Otto the 125i - E82 Coupe
Discussion
A little addition to the fleet this weekend in the shape of a 2010 E82 125i. I've got a couple of cars that are at extremes, a Clio that is great for track days but terrible on the road and another BMW that is lovely for road trips but I'm too precious over it to use on track days and it's not really that kind of car for me anyway.
I've done a fair few trips in my mates Cayman GT4 over the last 18 months and as you'd expect it does a great job at covering both bases. We've done 5 hour drives in relative comfort and then enjoyed it round a track for 10 hours before driving home again (not all on the same day!). Now I can't justify the outlay of a lovely GT4 but I did start looking at options for creating something similarly useful, I also wanted something that was that balance of pokey enough to hold it's own on a track but also not so fast that it's no fun on the road.
The brief was RWD, manual and a coupe. Being a BMW fan I looked to the E46 M3s but I'd be looking at SMG 'verts, along side them being of an age where they're going to need a few quid spending on them I decided to rule them out. I considered a few other options but ended up back at BMW when I remembered the E82 1er. I've always liked the shape, a bit quirky but they've aged well imo and available with the N52 motor, albeit detuned compared to the 130i. I started looking about and I soon realised I was in the same position as I was when I searched for my M3. Not too many made and very few for sale so I couldn't be too picky.
Found this example on Facebook marketplace, seller seemed genuine and after a few quick checks I decided it was worth a drive to look at. M Sport, in the Silver, I think 3 previous owners, full service history and in the last year it's had a few quid spent on it, brakes, suspension, tyres and a little map to bring it up to speed. It looked a bit poverty specced but for what I wanted the car for that wasn't too much of an issue and as I said, I couldn't be too picky. The seller warned me a neighbour had scuffed it in the time it had been put up for sale which again I wasn't too worried about. Chucking it down with rain meant that I was never going to go over it with a fine tooth comb but I could see the scuff on the front and damage on the rear bumper the bit in the middle looked tidy enough. We jumped in and took it for a spin, within a few minutes I knew it was a tidy car, drove really well, smooth, rode well and quicker than I expected too. A deal was done and I was driving off into the storm with my new car. I love driving home after buying a new car, getting to know the car etc. It turns out it's got a few more options that I expected, folding mirrors, heated seats and cruise control. A half decent aftermarket radio is not just fitted but also working with the wheel controls and has bluetooth etc too. Bonus.
Got up and gave it a quick wash this morning and I'm pretty chuffed with it. Silver is a good colour for hiding blemishes but it doesn't have that many to hide tbh, aside from the front and back bits, inside there are a few bits that are showing some wear, all easily replaced. Another quick spin, gearbox feels nice and tight, the car reminds me of my old 325ti Compact tbh!
Whats the plan then? Well, for the next few months I'm just going to use it a bit when time allows, the M3 is going into hibernation next week so it'll be good to have something fun to use over winter that I'm not too obsessively precious over. I might get a local track day booked just to see how it performs as it is, maybe get the bumpers painted, then in the spring I'll start with some modifications.
I'm thinking a little half cage, buckets and harnesses for the inside but keep the OEM steering wheel (probably a spacer to bring it a bit closer) and the nice bits in the front. Performance wise, get some decent suspension on, sticky tyres and a LSD eventually. I'm not fussed about more power, just make it turn as stop as well as possible. I quite like the wheels and the arches seem quite tight so I'm not sure theres much room to start going for wide, low offset wheels. Get some decent tyres on those with a chunkier fitting perhaps and a refurb and see how they go. Might look into short shifter options too!
I'll update as and when!
I've done a fair few trips in my mates Cayman GT4 over the last 18 months and as you'd expect it does a great job at covering both bases. We've done 5 hour drives in relative comfort and then enjoyed it round a track for 10 hours before driving home again (not all on the same day!). Now I can't justify the outlay of a lovely GT4 but I did start looking at options for creating something similarly useful, I also wanted something that was that balance of pokey enough to hold it's own on a track but also not so fast that it's no fun on the road.
The brief was RWD, manual and a coupe. Being a BMW fan I looked to the E46 M3s but I'd be looking at SMG 'verts, along side them being of an age where they're going to need a few quid spending on them I decided to rule them out. I considered a few other options but ended up back at BMW when I remembered the E82 1er. I've always liked the shape, a bit quirky but they've aged well imo and available with the N52 motor, albeit detuned compared to the 130i. I started looking about and I soon realised I was in the same position as I was when I searched for my M3. Not too many made and very few for sale so I couldn't be too picky.
Found this example on Facebook marketplace, seller seemed genuine and after a few quick checks I decided it was worth a drive to look at. M Sport, in the Silver, I think 3 previous owners, full service history and in the last year it's had a few quid spent on it, brakes, suspension, tyres and a little map to bring it up to speed. It looked a bit poverty specced but for what I wanted the car for that wasn't too much of an issue and as I said, I couldn't be too picky. The seller warned me a neighbour had scuffed it in the time it had been put up for sale which again I wasn't too worried about. Chucking it down with rain meant that I was never going to go over it with a fine tooth comb but I could see the scuff on the front and damage on the rear bumper the bit in the middle looked tidy enough. We jumped in and took it for a spin, within a few minutes I knew it was a tidy car, drove really well, smooth, rode well and quicker than I expected too. A deal was done and I was driving off into the storm with my new car. I love driving home after buying a new car, getting to know the car etc. It turns out it's got a few more options that I expected, folding mirrors, heated seats and cruise control. A half decent aftermarket radio is not just fitted but also working with the wheel controls and has bluetooth etc too. Bonus.
Got up and gave it a quick wash this morning and I'm pretty chuffed with it. Silver is a good colour for hiding blemishes but it doesn't have that many to hide tbh, aside from the front and back bits, inside there are a few bits that are showing some wear, all easily replaced. Another quick spin, gearbox feels nice and tight, the car reminds me of my old 325ti Compact tbh!
Whats the plan then? Well, for the next few months I'm just going to use it a bit when time allows, the M3 is going into hibernation next week so it'll be good to have something fun to use over winter that I'm not too obsessively precious over. I might get a local track day booked just to see how it performs as it is, maybe get the bumpers painted, then in the spring I'll start with some modifications.
I'm thinking a little half cage, buckets and harnesses for the inside but keep the OEM steering wheel (probably a spacer to bring it a bit closer) and the nice bits in the front. Performance wise, get some decent suspension on, sticky tyres and a LSD eventually. I'm not fussed about more power, just make it turn as stop as well as possible. I quite like the wheels and the arches seem quite tight so I'm not sure theres much room to start going for wide, low offset wheels. Get some decent tyres on those with a chunkier fitting perhaps and a refurb and see how they go. Might look into short shifter options too!
I'll update as and when!
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff