Purchasing 2019 i3s REX - 51k miles

[ericblz]

Hi,

My i3 REX lease is coming due at the worst possible time with gas prices high and everyone suddenly buying the i3. It doesn't help that they stopped making them!

I was looking to step up to the 2019 i3s. One I found for a decent price has 51k miles. Though I compared 20k vs 51k miles and KBB takes off ~$4k value. As for reliability - it's an electric motor so don't think that will wear out soon but I do worry about the battery and maybe the REX since they probably relied on it to get that many miles in three years.

Any thoughts for me? Thanks!!

[agzand]

How is BMW financial lease buy out pricing these days? Doesn't it make sense to buy out your car with current prices?

[ericblz]

Not really, I took over a $219/month lease so the residual is high, above KBB by several thousand.

I'd really like the sport model - anyone have thoughts on mileage for this one offered? It's almost 50 miles per day for 3 years.

[agzand]

It also depends on how much you are planning to drive. If you are planning to drive a lot in a couple of years you will be in high mileage territory, where things start to wear out. If you are planning to drive a few thousands a year I guess you will be OK.

I wouldn't be concerned about REX mileage or battery. 50 miles a day on a 120ah battery is not a significant cycle and I am pretty sure the REX is hardly used on a 2019. If anything I would be worried about REX not being used frequently. You can ask them to check the battery capacity for you.

I was in the same boat last week. I sold my 2018 REX last year and was looking for a i3s with options that I wanted (HK and Tech package). The only one that I found at a reasonable price was high mileage. Eventually I ended up with a low mileage non s without HK. These days if you want a perfect car you have to pay way too much. One of the main draws of i3 in US market has been value. If I have to pay $35k for a used i3, I would rather pay a bit more for a Model 3 which will have much lower cost of ownership.

[frictioncircle]

If I have to pay $35k for a used i3, I would rather pay a bit more for a Model 3 which will have much lower cost of ownership.

I'm not a Tesla owner so I'm curious – why would the Model 3 have a much lower cost of ownership?

[agzand]

Because 1) Tesla has the best resale value, BMW not so much, and 2) Tesla has 8 yr/100k mile power train warranty. So potential repairs on a used i3 are more expensive than a model 3.

[ericblz]

Looks like battery deterioration gets noticable after 1500-2000 charges. If they charged daily, probably about a thousand charges so far.

I drive about 150 miles per week so not a heavy user, assuming nothing is broken when I get it, I expect it to last a long time.

I did check the Batt.Kapa on my current 2019 i3, shows 38.4. Should I look for at least 34+?

Thanks for any guidance!

[alohart]

Looks like battery deterioration gets noticable after 1500-2000 charges. If they charged daily, probably about a thousand charges so far.

I drive about 150 miles per week so not a heavy user, assuming nothing is broken when I get it, I expect it to last a long time.

I did check the Batt.Kapa on my current 2019 i3, shows 38.4. Should I look for at least 34+?

I don't recall any reports of significant 94 Ah or 120 Ah battery cell deterioration. 60 Ah battery cells seem to be much more prone to significant deterioration. So I would not be concerned about 94 Ah or 120 Ah battery cell deterioration but would definitely avoid buying a 60 Ah i3 (2013-2016 models).

[eNate]

Good point Art, and besides possible battery chemistry changes, it stands to reason that lower capacity batteries -- on average -- are going to be charged more often than higher capacity batteries (if an i3 owner has a 35 mile daily commute, a 60Ah battery would receive an equivalent 0-100% charge every 2 days, vs. a 120Ah every 4 days).