BMW i8

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Mistertoad
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Post by Mistertoad »

When the sales manager of Targa Florio cars delivered my Continental GT V8 eleven months ago he received a phone call from Santander scuppering the sale of an £87k BMW i8 that was about to go though. The bank had decided to put an upper credit limit of £35k on EV’s due to uncertainty over residuals and battery life at that time. I don’t know whether the restriction still exists.
Last edited by Mistertoad on Tue Jul 17, 2018 10:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
2015 Cayenne S - Sold
2016 718 Boxster - Sold
2016 Bentley Continental GT V8 S

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Post by Deleted User 1874 »

Mistertoad wrote: Mon Jul 16, 2018 2:03 pm When the sale manager of Targa Floria cars delivered my Continental GT V8 eleven months ago he received a phone call from Santander scuppering the sale of a £87k BMW i8 that was about to go though. The bank had decided to put an upper credit limit of £35k on EV’s due to uncertainty over residuals and battery life at that time. I don’t know whether the restriction still exists.
Battery life on a hybrid like this is probably not a big issue. The general battery characteristic seems to be a moderate loss in range quite early on and then a very long stable period with minimal further losses. Could easily be looking at 15 or 20 years to the point of needing a replacement battery and then the cost would probably be similar or even less than a full engine rebuild on the ICE part of the car. Certainly a lot easier and quicker too. But as you say it's the unknown and unfamiliar that scares people off.

Depreciation due to the perception of these being first gen EVs is another factor. People are expecting rapid advancements in the technology, but the reality is more of a snails pace and probably no faster than typical ICE development over a 10 year period. Looking at the 2019 vs 2014 i8 shows very little progress - basically a slightly bigger battery, giving a few extra hp and a few miles extra range. Nowhere near enough to tempt me into a new one at more than twice the cost.
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Mistertoad
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Post by Mistertoad »

Targa Florio have a very rare VW XL1 hybrid for sale. It will certainly stand out in the crowd and may even prove a good investment.

https://www.targafloriocars.com/used-ca ... wagen-xl1/
2015 Cayenne S - Sold
2016 718 Boxster - Sold
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SAC1
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Post by SAC1 »

Mistertoad wrote: Tue Jul 17, 2018 10:38 am Targa Florio have a very rare VW XL1 hybrid for sale. It will certainly stand out in the crowd and may even prove a good investment.

https://www.targafloriocars.com/used-ca ... wagen-xl1/
Way to go and it's a DIESEL.
Steve

2020 GTS in Sapphire Blue
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Deleted User 1874

Post by Deleted User 1874 »

Mistertoad wrote: Tue Jul 17, 2018 10:38 am Targa Florio have a very rare VW XL1 hybrid for sale. It will certainly stand out in the crowd and may even prove a good investment.

https://www.targafloriocars.com/used-ca ... wagen-xl1/
At £105K, that's definitely an "investment" I will not be making!
Frenchy
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Post by Frenchy »

I had the opportunity to drive one in the US (was a car at the hotel for guests that we were able to borrow for 4h) - the door opening is not practical and what I really really did not like is the seat is lower than the door opening , so it s very difficult to get out - this car is not for me ...
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Deleted User 1874

Post by Deleted User 1874 »

Frenchy wrote: Tue Jul 17, 2018 2:44 pm I had the opportunity to drive one in the US (was a car at the hotel for guests that we were able to borrow for 4h) - the door opening is not practical and what I really really did not like is the seat is lower than the door opening , so it s very difficult to get out - this car is not for me ...
Yeah I get that the doors are a bit of a pain, but what did you think about the actual drive?
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