2016 BMW i8 | Beautiful sports GT | Low mileage future classic | $6k in PPF & Ceramic - 6SpeedOnline

Jul 10, 2023 | 09:31 PM

slowhatch

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From: Houston, TX

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2016 BMW i8 | Beautiful sports GT | Low mileage future classic | $6k in PPF & Ceramic

Year: 2016
Make: BMW
Model: i8
Price: $69999
Mileage: 21941
Color: White Metallic
Private or Dealer Listing: Private Listing
Location (State): TX
Transmission: Automatic
Drivetrain: 4WD & AWD

We’ve owned the car for a few years, adore it, and now want to upgrade to the one we couldn’t afford when we bought originally, a copper edition spider. We bought this example from another enthusiast/collector, serviced it religiously, addressed the few common i8 idiosyncrasies, and continue to pamper it during our ownership. Let's get into the details;

On offer is our 2016 BMW i8 Tera World trim finished in Crystal White Pearl Metallic w/ Frozen Gray Accents over a Tera Exclusive Dalbergia Brown leather/wool interior. A very rare combination made rarer by the inclusion of the BMW Laserlight option ($6,300). This was the first year Laser headlights were approved for use in the USA, with the i8 being the first vehicle to use them. I spent a long time sourcing a car in top spec with “Lasers”, their unique inner DRL really adds distinction over the base LED headlight. The car is as loaded as an i8 can get, in Tera World spec ($4,500) including the 20” turbine machined wheels, painted calipers, Homelink, heated seats, HUD, Harmon Kardon, leather engine cover, and i-Blue seatbelts. Total MSRP as spec’d was $152,400.

The car has been garage kept its entire life and I am the second owner. Original owner was a BMW collector in Phoenix, AZ (who had a stable of 12+ BMWs!), and sold me the vehicle in early 2021 with full dealer maintenance history. It was his and his wife’s “dinner date” car and had only amassed 6.6k miles in his years of ownership. While it isn't our daily, my wife and I enjoyed the car far more frequently over subsequent years. Mileage stands at 21.4k and will increase slightly each weekend.

The car has never been in any accident, incident, or had any paintwork. The car shows as new as can be expected of a vehicle built in 2016–inside and out. In my search for our next toy I hope to find one as pristine and well cared for as ours. Aside from a few stone chips or two in previous owners hands (ppf was installed in my ownership), or some nicks in the ppf, there really isn’t anything to mention. The car has received approximately $6-7k worth of detailing/coating/ppf protection in my care;

STEK 10mm self healing paint protection film

-Front bumper
-Headlights
-Hood
-Fenders
-Full roof
-A pillars
-Mirrors
-Lower rear rockers

STEK Dynoflex Windshield PPF

Paint protection;

-2 Stage paint correction [Active Auto Detailing Houston]
-3 coats of IGL Coatings Kenzo Ceramic
-1 coat of IGL Ecocoat Wheel ceramic

Window Tinting;

3M Ceramic all around, including windshield (wife has had skin cancer so 360* UV protection was a must).

We've recently fitted the car with a proper set of tires to reduce entry understeer and to give that incredible carbon chassis the grip it deserves. The eco minded Bridgestone 215/245 F/R setup has been eschewed for a set of 245/275 F/R Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. The car now has improved grip and turn in responsiveness, and gives a much beefier aggressive stance.

I’m an engineer by trade and OCD by nature so the car is meticulously cared for. It receives regular maintenance washes with an electric pressure washer, foam cannon, and is always air dried with an electric leaf blower. Because it rarely sees rain, mitt washes have been minimal and the paint condition reflects this. Free of swirls, RIDS, and other defects, the clearcoat condition after correction/coating shows a beautiful pearl with depth and gloss. Interior is regularly cleaned with Meguiars interior detailer and microfibers. Leathers on seats, console, and dash cleaned and agitated with detail brushes and conditioned with Lexol.

Service has always been performed by BMW West Houston (all service receipts available), with the most recent in Nov ‘22. Approx 2k miles has been put on since the last oil change and alignment check. A quick stroll of the i8 forums and exotic car rental fleets will show you how reliable i8s actually are–with many examples at 100,000+ miles without issue. No mechanical system is perfect, and I have done the research to address the 2 most common items on the i8s to give myself (and future owners) peace of mind. I own all of my cars with a long-term mindset. The sticky solenoid on the fuel door release has been replaced as has the in-tank fuel pump. I8s have pressurized fuel systems to keep fuel fresh during extended EV operation (we fill up maybe once every 1.5 months), and the pressure switch to verify depressurization before fuel door is released is integrated into the fuel pump. Earlier revisions would fail and you needed to use the manual override pull to open the fuel door. These in-tank pumps were revised by BMW and I’ve had the fuel tank dropped and a new rev pump/pressure switch installed by BMW West Houston under warranty (this saves $3k for next owner). The only other issue mentioned by owners would be the electric AC compressors, but this seems to only be a problem on the early ‘14-’15 i8s. Ours has been faultless.

My ramblings about i8s having owned it and a pair of i3s for years;

Quote:

By and far the most interesting sports GT on the market the i8s were wildly misunderstood and underappreciated at launch–as are most ahead of their time. Being a technology showcase for BMW it pioneered sustainability in construction and the hybrid supercar architecture (low displacement/e-motor/small batt/lightweight carbon chassis). Eyebrows were raised in 2013 upon reveal, yet fast forward 10 years and every established supercar/hypercar mfg is now using this proven recipe. The hypercar holy trinity (P1, LaF, and 918 Spyder) were released at the same time using the same construction methodology for 10x the price of an i8. When viewed through that lens it’s unsurprising BMW lost money on every i8 sold even at $150k msrp. Never meant as a competitor for those 3, but as a sustainable, daily drivable, financially accessible entry into hybrid supercars, it nailed its design intent.

Nowadays for less than the price of a new M3 you get a full carbon monocoque mid-engined supercar with concept car looks–seemingly not aging a day since its release almost 10 years ago. A car that is at the bottom of its depreciation curve, the early cars (‘14-15s) have found absolute rock bottom in the 60s. You can find many articles with pundits speculating that this will be one of the most valuable modern era BMWs in the years to come (only the second mid-engined bmw constructed since the ‘78 BMW M1, full carbon construction, low production numbers, pioneering design, low running costs, etc). Still, talk of future valuations are all speculation, nobody knows. But, looking at depreciation pragmatically, other bmws that sit below the i8 on the pecking order would have to become near worthless for this car to have room to depreciate further. I don't see this happening and neither has the market over the past few years.

I want to talk a little bit about the driving experience and what makes these cars so special. 3 motors (1 combustion, 2 electric), 2 transmissions (one on each axle), no physical driveline connecting them together. Ex BMW F1 Saubers engineers (when BMW pulled out of F1 in late 2000s they were moved to the i8 program) lead powertrain, aerodynamics, kinetic energy recovery and torque vectoring system development. Seemingly a space shuttle for the street, this is where the true brilliance of the i8 shines through. From a user experience standpoint, the tech is so well integrated you would have no idea what was underneath unless you inquired. This is the i8’s biggest party trick, it can be all things to all types of drivers--it truly has split personalities. Relative to any supercar, for all its complexity and appearance, it's no more intimidating to operate than a base 3 series. You can drive around in whisper silence in ev around town. Or you can lean on the car on back roads, feel that wonderful chassis rotate naturally under trailbraking and use its ultra clever torque vectoring awd system to slingshot you out of corners–full power pre-apex is standard practice in an i8. You can get lost in the wonderment of its engineering, tech, and modes of operation (full ev, hybrid, sport hybrid, etc), or you can just get in, shift to drive and go. When you drive “in ignorance”, what's left is great visibility, ease of use, great power, a feel of specialness and occasion, usable interior space and storage, concept car looks, and a ride quality that borders on the unbelievable for something of its appearance. This is one supercar that you won't mind sitting in traffic in–not to mention you’ll be averaging 35-40mpg when you do. From a maintenance standpoint the front EV motor is directly from an i3, the battery pack is a small/simple 7.1kwh li-ion unit which lifts out from the center console, the rear combustion motor is simply a modified mini cooper s 3 cylinder turbo. i3 electric motors have been proven to last 200k+ miles (we’ve owned 2 i3’s), replacement i8 li-ion batteries cost a few grand on ebay, and the mini cooper motors can be found ad nauseam online. The rest of the electronics are a direct lift from all other BMWs which are easily sourceable and downright cheap (for a supercar). Once you wrap your head around its components there's nothing scary or unapproachable about it, it's a hidden gem. I believe this simplicity will be reflected in the long term desirability and value of these cars.

If you are in the market for a perfectly maintained i8 that needs nothing but a driver, you’ve found your car. Owned and maintained by an enthusiast, this car has zero issues, zero stories, has full service/records, tasteful add-ons, and can be driven across the country tomorrow without hesitation. Oem Level 1 charger, both keys, manuals, etc are included. Clean/clear Texas title in hand. Thanks for reading.