I might be misunderstanding you, but it seems that you feel the author tried to sneak in a brag, by telling us he owns a i3. Not to be disparaging i3, but it's not here bragging car. It goes for 11,5k USD in Norway.
Maybe having an i3 today is not something worth bragging about for the HN clientele, but saying your "old car" is an i3 after the previous paragraph might not go down well with someone who would be glad if they could afford a (used) i3. Just my impression...
