CHEAPEST BMW i3?

I bough this BMW i3 for less then $10,000 and I get a $3,000 tax credit. Does that make it the cheapest non salvaged i3 ever sold? It might also be one of the highest mileage i3's out there.
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[@simonreeves2017]

Hi, greetings from the U.K. I have a 2019 BMW i3 from new, my first ever EV, love it. I really like the one peddle driving, it takes a little adjusting to, but once you do it makes driving so easy; I very rarely use the brake peddle, I can do 99% of slowing down with regen-braking. I’m nearly 60yo, I have owned many cars in my time, the BMW i3 is right up there in my list of favourites.

[@k4tilp]

I bought mine 2016 base i3 with 70Kmi for $8000 cash. The dealer didnt know the tax rebate on used car below $25000. Now my power provider is edison too! Thanks to that

[@carni6319]

Can't wait to see the S1000RR motor go into that!

[@xam5440]

I like where this is going man 🫡

[@fduran6993]

In Spain, where I live, 2017 models are around 22-23.000 €. Older models are expensive too. Definitely I love its design.

[@alex-eucmad.7133]

Para nada. Compré mi 60 Rex hace medio año por 15.000€ y tienes los 120 del 2019-2020 por unos 19-20.000€

[@johnapel2856]

That's pretty neat! Hope to see more of this car. Thanks, and Woof to Walter.

[@lunabouch]

Great great wonderful. I feel/felt the same when this EV came out. Funky cool love or hate it. I really liked it but as you showed the initial cost was way over my budget. So happy to see they are available on the used car market.

[@superbear617]

I like the design, too. Hard to imagine paying $45+K for a new one! Enjoy! (plus, it is nice to see another video from you!)

[@richardbaineswarrick4762]

Hey man, THANK YOU soo much for your excellent perspective! 😊

[@justwatchingnothingmore]

Really good one. Congratulations

[@bobbyalley86]

Oh man, can't wait to see what this becomes!

[@bobrk]

Wow, nice to see this. I had a new one in 2014, and it was a gas (lol). I may have to get another one.

[@stephenholford5220]

About to buy one. Thank You😊

[@kc4cvh]

7:30 I've found the opposite to be true: there's nothing convenient or desirable about stopping at the gas station. With my I3 BEV, I just plug in when I get home, unplug in the morning. It takes a total of around eight seconds per business day. BTW I got my 2018 I3 with 36,250 miles for $16,250 two years ago.

[@heavycream6682]

People were leasing these for $90-130 a month about 5 years ago in NY state. I tried to get one MA and they wanted over $500 it is a cool unique car.

[@jimmyjobsllc]

18% degradation over 170k is highly impressive - you have me shopping for one now

[@jcarter1742]

I bought my 2018 rex in 2021 for 20k with 20k miles on. Love the car!. I missed that used EV tax credit could've used that😢

[@YTuberosity]

First thing I would have done is upgrade the infotainment screen to the 10" version and add Carplay/Android Auto.

[@joby1]

I'm picking mine up tomorrow 79k miles $14k

[@motorv8N]

Great video and incredible deal. We’re just hitting a year of ownership with the sister vehicle to yours - a Mini Cooper SE. BMW who owns Mini took the ICE foundation, deleted the motor, trans, gas tank, exhaust etc etc and stuffed in the battery and power train from the i3. Except now the i3 motor is up front vs rear wheel drive. Basically they welded up a frame the electric motor sits in that uses the ICE motor and trans mounts. The battery is a T shape that runs down the exhaust tunnel and out under the rear seats. Charge plug is behind the fuel filler door. They’ve done a good job working with a 20 year-old platform I think. The SE is a blast to drive and handles great with that low center of gravity. Gets between 150-200km a charge depending on the temp up here in Canada. Not a lot but plenty for our daily needs. No range extender tho so road trips need some planning. We certainly didn’t get the kind of deal you did though. It’s a 2021 we got in ‘22 with low miles. Still soaked for almost full MSRP though ~$40K. But we’re saving $5-6K in fuel costs a year so chipping away at that premium for a small car. I like the fact BMW spent some time on the concept. Hopefully if will prove reliable over time.

[@Jerod_Helt]

I didn’t realize the mini has the same drivetrain, that’s good to know.

[@motorv8N]

@@Jerod_Helt - yes - if your battery takes a real dive in capacity you can probably still get replacements. I assume the Mini has more battery cells as the entire pack is I think 32kWh. You mentioned regen - in the Mini there’s no way to shut it off - low and high is it which is a hassle I find. If you want zero regen for true coasting you’ve got to put it into neutral. Sounds like the i3 is the same.

[@Jakeyfree]

Purchased my 2014 i3 with 29,500 miles for $7,750 last month. Highest trim model too

[@gsilcoful]

Pretty cool.

[@dlittlester]

A friend let me drive her 2014 with REX. Very impressive! When she found out they were discontinuing it, she traded it for a brand new one.

[@whocares264]

i have a bmw i3 rex, i will never play hunt the public charger that might not work then have to wait, but love evs so this is the one for me,

[@tutunmayan]

Welcome to club :)

[@clasqm]

They sell 3d printed cup holders over at etsy for much less than BMW charges.

[@TheElectricdave]

Just got a 125K miles same car (14 base REX) cherry condition for under $10k.. They are a smoking deal for an quality used EV.

[@Shododaan]

Did this car come with that three-stripe "M3" badging on the grill? Great video I'm thinking of getting one of these since I work less than 5 miles from where I live.

[@Jerod_Helt]

The previous owner must have added the stripes

[@chrishenniker5944]

I’d love to take the engine out of the APU, tune it, mate it to the Fiat 126 transaxle and stick it in a Fiat 500. I bet that’ll shift.

[@stillplayswithcarss]

Well done! Also take off the Hyundai 'Blue Efficiency' badges :)

[@Jerod_Helt]

I was wondering where those came from👍

[@zak1588]

Seeing these made me lol too.

[@zeroyon4562]

Pretty sure they’re from a Mercedes lol, which is even worse than Hyundai somehow.

[@verdict17]

Jerod, thanks for this very informative segment. Unfortunately I bought my 2014 I3 Rex on November 2022 with 30K miles. So I don’t qualify for the rebate😢. I programmed the car so the Rex kicks in at 75% charge instead of the 6%, so I don’t use up all my battery 🪫. Overall it’s a fantastic car.

[@uspaint]

How come you didn't qualify for the credit?

[@verdict17]

I bought the car before January 2023

[@uspaint]

@@verdict17 thank you for the reply. Do you like the vehicle? Thinking of getting one.

[@verdict17]

⁠I liked this car so much, I bought two of them; 2014 i3 and 2019 i3s

[@uspaint]

@@verdict17 looking at a 2017 or 2018. Which one is the best buy?

[@simon-xi3cv]

Can't believe the price. Well done!

[@djcavanaugh]

The low price overcomes a few glaring flaws in that car. For one thing, the range extender has a tiny gas tank, because of CARB tax credits that required BMW to cripple the range extender to avoid having i3 classified as a hybrid. Government, in its infinite wisdom, allowed the range extender, but they wanted to discourage people from actually using it. If you are going to install a level 2 charger, there are low-end conventional EV cars with much larger batteries (Nissan Leaf, Chevy Bolt) that compete with a range-extended i3. That said, the i3 has been heavily discounted in the new (until 2022) and used market, so it's not a bad option. At full price, this car was a joke, but quite realistic if you can live with the battery limitations and the marginally useful range extender.

[@potatovato]

got myself a 2017 rex with 50k miles for 18k got lucky myself lol

[@paulm.4394]

Does this car have the original AC compressor, I read when it goes they have to replace the ac lines in the Battery because the fan inside the compressor breaks in tinny pieces which spreads in the lines. So I read the repairs for that is in the thousands.

[@Jerod_Helt]

I’ve read about that as well. I don’t know the full history of this car so I don’t know if the AC has been replaced. I also don’t spend much time worrying about what might happen.

[@DiscoFang]

Just an fyi: Driving with regen braking does not extend your range, coasting off the accelerator does (apart from decending hills of course). Common misconception. Porsche has a bit to say about it and is why their cars coast in Eco mode.

[@ajdizzle4shizzle]

Great Video! Curious, how has the reliability been? Also, approximately how much does it cost to charge per month (for X miles driven)? Thanks!

[@Jerod_Helt]

No issues so far and I’ve put quite a few miles on it. It saves me about $50-$100 a month compared to my last car which was a hybrid Lexus SUV.

[@eatsdriverfl]

I just purchased a 2014 i3 with 42,000 miles nothing is wrong with it but if not the range extended but only electric I love it. I traded my 2008 Toyota Prius.

[@kojoefante]

Huh?

[@stancefraternity2641]

Did you find the bmw s1000 or m1000 to do that bike motor swap😁😁😁

[@Jerod_Helt]

Not yet

[@Alphabet7]

This is my next car and my first car

[@evs2760]

If it is already rear wheel drive... where will you install the motorcycle motor!?? :D

[@misterdaz1018]

That's what I was wondering. It is going to be another fun build series.

[@Jerod_Helt]

So, i'm not putting a bike engine in THIS i3 because its the REX version which means it must be smogged in CA since it came with a gas engine. The full electric version is a much better candidate for a bike engine, since it never needs to be smogged or inspected. I was looking for a good electric only version and I found this one and decided I wanted it as a daily driver. When it comes to the HOW part of the concept I see two options. Either buy an electric only version, remove the motor and battery and sell them to recoup most (or all) of the cost of the car and your left with a lightweight modern car ready for a motorcycle powertrain. Or... keep the electric drive unit and tap into the existing gearbox by extending one of the gear shafts outside the gearbox and installing a sprocket to attach the chain from the bike engine to. The Electric only version has a big empty space where the REX engine would have been, so there's plenty of room for the bike engine as long as you're willing to lose the rear storage area and replace the rear windows with air intakes. This is the option I was leaning towards. But, now that I actually have an i3 the real question is; would the bike engine improve the performance? I'm not so sure about that, it already has a lot of power and torque Originally I wanted a "Hybrid" i3 similar to the "Moto Leaf". Now I think the better option would be a full gas powered i3, just remove the electric drivetrain and install a sport bike engine. You would get all the enjoyment of the high revs and all the attention at car meets. But i'm still not sure it would be faster than a stock i3 or handle any better. So, my search for a cheap electric only i3 and a wrecked s1000rr is ongoing, but in the meantime i'm enjoying my new daily driver.

[@jacobgonzalez7302]

How's the car holding up now? I'm looking for a similar buy. Thanks

[@Jerod_Helt]

No issues at all. I’m really enjoying this car

[@joell439]

👍👍😎👍👍

[@DiscoFang]

Great example of vocal fry in a guy.

[@valienterf]

i got two, and they are juat owesome but you need to know their little needs. The door handles is an easy fix just tight the adjusting screw by removing the little platic cap. Get a small tork and tilwiat till is tight again. Walla like new again. Tires keep in inflated rigbt and ballance, if not they are pricy. only last 9 month. watch out of the ifamis ac noice if not it ruins thrle battery pack cooling grid, differenc efrom $2500 ac fix to a $8k repair. put extended wqrantee is worth it.

[@ronpackwood8772]

👍👍✌️🚘

[@tony_lopez]

What would be the most expensive fix on this car? I’m thinking of getting one.

[@Jerod_Helt]

I’m not sure. I haven’t had to replace anything

[@Tigerex966]

Anyway to increase the gas tank or battery size or width.?

[@Jerod_Helt]

Some people have added a larger tank where the front trunk is. But others say it’s a safety issue since that puts the fuel cell in the crumple zone. The stock fuel tank seems to be plenty for me.

[@Tigerex966]

@@Jerod_Helt I thought there was a hidden storage area toward the back that could be used for a larger tank. Or for a larger battery. In ten years battery tech should be good enough to triple the electric range safely like with the leaf?

[@Jerod_Helt]

@@Tigerex966 Some people add a compartment in the back were the REX engine would go, but that only works for the full electric cars.

[@Tigerex966]

@@Jerod_Helt thanks. That seems like a perfect place for a bigger battery. If a company can retrofit one to work with the installed one.

[@kojoefante]

Does it still run ..

[@Jerod_Helt]

Yes it’s my daily driver. No issues so far

[@per-olofswing]

Mine has driven 306 273km now. Yours?

[@Jerod_Helt]

I’m at 180,000 miles.

[@lukehorder6108]

The range is promising given the miles this car has traveled. Do you know what maintenance this car has had over those miles? Major work carried out etc?

[@Jerod_Helt]

Unfortunately I don’t know anything about it’s history

[@paulsvideos133]

Im getting one for 10990 and it has 88k miles

[@Jerod_Helt]

Yeah, the prices are still going down… lots of good deals to be had on these cars.

[@nobodynoone2500]

My buddy just got one for $5,900 (craigslist I think, non salvage) so yours is nowhere near the cheapest, unless you only count on that one website. I am looking for one under 3k, in non running condition, and have passed on a few already. Yous is in better shape however.

[@Jerod_Helt]

To get the tax credit you have to buy from a dealer. I searched many websites and this was the cheapest one for sale by a dealer. 👍

[@vintagevibezmusicgroup5466]

103K on my 2014

[@Jerod_Helt]

I’m up to 178k now. This is great little car👍

[@vintagevibezmusicgroup5466]

@@Jerod_Helt what’s are some tips in maintaining it? Looking to do more DIY, hey I even cleared THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. LOL u know that story. HAHAHAH

[@Jerod_Helt]

@@vintagevibezmusicgroup5466 I don’t think it needs much maintenance… thats the beauty of an electric car. I did change the oil in my REX just so I know when it was last done. Other than that I just drive it.

[@therealgaragegirls]

Love this. It's probably going to trigger some "conservatives" though.

[@cadenjoyner27]

what do political views have to do with a car?

[@therealgaragegirls]

@@cadenjoyner27 IKR?! LMAO

[@hieroglyph321]

@@cadenjoyner27 ask that to the w@nkers who think blocking ev chargers with their trucks or vandalizing them is fun