‘21 BEV Was Worth Waiting For

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Skyking6976

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 29, 2021
Messages
56
OMG…the trails and tribulations finding one of these things over the past 6 weeks. Sincere thanks to all. I think it worked out for the best in the end. One of the last new i3’s in Giga with Tech package in the northeast. Wasn’t everything we wanted but no complaints. I read so many posts and saw so many videos about the REX, I felt a new BEV was the right choice for us. I know BMW pays maintenance during the lease but still…to me it’s a hassle. I’m sure 99% of you love using the REX, especially the 60Ah models.

Great deal for us on a lease with just shy of 11G’s off sticker. I’m happy with that financially. I’m sure many have done better. Had 99% leaving the DC area and even keeping up with the wife doing 80 a good bit, the 115 mile trip left me with 33%. The weather was perfect and I know that improves range. Yes I know the car is an urban car and will be used as such but it was a blast driving on the interstate…all over really. I did not feel the buffeting from trucks, didn’t feel the tires scoot off in the road groves as I’ve read. It was a really nice ride.

Thanks again to all for your help. It’s crazy out there looking for an i3…
 
Wow, that's great, welcome aboard officially. You went from 60 to 94 to 120 in the span of a couple of weeks! It took me two years to jump just one of those gaps. :D

My search criteria on Car Gurus had been New > Nationwide > $51,000+ > Sunroof. That had been showing me every i3 listed with Tech, and from there I'd scan the photos for HK audio. That pool has now dwindled to 8 cars (two of which are Rex) and none of them have the HK option. Cars.com (which has a Premium Audio checkbox to select) shows only 3 w/ HK, only one of which is a BEV, and no sunroof. Those are both out of about 30 2021 i3s listed. It's unbelievable how quickly they're disappearing!

I hope this car will satisfy you for a while. With all the new EVs coming out, as appealing as many of them are, the i3 for me has remained the king of practicality, considering I have an ID.4 and Flex in the household. But as far as lineage of i3s, you've got the latest iDrive, the best-tuned ACC, the upgraded bearings, and of course, zero miles. I don't think this car is going to get any better before it's retired for good. That's all pretty great.
 
I was able to retire very early but this got to be a 7 day a week job looking for what we wanted. Then to actually close the deal before someone else got it or the dealer claimed there was a deposit so they wouldn’t lose out on financing.

Yes…We wanted HK and moonroof as well but simply couldn’t find one. Many of the HK equipped cars were part of that leather Terra world thing…which looks very sophisticated and stylish but not what we wanted. I did find an ‘18 REX that was maxed out with one minor accident but the dealer acted insulted when I made an offer. I used CarPlay a few minutes on the way home. The sound quality is more than acceptable. We have HK in our 330i that’s 15 years old and still sounds amazing.

I found the advertised photos didn’t always help because many times they were “stock”. I’d run the VIN on that Bimmer website to see EXACTLY what the car had. If it’s not a BMW dealer selling it I didn’t trust the description and still didn’t 100%. I know it’s tempting to put in modifiers to save looking at endless cars but you have to avoid that temptation…there aren’t THAT many.

Honestly…we made the right decision. We’ll turn it in September 2025 and replace it with an i4. Paying for maintenance on an i3 and the delay in getting parts does not sound appealing.
 
Paying for maintenance on an i3 and the delay in getting parts does not sound appealing.


???

One oil change a year if a REx- $120 at the Dealer. I do my own, $40.

One brake flush every two years at the Dealer - $160.

That's it for maintenance, other than one tire-set change, in my three years of ownership.

Parts should be available for 10+ years, especially since the i3 drivetrain is now used in the new Mini E that just went into production.
 
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