Buying used i3 - is mileage an issue?
Discussion
I'm looking to buy a used i3. I'm thinking of a 60 Ah model with range extender.
Is the mileage an issue with regard to remaining battery life? I know, or at least the BMW salesman told me, they come with a 10 year battery life guarantee. But, I thought I'd get an opinion from people who don't have an interest in selling me a car.
I intend to keep the car for about 3 years and do about 15k miles in total. If I get one with say 20k miles when I buy it, will selling it with nearly 40k miles be an issue.
Or, is the age of the batteries more important, i.e. get as new as possible and don't mind the mileage.
Is the mileage an issue with regard to remaining battery life? I know, or at least the BMW salesman told me, they come with a 10 year battery life guarantee. But, I thought I'd get an opinion from people who don't have an interest in selling me a car.
I intend to keep the car for about 3 years and do about 15k miles in total. If I get one with say 20k miles when I buy it, will selling it with nearly 40k miles be an issue.
Or, is the age of the batteries more important, i.e. get as new as possible and don't mind the mileage.
I'll be buying used approved through BMW so will get at least 12 months warranty, but will try to negotiate extra years in the price.
I'm looking at spending about £20K and with the spec I want, (professional media, parking package and maybe leather) should get one between 2 and 3 years old.
I was asking about the mileage because I've seen three on the BMW site which have done 3k, 7k and 10k respectively a year. Buying petrol I would favour the lowest mileage ones. But, I've read a couple of articles such as this one
https://www.driving.co.uk/car-clinic/what-do-you-n...
that say the batteries need to be cycled regularly to maintain their storage capacity as long as possible, just like all lithium ion batteries.
I'll probably be buying for cash as the used PCP rates are ridiculous at about 10%. But, I didn't know you could lease a used car through BMW? The used car pages only give quotes for PCP or HP.
I'm looking at spending about £20K and with the spec I want, (professional media, parking package and maybe leather) should get one between 2 and 3 years old.
I was asking about the mileage because I've seen three on the BMW site which have done 3k, 7k and 10k respectively a year. Buying petrol I would favour the lowest mileage ones. But, I've read a couple of articles such as this one
https://www.driving.co.uk/car-clinic/what-do-you-n...
that say the batteries need to be cycled regularly to maintain their storage capacity as long as possible, just like all lithium ion batteries.
I'll probably be buying for cash as the used PCP rates are ridiculous at about 10%. But, I didn't know you could lease a used car through BMW? The used car pages only give quotes for PCP or HP.
I bought an early BEV i3 second hand at 27,000km and subsequently put 20,000km on it in a year. From all I've seen EVs don't have anywhere near the issues in terms of wear as an ICE. Given this, if I were buying again I'd find a high mileage car which has been subsequently priced low and take advantage of the price.
There is a way to find the battery degradation from the onboard computer - just ask the dealer to show you the data.
EVs make most financial sense when you do reasonable mileage given the almost zero marginal cost per km.
I too would recommend a warranty. We had a few issues with the software, one of which required a 45min wait to be recovered. (there was nothing wrong, the software just threw a wobbly and refused to start the vehicle).
I'm not too convinced that parking is really important on the i3 as the size and turning circle makes parking easy. Also, the professional media / navigation on mine wasn't up to much. We used Google Maps instead on several occasions and the system is no where near as good as in the 3 series that replaced it (though the big screen is nice). For me the only essential option would be the DC charger.
There is a way to find the battery degradation from the onboard computer - just ask the dealer to show you the data.
EVs make most financial sense when you do reasonable mileage given the almost zero marginal cost per km.
I too would recommend a warranty. We had a few issues with the software, one of which required a 45min wait to be recovered. (there was nothing wrong, the software just threw a wobbly and refused to start the vehicle).
I'm not too convinced that parking is really important on the i3 as the size and turning circle makes parking easy. Also, the professional media / navigation on mine wasn't up to much. We used Google Maps instead on several occasions and the system is no where near as good as in the 3 series that replaced it (though the big screen is nice). For me the only essential option would be the DC charger.
We bought an i3 a couple of weeks ago at the same price point. We went for a slightly higher mileage as we won't be putting too much on it, so it will be reasonable when we want to sell it in a couple of years. The BMW dealer threw in 2 years extra warranty on top of the 1 year it came with (actually he reduced the car price by the same amount, I guess as he gets more from selling extended warranty than margin on the car ? ) This was more important to use than the mileage.
What I want from the parking package is the reversing camera and front sensors. I don't care about the auto park function, and doubt I'll ever trust it 
I want the professional media package because I think the screen look much better in the car. So, purely cosmetic.
I'm a bit annoyed as I missed a good spec one from Cooper Norwich this week. Ticked all my requirements plus a sunroof and better looking alloy wheels. Reason I delayed was that it was half way across the country for me to see. Still, hunt has only just started.
I want the professional media package because I think the screen look much better in the car. So, purely cosmetic.
I'm a bit annoyed as I missed a good spec one from Cooper Norwich this week. Ticked all my requirements plus a sunroof and better looking alloy wheels. Reason I delayed was that it was half way across the country for me to see. Still, hunt has only just started.
gifdy said:
We bought an i3 a couple of weeks ago at the same price point. We went for a slightly higher mileage as we won't be putting too much on it, so it will be reasonable when we want to sell it in a couple of years. The BMW dealer threw in 2 years extra warranty on top of the 1 year it came with (actually he reduced the car price by the same amount, I guess as he gets more from selling extended warranty than margin on the car ? ) This was more important to use than the mileage.
Funny you should mention the extra warranty. My local dealer offered that as a negotiation before I'd even started to seriously look for a car.gifdy said:
The BMW dealer threw in 2 years extra warranty on top of the 1 year it came with (actually he reduced the car price by the same amount, I guess as he gets more from selling extended warranty than margin on the car ? ).
They reduced the vehicle price and added the warranty as a chargeable extra to save VATCar dealers pay VAT on the difference between price paid and the price sold. (used cars only).
ncbbmw said:
gifdy said:
The BMW dealer threw in 2 years extra warranty on top of the 1 year it came with (actually he reduced the car price by the same amount, I guess as he gets more from selling extended warranty than margin on the car ? ).
They reduced the vehicle price and added the warranty as a chargeable extra to save VATCar dealers pay VAT on the difference between price paid and the price sold. (used cars only).
uknick said:
I'm looking to buy a used i3. I'm thinking of a 60 Ah model with range extender.
Is the mileage an issue with regard to remaining battery life? I know, or at least the BMW salesman told me, they come with a 10 year battery life guarantee. But, I thought I'd get an opinion from people who don't have an interest in selling me a car.
I intend to keep the car for about 3 years and do about 15k miles in total. If I get one with say 20k miles when I buy it, will selling it with nearly 40k miles be an issue.
Or, is the age of the batteries more important, i.e. get as new as possible and don't mind the mileage.
Have you looked at leasing or PCP if you only expect to keep for 3 years I suspect the state of the EV market might have changed significantly over that time period, try CARWOW for pricesIs the mileage an issue with regard to remaining battery life? I know, or at least the BMW salesman told me, they come with a 10 year battery life guarantee. But, I thought I'd get an opinion from people who don't have an interest in selling me a car.
I intend to keep the car for about 3 years and do about 15k miles in total. If I get one with say 20k miles when I buy it, will selling it with nearly 40k miles be an issue.
Or, is the age of the batteries more important, i.e. get as new as possible and don't mind the mileage.
My first thought was to buy on PCP due to the technology changing. So, I looked at BMW PCP on new and 2nd hand. 2nd hand I dismissed outright due to nearly 10% APR.
If buying new at £36K, my £20k cash would cover the deposit (mine and BMW) and monthly payment over 3 years with a balloon of about £15K. Assuming the car had depreciated 50% to about £18k over the 3 years I'd have about £3k towards the next car.
Buying 2nd hand for cash I'd again spend £20K. Again, assuming car drops by 50% over the next 3 years I'd have about £10k to invest.
On those numbers, I'm better off buying 2nd hand.
However, I'm happy to be corrected if my calculations don't make sense.
If buying new at £36K, my £20k cash would cover the deposit (mine and BMW) and monthly payment over 3 years with a balloon of about £15K. Assuming the car had depreciated 50% to about £18k over the 3 years I'd have about £3k towards the next car.
Buying 2nd hand for cash I'd again spend £20K. Again, assuming car drops by 50% over the next 3 years I'd have about £10k to invest.
On those numbers, I'm better off buying 2nd hand.
However, I'm happy to be corrected if my calculations don't make sense.
I bought a 11 month old, small battery BEV, ex demo I3 just over a year ago, with just 342 miles on the clock, in perfect, unblemished condition for £16k.
If you are chasing cheap motoring i'd have no hesitation in looking at s/h Rex's with the small battery, esp if you have enough cash to buy outright (which is what i did)
If you are chasing cheap motoring i'd have no hesitation in looking at s/h Rex's with the small battery, esp if you have enough cash to buy outright (which is what i did)
Not Ideal said:
^^ wow that is a stonker deal. From BMW AUC?
yup. Walked into my main dealer to buy a bit of trim for my 335 to replace one that had some scratches on it, thought "i know, lets look at how much i3s are" asked dealer "Look up on system the cheapest BEV in the country less than 1 year old" and that car popped up! It had literally gone on the AUC 30 mins ago that morning, from the dealer demo fleet, and i bought it sight-unseen on the spot! Was listed at £ 17k i said i'd have it right then for £16k, and we did the deal ;-)Gassing Station | EV and Alternative Fuels | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff