SF BMW Giving An i3 Away!

[sgt1372]

Holy Batman!!!

Just saw a commercial on TV today (6/18) announcing that SF BMW is having a "remodeling sale" and is offering to sell a 2017 i3 for just $9999 (plus tax, license, etc) out the door or a 2 yr lease price of $99/mo (plus sales tax) w/$5k upfront w/a 10k mi limit and 25 cents/mi excess charge.

Only hitch - - they are only offering ONE on these terms. It's in the fine print. Had to freeze frame the recording to read it.

HUGE teaser!

The purchase offer is the better deal and I'm tempted to try to buy it, even though I don't even need or like the car, because at that price I should be able flip it for a quick profit w/or w/o the Fed tax credit and/or rebates.

Get it while you can!

 

[oilerlord]

So...~$17,400 + return fee + tax to drive a new i3 for two years. Is that a good deal? Please excuse my ignorance; I've never leased a vehicle. I bought my B250e used with 6K miles on it for $23k, no mileage restrictions, and I get to keep it for as long as I want.

Not looking to hijjack, but I'm seeing used, i3's with less than 10K miles for ~ $17K. Other than the accounting advantage of writing off a lease on your business or other tax advantages...wouldn't taking out a loan and financing a used i3 at $17K be a better deal?

 

[michael]

Where did $17.5 K come from? As I read the original post, i was $10K plus tax to buy, or $7.5K plus tax total payments to lease.

Buyer gets back $7500 in tax credits, so zero to lease or $2500 to buy. And surely it could be resold for more than $2500????

 

[oilerlord]

Oops, my bad...added up all the numbers and missed the "or" a two year lease. Crazy deals for sure. I wouldn't qualify for the $7500 rebate, but you don't find many brand new BMW's for $9999.

 

[michael]

Actually, I made a mistake too.

In the case of the lease, buyer doesn't get back the $7500, so real cost is $7500, which is $312 a month over 24 months, not a good deal at all

In the case of the purchase, though, it's insane. Buyer gets not only 7500 fed money but also $2500 state money, so the car is literally free.

Something doesn't even seem right here. I'll bet there are some "gotchas" in the deal. Like the $9999 is after federal and state monies are figured in

 

[ScooterCT]

http://www.bmwsf.com/bmw-specials#bmwi

I checked their website, and I didn't see anything about a $10,000 purchase. I saw an option to pay your total lease cost of $10,000 upfront and not make any payments or spend any money for two years. Could it be you misinterpreted that as a purchase?

 

[sgt1372]

http://www.bmwsf.com/bmw-specials#bmwi

I checked their website, and I didn't see anything about a $10,000 purchase. I saw an option to pay your total lease cost of $10,000 upfront and not make any payments or spend any money for two years. Could it be you misinterpreted that as a purchase?

The ad aired on Comcast in the SF Bay Area. Saw it "live" during the US Open coverage and recorded during CBS Sunday Morning. If interested, you should call the dealership directly but the one offered on TV probably has been sold/leased by now.

 

[gbobman]

I watched the review on that vehicle on Grand Tour. Besides the pithy-ness they are known for, I wasn't blown away by the aesthetics. And higher price.

 

[oilerlord]

I watched the review on that vehicle on Grand Tour. Besides the pithy-ness they are known for, I wasn't blown away by the aesthetics. And higher price.

There's only so much you can learn about a car from your laptop without getting your butt in the driver's seat. The i3 actually has decent handling, IMO better than the Bolt - probably because it weighs nearly 1000 pounds less than the Bolt, and is rear-wheel drive. Seats are hands-down better in the i3, so is visibility. I haven't compared leases between the two cars, but others have mentioned that i3, the leases are more affordable than the Bolt despite the i3's higher retail price. As mentioned in another thread, BMW is also quite environmentally responsible in their manufacturing processes. I think BMW is still very motivated to collect CARB credits.

Of course, styling and those rear doors may not be everyone's cup of tea. It's an odd little car, more so than the Bolt. Personally, I didn't care for the default overly-aggressive regenerative braking (that I couldn't find a way to turn off). I could see accidents being caused in winter climates as lifting off the accelerator / sudden braking on icy roads may give unpredictable results. Not much of a problem if you live in LA though.

 

[gbobman]

There's only so much you can learn about a car from your laptop without getting your butt in the driver's seat. The i3 actually has decent handling, IMO better than the Bolt - probably because it weighs nearly 1000 pounds less than the Bolt, and is rear-wheel drive. Seats are hands-down better in the i3, so is visibility. I haven't compared leases between the two cars, but others have mentioned that i3, the leases are more affordable than the Bolt despite the i3's higher retail price. As mentioned in another thread, BMW is also quite environmentally responsible in their manufacturing processes. I think BMW is still very motivated to collect CARB credits.

Of course, styling and those rear doors may not be everyone's cup of tea. It's an odd little car, more so than the Bolt. Personally, I didn't care for the default overly-aggressive regenerative braking (that I couldn't find a way to turn off). I could see accidents being caused in winter climates as lifting off the accelerator / sudden braking on icy roads may give unpredictable results. Not much of a problem if you live in LA though.

I don't like the styling, or generally the aesthetics of BMWs in general. The seats can't be better than the Bolt's for me though, since these fit me perfectly and have more lower-back support than anything else I've ever sat in.

Also, couldn't handle the lower battery capacity. In CO, you need the extra miles.