Do NOT Buy BMW i3 [From an Owner]

[harty601]

I have not found buying one a terribly easy experience - at worst - un returned phone calls from one dealership, at best having to push a dealership to get a car ordered - get part ex figures etc

I was told by the dealer I ordered mine from that i3 sales do not count towards their targets for numbers of cars sold (the salesman still gets a commission) - but I have got a distinct impression that the dealers do not feel that incentivised to sell i3s. I wonder if it is something to do with acting as "agents" rather than dealerships. I'd be interested to understand the difference between the two.

As BMW are obviously keen to push their new technology and I have read that many i3 owners are new to the brand (as am I), I would have thought it a great opportunity to show new customers just how good the BMW experience can be. The car was fantastic on the test drive - but I have to say, if there was a similar alternative from another premium brand, I would have taken a look.

Sounds like a bad dealer, which isn't the car's or BMW's fault. I bought mine from a dealer that had 100 of them on the lot at the time and very much wanted to sell each and every one of them.

For what it is worth - it's 3 separate dealers in the UK that have given me a similar vibe.

 

[barrychan]

When a company makes a product....car, toy, funiture, food whatever, as a consumer its up to us to find out if thats the product for you.
Yes you can blame the mechanical side of things when they break and they are under warrenty but you cannot blame the design and material they use ( after you bought the car )
First generation or not.....theres not one car that will suit everyone.
There must be reasons for the i3 what and why they use certain material, tire size, glass rear, carbon fibre, plastic body list goes on...
They don't hide anything, everything now you can find on the net, you reserach, test drive, you like, you buy, simple.
There are things i don't like about the i3.....wiper blade ( can you but them in auto store?) Skinny tires ( special order but looks way cool side view) the glare from the black material they use on the dash ( got use to it now) backup camera slow to come on after you switch to reverse, the coach doors being not that pratical in parkade ( but cool looking ) no remote hatch.......but i can live with all of these because the car is way cool inside and out not to mention the power and handling and everything else from BMW!

 

[ASUN]

I agree to the above.

The car is not perfect, it does have its flaws. I believe no car is perfect. Manufacturers can't make cars that will suit every single consumer.

But overall, it does what it was advertised, and I am very satisfied with it.

 

[jadnashuanh]

In the USA, the i3 is sold alongside other BMW's at the same dealership. That is not the case in some other markets (the UK being one) where they are only sold at 'special' BMW stores. Each market sets up its own incentives program, so it is not unusual for one system verses another to show different characteristics. In the USA, the dealerships tend to order and have on the lot, an assortment of vehicles...from what I hear, that's almost unheard of in England, where each one is essentially ordered. While their shipping time may be shorter, it still doesn't match the instant gratification you might get by going into a US dealership and driving out with one maybe the same day!

When I bought mine, the dealership had to trade with another dealership to get one with the options I wanted, but it still only took a few days (over the weekend) to accomplish. Because the dealerships have money invested in the cars on their lots, they tend to deal more than you might see elsewhere, too.

 

[barrychan]

You are right about UK, car shopping is out of the catalog, you drive or fly to pick up your ride when it arrives but.....there should be enough information about the car you see/research/forum before you "hit send" ?

 

[epirali]

I love my i3, no issues here... but yes the dealership experience can be poor, all depends on the dealer you use... some are great and welcomed the i-cars with open arms, others didn't care to learn about them. BMW corporate can only do so much when it comes to training franchise dealerships and changing how they think and deal with icustomers.

Sounds like you should have done some homework on the i3 first and just picked up a LEAF in the first place.

I was wondering when Default Answer #1 would show up: blame the buyer for selecting the wrong car. Default Answer #1a is to blame the buyer for selecting the wrong dealer.

Well if the OP feels the design was so "horrible" then why did they buy the car in the first place. Take some ownership of your own decisions in life rather than blaming everyone and everything else.

Or maybe he bought the car and he is now listing the shortcomings as he sees them. I am not sure what in his post says he is blaming everyone and everything else. I also bought the car after the test drive, which will NOT show you all the shortcomings. I also do not like the car overall because of its flaws, and when I said so got the EXACT same canned response. That doesn't mean I am "not taking responsibility" nor am I "blaming others." But I do warn friends away from the i3 by pointing out the issues, and telling them if they don't mind it will work.

I have also seen quite a few horror stories about repair time/cost for relatively minor damage. How was the owner supposed to figure that out "from a test drive?" It may be due to modern and advanced build but the reality remains the same.

I think people who really like the i3 would serve everyone and the car better if they didn't just try to shout down criticism. But I expect to be shouted down in 3...2...1...

 

[I33t]

I think it's perfectly fine to let everyone know what you're not happy about the the car you bought, and there is certainly a possibility that things come up after you bought it.

What is not reasonable is to blab on forever repeating the same mantra, and starting threads with titles such as this one. There are maybe 3 or 4 haters that have done that out of thousands of users.

All cars have minor issues for some people. Some people play minor issues as major issues, others see them as a relatively non issue.

I have yet to see a major issue on my i3, as it looks like so do the vast majority here.