[Kevin Sharpe]

"At a list price of £99,115 ($157,767) in the UK, BMW’s second mass-produced plug-in car, the 2014 BMW i8 plug-in hybrid sports coupe costs more than a fully-loaded Tesla Model S luxury sedan. But while the BMW i8 luxury plug-in sports car has an all-electric range of just 23 miles per charge on the overly-optimistic NEDC test cycle, anyone wanting to buy one in the UK will find themselves waiting more than a year to get their car."

https://transportevolved.com/2014/10/15/bmw-i8-plug-hybrid-sports-car-1-year-waiting-list-uk/

 

[Dennis]

If you're not paying $100,000 over sticker, then it's better than around the US. I'm hearing that dealers are asking between $50k-$100k over the $140k sticker price of the car.

I'll stick with Tesla even when it lacks a battery warranty. It will take a while before the all electric range drops to 23 miles.

 

[Kevin Sharpe]

I'll stick with Tesla even when it lacks a battery warranty. It will take a while before the all electric range drops to 23 miles.

Says who? You have no guarantee that you can drive 1 mile let alone 23 miles... so long as the car will move Tesla are 'happy'.

I'd rather pay over the odds for a BMW with a warranty I can trust than a Tesla with no meaningful warranty.

 

[Dennis]

I guess I don't expect to do much warranty work anyway. So, the extra $50-100k, I think can be the value of "making it work" on my own. (either by sellling the car later and buying another one or repairing the car (assuming a Model S))

The 30% of 100,000 miles or X years warranty is great, but the chances of hitting that are slim and none, so I just save up for a replacement for that time. Call it self-insurance.

 

[Kevin Sharpe]

The 30% of 100,000 miles or X years warranty is great, but the chances of hitting that are slim and none, so I just save up for a replacement for that time. Call it self-insurance.

Says who? All we know for sure is that more than 20% of Tesla Roadster packs and large numbers of Model S batteries have been replaced. We have no data on BMW i8 replacements afaik.

Also remember that Tesla are actively trying to prevent you from buying parts and repairing your car so that's not an option;

https://speakev.com/threads/san-diego-mans-58-000-nightmare-with-a-salvage-title-tesla-model-s.4076/

 

[Dennis]

Says who? All we know for sure is that more than 20% of Tesla Roadster packs and large numbers of Model S batteries have been replaced. We have no data on BMW i8 replacements afaik.

Also remember that Tesla are actively trying to prevent you from buying parts and repairing your car so that's not an option;

https://speakev.com/threads/san-diego-mans-58-000-nightmare-with-a-salvage-title-tesla-model-s.4076/

I'm not a "handy" "car" guy anyway.

I don't self-repair most things on the car, so I already pay a penalty tax on that. Whether it's a BMW or a Tesla. So, the extra $50k difference between what folks in the US are selling the i8 for and the fact that it is a PHEV would make me go with the Model S P85D in my case (if I were to spend that money on yet another EV or PHEV). Now if the guys at BMW go with an all electric i8... Who knows. I've always been a BMW "fanboy".

If the car stops working, I sell it or donate it and move on. The tax write-offs on car donation in the US are pretty well spelled out and sometimes better than selling the car directly.

 

[Kevin Sharpe]

If the car stops working, I sell it or donate it and move on.

very few people here would be able to write off a car that costs more than $100K and therefore we will keep pushing for meaningful warranties from companies we can trust.

 

[Dennis]

very few people here would be able to write off a car that costs more than $100K and therefore we will keep pushing for meaningful warranties from companies we can trust.

Agreed. And that is why I would PREFER that the warranties were written out and better suited for the consumer. But, have to look at the situation with eyes wide open and understand what little such warranties are giving us.

Even the BMW and Nissan ones, as "generous" as they are, they're not great. This is why I urged Tesla to step up on the post I wrote on my blog.

However, barring that. Have to live with the situation as it's been presented and deal with it accordingly.

 

[Edd Beesley]

Battery warranties aside, I am not surprised there's such a wait for the i8, it's a beautiful machine

 

[Paul]

The thing for me is photos don't do it justice, and it looks great in photos!