Thanks for the reply. I know different individuals have different priorities and considerations for their own circumstances and I fully respect that, as someone who used to own coupes with manual transmission. I am just at the stage that I still need to transport my kids and share the new (2nd) car with my wife occasionally. Hence I value if a car can be appreciated by more people in the family. I know I will be paying more for the Tesla M3 SR+ (given my rough spreadsheet estimates) but feel like it’s worth the extra money and the sacrifices (in some aspects) aren’t that great, compared to the SE. I still hope to own a version of mini someday, just not now.
Thanks. One of the reasons I am looking for a “new” EV is because the crazy used car prices lately that people are being offered close to the MSRPs for their used cars. I will check for used i3s shortly.
Cost-wise, the Mini SE is definitely a better bet than an i3. A lot of those i3s are out of warranty and a non-standard BMW can be expensive to maintain. The micro tires are also expensive and hard to come by. I love the i3, just don't see how it makes better financial sense. I also strongly disagree that it's "far better," or even better. It's just different.