[ericsi]

I have owned my 2015 i8 for nearly 5 years now. 2015 car 4.4k miles, sophisto grey, mint car.

Ordered from new, paid full whack at the time.

Now i have an itch to change.

Been looking at roadsters. Will be £25-30m to change for a nigh on new car.

I loved the i8 experience. Granted there more super duper cars out there. But it has a right balance of things. It is reassuring, calming even.

The running costs have been negligible bar (deep breath) depreciation.

Friend of mine bought a macca 12c mint for £75k. 650s’s are not too far out of reach... but at 44 with two small kids, having had my fair share of exotics, do i really want this?

Spend 5-10k to keep those on the road each year?

Interested to hear views. Particularly of roadster owners.

[Leto1701]

The Roadster and new Coupé are significantly better cars than the old i8. They do really have an EV mode for many commutes regarding range and are in general more refined in many aspects. I decided against the i8 a couple of years ago because it really was a underpowered RWD with an excuse of electrical motor on the front axle. The roadster convinced me with better handling, enough EV range for my commute and a lot of first generation problems fixed around hot air flow, electronics, etc. Of course not enough miles on them to say if the changes work reliably.

I decided between a Porsche Panamera eHybrid Sporttourismo and the i8 Roadster in the end based on driving through a forest with that roof down in EV mode (and because of a reasonable package offer for trading my Model S in + Rebate on the i8 Roadster and because I really wanted a smaller car).

I think it is one of the most clever cars out there and the prices might go up in a couple of years with production ending in April. Or might not...

[stressdoc]

Roadsters are quite the bargain now... But with two small kids I would stick with the coupe, the 2019 is a twinge quicker and better handling in the bargain. And less risk for carcinomas...

[Leto1701]

Originally Posted by stressdoc

Roadsters are quite the bargain now... But with two small kids I would stick with the coupe, the 2019 is a twinge quicker and better handling in the bargain. And less risk for carcinomas...

We don't see the sun that much here but maybe with climate change. Yes the Coupé is the better option with small kids but the need to be very small and the Roadster has much more cargo space (two extra carry on's in the compartment under the roof) which makes it the better option for a weekend for two where you also maybe want to buy a couple of bottles of wine, etc. It is really more d2d practicable than I thought. My 6 piece tailored luggage set is astonishing

[ericsi]

Thank you gents. I really wanted to use the coupe with the 2 kids but the reality is that we need to carry so much stuff with them that we always end up in the family suv.

My sentiment is that if i am going to put an additional £25-30k in this car, it needs to bring an element of novelty / difference. I think a new coupe would be too much of the same.

I considered a 991 T or GTS as well in coupe form. I had many 911s though.

[zorgzx]

Originally Posted by ericsi

Thank you gents. I really wanted to use the coupe with the 2 kids but the reality is that we need to carry so much stuff with them that we always end up in the family suv.

My sentiment is that if i am going to put an additional £25-30k in this car, it needs to bring an element of novelty / difference. I think a new coupe would be too much of the same.

I considered a 991 T or GTS as well in coupe form. I had many 911s though.

I come straight from a 991, my 2 cents is you'll be dissapointed from a i8. The ride is quite noisy, the cabin even smaller no faster and much less novel.
From what I have read, the Macca and especially the 12c is extremely prone to bugs and problems.

I find the kid seats and practicality has been very good, as the rear seats are Just a bit bigger than a 911. But now I'm in the same boat, as the big kid is now 15 and dont quite fit anymore.

There really isn't a lot out there for taking the kids to school and being a fun novel car. I was considering the Maserati granturismo auto 4,7 but the testdrives were quite dissapointing, old old "avionics", last century autoslushbox and only decent sound when totally nailing it.

I allso have no idea what to get next, was even getting into alfa gulia quadrofoglio as well.... ideas welcome.

[JasH]

Originally Posted by ericsi

Friend of mine bought a macca 12c mint for £75k. 650s’s are not too far out of reach... but at 44 with two small kids, having had my fair share of exotics, do i really want this?

Spend 5-10k to keep those on the road each year?

The 12C and 650S are in a different league from any i8, or any BMW. Supercars.

Shouldn't cost that much (5-10k) to run either, especially as you're in UK. test drive one.

You've had a coupe. The Roadster is virtually identical. Removable roof, no rear seats. So you already know if that's what you want or not.

[JasH]

Originally Posted by Leto1701

The Roadster and new Coupé are significantly better cars than the old i8.

Short answer. No they are not. Apart from much better e range.

[JasH]

Originally Posted by zorgzx

There really isn't a lot out there for taking the kids to school and being a fun novel car. I was considering the Maserati granturismo auto 4,7 but the testdrives were quite dissapointing, old old "avionics", last century autoslushbox and only decent sound when totally nailing it.

I allso have no idea what to get next, was even getting into alfa gulia quadrofoglio as well.... ideas welcome.

There is one car that does all that. Full 4 seats, can easily seat adults in the back in comfort. Supercar.

Ferrari GTC4 Lusso

[chris_1M]

Originally Posted by JasH

Short answer. No they are not. Apart from much better e range.

And the roadster feels very heavy compared to the pre LCI i8 coupe! Very different experience.

[ericsi]

Cheers Jas, Macca are very expensive to run vs i8, no doubt about that. I ran a v12 vantage for a while so i know what to expect. Not sure it’s what i want. Will hardly drive the thing.

The i8 is in my mind slightly less pretentious in appearance. I like the 720s like yours but once again, don’t want to strap so much cash.

Zorgzx, hear you re cabin noise, tyre roar, used to do my head in, in my turbo s.

Chris, i drove the roadster a while back but my memory fades the experience a little. I remember a heavier, meatier steering.

Once again, one part of the equation is the relatively affordable cost to change.

[stressdoc]

Well, yes, the clear logical choice is to stay happy w your current i8.

My choice for a slightly used 2019 coupe was based on my need for a backseat, the slightly better handling / weight, and 4+ years unlimited miles warranty. I compared a number of i8s back to back to back. I realize it is hard not to be biased, but I convinced myself driving the same route several times that the 2019 was a modest but noticeable improvement over earlier models; crisper handling, better dampening response, and trivially (.2 sec quicker 0 to 100kph) better timed acceleration. I like the interior and exterior cosmetic changes.

But key for most of us is value. A 2019 is more expensive initially, but also retains more resale. So it is the difference in relative depreciation and maintenance/repair costs including time and aggravation. Plus the loss of appreciation of capital that you might have had invested in the stock market. There are many days when I think I should have been content with riding my bicycle to work...

[jcpca356]

Had mine for 5 years, 11k miles. Rather than switching to another car, I spent the money I would have otherwise spent on changing the car on a Lotus! I like the i8 too much to let it go at such a (deep breath) depreciated price

[ericsi]

Originally Posted by jcpca356

Had mine for 5 years, 11k miles. Rather than switching to another car, I spent the money I would have otherwise spent on changing the car on a Lotus! I like the i8 too much to let it go at such a (deep breath) depreciated price

fair enough and if i look at the absolute price i can easily come to the same conclusion. The way i look at it is cost of change. Get a car 4-5 year younger with a few improvements and a slightly different experience (open top).

[JasH]

Originally Posted by ericsi

Cheers Jas, Macca are very expensive to run vs i8, no doubt about that.

Compared to i8, yes far more expensive by a HUGE margin. i8 is a very cheap car to run

I was just saying your estimate of costs for a 12C/650S were too high. I guess it depends what you were including in costs e.g. insurance, fuel, tyres, depreciation etc etc. Or just servicing and repairs, as I thought.

[ericsi]

Typically i would look at 650s spider. Warranty renewal is the biggie.

[JasH]

Originally Posted by ericsi

Typically i would look at 650s spider. Warranty renewal is the biggie.

Look at a warranty from Thorney, an independent. They're good.

[ericsi]

Originally Posted by JasH

Look at a warranty from Thorney, an independent. They're good.

Know him from pure gt, would not go near him unfort.

[chris_1M]

Similar dilemma here.
Decided to 'upgrade' my 2015 protonic blue coupe (40.000 miles) for a 2018 donington grey roadster (3.000 miles). Couldn't resist the alcantara :-)

[ericsi]

Originally Posted by chris_1M

Similar dilemma here.
Decided to 'upgrade' my 2015 protonic blue coupe (40.000 miles) for a 2018 donington grey roadster (3.000 miles). Couldn't resist the alcantara :-)

Probably the best combo. Very nice indeed.

I love Donington grey but there are no cars with this color currently up for sale in the network in the UK. At least not low miles.

I did not even know that they made an alcantara interior. Not sure you can get it for the UK market.

The 516 diamond cut wheels are very nice indeed and unique to the newer model.

I am also in the process of sorting something out... stay tuned.

[stressdoc]

In synch w Chris. Very happy w Donnington gray. Very happy getting a bit used 2019 w 1,800 miles at huge discount, more warranty than new.