$22 grand. That’s a LOT of money. Way, way, way too much money to spend on a car. Right? I mean, the most I’ve ever spent on a car is $10,500, and I had to breathe into a paper bag while the transaction was going through. It was awful, but it paid off, because I love my i3 with all my heart. But now there’s another i3 on the horizon — the Holy Grail of i3s. It’s called the i3S, and it’s got me completely obsessed right now, and I need you all to help me snap out of it
I own a 2014 BMW i3. It’s the best car I’ve ever owned. I love it dearly. BUT, I worry, because as I fall more and more in love with my little Bavarian range-extended EV, I realize its days are numbered. After all, when I bought it in 2023 with 135,000 miles on its odometer, the high-voltage battery was toast, and only through a loophole was I able to get it replaced. That loophole ends after 150,000 miles, which means that when my battery does go the way of the Dodo, it’ll be on me to replace it. That could cost me tens of thousands of dollars.
Yes, that’s probably a decade out, but combine that nagging concern with my hatred of using gasoline (trust me, if you own an i3, you understand that the range-extender coming on means you lost), and I find myself wishing for a newer-model i3 with a better, higher-range battery. The 2017 and 2018 i3 models come with a 94Ah battery battery rated for up to 524,000 miles! Those also go about 100 miles per charge, while mine does about 70.
I guess I could try to swap one of those into my i3 sometime down the road. OR I could buy a newer i3 right now — ideally the 2019 and up model with an even bigger battery than that 524,000 miles one — 120Ah. That’s twice the size of my i3’s battery, and it should get the car about 125 miles per charge.
Having a bit more range means I’d basically never use the range extender (I think I drive about 70 miles a month on the Rex right now), and it means I could keep this car for probably 30 years, because even if the battery degraded to 50 percent, it’d offer about as much range as my current i3 (it’s a bit heavier, so it’d be a little worse than a new 60Ah model, but you get the idea). It could be my “forever car,” so to speak.
Anyway, I’ve been on the hunt for 2019 i3s for a while now, and I found this one, and it’s no ordinary i3:
That, my dear friends, is an i3S, where “S” stands for “sport.” It’s slightly more powerful, quicker, and has a sportier traction control system than the standard i3. In truth, per online forumgoers who own an i3S, the “S” should stand for “stable,” because the wider track and wider tires apparently let the i3S track down the road with more confidence and with less propensity to get thrown around by wind or cracks in the road. It’s really not that sporty, per what I’ve read, but it’s more planted on the road and it looks awesome. It probably gives up a bit of range due to the wider bodywork, and the 20-inch wheels probably require pricier tires than my i3’s 19s, but I mean, look at this thing. It’s badass!
This is unquestionably the Holy Grail of BMW i3s. It’s the best model-year, with the best exterior color (white on black is known as the “Panda” i3), and it’s got the best interior:
But it’s $22,000. Add taxes and a $2000 delivery fee, and we’re talking $26 grand! If I chose to pay it off over three years, that’d put it at 30 grand after interest. That’s almost three times what my i3 cost!
I can’t do it. But I want to; I want the ultimate i3 that I can drive for the next 30 years — there’s something about knowing your car has a shelf-life that really sucks; at least with other gas-cars I know they can do 250,000 miles and 50 years if I maintain them properly. Then again, who knows what will happen in the future. I could get the new car and immediately get rear-ended, battery technology could become 100% better than it is now, NACS chargers could go away, and on and on.
But I’m not sure why I’m trying to apply logic, here? Buying this car would not be logical. It’s just a car that I want. But I can’t.
But I want it.
But really, I can’t do it.
Probably.
Buying any current EV with the plan of keeping it for 30 years seems like a huge gamble. As interesting as an i3 is, it’s still an early-adopter EV at a time when advances seem to come every year. And who knows how long it will even be viable as a car, or supported by it’s manufacturer.
Better to keep the one you have, and when the time comes to replace the battery again, see what options are out there.
David,
yes, it is a lot of money for a class of vehicles that are depreciating at a rapid clip. If you sell your current vehicle, you’ll maybe get a couple of k back, not really enough to dent the cost of this newer model and not also factoring in a higher insurance premium. It’s a bad financial decision. Is this worth going into debt over? The heft in your wallet will make for a better ride than the dent in your finances.
I vote for putting that money into the FC EV conversion.
Waiting also means you might be able to take advantage of better and lighter battery tech in the future. I agree with many comments, better to upgrade what you have for way less money and enjoy your essentially new battery
Careful, battery degradation is not necessarily a smooth curve. Yes, over time the capacity will grow slowly smaller, but at some point cells will start to die completely and you may not be left with 50% capacity, you may just have a very expensive brick. I would not buy any current EV on the assumption that it will be functional on its original battery in 30 years.
“Worry is interest paid in advance on a debt that never comes due.”
Trust me: there will be an aftermarket with a cheaper / better battery for your i3 when the day comes that you need one in the distant future. I went through this with my 1st gen Insight’s IMA battery. There’s now Lithium Ion battery conversion kits that make them exponentially better and more efficient – if only I hadn’t sold mine after putting three different NiMh battery packs in it during my years of ownership.
For that amount of money, you might as well get a used Tesla Model S 85 or better… like this 2016 Model S 90D
https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicle/708329551
And it will have better performance, more space, at least double the range, access to a proper charging network and will be better supported.
Nope, because that would mean being seen driving a Tesla.
Yeah… wouldn’t want to be seen in a car with superior tech… LOL
But seriously, millions of people are seen in Teslas daily. Why should it be a problem for anyone else like David?
Oh because Musk said something on Twitter? Puullease… if that’s the the criteria for car buying, then get ready to start riding a bicycle because every major car company has had someone in their leadership that said or did things that were at least as bad (and in many cases, far worse) than anything Musk has said or done.
I love when you guys try to normalize fascist man-baby white supremacists like Musk. It’s a very simple litmus test of your character.
Funny that “Pedoguy” Musk platforming losers like Alex Jones and all his antisemitic dog whistles doesn’t register for you on any moral scale.
https://youtu.be/Eo3zORUGCbM
“I love when you guys try to normalize fascist man-baby white supremacists like Musk. “
I love it when people use words like ‘fascist’ in ways that clearly show that they have absolutely no idea of what the word actually means.
And using a comedy program to “back up” your point doesn’t make as strong of a case as you think it does.
John Oliver is to Comedy what Walter Cronkite was to news.
If you don’t like John Oliver then you’re batting for the wrong team.
And yes, Musk’s ideology is decidedly fascist. But you wouldn’t notice if you’re his stan.
Don’t do it. Yours has a brand new battery and will be fine. Obviously the $$ are causing anxiety, so not worth it.
Also, the 2018 i3S isn’t the holy grail. For me the holy grail is the 2019+ i3S BEV which came with the largest battery offered in an i3 and largely negated the need for a REX.
Given that the market for EVs is crashing, that’s way too much for a 5 year old one. Spend the money on upgrades for the i3 you have, with the lighter battery and aided by the “S” bits you could end up with the best i3 yet!
My wife banned me from going to a car dealer for 10 years because my brain works in the exact same way. “But this one is better and will last me longer, and I love the one I have so this will be perfect.”
No it will not and there will be another one that you will love even more in a few years. By the time the battery on your current one degrades enough to matter you will have paid off the loan on it and can either choose to get a loan to repair or upgrade the battery, or will have fallen in love with another vehicle.
“If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one your with” – Crosby, Stills, and Nash
David, we need to talk.
You are high on your own supply.
The BMW i3 is a worst-of-all-worlds car that was interesting, but then abandoned before it was any good. You bought a barely-functioning one on a lark, for cheap (but not really that cheap), partly for the clicks. By incredible happenstance, you got the battery replaced and now have a modestly functional primitive PHEV. That feels like winning the lottery, and you’ve been in love with the ridiculous thing ever since. That lightning will NOT strike twice, and that $22,000 is not even close to worth it. In this car you will not have a grail, but a too-expensive deeply mediocre commuter car. There is carbon fiber in my boot insoles, and they are not that fancy.
The BMW i3 was an interesting, but not fully completed thought experiment. BMW rushed it to market to “compete” in the space, thinking their brand caché amongst the conspicuous consumption set would give them an advantage. They priced the thing hilariously high. It barely works as a PHEV. The battery-only range is laughable, and the engine can’t even propel it properly. The (then still a thing) Ultimate Driving Machine experience is woefully, woefully, absent.
You have tons of cars. For a commuter, literally any BEV will be able to cover those 70 monthly ICE miles you see in the i3. And drive better. And probably not be a parts dead end. For any other task, basically any car is better than an i3, because that car is so minimum-viable-product it can do nothing else.
You made a fun mistake and got a secret success out of it. The second mistake is loans, and time, and regret.
Unless Beau pays for it, then go nuts.
While I agree with you,
…please be careful saying things like this to David. He will find the one BEV terrible enough to not cover those miles. Like, say, a used-up Leaf with a battery so degraded that it can barely make a one-way trip to the office.
This is true. I have regrets.
But imagine what EVs will look like 30 years from now! Or heck, even 5 years from now. I’m pretty sure being an automotive enthusiast comes along with a list of cars you’ve had to seriously refrain from buying. You know what’s best.
You shouldn’t buy it, David, because you should send me the link so I can buy it instead :p
Or you could more wisely use that money to buy a bunch more shitboxes that you can have fun with. May as well enjoy gasoline vehicles while gas is still (relatively) cheap and very available.
I’m guessing $18k after the $4k used-EV incentive?
David, SNAP OUT OF IT MAN!
Logically there is no reason to buy this $30K I3. More battery range is silly. You drive 70 miles per month on REx. That’s what, two gallons of gas? Even at CA prices that’s maybe $15. You can pay for 2000 months of gas for the cost of the “upgraded I3”.
19 inch tires are cheaper than 20’s and the way EVs eat tires, that’s important. Plus, most of the (in use) pollution from EVs comes from tire wear. Bigger tires=more wear particulates.
The newer one is better on the highway. Maybe, but neither are highway cruisers, they’re city cars. You’ll never notice the additional “performance” sitting in city traffic. Also, since when are you worried about highway safety? I bet the I3 you have is probably the safest highway vehicle you own, and let’s not forget you road tripped Project Postal.
It looks badass? Really? It looks like a small hatchback with a cool paint scheme. Get a wrap for significantly less $$ and enjoy.
Finally, unless you’re swimming in a pool of money like Scrooge McDuck, you should consider the financial decisions you make very carefully. It’s very easy to recover from good decisions and very hard to recover from bad ones. I know cars are emotional, but you have several projects going that will give you more joy in finishing than any new commuting appliance will.
David is getting to much used to luxury. Not that an i3 is that good, but better than his usual cars for sure.
And if if he wants to keep that thing on the road for 30 years, is better to get used to another stuff like ISTA, ICOM, E-SYS, etc.
Aww, David growing up. It’s a tough one bud. I subscribe to the idea of selling some of your current, umm, patina’d possessions and reduce that interest burden. Also, low chance you’re keeping this for 30 years, so be honest with yourself. Or, I think a good compromise is to hold on to your current one, and hunt for the one you long for in 3 years time with a lower sticker. If you still want it of course and not the Rivian RX.
I was sure this was an April Fool’s prank when I read “…with my hatred of using gasoline….” But I realize the appeal to all of David’s points. That said, I’m not sure EVs are forever vehicles. As an enthusiast version of a car you love, it’s cool, but it’s a serious chunk of change to put on a car you (mostly) already have sans fender flares.
30 years is a loooooonng time. It’s nearly guaranteed that your life will look different in 30 years, and you have no reason to think that you’ll want exactly this car that far into the future (I.E., your “grail” longings from previous years are now sold or languishing while you chase this new grail).
Plus, EV design is still in a phase of rapid design iteration. Even if the i3 is the best current vehicle you can imagine, you’ll probably have an even better option 3 decades from now. The market is changing quickly.
Also, if I’m wrong (and no new vehicles fit your needs), a 2019 i3 should be significantly cheaper by the time your brand new battery gives out. And you would have gotten another decade out of your current car. Win-win!
see, if it were me, I would liquidate everything I (you) owned including your current i3, up to your supposed brother’s supposed Mustang, and snag this puppy. I believe in feeding my soul, and if your soul hungers for this panda-looking grail, it should be nourished.
But I know you’re not going to give up on all of your Mopar patinamobiles.
I haven’t actually bothered to look at ev prices but $21k for a 2021 i3 vs $30k for a very slightly used bZ4X in my area, I’m more inclined to go for the newer Toyota. I know it’s not 1 to 1, but its kinda crazy to me this is a Toyota product with such steep depreciation
No.
“my hatred of using gasoline”
I just finished a 3 week rental in an ICE Camry while my Bolt was being un-wrecked and I was surprised at how irritated I got because I had to make a special trip just to buy gasoline when the gauge got low. I usually charge at work and it’s not a thing at all, but the rental had a light that came on and forced me to go out of my way to refill.
It’s funny how fast I got used to not making that trip. Drove gas for 30 years and it was just normal to stop at a station to fill up, but 4 years of electric and suddenly it’s a hassle to get 4 gallons? Weird how fast we get used to something.

Does it speak to you? Do you feel it? How are you going to feel when you see it going for five times the price on BaT in a few years?
If there’s anything I’ve learned from the wide world of auto enthusiasts, and something Holy Grails has pointed out, is that every car, truck, motorcycle, moped, bicycle and gas-powered wheelbarrow ever made has enough nostalgic power to someone that it will be lifted by the wheel of nostalgia into the rarefied heights of being a Classic.
The stuffy, boomery pout of ‘just because it’s rare doesn’t make it valuable!’ – the one that that rises from the commentary section like fast-food flatulence every time some vehicle that hasn’t earned the enthusiast stamp of approval yet crosses the auction block – eventually wafts away on the breeze. The recycler, the tinworm and basic wear reduce the number of examples on the street. The same time, nostalgia grows stronger and the people who grew up in one, or saw one during their formative years, or simply appreciate an overlooked virtue grow in number and wealth.
How many AE88s have been ‘just an old Toyota shitbox!’? How many times do you have to hear someone’s moaning story that they could have gotten a 68 Beetle Convertible or a 21-window Microbus for $500 and they still wouldn’t pay a penny more?
No car is dull enough, pedestrian enough, or common enough to escape, and the top-of-the-line, Holy Grail models are the first to float to the surface of the porcelain lake of used automotive value.
The ’04 Stultis Boredmobole SE is now appreciated because it’s a light, cleanly designed sedan in a world of baroque SUVs, and its Metallic Caucasian paint stands out against the sea of Fog Grey, Steel Midnight, Light Carbon and Scandinavian Depression painted people transporters that fills the nation’s parking lots. The lack of any technological amenities beyond a radio – with buttons! – is refreshing instead of plain. The automatic transmission is honest and solid compared to rubber-band CVTs. The overboosted hydraulic power steeling is confident and communicative now that electric power racks are the standard of the day. And good examples of the top-of-the-line Boredmobile GT-S – especially in the rare Subdued Midlife Crisis Pinot with Baseball Pleather interior – are already impossible to find for under 20k.
Just get the dang car, man. No matter what the haters say, the best-of-the-best, rarest-of-the-rare example of a carbon-fiber-bodied BMW with decade-ahead technology and exotic styling is not going to be a boring choice, even if it just sits in storage for a while before being the inaugural sale on the Autopian’s vehicle auction site exclusively for contributors’ excess cars.
(I’m pitching it as the Autopian Super Select Hooptie Online Live Experience! Call me!)
COTD. I want in.