[thewallboy]

Hello.

I am looking at the option of buying a 2nd hand i3 94ah rex, probably on a 66 or 17 plate. Are there any issues I should look out for in particular? Would the battery have lost a chunk or range by now?
I will be driving Nottingham to Sheffield a lot (c. 110 round trip with 80 miles on motorway (highway for my friends in the US)70-75 mph), should I be expecting to do this all on battery, even in winter?

Sorry for the amount of questions but its a big deal (and investment) for me and I want to make sure I make the right decision.

TIA

 

[AnthonyL]

i have a 66 BEV, 94ah, worst case I have seen is 100 miles in winter at motorway speeds.

obviously I am biased but think if you need the REX, most reported issues are around the REX, I understand why people want them but if you can do without you are more likely to have less issues, also if you go BEV you can get the heat pump as an option which means a bit more range in the winter.

i cannot really say anything bad about the car, only small issue I had was the reversing camera was replaced under warranty as delimainated (common problem).

battery health is unlikely to be an issue, the i3 battery is well managed, cooled/ heated and a nice buffer top and bottom.

check the tyres, they wear like a trooper, I get around 12k miles out of a set.

mine is pre facelift, if you go LCI you get the bigger screen as standard, if you get pre facelift (if I recall it is 2017) I would suggest looking for Pro Nav, much nicer display IMO.

i have the driver assist package Which is the the auto cruise control (camera only not radar) but still worth it in my opinion. Also have parking assist package which includes camera and auto park, neither are needed but it was on the car I brought.

happy to answer any questions.

 

[thewallboy]

thanks so much for the reply, that really helps. The rex appeals for the additional emergency range to ease traffic anxiety. Tyre wear is interesting. I get 20k plus on the run flats on my current X3 so that will be a factor.
thanks again.

 

[Uzi2]

thanks so much for the reply, that really helps. The rex appeals for the additional emergency range to ease traffic anxiety. Tyre wear is interesting. I get 20k plus on the run flats on my current X3 so that will be a factor.
thanks again.

Good choice> If you go for a highly specced one make sure it is registered before April 17, so you don't get clobbered for VED.

 

[Mr_G]

thanks so much for the reply, that really helps. The rex appeals for the additional emergency range to ease traffic anxiety. Tyre wear is interesting. I get 20k plus on the run flats on my current X3 so that will be a factor.
thanks again.

Tyres wear quick. The cost per mile is about the same as the electricity per mile using home charging. Good car on a motorway as you sit high up so the view is excellent. The tyres on an i3 are about half the price of the ones for an i3s.

That said, thanks to COVID-19, for me the walls will crack before the tread goes on the fronts (rears replaced at 19k) as at the moment my i3 94Ah REx 16 plate at 21k miles is doing all of 3 miles a week to and from the supermarket.

 

[thewallboy]

Tyres wear quick. The cost per mile is about the same as the electricity per mile using home charging. Good car on a motorway as you sit high up so the view is excellent. The tyres on an i3 are about half the price of the ones for an i3s.

That said, thanks to COVID-19, for me the walls will crack before the tread goes on the fronts (rears replaced at 19k) as at the moment my i3 94Ah REx 16 plate at 21k miles is doing all of 3 miles a week to and from the supermarket.

Thank you. Are you experiencing similar performance from the battery as previous reply?

 

[Gif]

I drove a 16 plate 94ah Rex for 50k miles and was still able to get 100 miles in the worse of weathers. 130 in the warmer stuff but the range is heavily dependant on how you drive it. Motorway needs to be nearer 60mph really to get good range, it drops like a brick from there up in my experience. If you're getting 20k out of an X3's tyres, I'm thinking you must drive fairly sensibly. I used to go through my X1's in less than 12k. Tyres on the i3 can be eaten if you put your foot down which is rather addictive off the lights.

Good car on a motorway as you sit high up so the view is excellent.

The seating position is nice but I found when it's windy, the car can get a bit fidgety at speed on motorways which is another reason for slowing down a bit.

 

[Mr_G]

Thank you. Are you experiencing similar performance from the battery as previous reply?

This is the second full year I have had the car. No reduction in range apart from the usual summer winter difference. I have a friend who has had an i3 64Ah REx for nearly six years, he has no reduction in range at all. The car has a hidden reserve (actually it just allows the battery cells to be charged to a slightly higher voltage) which it is slowly allowing to be used hence the apparently stable range. I drive in eco pro mode which helps preserve tyres and range.

The one key thing to watch is the front suspension gaiters, if they have not been changed they will sooner or later split. It is a very common problem with cars exposed to UK roads. The original gaiters are not up to the task. A bad split would be an MOT fail. Once the more robust replacement parts have gone in there will be no problem. It is a mechanical job so any decent garage can do the job at a fraction (1/3) of the price at a BMW dealership. If buying second hand I would require inspection and rectification prior to buying even if the split is small and not an MOT failure at the moment. You need the car up on a lift to be able to inspect carefully.

 

[POB_FBR]

The one key thing to watch is the front suspension gaiters, if they have not been changed they will sooner or later split. It is a very common problem with cars exposed to UK roads. The original gaiters are not up to the task. A bad split would be an MOT fail. Once the more robust replacement parts have gone in there will be no problem. It is a mechanical job so any decent garage can do the job at a fraction (1/3) of the price at a BMW dealership. If buying second hand I would require inspection and rectification prior to buying even if the split is small and not an MOT failure at the moment. You need the car up on a lift to be able to inspect carefully.

We've had 55k miles+ in a 2015 64 REX, now we've a 94Ah REX on a '66 plate. Great, amazing, satisfying and genuinely cheap-to-run cars. 100% agree with previous, but would suggest that you can get a pretty good look at gaiters and a few other things by putting the car on full lock. I found on a 64Ah and 94Ah that wheel spacers make a difference to stability. 15-25mm work well, with slightly wider fitting on the rear. Mine are H&R - great quality and TUV approved. I'd steer well clear of any no-name / eBay spacers, it's a safety-critical part. Another weird thing is that some batches of the Bridgestone tyres made a peculiar whoop-whoop sound on some surfaces. Nothing to worry about but the internet was a little aerated about it.

 

[eNate]

Sorry, this is going to be off topic.

I just learned a new British term!

You say "gaiters?" I've only ever called it a "boot." If I said to a Brit "I have a tear in my boot" he'd look at my trunk, right? But at least we would be in agreement about putting our car on a lift for an inspection -- even us Americans don't put our cars on elevators.

To the OP, is 70-75 MPH the posted speed, or just what you're accustom to driving? I would pretty regularly find myself driving at 80 MPH in my previous car, which felt very natural and "with the flow of traffic" despite this being clearly excessive and a very bad habit (posted limit is 65 MPH). When I transitioned to the i3, I set my "speed limit" setting to 70 and when I drive in Eco mode, the throttle is remapped to create a 70 MPH "happy zone" on the throttle pedal. I can push past it with a press of the foot if needed (or deactivate Eco mode), but I live more of my life closer to the posted limit.

If you have an outlet to plug in your Level 1 charger at work, you'll recoup a healthy reserve for your drive home. My 2017 with 30,000 miles, like the others have reported, will easily get 100 on my worst day, and 130+ under ideal conditions.

 

[thewallboy]

Sorry, this is going to be off topic.

I just learned a new British term!

You say "gaiters?" I've only ever called it a "boot." If I said to a Brit "I have a tear in my boot" he'd look at my trunk, right? But at least we would be in agreement about putting our car on a lift for an inspection -- even us Americans don't put our cars on elevators.

To the OP, is 70-75 MPH the posted speed, or just what you're accustom to driving? I would pretty regularly find myself driving at 80 MPH in my previous car, which felt very natural and "with the flow of traffic" despite this being clearly excessive and a very bad habit (posted limit is 65 MPH). When I transitioned to the i3, I set my "speed limit" setting to 70 and when I drive in Eco mode, the throttle is remapped to create a 70 MPH "happy zone" on the throttle pedal. I can push past it with a press of the foot if needed (or deactivate Eco mode), but I live more of my life closer to the posted limit.

If you have an outlet to plug in your Level 1 charger at work, you'll recoup a healthy reserve for your drive home. My 2017 with 30,000 miles, like the others have reported, will easily get 100 on my worst day, and 130+ under ideal conditions.

Thanks eNate. I tend to drive conservatively on the m-way and save "pushing-on" for more interesting roads! Could I assume all of the 100-130 range figures are without putting the rex into action?

 

[eNate]

...Could I assume all of the 100-130 range figures are without putting the rex into action?

For a 94Ah, yes. REX is going to tick that range up considerably. I'm a BEV owner. Echoing what Anthony wrote, I'd go BEV if at all possible only to cross a possible maintenance concern off of the list. I don't suppose 120Ah models are becoming price-competitive just yet?

 

[Gif]

Thanks eNate. I tend to drive conservatively on the m-way and save "pushing-on" for more interesting roads! Could I assume all of the 100-130 range figures are without putting the rex into action?

Yes, battery only. Rex adds another 70-80 miles or so but again depends on conditions to some degree.

 

[Joolz]

Hello.

I am looking at the option of buying a 2nd hand i3 94ah rex, probably on a 66 or 17 plate. Are there any issues I should look out for in particular? Would the battery have lost a chunk or range by now?
I will be driving Nottingham to Sheffield a lot (c. 110 round trip with 80 miles on motorway (highway for my friends in the US)70-75 mph), should I be expecting to do this all on battery, even in winter?

Make sure that you ask what the original list price was- it’s easy for Rex options to take the car over the 40k luxury tax threshold if registered from April 17 -I was stung by this buying from main dealer who made sure I wasn’t aware when I purchased.

 

[Joolz]

Make sure that you ask what the original list price was- it’s easy for Rex options to take the car over the 40k luxury tax threshold if registered from April 17 -I was stung by this buying from main dealer who made sure I wasn’t aware when I purchased.

 

[Gif]

I find it intensely annoying that you can use the DVLA vehicle status checker to tell whether a vehicle is taxed but it won’t tell you how much the tax is unless you have the V5 to hand

 

[electricdriver]

I find it intensely annoying that you can use the DVLA vehicle status checker to tell whether a vehicle is taxed but it won’t tell you how much the tax is unless you have the V5 to hand

Try an app like VehicleSmart (no connection) - it will show you tax and MoT status and also cost of re-taxing the vehicle.

 

[Audidoody]

Try an app like VehicleSmart (no connection) - it will show you tax and MoT status and also cost of re-taxing the vehicle.

Good Call all the info I want

 

[Gif]

Try an app like VehicleSmart (no connection) - it will show you tax and MoT status and also cost of re-taxing the vehicle.

It’s just such a shame that the one public authority which actually has the final say in how much is due, doesn’t make that information available.

Whilst the App is great, it’s relevant regarding their disclaimer “On that basis, Vehicle Smart Ltd make no representations or warranties of any kind with regards to the Vehicle Smart application, website and web services, the contents provided or the results of any vehicle searches or vehicle checks performed.”

At least if the DVLA gave me the figure I might legitimately have cause to come back at them if I bought a car and they then tried to send me a tax bill higher than that which they’d informed me of on their own site.

 

[Joolz]

It’s just such a shame that the one public authority which actually has the final say in how much is due, doesn’t make that information available.

Whilst the App is great, it’s relevant regarding their disclaimer “On that basis, Vehicle Smart Ltd make no representations or warranties of any kind with regards to the Vehicle Smart application, website and web services, the contents provided or the results of any vehicle searches or vehicle checks performed.”

At least if the DVLA gave me the figure I might legitimately have cause to come back at them if I bought a car and they then tried to send me a tax bill higher than that which they’d informed me of on their own site.