Possible new rider with questions

[Buggs1a]

Hi all.
I’m having some issues with my car. Now I’m looking to replace it. But I have questions. So I did a search and found this place.

After reading some stuff I get nervous when I hear bad things. But all cars have good and bad.

I need better mpg and good sound and good tech. But under $10k. I’m not working. On gov ssi and ssdi.

My cousin in law is helping a bit. We found a local place that has or had , I dunno, the 2015 BMW i3. Decent price I guess. No clue.

So I’ve been watching a few YouTube vids. I love what I see. So far. But I have questions.

So I’m introducing myself here as requested. .

I live in Burien Wa. In an apartment.
I’d like to ask a few questions here. Please forgive me if this isn’t the place.

1: Could I use a maybe 100 foot extension cable for charging? Has to go from my apartment to where I can park my car for a few hrs.

2: What about if it’s raining?

3: Does the 2014-2015 i3 have good sound?

4: What trims/models are there? I know of base and range extender. Then I know of stuff for the fabric or something?

5: I’m interested in the 20-4-2015 i3 range extender. Navigation. Good sound. Other stuff like ACC seems cool.

6: I’ve read online of free chargers. Is that true? Charging station.

7: How can I find where charging stations are? Is there an app like Tesla has that will show this on gps map like Tesla?

8: Is there a nice BMW app to manage the car/charging like Tesla has?

9: Can you get charging cost info? I think the Tesla app shows how much per mile or something. My cousin charges his at home and it seems to know cost per mile or something. But how I wonder. Based on his power company and the app knows or his location.

10: How do you enter in addresses in the nav. Do you just use the dial in the center console area or write out an address?

11: Can you talk to the car and get directions? Say an address or business and nav does the rest?

12: What’s the difference between 2014 range extender and 2015 range extender?

Sorry. I just have questions haha. And thank you.

 

[Mondomensch]

Hi all.
I’m having some issues with my car. Now I’m looking to replace it. But I have questions. So I did a search and found this place.

After reading some stuff I get nervous when I hear bad things. But all cars have good and bad.

I need better mpg and good sound and good tech. But under $10k. I’m not working. On gov ssi and ssdi.

My cousin in law is helping a bit. We found a local place that has or had , I dunno, the 2015 BMW i3. Decent price I guess. No clue.

So I’ve been watching a few YouTube vids. I love what I see. So far. But I have questions.

So I’m introducing myself here as requested. .

I live in Burien Wa. In an apartment.
I’d like to ask a few questions here. Please forgive me if this isn’t the place.

1: Could I use a maybe 100 foot extension cable for charging? Has to go from my apartment to where I can park my car for a few hrs.

2: What about if it’s raining?

3: Does the 2014-2015 i3 have good sound?

4: What trims/models are there? I know of base and range extender. Then I know of stuff for the fabric or something?

5: I’m interested in the 20-4-2015 i3 range extender. Navigation. Good sound. Other stuff like ACC seems cool.

6: I’ve read online of free chargers. Is that true? Charging station.

7: How can I find where charging stations are? Is there an app like Tesla has that will show this on gps map like Tesla?

8: Is there a nice BMW app to manage the car/charging like Tesla has?

9: Can you get charging cost info? I think the Tesla app shows how much per mile or something. My cousin charges his at home and it seems to know cost per mile or something. But how I wonder. Based on his power company and the app knows or his location.

10: How do you enter in addresses in the nav. Do you just use the dial in the center console area or write out an address?

11: Can you talk to the car and get directions? Say an address or business and nav does the rest?

12: What’s the difference between 2014 range extender and 2015 range extender?

Sorry. I just have questions haha. And thank you.

PlugShare is a good umbrella app that covers chargers on the different charging networks. By looking at individual charger details you can find out the price. Most newer ones charge by kWhr (typical to get 4 miles per kWhr), but some usually slower chargers charge by the time you are charging, with a different price for staying parked there once you are done charging.

For good sound, Harmon Kardon option probably necessary.

For an older model like you are thinking about, it may not have the DC fast charging option installed, and due to the shutdown of the 3G cellphone network a few years ago will not have connected services/telematics.

Recent model years have 4G telematics, DC fast charging capability standard and improved base sound system (still may not be up to your standards). Plus of course the bigger 120Ah battery, twice the capacity of the early models.

 

[robthebold]

Well, home charging is gonna be the biggest challenge in your situation, IMO. If you're dealing with a distance from the outlet to the EVSE of 100 feet, you'll want to check the rated current capacity carefully ahead of time, and expect it to be considerably (physically) heavier and more expensive than extension cords most people have on hand. With outdoor usage in mind, you may need to look at the kind they sell for RV hookups and figure that price as well as a rainproof "charger" into your costs --potentially 100s of dollars. And then worry about theft, too.

I don't want to tell you not to get an EV, but you'll want to look carefully at nearby charging options. If there's someplace you regularly spend several hours at a time anyway that has a reasonably priced charging station, it'd make all the difference.