[drlonline]

Can't tell you how excited I am to have an order in for the 2019 coupe . I've been told the target production start date is later this month, so I expect delivery (west coast) in late April/early May. See attachment for the order details (personal info blanked out).

Bear with me for a brief recap of my i8 journey to this point. I first fell in love with the car when I saw the concept vehicle at the 2011 L.A. Auto Show. From the moment I saw it, I knew I just had to have one some day. Move ahead a couple years to when the production car is unveiled at the Frankfurt auto show in September 2013. I immediately starting contacting dealers in SoCal to determine where I might get on a wait list, even though the official price had not yet been announced. Finding a dealer that agreed to sell the car at MSRP (some were indicating $50K-$100K over), I put down a deposit and received that dealer's first allocation. The official order was not able to be placed until July 2014 and at that time, it appeared the car would arrive around September 2014. It was at this time that I started a new thread on the Bimmerpost i8 General Discussion forum, "i8 Ordering Status". It is still a sticky on the top page of the forum.

Like many of the other i8 buyers at that time, I dutifully tracked the progress of the car through production and shipping via web sites and calls to BMW. In September 2014, with the car's arrival in California only a couple of weeks away, I happened to have a business trip to Hong Kong that was supposed to last one week. That's when disaster struck (me, not the car)! A day after I arrived in Hong Kong, I suffered a burst appendix. Due to complications, I ended up spending a month in a Hong Kong hospital. When I got out, I was a physical and emotional wreck, and felt like I was in no condition to take delivery of a new car, no matter how exciting it was. So, sadly I had to cancel my order and eventually ended up going with a more staid and practical choice, the BMW 550i. But I never lost interest in the i8.

My lease on the 550i is up this April, which should match nicely with the arrival timing of the new car. I know people are saying that the LCI improvements on the 2019 coupe are not that compelling, and clearly I can get a much better deal on a used car, but after my long wait and all I've been through, I decided to treat myself to the latest and greatest model. I never considered getting the roadster, as I prefer to have a little more storage space in the rear seat area and am not particularly fond of convertibles.

And so it is, after a wait of nearly 7 years, I will finally be getting my dream car. Throughout that period, I kept abreast of people's experiences with the i8 by regularly checking blog posts on the car. It became an almost daily routine for me to check in to see the latest information. I’ve read probably close to 100 published reviews of the car by the automotive press. I think I can recite by heart every pro and con that has ever been mentioned about it. And I've taken about half a dozen test drives, including having one brought to my house so I could check clearances in my garage (and confirm my golf clubs fit in the rear seat). As everyone here knows, the car isn't perfect, none are, but it fits my interests and needs very nicely. I'll be sure to post photos and impressions of the car when I get it in a few months. Oh, and by the way, no more trips to Hong Kong this time .

[ImGoingPlaces]

Congrats. How'd you like the 550

[GATRD]

Congrats on having a dream come true!!

[Coastali8]

Congratulations.
Good color choice!
You will love the car.

[drlonline]

Originally Posted by ImGoingPlaces

Congrats. How'd you like the 550

Loved it, though not as passionately as I expect I will the i8. I think the 550i is good looking (for a sedan), has plenty of power, and is quite luxurious with lots of nice features. And it was quite practical for a family of four. But the kids are older now, and this seems like a more practical time for getting a less practical car

[ericsi]

Nice story!

[orion1977]

I’m happy for you. Will it be your weekend car or daily driver?

[stressdoc]

I'm tentatively planning Euro Delivery for June. Gray w orange seats.

[drlonline]

Originally Posted by orion1977

I’m happy for you. Will it be your weekend car or daily driver?

It will be my daily driver. We have two other sedans in the household for when we need a larger car. I love the idea that I'm essentially getting two cars in one: an environmentally friendly electric car for short, frequent commutes in town and a fun sports car for ripping through the canyon roads of Southern California on the weekends.

[mspeed]

congrats!

the heart wants what the heart wants

really like the new CF trim, is there a 2019 configurator somewhere?

[drlonline]

Originally Posted by stressdoc

I'm tentatively planning Euro Delivery for June. Gray w orange seats.

Awesome . I seriously considered ED as well, but I wouldn't be able to do it until June. Knowing that it takes ~ 2 months after completion of the ED trip for the car to be shipped back to the west coast, I decided I didn't want to wait until August to get it back here. Plus, I lived in Europe for five years some time ago and took extensive car trips in my then sports car, a Corvette. Of course, I think it would be even more fun to tour in an i8, but there weren't that many European must-see destinations that I hadn't already visited. One regret, though, is that I'll miss out on the Welt experience, which I understand is fantastic.

BTW, regarding your car, which wheels did you choose? I was somewhat surprised to learn that there were only two options for the 2019 coupe: the W style 470 wheels which were previously available and the new jet black style 516 wheels which are new this year.

[drlonline]

Originally Posted by mspeed

congrats!

the heart wants what the heart wants

really like the new CF trim, is there a 2019 configurator somewhere?

The 2019 configurator is not yet available on any BMW site. In addition to the BMWUSA site, I also checked the German site. It wasn't available there either, though they did have some info on the new coupe and roadster available (in German). Interestingly, the new coupe is indicated to be a 2018 model year on the German site. From what I understand, most European cars designate the model year based on when the car is manufactured.

Although the configurator isn't available, my dealer sent me the attached order modification screenshot from his order system. The only options available for the coupe are the exterior color, interior world, wheels, and laserlights.

[Maanpur]

Congratulations man. You deserve it after waiting that long. You will love it as i8 is a special car. It's a great daily driver. Enjoy.

[eliucp]

any discounts on your car?

[jmg]

Congrats! I too fell in love with this car years ago when it was first announced. I had the chance to get an i8 last year but I opted for an i3 until my M3 lease ends. I really couldn't justify an M3 and an i8 in the garage. I'm looking into renewing my interest with the i8 and I look forward to your impressions!

[zagaboo]

No configuration, but BMW UK has this:

https://www.bmw.co.uk/pdfs/price-lis...ruary_2018.pdf

I presume USA options will be same/similar?

[363ny]

Fantastic story! Congratulations on your i8. It is a great car and it will bring you much enjoyment! Please post some photos when she arrives.

I have had mine for about 16 months and it still puts a smile on my face every time I get behind the wheel.

[fishpond]

Originally Posted by zagaboo

No configuration, but BMW UK has this:

https://www.bmw.co.uk/pdfs/price-lis...ruary_2018.pdf

I presume USA options will be same/similar?

Interesting that for the LCI Coupe they haven't included the new style memory seats, nor the i8 logo projection when the doors open (or wifi hotspot capability).

I would have expected them to have harmonised more of the features across both the Coupe and the Roadster as part of the LCI facelift.

[drlonline]

Originally Posted by eliucp

any discounts on your car?

A small one (< $5K). Even though discounts are readily available on 2017 cars, with the updated 2019 LCI model, there will be some uptick in buyer interest initially, so dealers are less inclined to offer significant discounts.

[drlonline]

Originally Posted by zagaboo

No configuration, but BMW UK has this:

https://www.bmw.co.uk/pdfs/price-lis...ruary_2018.pdf

I presume USA options will be same/similar?

Yes, similar, but the US cars come with a few more standard features (e.g. Apple CarPlay compatibility, universal remote control for garage, no upcharge for choice of wheels).

[jcpca356]

good story. congrats!

[Lintrix]

Dont go to Hong Kong again until you get your Coupe!!