BMW i3: Found THE PERFECT One on the Used Market?

[@ewadge]

Love our used i3. I bought it with 7,000km on the clock and have since put almost 90,000km. I adore the car and will never sell it. My only regret is I wish it was the version without the range extender.

[@gbmwp]

Why without Rex? Are you disappointed? I am thinking for a rex

[@ewadge]

@ I live in Malta. Distances are very short. Essentially I’m just lugging around an engine needlessly which still requires periodic oil changes

[@rp9674]

Rex has been handy, I'd trade for 2nd gen battery w/o rex

[@power4things]

We found a black 2017 94Ah with alloys, which was very reasonably priced and well-equipped, perfect car. Not an i3S model, but get a cheap OBD plug and the Bimmercode phone app, each about EUR 30, to simply unlock the sport mode already featured in the S. The motor mounts were improved by 2016, so occasional use of sport mode with its added torque should be safe. We plug it in at night and when you finish, the display shows around 190 km range, or maybe 160 km indicated in very cold weather. This number then goes up once you drive off and the battery warms up, and this is in the Comfort Mode, the least economical. You can also preheat the battery if you have the heat pump. The car is pleasantly quick (0-100 in 7 sec) but, at a 160 km/hour speed cap, not an autobahn stormer (which was not the intent). No shifting gears, direct-drive to rear wheels.

[@jutubetub4384]

Thank you! Just the perfect video I was looking for. Best one for i3 interested people

[@John-FourteenSix]

Thank you for this video. We are now 18 months into our ownership of a 2021 i3S and remain very happy with it. It’s well equipped and the range is adequate enough for our needs.

[@teslaaddict]

Great video as always Martin! Happy holidays to you and yours

[@steve-zschannel2729]

Nice one Martin, hope you’re enjoying your Christmas.

[@rtfazeberdee3519]

Merry Christmas, thanks for another informative video.

[@thumper1747]

I bought my white 2019 i3S in April 2024 after watching and rewatching just about every video you’ve done. Bought it with 25k miles on the clock and immediately called Wisely for advice on which charger to buy, but Arthur gave me short shrift for not buying it from him, so I’m still trickle charging it. Thank you for all your open and transparent advice and a Happy New Year to you and your Mum 👍

[@legiox4644]

Velmi pěkná ukázka a povídání o i3 👍🏻😉

[@rp9674]

That's funny, there's a Martin that works at Wisely Automotive! 2015 i3 rex, less trouble than I expected, reliable, economical, runs great

[@simonreeves2017]

Hi Martin, greetings from Oxford. Love the work you do covering i3’s. I bought mine new in 2019 in mineral grey, I kept the options to a minimum, the upgraded audio (because I love music and good sound quality) and the sun protection glass. Now at just under 50k miles. Love the car and plan to keep it for a long time.

[@RichardABW]

Agree with you on the upsides of carbon roof over the sun roof. One upside to the sunroof though is you don't need to worry about the bare carbon fibre delaminating, which seems to happen sometimes.

[@rubendewulf]

I got 280 000 kms on it now , not 1 issue . And 6 times maintenance , 80 € each. Cheapest car i ever bought .

[@vee3138]

Thanks for your comment👍How old is your i3 and what battery? Any experiences in extreme cold temps (-20 - -30) with cold starts/charging?

[@rubendewulf]

@vee3138 i forgot 1 thing , new 12v . No problems in cold , coldest temp here is -5 i think . It's a Rex 94ah , late 2016 i think

[@ChaseTheMoments]

Excellent video - thanks for doing it. i just got a 2014 BEV and love it. I didn't know what to look for and wish I had seen this video first. Although, I think I did OK apart from the dreaded broken heater and failing heated seat. BMW software reliance and the ability of the dealers to take your money very quickly for any service is the only downside. Wisely are very reasonable for booked up for months unfortunately.

[@bitmanev4331]

I changed the cloth seats to leather and never looked back as those cloth are very prome to stains

[@MartinKarel]

Didn’t really have issues with the darker Atelier interior fabric. The car goes for a deep clean where it gets wet vacuumed once a year and that seems to be enough to keep any stains under control.

[@simonreeves2017]

Hi Martin, my second comment on this video. I know you have worked on i3’s a lot, so I wondered if you could do a technical video covering a couple of niggles I have with my 6 year old i3. I have a rattle and water leak from the driver side door glass, it looks like the glass has ‘slipped’ down by a few millimetres. There are knocks and clunks from the front end over bumps, I’m pretty sure it’s not the suspension, I made some improvements to this by dressing and securing the battery coolant hoses under the left wheel arch, but it does still clunk a little, particularly when it is colder outside, and almost completely goes away in the warm months. Your insight into these issues would be most welcome.

[@matejorsag6515]

Super, máte výborný projev, zhlédl jsem mnoho videí vašeho kanálu a v životě by mě nenapadlo, že pocházíte ze Slovenska! Pokud si koupím i3 (nevylučuji), bude to i díky Vám. Doporučil byste mi odkud koupit i3 v ČR? A s panem Havrlíkem, který v i3 mění baterie za větší, se znáte? Hodně štěstí v roce 2025 a pozdravujte maminku 😉

[@x5toledo]

Ideal UK spec: 20" wheels / sun protection glass / HK audio / park assist / Suite interior / comfort access / aux cabin heater / no sunroof / bright colour 🙂

[@uttherkunst3806]

I got the i3s and the ride is diabolical. I definitely wish I’d gotten the i3 with the 19” wheels. The extra performance of the i3s is pointless.

[@tonrotterdam]

You can always buy the 19" wheels, they are becoming cheap-ish now.

[@tomarmstrong1281]

I have heard that the battery can suddenly die on the i3. How true is this and how much of of an issue?

[@tonyrobinson362]

Do they still have aircon problems its the only thing that stops me from going from ice to ev thanks, Happy new yr from the UK

[@jonathantaylor1998]

What aircon issues have you heard about for the i3, Tony...? My car's now coming up to 8 years old (60,000 miles) and the AC has been faultless.

[@derrick021]

nice boots

[@z00h]

You saying that keyless theft is not an issue in Central/Eastern Europe? LOL.

[@gbmwp]

Would you buy an i3 Rex with 153000km?

[@MartinKarel]

Personally: - mileage not too big of a deal if the car has been well taken care of - age is actually something to consider though - I would NOT buy a REx regardless of age / mileage (BEV all the way)

[@fduran6993]

I wonder if in order to avoid electric motor ball bearing issue it is worth to buy at least a 2019 or newer car? Thanks.

[@Terry-q7y]

You mean one that doesn't cook you when it goes in to thermal runaway

[@Brian-om2hh]

Says the man who drives an ICE car, of which around 300 catch fire *each day* in Britain..... Yet strangely, just 250 or so EV's have caught fire in Britain in the 12 years they've been on sale, yet you believe they are the greater risk......That's the power of the press for you...

[@MartinKarel]

Indeed. Wouldn’t want to be cooked in a car. So decided to go for one which is not likely to catch on fire. 😃

[@Terry-q7y]

@@Brian-om2hh A truck driver in California says he sees at least 1 burnt out EV on the highway a week and he says you can tell because it's just a pile of molten slag where as a normal ICE car is just a burnt out shell

[@simonreeves2017]

I’ve never heard of a single i3 vehicle fire, but open to any evidence of this you can provide.

[@Terry-q7y]

@@simonreeves2017 I have found at least 6

[@AdrianNelson1507]

The S is for people who put M badges on their 116d

[@tomarmstrong1281]

I bought a pair of these 'miracle' spectacles which are constantly advertised on KZbin. I wish I had not bothfpered, In my opinion they are cheap poorly made plastic rubbish. A complete rip-off.

[@ulfjohansson3899]

It is just to ugly to even consider.