Apparently not all BMW dealers suck eggs.

So I did do a bit of bitching to BMW. Smaller dealer outside of my search found me and gave me a call/email. Got a fully loaded i3 Rex for 2500$ less then the other dealers wanted out of pocket and ~100$ less a month no funny business with addons. Just a straight up good deal. Way way under any discount that I have ever seen online or anywhere else. Paid ~25% under MSRP after discounts as my cap reduction.

Residual is really good I might just buy the thing when the lease is up. Did not get me favorite color, they offered to ship on in for me. But the white is growing on me, my wife like the lighter interior, and the range extender is a nice add-on and they threw in a few other odds and ends.

Short answer I love the thing, its definitively the future of cars. Under 40mph I doubt anything could keep up with me. In a perfect world it would have full leather but not a deal breaker.

Ignore the dirty garage.

I told you BMW of El Cajon was good people :) They sponsor all the local BMWCCA autocross and are the only BMW dealer in the area I would recommend.

I love happy endings. Hopefully corporate left the other other dealer a bag o dix.

You mind sharing the particulars of the deal? Can someone lease a car from them, ship it home, and get it serviced in their own town? Thanks in advance.

In reply to MrJoshua:

52400 msrp.
5500 bmw discount.
8010 dealer discount.
1.89 money factor

331 a month plus tax with 4k down.

I also get 2500 back for the state 1k from the city and cheaper electrify rates by 66% after six in the evening

Cool, glad you got a good deal on an i3.

Would you mind keeping us posted on your experiences with one? I've been mulling the idea of an electric car (albeit with range extender) if my wife gets a new job, as that would mean a much longer commute for one of us.

This is our main car now so we should put some miles on it for sure. There are five or so at the office along with a smattering of Teslas, leafs, and ev toyotas. Everybody has been happy so far. Not a lot of moving parts on these things that you have to worry about. I think I might use the range extender five to ten times a year but it's worth the cost for me.

So this one does have the range extender then? Sounded like the first one you looked at didn't.

Glad to hear that you didn't give up.

Bout time you got some satisfaction.

WOOT!

Glad it worked out for you. I What is the range extender, an optional gas engine?

I need better negotiating skills.

Good for you.

In reply to Box

Yeah I got the range extended version with all the bells and whistles minus the full leather. Cheaper then the battery only one by leaps and bounds but different dealer

I'm still waiting to see what the rumored 2016 volt price drop ends up being/how much it impacts the older models

Glad this worked out for you. Please post some thoughts on the i3 after living with it for a while. I am somewhat intrigued by them and with the range extender, one would suit my driving needs. I wonder how long it will take for someone to make an aftermarket gas tank that will hold more than 1 hour of gas? Too bad they just didn't make the tiny tank for California sales and put in a decent sized tank for the rest of us.

I have discovered the fastest car in the world is not a rental car, its a leased electric car.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO5z32L32aY

This thing in the city is untouchable by almost anything gas powered. When you get in it to head home for the day and you see that you have 60 miles of range and you have 25 miles to reach home you can basically just plant your right foot down and drive like a maniac. Then get home and realize that you used ~30 miles of range and it runs like .10 cents every 10 miles to fill it up. 0-40 happens in a blink of a eye.

Want to punch it from the light, go ahead.
Want to take that curve at the speed limit of the street do it. All the weight is down low.
Want to scare the living crap out of a 911 that happened to roll up next to you and make a funny face.
No warm up, no valve float, no transmission syncro to ruin, and you do this while listening to Pandora streamed though the stereo at a decent volume.

TJ

The tank is small because honestly I think that's as big as you can get in the cars. Its ~2.0ish gallons I think, but I am sure California CARB rules for electric cars vs hybrids have something to do with it. If you had four or five gallons you could go further on the tank then you could on electric. Somebody has already hacked into the car so you can turn on the REX motor any time you want so somebody will make a bigger gas tank.

Holy cow.

First off, I am glad you got what you wanted.

Second, though, I am amazed at how expensive that is. The Leaf is $240/mo, $0 down and 15K per year.

Please keep us informed of any other interesting discoveries electron related. Is an autocross or other worthy experiment in your future,you know for science?

In reply to tuna55:

I'm not surprised. The MSRP is 75% higher. one is a Nissan the other a BMW.

bastomatic wrote: In reply to tuna55: I'm not surprised. The MSRP is 75% higher. one is a Nissan the other a BMW.

Well sure but the initial lease prices he was talking about were more or less in line.

bastomatic wrote: In reply to tuna55: I'm not surprised. The MSRP is 75% higher. one is a Nissan the other a BMW.

And the looking at the outside of the leaf makes you punch kittens, and the inside makes you kick puppies......all the cute cuddly ones. Thanks Datsun.

tuna55 wrote: Holy cow. First off, I am glad you got what you wanted. Second, though, I am amazed at how expensive that is. The Leaf is $240/mo, $0 down and 15K per year.

Leaf is 1999$ down here with ~289-309$ a month after tax if you get the one with leather and navigation. Also it drives terribly and the seats are hideous. If the i3 had a Nissan badge or a Honda badge but still the same price I still would have gotten it. Heck I would have gotten it long ago as I do not have to deal with BMW.

Congrats on getting a solid deal, and I'm definitely interested to see your real world experience with it. I really like the concept of an electric car, and I think they're getting to the point where they're a viable option for the masses.