E92 M3 or M135i
Discussion
cerb4.5lee said:
M3 fanboys much!! To listen to some of you on here the V8 M3 must be the best car in the world bar none, the chassis and the LSD are high points granted but its not all that as a package in the daily grind and other cars do that so much better for me.
Although I have a M135i on order I've never really been a fan of BMWs to be honest. The video that GT119 posted doesn't really do much for me sound wise.
I think the E92 is a bit awkward as a daily but not "special" enough to be a weekend car, sort of somewhere in the middle.
I'm hoping the 1er will be a solid little daily.
dvshannow said:
cerb4.5lee said:
M3 fanboys much!! To listen to some of you on here the V8 M3 must be the best car in the world bar none, the chassis and the LSD are high points granted but its not all that as a package in the daily grind and other cars do that so much better for me.
It's wasted in the daily grind Imo but what cars do it much better ignoring running costs? It only comes on song at 6k revs plus and its range/economy can grate too for the performance you actually get.
Crafty_ said:
I think the E92 is a bit awkward as a daily but not "special" enough to be a weekend car, sort of somewhere in the middle.
I'm hoping the 1er will be a solid little daily.
I think you hit the nail on the head for the E92 and it does sit a little bit in no mans land, i reckon you will be happy with the 1er. I'm hoping the 1er will be a solid little daily.
cerb4.5lee said:
Crafty_ said:
I think the E92 is a bit awkward as a daily but not "special" enough to be a weekend car, sort of somewhere in the middle.
I'm hoping the 1er will be a solid little daily.
I think you hit the nail on the head for the E92 and it does sit a little bit in no mans land, i reckon you will be happy with the 1er. I'm hoping the 1er will be a solid little daily.
My old E90 M3 was certainly a very good car with an epic engine (helped by exhaust mod) but I never really bonded with it. Too big, too valuable and too expensive to run as a daily driver for 20k miles/year and not special enough to be a weekend toy.
Current 130i is much more suited to the daily grind and the TVR is a far more interesting toy. Neither is as 'good' as the M3 but both are better in their intended roles (for me).
130i might be replaced with an M135i this year, but still not sure if I can bear to part with it.
Edited by swanny71 on Wednesday 8th April 19:40
Alex said:
As merely a fast 3-series, the E92 M3 might not be "special", but the V8 engine is epic and would not be out of place in a Ferrari.
you can't say things like that, you'll end up with a horses head in your bed ! 
Swanny, if you do decide to go M135i LCI look at Babybmw.net for "TRL" the resident dealer, he'll sort you out a very good price (currently 25.6k + options).
Crafty_ said:
Swanny, if you do decide to go M135i LCI look at Babybmw.net for "TRL" the resident dealer, he'll sort you out a very good price (currently 25.6k + options).
Have seen the great deals he can arrange but prefer to buy used rather than new lease/PCP. Waiting for them to go under £20k approved used and then see how I feel about selling the 130, I've become very attached to it in the last 4 years.bennyboysvuk said:
Just to pick up on a few things that people have mentioned.
The M135i rolls much more than the M3, which isn't a problem in itself, but it doesn't change direction as tidily/dartily as the M3. It's much happier being driven smoothly and briskly, not raggedly. When you ask it to do ragged, it spins its inside wheel, rolls more than I'd like, doesn't feel like the front and rear end are working together. All of which, the M3 does.
As for noise, the engine is pretty much inaudible unless you're accelerating, but then I think the M3 is similar in that respect.
Re the tank size. I get around 210 miles before the fuel light comes on in the M135i. I'm not sure what the M3 would manage.
Depreciation looks like the major cost for the M135i. I'm expecting around £18k in 4 years, but built into the original price are the service costs so that's free, there's no MOTs to be done. Insurance is less than £200. Tyres are less than £350 for the rears. I'd say that over a 4 year period, the M135i ultimately costs a fairly similar amount to own.
I struggled to get 200 miles out of a tank if I was enjoying myself. 20 mpg was considered a victory. The 135 is averaging high 20s, and I drive it hard. The M135i rolls much more than the M3, which isn't a problem in itself, but it doesn't change direction as tidily/dartily as the M3. It's much happier being driven smoothly and briskly, not raggedly. When you ask it to do ragged, it spins its inside wheel, rolls more than I'd like, doesn't feel like the front and rear end are working together. All of which, the M3 does.
As for noise, the engine is pretty much inaudible unless you're accelerating, but then I think the M3 is similar in that respect.
Re the tank size. I get around 210 miles before the fuel light comes on in the M135i. I'm not sure what the M3 would manage.
Depreciation looks like the major cost for the M135i. I'm expecting around £18k in 4 years, but built into the original price are the service costs so that's free, there's no MOTs to be done. Insurance is less than £200. Tyres are less than £350 for the rears. I'd say that over a 4 year period, the M135i ultimately costs a fairly similar amount to own.
Interesting thread. Neither really work on track, do they ? The M3 will cook its brakes after, what, 1.5 hot laps ? Can be upgraded but not cheap.
And the M135i is also quite heavy and a bit lazy to change direction.
But they're both brilliant road cars in their own way. I ordered a M135i LCI this week as depreciation figures have been superb and I have a mental block on paying more than £265/year tax, however small that is in the grand scheme of things... I know, not very rational and my loss not having THAT V8.
And the M135i is also quite heavy and a bit lazy to change direction.
But they're both brilliant road cars in their own way. I ordered a M135i LCI this week as depreciation figures have been superb and I have a mental block on paying more than £265/year tax, however small that is in the grand scheme of things... I know, not very rational and my loss not having THAT V8.
Depends what you mean by work, neither will come close to proper track day cars, and road based gt3s will also be more track suited.
The m3 will be a lot more fun on track and certainly as you mention will cook it's brakes but it's not as bad as some here say. Track pads are also a cheap easy way to upgrade decently without cost of a full brake upgrade. Point being ofc neither is a full on track day car, the m3 however is a better step into that world, if you are finding a pad upgrade is insufficient then you probably want to get a dedicated track toy at this point, exige etc
The m3 will be a lot more fun on track and certainly as you mention will cook it's brakes but it's not as bad as some here say. Track pads are also a cheap easy way to upgrade decently without cost of a full brake upgrade. Point being ofc neither is a full on track day car, the m3 however is a better step into that world, if you are finding a pad upgrade is insufficient then you probably want to get a dedicated track toy at this point, exige etc
swanny71 said:
Have seen the great deals he can arrange but prefer to buy used rather than new lease/PCP. Waiting for them to go under £20k approved used and then see how I feel about selling the 130, I've become very attached to it in the last 4 years.I'm considering an E90 M3.
What's the MPG like, really?
I currently have a 335i and happy with that kind of consumption. Previously had an E500 5.5 which was bearable returning me 23MPG on my commute and knocking on the door of 30 on a run. Nursing it along at 60 I would get 32-34.
If the M3 will match that then I'd be content for the experience it no doubt delivers.
What's the MPG like, really?
I currently have a 335i and happy with that kind of consumption. Previously had an E500 5.5 which was bearable returning me 23MPG on my commute and knocking on the door of 30 on a run. Nursing it along at 60 I would get 32-34.
If the M3 will match that then I'd be content for the experience it no doubt delivers.
texasjohn said:
I'm considering an E90 M3.
What's the MPG like, really?
I currently have a 335i and happy with that kind of consumption. Previously had an E500 5.5 which was bearable returning me 23MPG on my commute and knocking on the door of 30 on a run. Nursing it along at 60 I would get 32-34.
If the M3 will match that then I'd be content for the experience it no doubt delivers.
When I had my E92 M3 it just stayed at 21 mpg on the fuel computer regardless over the 10k miles I covered in it but I never reset it while I had it, the problem with it is its not an easy car to drive slowly because its so boring when you do, so you do tend to put your foot down which as with any car isn't great for economy. What's the MPG like, really?
I currently have a 335i and happy with that kind of consumption. Previously had an E500 5.5 which was bearable returning me 23MPG on my commute and knocking on the door of 30 on a run. Nursing it along at 60 I would get 32-34.
If the M3 will match that then I'd be content for the experience it no doubt delivers.
texasjohn said:
I'm considering an E90 M3.
What's the MPG like, really?
I currently have a 335i and happy with that kind of consumption. Previously had an E500 5.5 which was bearable returning me 23MPG on my commute and knocking on the door of 30 on a run. Nursing it along at 60 I would get 32-34.
If the M3 will match that then I'd be content for the experience it no doubt delivers.
I just would not buy an e92 m3 if fuel costs were a consideration it's a thirsty beast, you can get 30 on a motorway cruise but what's the point? Agree low 20s for usual driving and teens when having fun.What's the MPG like, really?
I currently have a 335i and happy with that kind of consumption. Previously had an E500 5.5 which was bearable returning me 23MPG on my commute and knocking on the door of 30 on a run. Nursing it along at 60 I would get 32-34.
If the M3 will match that then I'd be content for the experience it no doubt delivers.
That said in my view its worth it, but my mileage is low. I previously had a 997 gt3 and a 535i, found the 535 v competent but v dull compared to both. While I miss the GT3 ofc miss it a lot less with the v8.
It's a comp pack dct, do think the later e92s are noticeably tweaked in steering feel and ride. The M performance exhaust really completes it and swear it feels a bit faster since but that could be the noise
discounted the oem as it made it louder but it a less interesting way fwiw.I test drove an M4 and felt no desire to upgrade, actually felt like a downgrade in many ways.
Maybe I'm biased, but I've not had trouble with man maths upgrades previously. The car I would like right now is an E90 crt.
If bmw make an M4 csl, stripped down and step up their turbo game per Mercedes will likely reevaluate.
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