BMW i3 - Why this little EV has big potential

BMW AG USA is down the road from me about 8 miles. I was there a couple of weeks, ago.

They have yet put an i3 on display, there.

 

Why is it so expensive compared to the Leaf in the US? It's the same cost here and thus will sell very well thank you very much.

How does the price of the i3 compare to the Tesla?

Prius £21,800; Leaf £25,000; BMW i3 £25,000; Tesla £45,000 (all costs after deduction of grants if applicable)

 

Tesla has more range, but for around the same money you can get a Prius for distance and an i3 for city use.

 

I'd usually heard Brings Me Woman and Behold, My Wallet besides Big Money Waster.

Model S starts out at $72K in the US (before the $7.5k Federal tax credit and state incentives (e.g. $2.5K CA rebate)).

BMW a "trusted" brand for reliability!?!?! ? LOL! Their reliability is pretty darn hit or miss.

BMW, the ActiveE, their current lease only EV test car is EXTREMELY unreliable. I know of someone with one who's had horrendous trouble with his. In October 2013, he posted that his has been in the shop 120 days cumulatively. I think he's had more since then. IIRC, he mentioned to me they've replaced basically every EV bit in his car (motor, battery pack, power electronics, etc.) at least once already. I've seen numerous others who have had fatal problems w/their ActiveE requiring motor replacement. The i3 uses supposedly the same motor. I sure hope they've learned everything from all their failures and applied the learnings to the i3.

IIRC, one of the famed Electronauts replied (I hope I have this right, need to find his post, which won't be easy) is that some seals fail causing a fluid leak and the transaxle to lose all lubrication. I'm pretty sure I'm right about the seal failure.

 

yeah, i thought that reliabilty thing was pretty bogus.

 

Expensive and built to stay that way.

 

ow your talking about USED evs

yes well those dont sell well because people aare afriad the battery will die

 

I guess you get a different BMW to the ones we get here? Are yours made locally and not the main factory in Germany?

Also, I think yours are all tuned up sports versions. Here a BMW is just a normal brand selling a wide range of cars appealing to the executive sector. The base BMW 3 series costs just a little more than the Prius and the BMW 1 series is cheaper. Gotta ask why BMW has a larger market share than Toyota! And no, we're not all rich here. Which would you get for your £18,000? A BMW 1 series or a Toyota? In fact, the BMW 3 series was the UK's best selling 'large' car and number 8 in total;

Top 20 biggest selling cars of 2013 | This is Money

So maybe if you didn't just get the hyper tuned sports versions you might get reliable cars?

I still think the BMW i1 will be a cracker and sell well. Especially how it's priced here and the EV incentives that are available.

 

My daughter (in the UK) has a 1 series BMW. She would buy another because she loves the way it drives, but in terms of reliability it's been a dog and the servicing bills make my hair curl.

 

So has my Prius but as you've pointed out in the past, that doesn't mean they all are

 

You are right of course, I was quoting a specific example where I know personally of a continuous record of poor reliability. But I could have quoted the What Car UK reliability survey that puts Toyota in second place (behind Honda) and BMW in twenty fifth place.

Do you know of any UK reliability survey that puts BMW high on the list?

 

In the United States, German cars tend to be put on a pedestal, while in other countries, they're utility vehicles.

 

they are definitely a status symbol here. they scream, 'i can afford to keep this crapbox running!'.

 

My wife's sienna (not sure if they sell them in the UK) needed a new engine at 90k. If I hadn't smartly purchased the extended warranty I would have been out over $5000. Conversely my friend drives a 740i with almost 300,000 miles on it. Go figure...

 

It's called "the luck of the draw!"

 

can't argue, can only go by available stats, wherever they might be. my brother has a 2010 500sl. they recommended the full coverage extended warranty which is a boatload, but paid for itself the first time out of warranty. even hood struts for those thing are big bucks to replace. wthe strangest little things are always breaking and cost an arm and a leg even for a diy part. makes toyota look cheap, which it isn't!

 

Pity the "poor blighter." I had a 1995 Mazda whose engine craped out after three years with 90k on it. It happen to all of us. But, I still don't buy extended warranties. I save up cash to take care of those issues.

Extended warranties are limited use insurance policies with "escape clauses" for the guarantor. Cash has no limiting clauses.

 

Like any insurance policy, I always read the fine print to make sure I'm getting the coverage I am paying for. In my case, a $1300 insurance policy paid for a $5000 repair bill. I don't know about you, but $3600 in my pocket ($100 deductible) is a better deal to me, even if the finance guy made a few hundred bucks at the point of sale. But to each their own.

 

If that's the result of every so called "extended warranty" that is purchased, that would be fine. In my younger years, I NEVER used any "extended warranty."

 

I've never used my home owners insurance and have only made an auto insurance claim twice in 20 years. It's the nature of the beast.

Rather than putting money away for auto or home repairs, insurance policies allow me to waste my money on more important things. Like motorcycles, guns, and bottles of fine scotch.