Tips on finding/buying an i3

[meublen]

Hi all,

I've been bitten by the i3 bug, and I'm ready to buy. But, I'm not in a rush, and want to find the specific one:

Either a '14 or '15, Orange, REx, tech package, parking assist and HK audio. I'd prefer the Giga, but would go for a Mega if it were a great deal (No Tera, as my pup wouldn't be good for the leather). Similarly, if I found a great deal, I might lose the HK audio.

I've been looking on the typical sites, as well as doing some individual craigslist city searches, but I was wondering if there are any tips or tricks I should know about:

Are there times when BMW drops a bunch of off-lease vehicles on the market?
Any brokers specializing in used i3s?
Places to look other than the typical?
Anything I should stay away from when I'm looking?

Thanks!

 

[benjanos]

Hi Meublen

Bought mine second hand last year, not sure I can help much but I noticed you mentioned the HK option. I think this is a must have option. Where I live HK was somewhat rare on the early cars so finding a second hand one with with everything I wanted AND the HK Audio took time, but glad I waited. Hard to explain but this car needs a good stereo IMO.

BTW: My pup loves the i3, but she rides over the very back.

 

[meublen]

Thanks, benjanos. I was thinking it wasn't a big deal, but I test drove one with HK in it for a couple of hours, and it was really nice.

As for Hank (the border collie), I might at least put him in the back seat - the i3 has me want to take the twisties too fast to have him in the passenger seat (plus, at 32 lbs, he seems to be right at the edge of tripping the seatbelt beeper). Not sure he'd like the way-back, though. It's too far away from me

 

[saronian]

If Carvana.com services your area they have good selection of i3's that changes almost daily. The prices seem reasonable and it looks like 2015 models are coming off-lease now.

 

[benjanos]

Border Collie huh? What a beautiful dog! My monster is an Appenzeller which is the same size and (I am guessing) is the same personality.

Guess Hank wants to help drive the car or at least check you are doing it correct :?

 

[meublen]

Yes, he definitely keeps an eye on me.

Well, I put a deposit on a 2015 Orange i3 today. Has everything I want (tech package, parking assist, HK Audio). The only thing I didn't get is the Giga World (I like the wood dash). And it's got 20" wheels, which means I'll have to get a set of 19" wheels when I need snow tires. Not the end of the world, since I'd have done that eventually anyway. It's got 20,000 miles, and it's CPO, so it'll have the unlimited miles warranty until 2/2021.

Got 'em down to $20K even, plus tax and shipping (Macon, GA --> Boulder,CO), which is ~2,200 below bluebook, at the bottom of their "fair market value". I've seen some for a bit less (though few that check all the boxes) but without the warranty.

Tomorrow we'll work on the shipping details, and see when I get it! I'm excited!

 

[benjanos]

Great work Mr Meublen! I really think the i3 is an excellent second hand buy, sounds like you got a good deal and a nice unit. The Orange is also super cool, those cars are going to be special going forward! Hey make another post after you have had it a few weeks, would be great to hear your thoughts, likes and dislikes.

Cheers

 

[meublen]

Thanks, benjanos. I'm excited.

The sales guys told me that they're losing money on it - he might be blowin' smoke of course, but it was a fairly elaborate story - he said their lot manager was on vacation for several days and ok'd my price (they came down a few times and I held firm) because he thought it was a car that had been on the lot for 45 days and they needed to move it. It had only been on the lot for 9 days. Apparently the GM was not very pleased. Of course, it's not my problem that they screwed up.

It's being loaded onto the truck right now, I get it on Thursday! I'm excited!

-Mark

 

[kkreezy]

Exciting stuff. I'm right on the brink now negotiating with some different dealers and looking into getting it shipped here to Detroit. Very few i3 drivers out here! Can't wait.

Is 45 days typically the point with which they look to move it fast?

Thanks!
Kevin

 

[sipabit]

Yes, he definitely keeps an eye on me.

Well, I put a deposit on a 2015 Orange i3 today. Has everything I want (tech package, parking assist, HK Audio). The only thing I didn't get is the Giga World (I like the wood dash). And it's got 20" wheels, which means I'll have to get a set of 19" wheels when I need snow tires. Not the end of the world, since I'd have done that eventually anyway. It's got 20,000 miles, and it's CPO, so it'll have the unlimited miles warranty until 2/2021.

Got 'em down to $20K even, plus tax and shipping (Macon, GA --> Boulder,CO), which is ~2,200 below bluebook, at the bottom of their "fair market value". I've seen some for a bit less (though few that check all the boxes) but without the warranty.

Tomorrow we'll work on the shipping details, and see when I get it! I'm excited!

I know the pricing well and you got the deal I'd be looking for. 2015 is the way to go for best value. You do want a 20k mile one for $20k with 2 of the 3 packages or $21k for all three packages. You did even better. I assume yours is a REX. If not, it's still a decent deal. Glad you went with the CPO car as the inventory is so high that the supply creates a price that's competitive with the private sales. Plus you get all the perks of a CPO car like you've already mentioned. Good job with the car buying. You got a good deal. I wouldn't think too much about the bluebook. The deal wasn't amazing, but it's what you should be looking for and you got it.

 

[Scottybm]

This is ridiculous , I was have been look in at Tesla vehicles for the past 6 months or so and they are just too expensive and a week ago came across someone who posted a video of some Asian guy showing why they didn't buy a Tesla and bought a used i3. So I watched the video. Next thing you know I found myself at my local BMW dealership in a test drive. Now yesterday I was at my credit union and approved for a loan to get one. Should have just stayed off the internet that day. lol

Now for the past day and a half I have been searching the web like a freak up and down trying to find that perfect car. Looking for a 2015 Rex with tech package, parking assist that is not going to cost me over 20k and that seems to be hard to find. From what what I have been reading I need to get CPO. I don't think I want to settle with out the tech package and parking assist. I have purchased cars in the past and have regretted later on not getting the options that I wanted for the inside.

 

[EVBob]

What we did for our second i3 (we still have our first one):

- We opted for a 2015 CPO - that .9% or less APR for 60 months they were offering was attractive
- Search the CPO inventory for the entire United States through BMW's inventory search tool - you'll be able to set the parameters down to which packages, options, color, mileage you are looking for
- We eventually found the right one, 1,200 miles away. Since we knew what we wanted and the pictures looked fine, we just bough sight unseen.
- The state we bought it from had a $10K Manufacturer incentive on new i3, so it drove down that region's used/cpo i3 prices down with them -- saved us approx $8K (compared to the going price in our local market) including factoring shipping the i3 to our driveway ($800)...
- Do Note that I encountered a few dealerships that had a car I wanted, but their demeanor over E-mail/Phone didn't encourage me to do business with them....

The dealership we decided to do business with was BMW of Cape Cod.

 

[Scottybm]

Well I just pulled the trigger. 2015 Rex Ended up paying 18,5 for CPO with 20k with Tech Package.
I am on my way to Georgia to pick it up now. 3 1/2 hours away

I was watching some videos on BMW's page and they kept referring to the 110 charger as "Occasional Use Cable" Is this not the way I should be
charging this when I charge at home? or should I buy the level 2 charging cable?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cQwCAiB9is

 

[tjburbach]

I've heard many people use the 120v (level 1) charger for an extended period of time just fine, it is slow but works. There are two things to keep in mind when using this charger:

The car will pull around 12A continuously while charging the battery. Most residential 120v circuits have a 15 or 20 amp breaker installed (you can see the i3 will be consuming a large fraction of the total permissible load on this circuit). It would be ideal if the i3 was the only thing consuming power on this circuit and if not you might need to control which other devices are connected in order not to trip the breaker.

Some people have reported some melting/damage at the electrical outlet itself. The most common recommendation is to replace the outlet that you will charge from with an good quality commercial/industrial outlet and make sure the wires are firmly connected to the screw terminals. This will reduce the chance of the outlet overheating.