stumbledotcom
Well-known member
I've been posting here for awhile having previously leased 2014 and 2107 BEVs. Thanks to pandemic-related work from home situation, I didn't see the point of paying to park a new one when the 17’s lease ended in 2020. We own a 2009 3-series so it’s not like we couldn’t get around. I figured I'd find an i3s when we needed to commute again. Of course this summer's news that US-spec production was ending changed my calculations.
I didn't get a build allocation but wasn't too upset since I consider the Harmon Kardon option a must and BMW apparently stopped offering it on multiple models in June. With the better half and I both on open-ended WFH, I decided to just watch the Northern California inventories for a CPO that matched my ideal: i3s BEV, Giga, Tech, HK. A 120Ah seemed preferable but I'd take a low-mileage 94Ah. I checked several times a week finding nothing.
In early September, a 2021 base BEV white+Giga showed up with in transit status. Intrigued given the recent scarcity of Giga, I asked the dealer for its build sheet. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I opened the email—not only did it show Tech but also HK. Then I saw a May 27 build date and realized it must have been one of the final builds with the option.
The fact that it has base instead of S trim gave me momentary pause. I’ve got a history with sportier cars. Had a VW GTI Mk1 in my 20s that I adored. And our 3-series has the M-sport suspension. The i3s definitely held some appeal. But as I thought about it, I realized the vast majority of my driving happens at low speeds on city streets where the performance difference wouldn’t matter but the interior always surrounds me.
All in all this one seemed too good to pass on so I started the buying process. This particular dealer has a no-haggle policy. They quoted a price between invoice and MSRP that struck me as fair. BMW Financial also kicked in a substantial rebate and owner loyalty cash. Factor in the federal tax credit and my final cost should be right where the low mileages CPOs have recently been.
Getting the car from wherever it had been stashed to the dealership took twice as long as their original estimate but I finally took delivery Tuesday afternoon. I even got the dealer to remove the LCI silver stickers above the side windows —another reason to prefer the S— during prep.
I’m thrilled to be back in the fold.
I didn't get a build allocation but wasn't too upset since I consider the Harmon Kardon option a must and BMW apparently stopped offering it on multiple models in June. With the better half and I both on open-ended WFH, I decided to just watch the Northern California inventories for a CPO that matched my ideal: i3s BEV, Giga, Tech, HK. A 120Ah seemed preferable but I'd take a low-mileage 94Ah. I checked several times a week finding nothing.
In early September, a 2021 base BEV white+Giga showed up with in transit status. Intrigued given the recent scarcity of Giga, I asked the dealer for its build sheet. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I opened the email—not only did it show Tech but also HK. Then I saw a May 27 build date and realized it must have been one of the final builds with the option.
The fact that it has base instead of S trim gave me momentary pause. I’ve got a history with sportier cars. Had a VW GTI Mk1 in my 20s that I adored. And our 3-series has the M-sport suspension. The i3s definitely held some appeal. But as I thought about it, I realized the vast majority of my driving happens at low speeds on city streets where the performance difference wouldn’t matter but the interior always surrounds me.
All in all this one seemed too good to pass on so I started the buying process. This particular dealer has a no-haggle policy. They quoted a price between invoice and MSRP that struck me as fair. BMW Financial also kicked in a substantial rebate and owner loyalty cash. Factor in the federal tax credit and my final cost should be right where the low mileages CPOs have recently been.
Getting the car from wherever it had been stashed to the dealership took twice as long as their original estimate but I finally took delivery Tuesday afternoon. I even got the dealer to remove the LCI silver stickers above the side windows —another reason to prefer the S— during prep.
I’m thrilled to be back in the fold.
