Traded an M for an i...

BMW i3 Forum

Help Support BMW i3 Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Merq

New member
Joined
Oct 23, 2014
Messages
1
I picked up a REX i3 last week and am pretty excited at what this thing can do! Sure, it doesn't handle or feel anywhere like my E92 M3 did but that's not the point of the i3. The i3 is so special in its own way. The fun and practicality of this EV outweighs what I miss about my M.

I'm looking forward to learning more about EV driving in general and meeting some other forums members who have been Born Electric ;D

Some pics:

M3:
http://i.imgur.com/mOQT2pJ.jpg

i3:
http://i.imgur.com/BLStkn7.jpg
 
Merq said:
I picked up a REX i3 last week and am pretty excited at what this thing can do! Sure, it doesn't handle or feel anywhere like my E92 M3 did but that's not the point of the i3. The i3 is so special in its own way. The fun and practicality of this EV outweighs what I miss about my M.

I'm looking forward to learning more about EV driving in general and meeting some other forums members who have been Born Electric ;D

:D Congratulations. In life we have cars and neat cars. The i3 is sooooo neat & I love mine.
 
I'm making the same trade at the end of the year. Occasionally I'm nervous about saying goodbye to my E92 M3 Cab, but I know it's going to be just fine.
 
Alexander99 said:
I did something similar, 450hp C63 for a BEV i3.... Really liking the car.

That's a big change. I was thinking about the new c63 when it comes out next spring.

What do you think of the transition?
 
i had an E92 M3 and made the exchange for a BEV i3.. not the same kind of car but if you stay in a city, the i3 is way much more fun ;-) if you have an open road in front of you.. not the same story ;-)
 
Surprising some of the previous cars in this thread.

It's pretty cool being in on the ground floor and learning a lot about EVs. Hope there will soon be a mainstream performance EV convertible (the i8 is really nice but a bit much both in price and speed).
 
Merq said:
I picked up a REX i3 last week and am pretty excited at what this thing can do! Sure, it doesn't handle or feel anywhere like my E92 M3 did but that's not the point of the i3. The i3 is so special in its own way. The fun and practicality of this EV outweighs what I miss about my M.

I'm looking forward to learning more about EV driving in general and meeting some other forums members who have been Born Electric ;D

Some pics:

M3:
http://i.imgur.com/mOQT2pJ.jpg

i3:
http://i.imgur.com/BLStkn7.jpg

I still have my 545 sport 6-speed but don't miss it and therefore don't drive it. Wish I could get a decent price for it, but nobody seems to be knowledgeable about, much less willing to pay for, key upgrades and low mileage.
 
I also traded my E92 M3 for an i3 BEV in May and I love the i3. Who would have thought so many M3 owners would switch to the i3? The acceleration of the i3 is awesome. Now I dream of an i6 (sports coupe) that would be no bigger than a 3 series with more energy density and Tesla-like performance.
 
I recently lost my beloved 2003 540 M-sport (totaled while keeping my wife out of harm's way) and love the i3 which we took possession of yesterday. I have been test driving all new bimmer models for years trying to find a good replacement for our aging e39's (we still have a 2000 540 which will have to retire within a year) and the i3 is one of the few that has had me so excited within the price range that we can afford. Still planning for an M235i ED for next summer but absolutely love the i3.
 
I kept my F10 M5, but it has seen only 300 miles compared to 3000 on the i3 since I got it. I keep waiting for th novelty to wear off, but the i3 is just a fun car to drive around town and in traffic.

As I have mentioned here before, the hidden beauty of EV cars is that you can do WOT stoplight acceleration runs without attracting "who's that a-hole?" stares attracted by exhaust growls from high-HP ICE cars. Certainly the most fun BMW in the 0-40 MPH zone. Highway passing power, not so much-- but still good enough.

Edit: @rtanov, I also did ED on the M5. Awesome experience. Highly encouraged. Remember, the drive from The Welt to the 'Ring is PLENTY of "break in." ;-)
 
There's a few of us here by the looks of it then. I'm going from M3 to i3, although I'm still keeping the M for weekends and using the i3 for work and town trips.
 
Chrisn said:
Edit: @rtanov, I also did ED on the M5. Awesome experience. Highly encouraged. Remember, the drive from The Welt to the 'Ring is PLENTY of "break in." ;-)

Yeah, the 'Ring is in the plans, and I am also planning a PCD for redelivery. Will see how that goes...
 
rtanov said:
Yeah, the 'Ring is in the plans, and I am also planning a PCD for redelivery. Will see how that goes...
Do yourself a favor and rent a car for the ring...it really does help to bed the engine in per BMW's guidelines down the road for oil use, and total performance. I doubt you'd have your 1,000-miles on it before you got there from Munich!
 
jadnashuanh said:
Do yourself a favor and rent a car for the ring...it really does help to bed the engine in per BMW's guidelines down the road for oil use, and total performance.

Nonsense! Don't be Debbie Downer! Gotta drive YOUR car and then look yourself up on the pro photographers' sites like this:

IMG_0414.jpeg


Seriously, you can bed the brakes on the way up and, unless you've done dozens of laps on the Ring previously, you're not going to be "pushing it" at all. 6/10 is still a blast. Just do it! You know, YOLO..
 
Brakes and tires are at their best after about 200-300 miles...engine, wants that 1,000. Now, if you can keep yourself from being boy racer, and just drive around, certainly. Really, the engine will usually end up using more oil if you don't follow the breakin. THat doesn't mean you can't go reasonably fast (they want you to keep it below 100mph), but the kicker is to not smash the throttle and force multiple gear downshifts. Avoid those, and you should be fine. Mine has never used a drop of oil in its first 30K, at least when looking at the I-drive level indications between oil changes. I did see 100mph on the autobahn, but kept my acceleration within limits.

But, it's your car, your choice.
 
jadnashuanh said:
Do yourself a favor and rent a car for the ring...it really does help to bed the engine in per BMW's guidelines down the road for oil use, and total performance. I doubt you'd have your 1,000-miles on it before you got there from Munich!
I'm afraid we might have shifted the focus of this thread... but it does have an "M" in the title :D

The break-in has been discussed at length in the other BMW forums and I personally do believe in it. Furthermore the plan is to buy the car and keep it for awhile, maybe past the warranty period. However, I get more thrills from getting around curves rather than driving fast on the straights, so I still think I can get a good fun from a fresh engine around the "Ring while keeping it within reasonable load. The tires and breaks should be good by then.
 
I was going to trade my '95 M3 (83,000 miles) in for an i3 REx, but the dealership wouldn't give me a good price. So I decided to sell it myself. I hardly drove the M3 and kept it for summer drives. I've enjoyed the i3 on commutes to work and around the country roads. It's fun to drive especially between 0-30mph. Still have my BMW 1100rt motorcycle. :D

---------------
'14 BMW i3 REx / Laurel Gray
'96 BMW 1100rt motorcycle / Blue
'95 BMW M3 / Black
 
We had an E92 M3 and a Jeep Grand Cherokee. Swapped them for an i3 (BEV) and an M135i.

Love the i3 and the M135i is nearly as quick as my old M3 for those occasions when I need a petrol fix...
 
Back
Top