still searching for my Unicorn 2021 i3S

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Mustrum Ridcully

Mustrum Ridcully

Well-known member
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Joined
Feb 27, 2024
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45
I am still searching for my unicorn. (a loaded 2021 i3s In giga or mega world trim with almost all available options.)
in almost any color other than Black.
For example, searching for BMW-used cars on the BMW USA website occasionally raises good prospects.
Here is a non-sport 2021, for example, that ticks a lot of the boxes other than the sunroof and HK sound system
https://www.bmwofraleigh.com/certif...eOrg|TS=1718232307&sd_referrer=cpo.bmwusa.com

another without the Sports version
https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for...SC&startYear=2018&zip=04553&clickType=listing

And I search all major websites for used i3s several times a week, looking for 2021s coming off of a 3-year lease, but all the ones that do tick all my boxes some times absurdly overpriced,

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for...&trimCode=BMWI3|s&zip=04555&clickType=listing
 
Mustrum Ridcully said:
I am still searching for my unicorn. (a loaded 2021 i3s In giga or mega world trim with almost all available options.)
in almost any color other than Black.
Click to expand...
Might you mean Tera World, the top trim level, rather than Mega World, the next to the lowest trim level? Most used U.S. i3's seem to be Deka World, or "Deka Dark" as described in many ads.
Mustrum Ridcully said:
And I search all major websites for used i3s several times a week, looking for 2021s coming off of a 3-year lease, but all the ones that do tick all my boxes some times absurdly overpriced,

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicle/717182957?city=Nobleboro&listingType=USED&makeCode=BMW&modelCode=BMWI3&newSearch=false&=&referrer=/bmw/i3/s/nobleboro-me?newSearch=false&&searchRadius=0&sortBy=distanceASC&startYear=2020&zip=04555&searchRadius=0&sortBy=distanceASC&startYear=2020&state=ME&trimCode=BMWI3|s&zip=04555&clickType=listing
Click to expand...
This absurdly overpriced i3 is Deka World which you probably don't want.

I just bought a 2021 i3 base BEV (not i3S) Giga World with the Tech Package after giving up looking several months ago. I discovered how expensive trucking to the West Coast and shipping to Honolulu have become, so replacing our 2019 i3 in excellent condition for an essentially identical 2021 i3 whose total cost would likely be ~$10k more than the selling price of our 2019 i3 didn't make sense. I read that someone had looked at the BMW USA used car Website which I had never done. The first time I looked, there was a newly-listed 2021 i3 BEV on the West Coast less than 7 miles from a Honolulu shipping terminal. No details had been advertised yet, so I looked up its options using its VIN and discovered that it met my criteria. Its list price was almost $5k below the Kelley Blue Book value! It was a lease-return with less than 9k miles and seems to be in excellent condition. I immediately contacted the dealer and came to an agreement. I bought it remotely having seen only photos and a walk-around video, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed hoping that it will be everything I hoped for when it arrives in early July.

So don't give up searching!
 
alohart said:
I'm joining your 2021 club except without the excitement of driving to the Bay Area from San Antonio. Hopefully, the RORO ship won't sink on the way to Honolulu.
Click to expand...
On a related note, while I don't at ALL have my finger on the i3-market pulse, I looked briefly a couple of weeks ago at local options - and got the impression i3 prices were significantly lower than when I bought mine, which was in May of 2023. Is that indeed the case? The ones that stick in my memory were perhaps clickbait from dealers on FB marketplace or CL, showing a lowish price, but on clicking those links, would come up with something like "This one's been sold, but click HERE to see the rest of our inventory!" There was none of that when I was seriously shopping a year+ ago: dealer prices were higher by $10K plus than private sale options.
 
I just this week read a post where somebody says their Carvana offer had just been increased dramatically (if not here the maybe Facebook?), so I'm not sure.

Used US i3 prices were definitely hum-drum up until the months preceding the order book closing, and used prices spiked then, too. But I expect there's some regionality to it, too (given my buying experience, CA vs TX).

Wouldn't surprise me in the least if prices have corrected, given there are many more capable options in terms of size, range, and charging speed – only a niche segment of buyers can appreciate the i3's quirks.
 
My offer from Carvana had declined relatively quickly for my 2015 Rex over the last several months. Last week I traded it in (through Carvana) for a 2019 Rex. I think it was a reasonable deal since both cars were less expensive than a year ago. But as I have been searching over that last several months for MY unicorn i3 it does seem like the older 60 Ah cars are selling for MUCH less, and the newer 120 Ah cars while also declining in price somewhat are getting snapped up pretty quickly. Hence, I think the demand for the newer 120 Ah cars is keeping their relative value higher.
 
121 cars, 7 pages on BMW's nationwide dealer search. Lots of 2021 vehicles, ONLY 1 REX. Everything else was a BEV. Crazy. Much different results on other used car sites. If we add a second I3 vehicle to our household, I may have to consider a BEV. I like the sport version. My criteria order of importance:

Mileage less than 30K, would consider less than 40K
Model Year 2019 or newer, would consider 2018
Sport model, would consider non sport 2021, HK stereo, technology package, low mileage
REX, would consider BEV base if 2021 like above

would be nice to be at 25K so I could qualify for the 4K tax credit.
 
alohart said:
Might you mean Tera World, the top trim level, rather than Mega World, the next to the lowest trim level? Most used U.S. i3's seem to be Deka World, or "Deka Dark" as described in many ads.

This absurdly overpriced i3 is Deka World which you probably don't want.

I just bought a 2021 i3 base BEV (not i3S) Giga World with the Tech Package after giving up looking several months ago. I discovered how expensive trucking to the West Coast and shipping to Honolulu have become, so replacing our 2019 i3 in excellent condition for an essentially identical 2021 i3 whose total cost would likely be ~$10k more than the selling price of our 2019 i3 didn't make sense. I read that someone had looked at the BMW USA used car Website which I had never done. The first time I looked, there was a newly-listed 2021 i3 BEV on the West Coast less than 7 miles from a Honolulu shipping terminal. No details had been advertised yet, so I looked up its options using its VIN and discovered that it met my criteria. Its list price was almost $5k below the Kelley Blue Book value! It was a lease-return with less than 9k miles and seems to be in excellent condition. I immediately contacted the dealer and came to an agreement. I bought it remotely having seen only photos and a walk-around video, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed hoping that it will be everything I hoped for when it arrives in early July.

So don't give up searching!
Click to expand...
Can you tell us why the move from 2019 to 2021?
 
tongsli said:
Can you tell us why the move from 2019 to 2021?
Click to expand...
This purchase doesn't make much sense because the only feature that a 2021 U.S. i3 has that a 2019 U.S. i3 doesn't have is the pedestrian warning sound which is not important to me. Our 2019 i3 is in pristine condition except for a damaged right front wheel caused by a previous owner, so I hope that our 2021 i3 will be as nice. I think it will be because it is a lease-return with only a single lessee who drove it less than 9k miles in 3 years. Its photos look great.

I prefer the lighter Galvanic Gold Metallic (2021) to the much darker Imperial Blue Metallic (2019) that looks almost black in common lighting conditions. Light colors tend to show dirt less than dark colors.

The general warranty on our 2019 i3 has expired, but our 2021 i3's original warranty won't expire until May, 2025, which is a positive. However, in 9.5 years of i3 ownership, I've never had a warranty repair except for 2 BMW service actions on our 2014 i3 to replace its KLE that could fail prematurely and to replace its left motor mount bracket attachment bolt that could break.

I negotiated an excellent price for the 2021 i3. If I am able to sell our 2019 i3 to a buyer who qualifies for the instant $4k tax credit, I should receive enough cash that updating to the 2021 i3 shouldn't cost much.
 
alohart said:
This purchase doesn't make much sense because the only feature that a 2021 U.S. i3 has that a 2019 U.S. i3 doesn't have is the pedestrian warning sound which is not important to me. Our 2019 i3 is in pristine condition except for a damaged right front wheel caused by a previous owner, so I hope that our 2021 i3 will be as nice. I think it will be because it is a lease-return with only a single lessee who drove it less than 9k miles in 3 years. Its photos look great.

I prefer the lighter Galvanic Gold Metallic (2021) to the much darker Imperial Blue Metallic (2019) that looks almost black in common lighting conditions. Light colors tend to show dirt less than dark colors.

The general warranty on our 2019 i3 has expired, but our 2021 i3's original warranty won't expire until May, 2025, which is a positive. However, in 9.5 years of i3 ownership, I've never had a warranty repair except for 2 BMW service actions on our 2014 i3 to replace its KLE that could fail prematurely and to replace its left motor mount bracket attachment bolt that could break.

I negotiated an excellent price for the 2021 i3. If I am able to sell our 2019 i3 to a buyer who qualifies for the instant $4k tax credit, I should receive enough cash that updating to the 2021 i3 shouldn't cost much.
Click to expand...
Awesome. I'm retired now and my wife is the only one working so we should be below the 150K combined household income. I have to be careful with my investments and income to keep us below the 150K mark. I too would like to take advantage of the 4K tax credit to pick up an. I3 for my wife. There are several Galvanic gold 2021 vehicles available below the 25K price locally and close to me. I have the Jucaro beige and am not sure about having the beige and galvanic gold in the fleet. I know it's low on the priority but right now there are lots of choices.

Thanks for sharing.

Lito
 
alohart said:
Our 2019 i3 is Imperial Blue Metallic. It's so dark that it might as well be black, swirls and all. In some lighting, it's difficult to distinguish between the black on the trim and the Imperial Blue Metallic on the body panels.
Click to expand...
man, you just eliminated the blue metalic from my consideration. Darn.
 
tongsli said:
man, you just eliminated the blue metalic from my consideration. Darn.
Click to expand...
Imperial Blue Metallic is a classy color that I prefer over any 2021 grayscale color except maybe Cashmere Silver Metallic which I don't think I've seen in person. However, it is dark. Because photos can be misleading, I encourage you to find one to look at in person to judge for yourself. Imperial Blue Metallic was an optional color in the U.S. from 2018 through 2021, so there should be quite a few around. Maybe you've seen it but thought it was Fluid Black. :)

The first photo shows Imperial Blue Metallic in the shade where dirt on the lower section isn't visible. The second photo shows it in sunlight which makes the blue more obvious but also demonstrates how visible dirt can be against a dark background. The paint isn't damaged anywhere on the passenger side.

tempImagerNGRh0.png

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