 90% of drivers have incorrectly positioned mirrors, and the number of cars I see with small stick-on convex mirrors is crazy. Having said that, I can certainly appreciate the need for truck drivers being able to see the side of their rigs... some having multiple mirrors.

I broke my neck at C2 in July of 2016 and while I have made a good recovery in general I do have some mobility impairment and limited neck rotation is a part of that. I expect that the tech for aftermarket BSM devices will continue to improve and when I hear of a good unit I expect I will try it out.
MR

 

[eNate]

Just a quick note that although CarGurus is my go-to, when I was searching for my 2021 I found it on Cars.com. The salesman told me his dealership purposefully didn't list on CarGurus because of their inflated listing prices, and that he was aware of other dealerships dialing back their listing activity on that site. I was surprised; I was under the impression CarGurus was partly a listing aggregator, pulling in ads from other sites. Apparently not. That strategy may have cost them, because my i3 sat unsold on their lot for six months, but it illustrates the importance of using all available resources when on the hunt for "that car" and the pickings are slim.

 

[TheAirman]

I too wanted the most optioned out 2021 I could find. I searched every site for months and months and found that most sites repeat the same vehicle, but found my best results at CarFax.com. At least there you were able to check the CarFax record of ownership.

I wanted every option, including REX, and "S". It seemed to me that 2 options in the 2021 MY are hard to find together, and they are the sunroof with the HK audio. I found many certified lease returns with either the sunroof and standard audio, or HK audio and no sunroof, so I had to make a choice. They were all in the $30k range. So on CarFax, I always refined my search as either "newest", or "highest priced".

So then it came down to color. Any color other than black or white, like red, blue or gold in a 2021MY are rare. I never liked a white car, but it was the only certified, low mileage, car I could find, and the only thing missing was the HK radio. So I bought it. I just pulled the front door cards and replaced the cheap factory speakers with some Match UP X4 from Crutchfield, and it made a huge difference. They do have a plug and play Match amplifier for the i3, so I figured I could get close to HK sound, but I could never cut a hole in the roof for a sunroof.

You may find the right car, but the biggest part of the puzzle is getting it too you. My one owner 2021 was originally bought in Hawaii, and shipped to San Fransisco. You'll probably will end up having to use a shipping service like Driveway from Lithia.

A quick search found this rare one. Keep your eye on it:
https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/43638d31-9b6b-41c1-a129-e56ac6b3d1b1/

 

[TheAirman]

Here's the same car on CarFax. The listing say both 19 and 20 inch wheels which would make either a "S" or not ???

But the listing also states Moonroof AND HK audio. Newly listed, so we shall see when the pictures come.

https://www.carfax.com/vehicle/WBY8P2C07M7H86996