[Maybei8]

As I've mentioned in another post, all my petrol-head friends are universally saying stay well clear of the i8. It doesn't do anything well, it's not a real sports car nor is it a comfortable cruiser. I'm holding steadfast; I think it's actually the perfect combination of the two. Sure it's no 911 or Mercedes S Class, but its the only car I've ever driven that has two such distinctly different personalities.

Today I popped into a luxury used car dealer (Maserati, Ferrari, Range Rover, etc) to enquire about them selling my 911 for me. Looks like we might have a deal there.

While I was there I thought I'd just ask his opinion about the i8. The feedback was decidedly negative. 'We had one when they first came out and lost a ton of money on it', 'we couldn't give it away', 'for that kind of money it just doesn't deliver'.

Now I can understand that at full price it's a tricky proposition; you get plenty of metal for 160,000+. However, with cars under 2 years old with full dealer warranty and service package for about 90,000, I think they look like good value.
His response to that was 'put it this way, if I sold one on finance, I'd be scared to even give it a 50,000 residual value in 2 years time!', 'they're an extremely tough sell and unless you get one CHEAP you're likely to lose your shirt over it!'.

This is a two year car for me until family obligations will see me in an SUV. I see it as a transition car that will ease the shock of going from a 911 to a Range Rover or the like. However, a 40,000 hit will be a disaster.

Thoughts?

[BeMyWife]

I love my i8 but absolutely everything that the salesman said regarding resale value is true.

[drlonline]

One word: lease it! (oops, that's two words, but everyone knows we Yanks can't count).

[FrequentFlyer]

UK Market seems to have levelled out with 1700 registered since 2014 and it seems that less than 100 were newly registered in 2017 up until end Q3 and it looks like the vast majority of those were registered by BMW UK judging by the dealer stock of 2017 cars. So it seems that many people are opting for 1 or 2 year old cars instead. I read that the LCI Coupe will now be build to order only so I think the market is about saturated.

I think the residuals will depend on whether the quality holds up on these cars. Plan to lose half your money over 2 years and you won’t be disappointed. Compared to the R&D plus production investment paid by BMW you will have got off lightly.

Honestly, where else can you drive this much next generation technology for so little money ? I doubt you will see as much Carbon Fibre at this price point again. BMW bet on low weight/materials rather than battery capacity and it looks in the motoring press like they admit they got their sums wrong. I don’t think we will see the like of this car ever again.

[Maybei8]

Originally Posted by FrequentFlyer

I think the residuals will depend on whether the quality holds up on these cars. Plan to lose half your money over 2 years and you won’t be disappointed. Compared to the R&D plus production investment paid by BMW you will have got off lightly.

You think a further 50% depreciation is probable on a late 2016 car that's already dropped from Fr 170,000 to 90,000?

[drlonline]

Originally Posted by FrequentFlyer

I don’t think we will see the like of this car ever again.

I happen to agree. Although I am going to lease my 2019 coupe, I can imagine concluding at the end of the lease that I want to buy it with an extended warranty. I really believe I am going to love it that much, and who knows, it's very possible the next iteration of it will be all electric. Some will be thrilled with that, but I for one, love the thought of having 2 cars in one, and that engine note in Sport mode would be hard to give up. Mind you, this is coming from an i8 lover who doesn't even own one yet, though I feel I have .

[JasH]

Originally Posted by FrequentFlyer

I doubt you will see as much Carbon Fibre at this price point again.

i3

[JasH]

btw, I too love my i8 - but am very unhappy with BMW's over-supply of i8 cars, and the poor depreciation from new that has resulted.

Would therefore think twice before buy one again (new).

[FrequentFlyer]

Originally Posted by Maybei8

You think a further 50% depreciation is probable on a late 2016 car that's already dropped from Fr 170,000 to 90,000?

As a trade in to a dealer then I think this is possible rather than probable. You could do a lot better of course but I was saying at that level you would not expect to be disappointed. You seem to be doing a lot of homework, which is great but you may be in danger of overthinking it. I think it will be a one of a kind type of car and had it come from a cooler brand than BMW or been produced in more limited numbers then the depreciation story might have been different.

Mine is amazing and a stunning piece of design thinking - I would rather have a nice one whilst they are around than regret not taking the opportunity. I work in the Aerospace Industry and have a real appreciation for what BMW has achieved with this car but also a sinking feeling about how much it must have cost them to do it. No surprise that they tried to push out the volume.

i8 Drivers are early adopters of the technology platform. And we all know what it means to be an early adopter.

The usual alternatives have much higher running costs and as a result there are a lot of i8 daily drivers. In a few years there will be a split between the cars which have been doing 10k+ miles a year on a business lease and those doing 3k miles a year, typically at weekends. The depreciation will depend to some extent on which category you will fit into.

[Maybei8]

Originally Posted by FrequentFlyer

You seem to be doing a lot of homework, which is great but you may be in danger of overthinking it.

Never a truer word said! I'm afraid its an annoying habit cultivated working in financial services. Need to follow the heart and not the mind perhaps.

[Longboarder]

Not sure what the problem is. My lease cap cost on a terra world 148k msrp was in the 120's back in mid-2016 and my resid is in the 90's...so BMW got it about right. I remember everyone on this forum was paying about the same. Maybe there were a few that got hammered but maybe they didn't check this subforum. Gotta be informed.

[rastaman777]

Have to ditto what seems to be the general sentiment.
I love my i8. Sure it may not be the master of anything, and a sort of jack of all trades...but it's a great jack of all trades.
It has enough performance to keep my happy, and after not driving it all winter, I was so impressed again at how easy it is as a daily driver.
Would I like faster...yes.
Would I like longer battery life...yes.
Would I like better resale...yes.
Do I still love my i8...yes!
Don't overthink it, take it for a nice drive, and maybe you'll love it too.
Lease it for a couple years, and enjoy!

[ericsi]

At £65-75k where they have fallen now in the uk, they is little else comparable. I still love my car after three years and paid a lot more than this!

[fishpond]

Originally Posted by FrequentFlyer

I think the residuals will depend on whether the quality holds up on these cars.

The residuals on the Roadster and the new Coupe are getting worse here in the UK.

The figures are up on the BMW website for the new variants and the Coupe's resudual is ~GBP10k less than when I purchased my 2016 i8! The Roadster is worse as well...

[Maybei8]

There are brand new cars being offered here for 25 under list

[fishpond]

Originally Posted by ericsi

At £65-75k where they have fallen now in the uk, they is little else comparable. I still love my car after three years and paid a lot more than this!

Agreed. To a purchaser in £65-75k bracket i think they are exceptional value for what you get.

I can't say I'd rush to buy a new one again with such a competitive used market out there...

[Amr_d]

Originally Posted by ericsi

At £65-75k where they have fallen now in the uk, they is little else comparable. I still love my car after three years and paid a lot more than this!

I would say its more like £55-65k in the UK now. I reckon by the end of the year we will see i8’s advertised <£50k.

[Maxxsirrah]

Originally Posted by Amr_d

I would say its more like £55-65k in the UK now. I reckon by the end of the year we will see i8’s advertised <£50k.

We are still in the winter sports car malaise though, prices for sports cars tend not to change much from April till about November/December time, when they'll drop again, and yes i would expect to see some 2014s with higher mileage below £50k by the end of the year. There will be less used cars coming onto the market though next year and beyond as we get past the lease/pcp end dates of the bulk of the cars bought in the UK. Will be interesting to see where prices go then.

[Amr_d]

Originally Posted by Maxxsirrah

We are still in the winter sports car malaise though, prices for sports cars tend not to change much from April till about November/December time, when they'll drop again, and yes i would expect to see some 2014s with higher mileage below £50k by the end of the year. There will be less used cars coming onto the market though next year and beyond as we get past the lease/pcp end dates of the bulk of the cars bought in the UK. Will be interesting to see where prices go then.

We are already at £50k

[mspeed]

all legitimate concerns for i8 current/future owners

Im the kind who prefers to own/purchase outright cars for a long time, and I must say that owning an i8 out of warranty is a frightening proposition. With such low volume, 3rd parties wont want to invest the time to research how to maintain/fix these cars, hence your only option will be a very expensive visit to the dealer.

2014s are coming off of warranty now and I expect there to be a huge drop off in values

[Mr.SugarSkulls]

Just lease the car, write it off the years you have it- cars warranty covers any out of pocket expenses, lower payments- drive the hell out of it, enjoy it- and give it back like a cheap hooker. :

[Ravon]

We are the guys who purchased three i8's in one order. We've loved the cars, hated the dealer service, loved the UK Tax benefits associated with owning the cars. We in fact love them so much that we are keeping them for five years, I'm just enquiring about extended warranties, which seem quite reasonable at between £1000 and £1200 pa depending on excess ?
So overall, running three i8's for five years will have been a great financial deal as under normal circumstances we'd have changed cars after two years, so we are ahead almost whatever small sum they are valued at in the end, and we've loved owning and driving them !
How sad that this will be the end of the reasonably priced carbon fibre car, I felt just the same way when Audi gave up on the A2, which was another masterpiece !