[Arezzo]

First time back on this site since January when I sold one of the first i8's in the USA. Shortly thereafter I added to my collection an 88 E30 M3, coming an 88 944 Turbo S, next in my sight is a 16V Lancia Delta Integrale following the 25 year rule.
All with a lot of change from the i8, a lot more fun and the M4 still as a daily driver.
Sadly the i8 went to an exotic car rental company, very appropriate in view of Carac's comments on attention seekers.
Enjoy the ride and the novel experience of the i8, but don't stay on the carousel too long !

[Epirali]

Originally Posted by Arezzo

First time back on this site since January when I sold one of the first i8's in the USA. Shortly thereafter I added to my collection an 88 E30 M3, coming an 88 944 Turbo S, next in my sight is a 16V Lancia Delta Integrale following the 25 year rule.
All with a lot of change from the i8, a lot more fun and the M4 still as a daily driver.
Sadly the i8 went to an exotic car rental company, very appropriate in view of Carac's comments on attention seekers.
Enjoy the ride and the novel experience of the i8, but don't stay on the carousel too long !

Thanks for your opinion, but I am the opposite of an attention seeker. And I would not trade the i8 for any of the cars you listed. They are all boring "more of the same" drive to me.

Funny how two innovative cars have changed my view of what is cool and what is not.

Enjoy the noise!

[YWGT3]

Originally Posted by Epirali

Thanks for your opinion, but I am the opposite of an attention seeker. And I would not trade the i8 for any of the cars you listed. They are all boring "more of the same" drive to me.

Funny how two innovative cars have changed my view of what is cool and what is not.

Enjoy the noise!

The i8 has been such a unique and enjoyable experience in comparison to the cars I've driven that it would be very difficult to give it up.

[Carac]

Originally Posted by Epirali

Thanks for your opinion, but I am the opposite of an attention seeker. And I would not trade the i8 for any of the cars you listed. They are all boring "more of the same" drive to me.

Funny how two innovative cars have changed my view of what is cool and what is not.

Enjoy the noise!

...an '88 M3 is "more of the same"? Or a Delta Integrale? Homologation specials are kind of special. But I'm also biased.

[Epirali]

Originally Posted by Carac

...an '88 M3 is "more of the same"? Or a Delta Integrale? Homologation specials are kind of special. But I'm also biased.

Only in the sense that they are all in the same category of engine/drive technology. Essentially same idea has been in use for well over 50 years.

[jcpca356]

i8 was never meant for you then. For the rest of us, we continue to love driving our i8. As said before, it certainly changed my view on cars. Everything else just feels old. When I want to enjoy some sound and agility, I turn to my Aston Martin and Porsche, respectively.

Originally Posted by Arezzo

First time back on this site since January when I sold one of the first i8's in the USA. Shortly thereafter I added to my collection an 88 E30 M3, coming an 88 944 Turbo S, next in my sight is a 16V Lancia Delta Integrale following the 25 year rule.
All with a lot of change from the i8, a lot more fun and the M4 still as a daily driver.
Sadly the i8 went to an exotic car rental company, very appropriate in view of Carac's comments on attention seekers.
Enjoy the ride and the novel experience of the i8, but don't stay on the carousel too long !

[jcpca356]

Man, I hope you didn't buy your M3 at the astronomical bubble prices!

Originally Posted by Carac

...an '88 M3 is "more of the same"? Or a Delta Integrale? Homologation specials are kind of special. But I'm also biased.

[YWGT3]

Originally Posted by Arezzo

First time back on this site since January when I sold one of the first i8's in the USA. Shortly thereafter I added to my collection an 88 E30 M3, coming an 88 944 Turbo S, next in my sight is a 16V Lancia Delta Integrale following the 25 year rule.
All with a lot of change from the i8, a lot more fun and the M4 still as a daily driver.
Sadly the i8 went to an exotic car rental company, very appropriate in view of Carac's comments on attention seekers.
Enjoy the ride and the novel experience of the i8, but don't stay on the carousel too long !

Getting off the carousel? I didn't think I was on one!

The i8 is, in my opinion, a truly unique sports car. Compared to many supercars, it can produce the same thrill in handling, given its 50/50 weight distribution, while not subjecting its occupants to the same level of harshness in ride. When it comes to acceleration, the i8's linear-like acceleration, thanks to its hybrid nature, is more livable for everyday driving vs. having to endure the constant brute neck jarring migraine inducing force behind each shift in a Lamborghini, as an example. As for its hybrid nature, the i8 stands out as truly exceptional in its class. It offers the least amount of carbon footprint, most mpg and best overall value when pitted against the hybrid supercars from Porsche and Ferrari. In retrospect, I couldn't be more content with my i8 purchase.

[Carac]

Originally Posted by jcpca356

Man, I hope you didn't buy your M3 at the astronomical bubble prices!

Bought it for $12.5k 6 years ago. Worth quite a bit more now.

[hytek]

As mentioned in another post, BMW will be buying back my i8.
So, I went shopping to see if there's something else I'd prefer to have. After much search, I ended up ordering another i8. Same color. Same options. Same wheels.
There's just nothing else out there that excites me like the i8, for now.

[Carac]

And to be clear, again, my decision to sell my i8 was in no part because of the car. The car was amazing and I was the perfect buyer for one. The reasons were external. The level of attention was dangerous in a literal sense. It caused one person to rear end another at a stop light due to being distracted. It almost caused at least three more. People would do dumb things on the interstate to get a better picture. I had people follow me for 30 minutes, stop when I stopped to take pictures and ask questions. I've had people jump out in front of me while moving to get pics. I have been blocked in at gas stations because people would stop, blocking the car (literally encircling it once) and taking pics. They held back a lot of features I believe they will add such as active cruise, blind spot detection, parking assist, etc. (all of which my new Range SVR has). They are drastically ramping up production (why build i3s you can't sell instead of i8s you can?). And I basically drove mine for 5k miles over 6 months and broke even. I'll probably be back when it has all the features it should have had from the beginning in 2-3 years and they are sitting in showrooms because the market is flooded.

[Epirali]

Originally Posted by hytek

As mentioned in another post, BMW will be buying back my i8.
So, I went shopping to see if there's something else I'd prefer to have. After much search, I ended up ordering another i8. Same color. Same options. Same wheels.
There's just nothing else out there that excites me like the i8, for now.

I missed it, so I have to ask, why sell back? I understand getting another one but curious what made you get rid of it.

Carac: I completely understand the attention problem, its no joke. I mentioned elsewhere once we saw a car in front of us weave into oncoming traffic trying to take a picture backwards, and we just had to pass them to make sure they didn't die.

[Baron UK]

I'm not an extrovert nor is my wife. But have to say in the UK the i8 commands serious respect. We love it to bits

[hytek]

Originally Posted by Epirali

I missed it, so I have to ask, why sell back? I understand getting another one but curious what made you get rid of it.

Carac: I completely understand the attention problem, its no joke. I mentioned elsewhere once we saw a car in front of us weave into oncoming traffic trying to take a picture backwards, and we just had to pass them to make sure they didn't die.

It was a supposedly a trivial problem (air bag warning), but they took too many attempts and too long to fix it. BMW offered a buy back and I decided to take it, because I keep worrying that it may regress.
Thread is here: http://bmwi.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1120791

[MalibuBimmer]

Originally Posted by Carac

And to be clear, again, my decision to sell my i8 was in no part because of the car. The car was amazing and I was the perfect buyer for one. The reasons were external. The level of attention was dangerous in a literal sense. It caused one person to rear end another at a stop light due to being distracted. It almost caused at least three more. People would do dumb things on the interstate to get a better picture. I had people follow me for 30 minutes, stop when I stopped to take pictures and ask questions. I've had people jump out in front of me while moving to get pics. I have been blocked in at gas stations because people would stop, blocking the car (literally encircling it once) and taking pics. ....

Strange. I'm almost invisible. Today I picked somebody up at LAX and nobody looked twice. I drive constantly on the 405 and 101 freeways and nobody looks twice. And while I see Lambos and Ferraris and Bentleys every day, I've only seen 1 other i8 on the road that wasn't a factory car or meeting me for a meet up.

[Aye-eight]

Originally Posted by Carac

And to be clear, again, my decision to sell my i8 was in no part because of the car. The car was amazing and I was the perfect buyer for one. The reasons were external. The level of attention was dangerous in a literal sense. It caused one person to rear end another at a stop light due to being distracted. It almost caused at least three more. People would do dumb things on the interstate to get a better picture. I had people follow me for 30 minutes, stop when I stopped to take pictures and ask questions. I've had people jump out in front of me while moving to get pics. I have been blocked in at gas stations because people would stop, blocking the car (literally encircling it once) and taking pics. They held back a lot of features I believe they will add such as active cruise, blind spot detection, parking assist, etc. (all of which my new Range SVR has). They are drastically ramping up production (why build i3s you can't sell instead of i8s you can?). And I basically drove mine for 5k miles over 6 months and broke even. I'll probably be back when it has all the features it should have had from the beginning in 2-3 years and they are sitting in showrooms because the market is flooded.

"Flooded"? How many do you think they'll make? Is the market flooded with R8s? With GT3s? Was it with 928s? With 3200GTs? Sure, there are enough to go around, but "flooded" applies to Camaros and Mustangs because once the novelty factor has worn off, nobody wants those POSs. They have nothing to offer other than looks when you first see one from 30 feet away. Then they're done.

Just because you have to wait a bit for an i8 when they first come out, doesn't mean they were ever intetended to be limited-production cars like a 959. Speculating on value with new cars is a silly idea, 99% of them depreciate while you're breaking them in. I don't think anyone here - you aside - thinks of their i8 as an investment or an arbitrage opportunity. If they did, they wouldn't drive it. And that would be a shame.

Now, 50 years on, it may be a different story. I have two classics from the early 60s, and their values are developing nicely. But I certainly wouldn't have my i8 sit around that long. I'm driving it now. And like someone else on here said, it makes everyting else on the road look like yesterday's news. You can almost see it in their eyes, when they're sitting in their M3s and M6s, thinking they're so cool - until you pull around the corner. Their jaws drop and I love it. Guzzle on ...

[JasH]

Originally Posted by Aye-eight

, it makes everyting else on the road look like yesterday's news. You can almost see it in their eyes, when they're sitting in their M3s and M6s, thinking they're so cool - until you pull around the corner. Their jaws drop and I love it. Guzzle on ...

...especially some M car owners

[YWGT3]

Originally Posted by hytek

As mentioned in another post, BMW will be buying back my i8.
So, I went shopping to see if there's something else I'd prefer to have. After much search, I ended up ordering another i8. Same color. Same options. Same wheels.
There's just nothing else out there that excites me like the i8, for now.

I share in your conclusion. Initially, I had planned on getting a supercar along with a sports car for everyday use. Placed an order for the Merc GT thinking that would be my commute car given the positive experiences with MB maintenance and reliability. Thereafter, I was looking for a car that would satisfy the weekend jaunts . Test drove the Audi R8 5.2 V10, Aston Martin Vanquish, friend's 458 Italia and finally the i8. Felt the R8 to be a bit tinny. The Aston, as beautiful as it was, seemed to be less focused on technological advancements. The 458 Italia, well simply terrific but its maintenance and purpose was less suitable for my preference. The i8, on the other hand, felt like no other car I've driven. Frankly speaking, my appreciation for the i8's versatility has grown over time since my ownership so much so that I ended up cancelling delivery of the Merc GT after test driving it.

While hybrids are nothing new, the BMW i Group is on to something and I am just glad to be participating in this new direction in my i8!

[YWGT3]

Originally Posted by MalibuBimmer

Strange. I'm almost invisible. Today I picked somebody up at LAX and nobody looked twice. I drive constantly on the 405 and 101 freeways and nobody looks twice. And while I see Lambos and Ferraris and Bentleys every day, I've only seen 1 other i8 on the road that wasn't a factory car or meeting me for a meet up.

Actually, I had a few color choices for the i8s that were in production at the time. They even had protonic blue that you were interested. I chose Sophisto Grey in hopes that it would garner less attention. So far, my theory hasn't worked. There's been: a lot of thumbs up and nods from motorists and with just about every motorcyclists (what's with that?); constant approach by i8 enthusiasts at the gas pump (now resorting to pump gas before the break of dawn); and drivers videoing you with their phone in one hand and steering with the otherl (most bewildering - the thought of being rear-ended).

MalibuBimmer, I think you're almost invisible because you're probably driving a heck of a lot faster than I am. The Gawkers don't even have a chance get a good look at your i8!

[MalibuBimmer]

OK I had two lookers yesterday when I dropped my friend off at LAX. Or after.

I was on the 101 freeway heading north and some car pulls up next to me. I look over and some girl, with cat whiskers eye linered on her face in the passenger seat was holding up a sign pressed against her window: "Honk if you love cats." I didn't even break a smile. When I stopped to get gas at the gas station at Mulholland Highway and Mulholland Drive some polite kid driving a 3 series asked if he could take pictures of my car. I told him to knock himself out.

That's pretty much it.

I don't drive that fast. I'm averaging 66.8 MPG after 3349 miles.

[Carac]

Originally Posted by yw

I share in your conclusion. Initially, I had planned on getting a supercar along with a sports car for everyday use. Placed an order for the Merc GT thinking that would be my commute car given the positive experiences with MB maintenance and reliability. Thereafter, I was looking for a car that would satisfy the weekend jaunts . Test drove the Audi R8 5.2 V10, Aston Martin Vanquish, friend's 458 Italia and finally the i8. Felt the R8 to be a bit tinny. The Aston, as beautiful as it was, seemed to be less focused on technological advancements. The 458 Italia, well simply terrific but its maintenance and purpose was less suitable for my preference. The i8, on the other hand, felt like no other car I've driven. Frankly speaking, my appreciation for the i8's versatility has grown over time since my ownership so much so that I ended up cancelling delivery of the Merc GT after test driving it.

While hybrids are nothing new, the BMW i Group is on to something and I am just glad to be participating in this new direction in my i8!

Just a heads up that with the AMG GT, specifically, you dodged a bullet. Each and every person I know that bought one ended up with a CEL or a light show of dashboard lights followed by a complete breakdown of the car that required a tow back to the dealership within the first 50 miles. Coupled with a multitude of differential problems, interior creaks and rattles, etc. New owners aren't happy. Some have had their 50-100 mile cars they just bought in the shop for 30+ days.

[MalibuBimmer]

Carac do you have any links to the AMG GT problems? I'd just like to bask in the schadenfreude.