Coming from a Tesla Model 3…should I get a lightly used i8 as a daily driver? I’ve always been a BMW guy, this will be my 5th if I pull the trigger. I drive A LOT, and put 40k miles on the Tesla in a year and a half, just getting bored of it. Would going to an i8 be worth it? Just want to hear some opinions and feedback
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My 2c I daily drive a 2016 i8 that I bought CPO in 2019. 4 years later the only cost besides routine maintenance I’ve had are:
- $2700 - wiring loom replacement + labor. Damn rodents. The symptoms of this were the AC not working correctly
- $1000 - 12v battery - replaced at 6 years of age.
I did spend about $5000 for 3 extra years of warranty that recently expired but I never had to use. Very reliable and I drive about 10k-15k miles a year. I don’t have to commute as much but use it for road trips. One thing I worry about is BMW not having techs familiar with the car. One time during maintenance they put in the wrong spark plugs and I was misfiring at higher rpms
The i8 is sexy, the Tesla is ugly. Go with ///Magestic option my friend
I’ve driven and owned many BMWs and the i8 is by far my favourite driving and looking BMW ever. It’s also the perfect daily if you can get used to the doors and don’t need to carry much luggage around. It looks like a super car, drives and handles like a very quick hot hatch, has nearly the instant torque factor of electric, and if you charge regularly, it gives you really good fuel economy. I’ve put 25k+ miles on mine in just over 2 years of ownership.
It’s beyond gorgeous bruh, it’s a piece of art
I really wonder why bmw discontinued them. They look great even by today’s standards
Low sales figures, mainly because most people shopping for a car that looks like that, want it to be as fast as it looks. I’ve heard a lot of “if only it wasn’t a hybrid”
If you can afford maintenance, why not lmao
Have you sat in one? I found a visibility limited (A-pillar blocks a lot of view for me) and it’s hard to get in and out, so it will bother me a lot in a daily.
Otherwise - why not?
I daily drive one, and once you set the mirrors up correctly, you have really good visibility. It doesn’t take a quick moment to get used to the dimensions and general awareness around the car
BMW tech here - see if the a/c compressor has been replaced with the updated one. I thinkkkk the designed changed in 5/2017. The compressor internally degrades and ends up, sending shrapnel through the entire freon system, which also cools the hybrid batteries. The compressor is always on so it’s a common failure item. When it does go to shit, out of pocket service invoices are $12-$16k. Otherwise, they are super solid cars.
To replace the compressor preventatively, it’s around $4000
Is there a similar issue with the i3s? Or anything else along those lines to look out for with those?
Is that $4k with labor from bmw? Because honestly, that’s not bad. When considering failure points on other cars some PM easily exceeds $4k in parts.
No, it’s not bad. It’s awful. Given that it’s a known failure on a part that is necessary for the vehicle to function, it should be a recall.
One could only dream that companies would take responsibility and fix every problem with our cars.
You’re not wrong. But this sort of thing seems like a textbook example of a recall.
I’m ballparking, but yes, with labor. It’s only like 2.5hrs + A/C charge. I think the compressor is around $1000ish without the core. You’re “supposed” to also swap out the drier, and perform the retrofit coding, however I never did either of those to my own car and it worked fine for years. I’d probably factor in another $2k (parts/labor) if you do it the “right” way.
Is there a way to know if there’s shrapnel in the system prior to buying the car?
Why the fuck isn’t this a recall lmaoo
no like actually fr this should be a recall not a 4k charge 😂
This is super good to know. Thank you for posting!
Isn’t there an extended warranty for these in California?
Not sure how the warranty admins do it on the back end tbh, but CARB warranty is only 7yr/70k miles.
Ah because my i3 REX is 15yr/150k miles for pretty much everything
I used to “hate” on the I8.
Meaning I didn’t talk shit about it, but I just thought it was kind of a poor attempt at a flex. Then they started showing up to the exotic rallies and I was having some good fun with others who owned one while we were cruising on the highway.
I would say this is a good move, definitely way better than a Tesla too lol.
Buy used and drive for bit. If you like it, keep it, if not, sell it.
Yes!
Only if you are shorter than 180 cm and small framed 😄 getting in and especially out of that car daily is not for everyone 😄😄
I8 is the coolest car ever. I got to see one yesterday and the owner even let me sit in it, that things a fucking spaceship
Coolest car ever with a 1.5l engine? Do you drive cars or only sit inside lol?
I have a CRV, anything is cool lol
That was predictible :)
You don’t need a 7l V8 to be cool, I love driving my dads Lotus and thats a 1.8l but I’d still consider it a cool car.
I need at least 3 liter 400+ horsepower engine with good exhaust in an entry level sportcar, not a joke 1.5l mini cooper engine dude.
Thats too much for an entry level sport car, you can have a lot of fun with a decent size displacement engine like a 1.8l and they’re not even that slow, you put them down too much.
Also 3l and 400+ HP how do you afford that? I have a 1.2l 90hp VW polo and I pay £4,000 insurance per year and over $7 a gallon of fuel which is affordable in the 1.2l but when I drive my mums 335i which is a 3l TT 320hp it drinks fuel at an unaffordable rate.
And why do you need a big loud exhaust? there is no point unless you get a bit more power but then you can pay so much for an exhaust with so little benefit.
What do you mean be „too much”? Today sportcars is 500-600 horsepower and more, my F Type S with its 380 hp is an entry level sportscar and nothing more. And no, you can not have a sportcar with a 1.8 engine.
Why do i want exhaust in sportcar? Emm, its like asking why i want a burger with meat. Because its how it is made?
I had 335i before and it’s fuel consumption is great for it’s power.
Yes you can have a sport car with a 1.8l, the Elise is the definition of a sports car thats why its handling was compared to the Ferrari F50.
Why do i want exhaust in sportcar? Emm, its like asking why i want a burger with meat. Because its how it is made?
Its not “how its made” there is plenty of sports cars without obnoxious and loud exhausts.
I had 335i before and it’s fuel consumption is great for it’s power
Its still drinks fuel but I will give you that it makes a lot of power.
if you buy it, make sure it comes with a get in helmet for you and your passenger.
I understood that reference
*doink*
The second doink had me crying!!!
He definitely didn’t see the second doink coming
Neither did the Bears
40k miles in 18 months is not a lot. Just saying
But also yes. Absolutely get an i8
Had one for a few years.
As a daily driver it’s perfectly comfortable and practical as long as you never need to carry more than one passenger or a carry-on worth of cargo.
It drives great but it’s going to be a step back performance-wise from any model 3. It’s by no means slow, it’s just slower than it looks. Very comfortable in comfort mode, and not too stiff in sport mode.
I will die on the hill that it’s the most beautiful car ever made. But ultimately that’s why I sold it. It just attracted too much attention. You will feel weird parking it in the mall parking lot. You will not be comfortable parking it in the 7/11 in “that part of town.” Anywhere you go everyone will be looking at who is stepping out of it. It is impossible for it to not make a statement everywhere you go (that statement being I’m rich and I want you to know it.) Whether you actually feel that way or not, that’s the vibe it will give off.
Not from any model 3 surely. The i8 is ~4.2s to 60mph, the standard range model 3 is 5.6s.
Any model 3. The i8 is 4.2s to 60mph in launch mode. Outside of that it’s slower than a Prius in EV mode and there’s a noticeable delay in comfort mode before the engine kicks on. And even compared to sport mode, the model 3 will just plain be more responsive, even if it’s a tiny bit slower off the line.
Doesn’t it technically come with four seats? Or are the two rear seats so small they’re practically just storage space?
An i8 as a daily is bold.
As others have said, you will hit your head getting in and out. Aside from that , it’s sweet