Only one of the Los Angeles Police Department's barely used BMW i3 EVs is still up for sale
Danny Moloshok/Newscast US
- More BMW i3s from the LAPD's barely used fleet are now for sale at New Century BMW in Alhambra, California. The last set of 28 cars was up for sale in September, and sold out in four days.
- The cars all have less than 10,000 miles and are being sold for $19,000.
- This is more than what they were offered for the first time. And since used BMW i3 prices seem to have dropped since September, this deal might not be as attractive as the last one.
- As of Friday, eight were available. By Monday, there was only one i3 left.
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Way back in September - also known as "mid March" - a fleet of BMW i3s from the Los Angeles Police Department was going for dirt cheap after the cars' leases expired. The crop of 28 cars was a hit, only lasting four days on the dealership lot.
A new shipment arrived last week - but it went just as fast as the first one.
As first noticed by The Current Review, which also broke the news of the first shipment in September, more low-mileage i3s could be found through New Century BMW in Alhambra, California - the same dealership that handled the LAPD i3 sales last time. As of this writing, there is only one left.
The cars appear to have sold rapidly, as there were eight on the dealer's site on Friday.
The cars were all 2017 models, had fewer than 10,000 miles on their odometers, and their Carfax reports confirmed that they were government-owned. However, they were listed for slightly more money than last time. All the cars carried a list price of between $18,985 and $18,995 - whereas the first batch reported in September were priced for less than $18,000.
Back in September, the former LAPD cars were listed for a few thousand dollars less than the market price for i3s with similar mileage. But that doesn't seem to be the case this time: Friday search results from Autotrader for 2017 BMW i3s with comparable miles now vary between $15,000 to $17,000, which is less than what New Century BMW is selling its cars for.
Yet it should be noted that New Century BMW is selling the i3s as certified pre-owned cars, which means they'll likely have more warranties and protections than non-CPO examples. When asked about the slight increase in price on Friday, a New Century BMW representative told Business Insider this is due to market availability: Because of COVID-19, car inventories are low.
But the rep was able to confirm that it's the same sale situation as last time - because of high demand, all sales will be handled in person. No phone or online reservations will be accepted. Anyone interested has to appear in person at the dealer and the cars will be sold on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The rep isn't sure if more shipments of LAPD i3s are coming after this one, as things are decided on a day-to-day basis. But they did say to only call to ask about availability if you're serious - they only had eight cars to begin with, and they're already down to one.
The now-retired i3s were part of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti's efforts for the city to go greener, during which BMW won a 2016 bid to supply the LAPD's transportation fleet with hundreds of the all-electric cars. Unfortunately, a CBS Los Angeles investigation found that the cars were largely unused during their lease terms.
But one person (or police department)'s garage dweller is another person's daily driver, as they say. That person could be you, if you're quick.
from Business Insider https://ift.tt/3lF5AFP
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