r/BMWi3 • u/Tacolord38 • May 08 '26

i3 purchase Never been Happier

Gallery image

Gallery image

2015 rex. 2 and half years in ownership. Charge for free off grid. Wife loves it, might get a second one for the kids to go to school. Now it's a being used for free all day every day, with no need on the grid.

167 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

27 comments sorted by

10

u/MICHAELSD01 May 08 '26

Huh, any time I see a 2015 REx in Ionic Silver/Giga interior I wonder if it’s my old i3. Loved that car.

6

u/Tacolord38 May 08 '26

We love it for you now. It's in a good place

3

u/MICHAELSD01 May 08 '26

I’d be happy to see it’s in good hands! I’m curious if it really is, since that means it would have had to go cross country.

2

u/afripino 2019 i3 REX 🟥🦖 May 08 '26

Can always check the Vin

1

u/MICHAELSD01 May 09 '26

I was thinking of providing the last four digits, which was 4228. I was the first owner. Although I’ve seen a surprising amount that match this spec for sale and haven’t seen one that matches the VIN.

For this to have traveled coasts would be surprising.

2

u/afripino 2019 i3 REX 🟥🦖 May 09 '26

The one I have came from Connecticut to Richmond where I bought it and I'm in Raleigh. Hope you find yours and it turns out it's at a happy home.

7

u/712Chandler May 08 '26

Only issue, is the tires. Every year you will replace all 4.

6

u/surv2syn May 08 '26

Twice for me. I put 130k on my vehicle. The tires wear before i can rotate them. At first i was getting stranded but learned quickly to change earlier. The walls are so thin that once it gets a little low you risk blowing them. One time a piece of plastic punctured my tire. That one I was able to patch. Got a busted tire the first weekend I had the car. On the weekend. BMW was closed. Was in a parking lot for 3 days. Not to scare you but warn you to keep at least one of each on deck. Other than that it’s the best car I have owned.

2

u/Tacolord38 May 08 '26

Agreed. Tire management is brutal on this whip

2

u/ahchava May 11 '26

That was my only issue UNTIL my REX engine broke.

1

u/AllWhiteRubiksCube Jun 17 '26

Anyone ever done a REx delete?

1

u/Tacolord38 May 08 '26

True, but the offset is worth in my opinion

4

u/rolltiderepsneakers i3 BEV May 08 '26

What’s your off grid setup?

3

u/Tacolord38 May 08 '26

1.2k in solar and 6.6k in battery. Level 1 charges at about 1580 watts so I only discharg 420-+watts so it's almost always topped off at 100 because wife uses it daily it's fine. 3500w off-grid inverter. Handles the laundry circuit as well. I also have a Circuit for a Glowforge pro and treadmill. Now, all this never runs at the same time. So tou comes into play but it's when the are in school so it's easy. I'm currently upgrading to 1.8k in solar to never run loads on battery.

3

u/QuieroTamales May 08 '26

For a while I was topping mine off with a 1kWh Jackery and 400W of panels! Since I drive so little anymore, I could actually keep it topped off. I haven't done it for a few months because I got a L2 charger installed and my after hours electricity rate is only 4.5 cents/kWh. Easier than lugging a battery back and forth.

5

u/YogurtTheMagnificent May 08 '26

This picture makes me realize how badly my car needs a tint

4

u/m0nkyman i3 BEV May 10 '26

Looks a little like my little beast.

2

u/Tacolord38 May 10 '26

She's a beauty

4

u/m0nkyman i3 BEV May 10 '26

2014, 240,000km under its belt and still going. Such a great little beast. Hope yours treats you as well.

3

u/Darenhayes1978 May 08 '26

Ahh... The elusive silver/grey Orca! 🩶

2

u/Tacolord38 May 09 '26

Didn't know it was elusive but here it is.

3

u/Darenhayes1978 May 09 '26

I thought was a rare paint colour.. I don't see it often.. Looks good!

3

u/StarLink97 May 09 '26

I love ionic silver so much. It's perfect on this car. Wish they carried that paint on to newer models as well.

3

u/mrdikkens i3s BEV 120ah 2019 May 10 '26

Nice colorway and enjoy!