130i vs 135i

[VerySideways]

RacingTeatray said:

By contrast, the 130i made me grin as soon as I heard the engine fire up, and it was an absolute joy to punt. I could have played in it all afternoon. Unlike the Audi, which has bundles of static appeal, the BMW's charm is not immediately obviously apparent. Yes, it's quite chunky and almost good-looking in MSport mode, and the interior is a pretty decent effort (more intimate than the Audi's interior), but in the 130i (and no doubt the 135i too), it's only once you drive it, that the car's appeal cystallises. And it's a genuine diamond. I'd heard nasty things about a boneshaking ride and a bouncy rear-end. Well, not in the 3dr I tried. It rode perfectly well on some fairly indifferent country tarmac and despite some undulating roads, I couldn't detect any bounce whatsoever - only fluid, faithful and entertaining handling to go with the wonderful engine and strong performance.

Even better once you ditch the runflats



Mind you, it's no 335d

[RacingTeatray]

Can you ditch the runflats without changing the alloys?

[VerySideways]

RacingTeatray said:

Can you ditch the runflats without changing the alloys?

Oh yes.

Just add a can of tyre foam (and a compressor ideally) to your toolkit in the boot. In fact BMW do just such a kit, called the "Mobility Kit" for about £70 i think.

[karavias1]

solution.

130i m sport limited edition....

[RacingTeatray]

If you can stand lemon leather...

Once upon a time my Z1 had lemon leather. It doesn't anymore!

[moff135]

Since I am a 135i owner this is obviously not completely impartial, but I have driven both cars.

The 135i has the advantages of:

- Quicker
- Tuneable to 380bhp (easily)
- eLSD / eDiff
- 6 piston brakes (only BMW with these)
- More rear space for passengers
- More boot space

I love my car, it is amazing... if you are buying in Nottingham Sytner and are local - more than happy to show you my car (white, red leather).

[carlovers]

I would love to test drive both cars. Ive got a 120d auto 177bhp with a box so around 200bhp and 300lb
and it really is pretty nippy. So i really would like to enjoy the power of these 2 cars.Also to enjoy the instant hit of acceleration of the petrol.

[rsstman]

well the 130i is dog ugly and the 135i is a good looking machine. therefore why spend good money on a munter?

and i expect the engine is worth the extra money alone.

you have a boot for practicality.

[dibbly_dobbler]

rsstman said:

well the 130i is dog ugly and the 135i is a good looking machine. therefore why spend good money on a munter?

and i expect the engine is worth the extra money alone.

you have a boot for practicality.

Twat. You clearly know nowt about this so why not naff off ?

[adycav]

I tried many many cars before eventually plumping for my 130i - S3, Impreza WRX STi, RX8, Mazda 3 MPS, Golf R32 etc etc.

The only car I tried that I enjoyed as much as the 130i was a 135i. But I couldn't justify the price difference - the cheapest 135i at the time in the UK was around £28k, and I got my 8-month old 1700 mile 130i (with a few options) for £18.8k. The wife was happy with this!

This was in the summer - nearly-new 130is are even better value now.

Having said all that, if there was a couple or three grand difference between them I would have probably plumped for the 135i.

I don't think that you'll be disappointed with either, let us know what you get.

Lovely Z1 by the way, OP.

[MC99]

'08 135s at main dealers for 26k, do people really rate them that highly, would you rather spend your money on an M3? I like them and think they engine would be fantastic, but I'm looking at Z4Ms and like the thought of having 4 seats, but maybe the 135 is just too plain? Thoughts guys?

[moff135]

MC99 said:

'08 135s at main dealers for 26k, do people really rate them that highly, would you rather spend your money on an M3? I like them and think they engine would be fantastic, but I'm looking at Z4Ms and like the thought of having 4 seats, but maybe the 135 is just too plain? Thoughts guys?

The running costs of an M car compared to the 135i are in a different league.

I too considered the Z4M versus the 135i and I loved the Z4M.

But, £650 for inspection 1, £850 for inspection 2, replacing the CSL brakes on the Z4M and the massive depreciation were enough to scare me off.

The 135i is nearly as quick (as quick if remapped), is far more practical and although it will obviously depreciate too, not as much. The VED is also less as it puts out 210 CO2 whereas the Z4M is £400 in group G.

The Z4M is a more focused sports car though, with better handling, a more focused nicer sounding engine, and is unique to look at, but the figures don't stack up.

[NoelWatson]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Don't think you can get a 270 version in any 1 series. Think it is the N52 rather than the DI N53

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_N52

[RacingTeatray]

Cheers all. I think I have decided that, if I go for a new car, it will be the 135i. If used, then I might go for a 130i.

Ho hum. Let's see how discussions go with the stealers.

[JNW1]

NoelWatson said:

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Don't think you can get a 270 version in any 1 series. Think it is the N52 rather than the DI N53

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_N52

This is probably a daft question but why on earth do BMW make several versions of the same engine? The differences between them appear small so from their own manufacturing point of view wouldn't it be more cost effective to make just the one version and have done? Customers would also benefit as they'd then get the latest technology regardless of the model they choose to buy!

[NoelWatson]

JNW1 said:

NoelWatson said:

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Don't think you can get a 270 version in any 1 series. Think it is the N52 rather than the DI N53

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_N52

This is probably a daft question but why on earth do BMW make several versions of the same engine? The differences between them appear small so from their own manufacturing point of view wouldn't it be more cost effective to make just the one version and have done? Customers would also benefit as they'd then get the latest technology regardless of the model they choose to buy!

I can only guess that they can only produce a certain number of a type of engine so the newer models tend to get that. I wonder if the DI engines cost more to produce?

[JNW1]

NoelWatson said:

JNW1 said:

NoelWatson said:

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Don't think you can get a 270 version in any 1 series. Think it is the N52 rather than the DI N53

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_N52

This is probably a daft question but why on earth do BMW make several versions of the same engine? The differences between them appear small so from their own manufacturing point of view wouldn't it be more cost effective to make just the one version and have done? Customers would also benefit as they'd then get the latest technology regardless of the model they choose to buy!

I can only guess that they can only produce a certain number of a type of engine so the newer models tend to get that. I wonder if the DI engines cost more to produce?

I'm sure there's a good reason but I just can't think what it is! I would have thought that keeping variety to a minimum would have been the lowest cost option for BMW and I can't think of many other manufacturers (if any) who continue to produce several derivatives of what is essentially the same engine. Mind, now I've said that there'll probably be loads of posts listing all the companies that do exactly the same as BMW.....!!

[Sticks2]

Bit of a wild card suggestion, but if you're considering 2 doors, how about a TT Coupe? I had a 120d 5 dr but the back seats were next to useless anyway. TTS is supposed to be very good and reasonably economical. My 3.2 Quattro is one of those. Great noise though.

Buying new? Hmm. my TT was 11 months old and £10k off new price. Could get a good car for humping things about in for that - E46 320d touring?

Btw, if you do ditch the rfts, if you can, keep the old ones. When I went to trade mine in the BMW stealer wanted it with rfts and knocked £700 off the trade in price without. Didn't need new wheels, but did up the pressuer by 0.2 bar which worked well. And don't forget to tell your inso co.

[RacingTeatray]

I have a small sportscar in the shape of a BMW Z1 so this has to be my car for "humping stuff about" - it doesn't need to be massively practical as I don't have a family at present nor any imminent threat of one, but something with more than a two usable seats and a half-decent boot is what I want. A 135i looks ideal size-wise.

The TT doesn't work for me personally because (and no offence intended) I really dislike the styling. I prefer the S3 style-wise but it's just not a sufficiently stirring drive. My GTA may be a flawed car in some respects (basically a rock-hard ride, noticeable torque steer and depreciation to make you cry) but it always feels and sounds special and an event to drive, a trick which the 130i also pulls off well. The S3 just doesn't, I regret to say.

[VerySideways]

Having read your last post i don't think you can go wrong with either 130 or 135.

Do let us know what you get in the end, and post a picture of course.

Good luck!