M140 REPLACEMENT

[nikaiyo2]

Sooo some lovely person wanted my M140 more than me, so I need to replace... its weird I was talking in the office a few weeks back 2 of us have had the same car for nearly 10 years and came to the conclusion that replacing it would not get me much, just cost a huge amount of money. do i just get another M140?

Open to lease deals, PCP offers, Cash £25k maybe a bit more new or used. Petrol or electric, no diesel. I am not in any rush have access to other car or works van :P

I am thinking maybe a Mustang, are they rubbish? https://tinyurl.com/5xf3t52r

Or Polestar https://tinyurl.com/y3z9hzj7

Or 128ti https://tinyurl.com/5a3fr75k

Maybe https://tinyurl.com/2jd6auff

Any ideas would be gratefully received.

[MKnight702]

Some idea of what you want from a car would be helpful.

How many seats? How many doors? Is boot space required? What do you plan to use the car for? Is ground clearance an issue? Do you want a convertible? etc etc

[nikaiyo2]

MKnight702 said:

Some idea of what you want from a car would be helpful.

How many seats? How many doors? Is boot space required? What do you plan to use the car for? Is ground clearance an issue? Do you want a convertible? etc etc

Pretty open really, 2 doors is fine, boot space dont care. Commuting around the south of England chose the 140 over the Civic/ ford etc as it was better at normal car stuff.
My mum is getting older and she does not really drive so I have to take her places so easy in would possibly be a consideration hence the X in my links but its NOT a deal breaker its a might be nice.

[Master Bean]

Fiesta ST.

[Glenn63]

Out of interest how did they steal it?

Iv got an M140 also, mines quite highly modified but I don’t know what id replace it with without spending significantly more money if I wanted similar performance that is also practical and can use daily/put the dog in/ do long trips etc.

If it was me id try go for a completely different experience like a lotus or big V8, I had a 6.2 C63 before and that was entertaining just pottering around.

[Deep Thought]

nikaiyo2 said:

MKnight702 said:

Some idea of what you want from a car would be helpful.

How many seats? How many doors? Is boot space required? What do you plan to use the car for? Is ground clearance an issue? Do you want a convertible? etc etc

Pretty open really, 2 doors is fine, boot space dont care. Commuting around the south of England chose the 140 over the Civic/ ford etc as it was better at normal car stuff.
My mum is getting older and she does not really drive so I have to take her places so easy in would possibly be a consideration hence the X in my links but its NOT a deal breaker its a might be nice.

We went from an M140i to an M2. Night and day difference in the cars in terms of engagement.

Its a well trodden progression path.

£25K would put a facelift OG front and centre - probably a 2018 car.

I absolutely loved mine.

MPG will be similar to your M140i. My mum (82) got in and out of the M2 no problem. Pretty much as accessible for front seat passengers as the M140i.

128ti and M135i are good cars, but four bangers, which may or may not matter to you when you test drive one.

Edited by Deep Thought on Friday 21st February 11:39

[JZZ30]

I've always fancied trying a Mustang. My wife has a C43 coupe (last of the 3.0 V6 shape) - great car, maybe worth a look - I find the user interface (MBUX?) overly annoying though.

RCF?
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202411256...


Kia Stinger?
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202501087...

[Alfa numeric]

Second the M2 suggestion above, although I changed my M140 for an F80 M3 in the end. £25k will get you a 2017 M4 but everyone I spoke to stressed that the Competition Pack is the one to go for.

I loved my 140- it had the M exhaust so sounded great, it looked subtle but went like hell and had proper handling. The M3 had big shoes to fill but has done it nicely.

[Richard-390a0]

Glenn63 said:

Out of interest how did they steal it?

See the O/P's other thread. https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[jimmsy]

nikaiyo2 said:

I am thinking maybe a Mustang, are they rubbish? https://tinyurl.com/5xf3t52r

Or Polestar https://tinyurl.com/y3z9hzj7

Or 128ti https://tinyurl.com/5a3fr75k

On these options:

Mustangs are great, but I wouldn't buy from a garage with your budget, you'll be right at the dodgy end. Head onto the biggest FB group and you'll be spoilt for choice of good ones (and you can check the sellers history of issues in their previous posts on the page). They're fun cars if you want character but not the on-paper fastest car. Practical too. You want 2017 for cheap tax and a good base for modifying if you're into that.

A Polestar would be a nice way to get from A to B, but wouldn't be fun or anywhere near like-for-like with the M140i.

The newer 128s and 135s will be a big disappointment compared to the M140i.

If you liked it, maybe try a different gearbox in the M240i? Different, but similar.

[cuprabob]

Glenn63 said:

Out of interest how did they steal it?

There is a thread on the theft.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[M4cruiser]

cuprabob said:

Glenn63 said:

Out of interest how did they steal it?

There is a thread on the theft.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

I assume it was stolen to order, and has been "ringed".
Can the OP let us know what colour M140 we should look out for?!

I've seen one pop up in Hampshire that wasn't there a few weeks ago ...

[Belle427]

They look like very difficult cars to replace as a great fairly interesting all rounder that is good value too.
M2 would make most sense but is it worth the extra money over another 140, only you can decide that.

[Deep Thought]

Belle427 said:

They look like very difficult cars to replace as a great fairly interesting all rounder that is good value too.
M2 would make most sense but is it worth the extra money over another 140, only you can decide that.

Whilst you're right, only the O/P can say, personally, having owned both yes, an M2 is worth the extra all day long.

I genuinely thought that the M140i was like a 5 door M2 but the difference is night and day when you drive them.

The only reason i'm emphasising that is it would be easy to dismiss an M2 on paper but it really has to be driven to appreciate the difference.

IMHO the M2 is an easy way in to M car ownership. Not ridiculously expensive to buy and not hard to live with either. They do seem to be holding their value well too. Such a good size too.

[Deep Thought]

RE: the Mustang - we test drove one when we were changing my wifes 370GT and we found them to be a bit of a one trick pony (ha!).

Awesome engine note but really did not handle well at all. They do not like corners and are a very big car for UK roads.

[Magnum 475]

Left field suggestion for a BMW owner: Audi RS3??

5 cylinder engine with a great soundtrack, practical, & 4WD. Probably not as “playful” as the M2 though.

[DT1975]

I did a long test drive in a 128ti and was very underwhelmed, much more than I was expecting coming from a 340i.I'm starting to think in my price bracket which is similar to the OP an EV with some clout may be the next option for something newish.

[Deep Thought]

DT1975 said:

I did a long test drive in a 128ti and was very underwhelmed, much more than I was expecting coming from a 340i.I'm starting to think in my price bracket which is similar to the OP an EV with some clout may be the next option for something newish.

I think its very hard to go from a 6 pot to a four banger.

I sold my M2 in December after having owned it for two years.

I have to a say a nearly new (or even new, via PCH or incentivised PCP) EV was on my list also but in the end a very compellingly priced Approved Used Mercedes C43 came up, so i bought that.

[ZX10R NIN]

The Mustang is a good choice they handle well & it you want to make them more focused then (like the M140) some suspension work sharpens them up:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202501318...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202501218...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202502129...

A very underrated car is the RC-F it drives well & they really get under your skin:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202501027...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202307250...

M wise I'd be going for the M3 (personally I think it looks so much better than the M4 the first one is a manual) although they're harder to find:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202502088...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202501288...

C63 Premium:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202502078...

6.2 AMG Edition:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202501158...



Leftfield & well under budget but a good (M/AMG light equivalent) steer is the Q60:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202412307...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202501298...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202502209...

Supercharged V8 M3:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202410014...

[MasterofMuppets]

Sorry to hear about your M140. Another question would be what is your appetite for running costs, servicing and maintenance? If you have access to another car or works van, you could also look at something older - £25k buys you a LOT of E46 M3, E39 M5, any of the V10 M cars. Or you could probably find a nice Hartech rebuild Porsche 996, 987.2 Boxsters or Caymans. Probably 981s are in budget too.