Discussion
1M prices definitely seem to have perked up a bit recently-
The M2 seems to have had no affect on the 1M market..........
The low mileage examples, especially in Valencia Orange are marketed for
silly money......
It's reputation appears to go from strength to strength, especially with Chris Harris
now owning one etc etc
The M2 seems to have had no affect on the 1M market..........
The low mileage examples, especially in Valencia Orange are marketed for
silly money......
It's reputation appears to go from strength to strength, especially with Chris Harris
now owning one etc etc
david hockney said:
The M2 seems to have had no affect on the 1M market.
Having owned a 1M and driven a M2, I'll have a stab at explaining...The 1M for me was special, right from the start when they were teasing and customers were invited by BMW to drive the mules, it was like something created by a skunkworks team after-hours deep in the bowels of BMW, throwing various bits on a one series to see what would work, eventually creating a pumped-up car that would divide opinion but ultimately was balanced and honed for the enthusiast.
The M2 for me is just a mass-produced 2 Series, it doesn't feel special at all. Sure it's fast, but the grin and connected feel isn't there.
I loved my 1M, and 5yrs since I sold it I still deeply miss it. It was what I feel is the pure essence of making you feel alive when driving. Every bit of it felt connected and alive, it was brutally fast (and would dispatch things way above it's station), ridiculous looking with its sat up haunched rear and its wide arches. It put a grin on my face each and every time I drove it.
I remember at the time waiting for mine to arrive, Clarkson did his review (http://www.metacafe.com/watch/6653530/top_gear_bmw_m1/). I thought he was exaggerating, but every word he said was true.
I can only see prices for low mileage unmolested ones going one way.
What a car.
Edited by kmpowell on Friday 3rd February 16:49
Sure it's a little more interesting than an m2, good fun, feel good m car and I like them but in terms of specialness it's not really up there, You are sitting in a regular coupe looking at 1 series dash with some alcantara, a plaque and some bulges, all the while listening to an average sound track. I'm sorry but 75k is up there with some serious metal, it's priced like this because it can be, nothing to do with being a great car, there's money to be made.
I am fortunate to have a Cayman GT4 and a 1M. Not much in it in straight line pace but Cayman better on the track.
Having said that it is the 1M that puts more of a smile on my face every time I drive it.
Also when you press that M button it just adds a big grin even more so than any other M car I have owned
Having said that it is the 1M that puts more of a smile on my face every time I drive it.
Also when you press that M button it just adds a big grin even more so than any other M car I have owned
What kmpowell said. Except for me the thrill began a little sooner and Chris Harris' first YouTube vid about it only served to build up the anticipation
https://youtu.be/7cUYJEGNsj4
Sold my 1M after two years when prices were at there lowest. Such a special car. Written off by the next owner
Having owned an M135i ever since and driven an M2 I agree, that the M2 just isn't special. Great car, don't get me wrong but I'll never have the emotional feeling with it like I did. The 1M was also my first and so far only M car.
https://youtu.be/7cUYJEGNsj4
Sold my 1M after two years when prices were at there lowest. Such a special car. Written off by the next owner
Having owned an M135i ever since and driven an M2 I agree, that the M2 just isn't special. Great car, don't get me wrong but I'll never have the emotional feeling with it like I did. The 1M was also my first and so far only M car.
daz05 said:
in terms of specialness it's not really up there, You are sitting in a regular coupe looking at 1 series dash with some alcantara, a plaque and some bulges
That was part of the appeal for me, it was a regular car with mental styling and M bits thrown at it to make it mental. How a dash looks is a minor thing for me, it's a BMW so it was always going to be ok inside, but it's how alive the car feels and how it makes the driver feel which is more important.daz05 said:
all the while listening to an average sound track.
Not sure if you've ever owned one, but on start up it makes one hell of a racket, and the noise when 'pushing on' is fierce. The older N54 engine really allowed the induction noise to come through in comparison to the N55 or M2 engine.If it's not enough then chuck an Akrapovic on it to turn it into a wailing banshee.
HokumPokum said:
is 1M better balanced than an M2?
is it lighter? is steering rack better?
Is the chassis better?
or are they about the same but 1M is just rarer?
Define "better" ....... is it lighter? is steering rack better?
Is the chassis better?
or are they about the same but 1M is just rarer?
Better balanced ? Well your average pre 996 is hardly well balanced, and for some/many that's what makes a 911 so engaging and fun to drive. So for many the 1M's lairy "unbalanced" chassis is one of the prime reasons for its popularity.
Lighter, I'm with you when it comes to weight, the less the better, but the N54 in the 1M Coupe is a stonking engine, so even if the car is 75-100kgs heavier than the newer iteration, I can forgive the older car.
Steering, I guess that's always going to be subjective, but I loved the older car's steering, and if you want to improve it ten fold, here's two tips : Get a decent geo set up on it and ditch the hopeless standard single pot sliding calipers and BMW's budget "floating" disc arrangement for something waaaay more powerful, but more importantly a lot lighter. The difference those two items made to the way the car stopped, steered and rode was truly staggering.
Chassis better ? Well I think the older car is more M than the newer version.
I've had a couple of 1M C's, the first a "look at me Valencia orange" version, the second can be seen above. Some subtle mods saw it perfectly honed :
Lose the naff chrome tailpipes for something more in keeping :
And fit a more supportive seating arrangement ... :
And here's final little gem of info.
How many motoring journalists have you heard referring to one of these :
being "a bit lairy" due to it's short wheelbase ?? Not many ay ?
Well the B5 RS4's wheelbase is 2,607 mm (or 102.6 inches in old money) whilst the E82 1 Series wheelbase is 2,660 mm (or 104.7 inches in old money) ........
Terzo123 said:
A friend of mine has a low milage 1M. Hes had it from new and it hasnt even done 15k. It's white and doesn't have nav. I think he would sell it tomorrow if he got the right offer.
Same spec as my white car above.Sytner Birmingham Central have a lovely 10k mile Alpine white car in their showroom for £57k, and it's a corker.
http://usedcars.bmw.co.uk/M/3.0-M/Birmingham/29321...
I'd go for this without nav :
http://usedcars.bmw.co.uk/M/3.0-M/High-Wycombe/293...
and save the thick end of £20k, the mileage is bonus IMO, it's never going to be an investors/collectors car with that mileage, so you can just use it enjoy !
Edited by Slippydiff on Monday 6th February 18:27
Slippydiff said:
Terzo123 said:
A friend of mine has a low milage 1M. Hes had it from new and it hasnt even done 15k. It's white and doesn't have nav. I think he would sell it tomorrow if he got the right offer.
Same spec as my white car above.Sytner Birmingham Central have a lovely 10k mile Alpine white car in their showroom for £57k, and it's a corker.
http://usedcars.bmw.co.uk/M/3.0-M/Birmingham/29321...
I'd go for this without nav :
http://usedcars.bmw.co.uk/M/3.0-M/High-Wycombe/293...
and save the thick end of £20k, the mileage is bonus IMO, it's never going to be an investors/collectors car with that mileage, so you can just use it enjoy !
Edited by Slippydiff on Monday 6th February 18:27
Could possibly actually make money on that one if you kept it for say ten years?
kmpowell said:
Having owned a 1M and driven a M2, I'll have a stab at explaining...
The 1M for me was special, right from the start when they were teasing and customers were invited by BMW to drive the mules, it was like something created by a skunkworks team after-hours deep in the bowels of BMW, throwing various bits on a one series to see what would work, eventually creating a pumped-up car that would divide opinion but ultimately was balanced and honed for the enthusiast.
The M2 for me is just a mass-produced 2 Series, it doesn't feel special at all. Sure it's fast, but the grin and connected feel isn't there.
The 1M for me was special, right from the start when they were teasing and customers were invited by BMW to drive the mules, it was like something created by a skunkworks team after-hours deep in the bowels of BMW, throwing various bits on a one series to see what would work, eventually creating a pumped-up car that would divide opinion but ultimately was balanced and honed for the enthusiast.
The M2 for me is just a mass-produced 2 Series, it doesn't feel special at all. Sure it's fast, but the grin and connected feel isn't there.
I think the 1M is up there with the 2002 Turbo, E30 M3 & E46 CSL in terms of its specialness. A real old school 'homologation special' just without a reason for homologation. Its an Escort RS1600, Chevette HS or Sunbeam-Lotus type of car.
Not sure BMW will make anything like it again, in terms of its 'hooligan nature' combined with affordable price when new (even if they weren't exactly available in any degree of significant numbers.
I'm sure the upcoming M2 Competition/CSL or whatever they decide to call it, will be more special than the current M2, but its not likely to be as affordable as the 1M was when new.
I'm so glad that the 1M wasn't available with DCT, as I wouldn't have swapped 'my slot' for a 1M back to a 135i, and now 6 years later, with changed circumstances, I would be seriously struggling to have to come to terms with having to sell the 1M, given how I'm feeling about having to sell my 135i!
Slippydiff said:
I'd go for this without nav :
http://usedcars.bmw.co.uk/M/3.0-M/High-Wycombe/293...
and save the thick end of £20k, the mileage is bonus IMO, it's never going to be an investors/collectors car with that mileage, so you can just use it enjoy !
That looks excellent value for an AUC.http://usedcars.bmw.co.uk/M/3.0-M/High-Wycombe/293...
and save the thick end of £20k, the mileage is bonus IMO, it's never going to be an investors/collectors car with that mileage, so you can just use it enjoy !
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