BMW i3 Buying Advice

[billiediaz]

Looking at buying a BMW i3. Car seems super practical for what I want to do (short journeys to work and back, got another car for longer runs) and I'm looking at buying one soon.

I'm based in the UK, is there a certain model/year that I should be looking at? Seems like I can get a 2018 with 30-50k miles around 10-11 grand generally

Although I have found a 2020 (70 reg) model with 55,000 miles for £11k. In theory, what is better on the face of it?

2020 - 55k miles - £11,000

2018 - 31k miles - £10,500

street fighter 6​

I suppose the question is, is the mileage or the year more important? I believe the batteries are covered by 8 year/100k miles warranty, so is it worth taking the 2020 model despite the higher mileage as I'm going to do about 10-12k miles per year I'd of thought and I'll be well covered by battery warranty until 2028.

Is there anything else I should be wary of? Heard something about condensers before 2019 which may be worth making note of?

Many thanks

 

[alohart]

The biggest difference between a 2018 and 2020 i3 is the gross battery pack capacity: 94 Ah (33 kWh) in a 2018 and 120 Ah (42 kWh) in a 2020, so a 2020 would have ~39% greater range based on usable capacities. That would be true in the U.S. where model year is determined by the manufacturer rather than by the year in which a car was first sold and registered. Some 2019 models were sold in late 2018 and would have the 120 Ah battery pack but might be considered a 2018 model in some countries.

 

[eNate]

I'll give you this to chew on: even if you don't "need" the extra battery, over time you will likely get less degradation per mile with the larger battery.

Say you drive 10,000 miles per year. The 33 kWh battery will go through 76 charge/discharge cycles to get you that far.

Meanwhile, covering the same mileage with a 42 kWh battery will be the equivalent of 60 cycles. That's about 22% fewer cycles.

So not that degradation has proven to be a big issue on later model i3s, but that's 22% better battery life over a given bucket of miles. And I expect resale value ought to hold up a little better, too.

 

[Skye2002]

I can't help but think that most of the issues (not just the AC compressor failures) being reported are directly the result of owners tinkering (for want of a better word) with their cars, rather than having the service / repairs done at a BMW dealership. You may well have got away with it with cars from the 50's and 60's, but not now due to the complexity of current designs.
It is for this reason I would not even consider buying an i3 (or for matter, any other car) that doesn't have dealership service record.

 

[wjsi327]

I can't help but think that most of the issues (not just the AC compressor failures) being reported are directly the result of owners tinkering (for want of a better word) with their cars, rather than having the service / repairs done at a BMW dealership. You may well have got away with it with cars from the 50's and 60's, but not now due to the complexity of current designs.
It is for this reason I would not even consider buying an i3 (or for matter, any other car) that doesn't have dealership service record.

You may be right. My 2021 was brand new when I leased it, and now I own it. I’ve modified nothing and have had zero problems with the car.

 

[robthebold]

I can't help but think that most of the issues (not just the AC compressor failures) being reported are directly the result of owners tinkering (for want of a better word) with their cars, rather than having the service / repairs done at a BMW dealership. You may well have got away with it with cars from the 50's and 60's, but not now due to the complexity of current designs.
It is for this reason I would not even consider buying an i3 (or for matter, any other car) that doesn't have dealership service record.

I uploaded some classical music in flac format into the entertainment system, which I understand voids warranties.

 

[alohart]

I can't help but think that most of the issues (not just the AC compressor failures) being reported are directly the result of owners tinkering (for want of a better word) with their cars, rather than having the service / repairs done at a BMW dealership.

I must be lucky. I owned a new 2014 i3 BEV for 7+ years, a used 2019 i3 BEV that had been leased initially but returned early and then sold to a different person but again repossessed, and a used 2021 i3 BEV. I have tinkered with all of them including my making extensive coding changes and my installation of a Wokeby trunk extension and frunk sealing and a road debris screen in their grills, but have never needed a repair for any reason. I changed the brake fluid and cabin air filters and rotated the tires side to side in our 2014 and 2019 myself with no negative consequences. I've avoided our BMW dealership except for periodic maintenance every 2 years that was included with the purchase of our 2014 and for our annual state safety inspections which they offer at no cost.

I don't see any correlation between i3 problems and where they were serviced.

 

[tob1as]

I must be lucky. I owned a new 2014 i3 BEV for 7+ years, a used 2019 i3 BEV that had been leased initially but returned early and then sold to a different person but again repossessed, and a used 2021 i3 BEV. I have tinkered with all of them including my making extensive coding changes and my installation of a Wokeby trunk extension and frunk sealing and a road debris screen in their grills, but have never needed a repair for any reason. I changed the brake fluid and cabin air filters and rotated the tires side to side in our 2014 and 2019 myself with no negative consequences. I've avoided our BMW dealership except for periodic maintenance every 2 years that was included with the purchase of our 2014 and for our annual state safety inspections which they offer at no cost.

I don't see any correlation between i3 problems and where they were serviced.

No LED failures on the seat heater buttons? No rubber boot failures on the front shocks/coils? i3s must like the Hawaiian climate

 

[alohart]

No LED failures on the seat heater buttons? No rubber boot failures on the front shocks/coils? i3s must like the Hawaiian climate

No seat heaters in our 2014 i3. When I was looking for a new 2014, I didn't want to pay for the battery pack/seat heater option in Honolulu where neither would ever be needed. Our former 2019 and current 2021 have this option which became standard on all U.S. i3's, maybe as early as 2015, but the LED's on the seat heater and all climate control buttons have not failed. Maybe these failures were more common on early i3's.

Yes, the rubber boots and even the suspension bump stops rotted just like on most i3's. However, I didn't consider these problems worth repairing because the replacements had not been improved and would rot just as rapidly again. I had planned to replace the rubber boots and bump stops when I replaced the front struts and rear shock absorbers, but I sold our i3's before these needed replacing. The rubber boots on our 2021 i3 haven't split yet, but I expect them to soon.

 

[tob1as]

I see. Well, my i3 is a 2017. The LEDs work intermittently (it took 6 years for them to start failing). Of course we use the seat heaters frequently in Colorado (over Fall, Winter, and Spring), especially with full leather seats. I have not bothered repairing those as the replacements will fail again and BMW quoted $1,700 to replace the entire dash. I know Wisely Automotive in the UK suggested soldering better LEDs as replacements, but I am weary of taking the whole dash apart myself. The heaters work, and we just have to listen for the relay click to determine heating setting