BMW M135i

[jan8p]

Cheers Crafty.

Pulled the trigger on the car yesterday

[Crafty_]

Congrats go over to babybmw.net and say hello!

[jan8p]

Already have, will put some pics on there at some point.

It was delivered clean, and filthy within about 5 mins

[PinkFatBunny]

Nice cars the 135 or the newer M140/M240.
Thinking about swapping my M4 for one. Getting 8/10 the performance for half the cost. Don't get my wrong the M4 is epic - but your past 100 in any gear in a matter of seconds on the normal roads. Prefer something I can enjoy driving more.
Thinking manual M240 convertible for the summer

[jan8p]

Enjoying mine so far, was delivered on Monday.

Mid 2016 5 door, with all the options I wanted bar adaptive, so Auto, , Cruise, MPE, LED lights, Pro Nav, Sun Protection, Harmon Kardon speakers.

Much more rapid than the 370Z it replaces

[7heGeneral]

va1o said:

I absolutely love mine, best car I've ever had. For me it's the perfect combination of performance, comfort and affordable running costs.

I spent 3-months searching for one in the right spec as BMW weren't overly generous with the standard equipment and you get a lot of base spec ex-lease cars for sale. Mine has the following:

- Auto 'box, personal preference I guess but for me was essential the only I wouldn't even consider going without
- Pro Nav, essential I think as it's very sought after and makes the interior look much smarter
- Harman Kardon Audio, very nice to have and also sought after
- Adaptive Dampers, probably not essential but a great addition
- Heated seats, essential
- Rear PDC, essential
- Folding mirrors, nice to have
- Sun protection glass, makes it look quite a bit smarter
- Service inclusive, nice to have as it can save you quite a bit of money!
- M Performance grilles, works very well with certain colours
- M Performance Exhaust, wasn't sure at first but as soon as I heard it had no regrets!

Oddly even though that would've cost £38k new it has no cruise control! I haven't really missed it though and it can be retro-fitted relatively easily.

Thanks at Va10 - This is very confident inspiring for me. I'm sure you had a MK5 GTI (Which I've now had 2 of) and if you find it as good as you say it is, I'm sure I'd enjoy mine when I find one / order one too!

[7heGeneral]

jan8p said:

Cheers Crafty.

Pulled the trigger on the car yesterday

Well done mate! Hopefully you're enjoying it

Care to share how much you paid for yours? I'm just wondering whether there's much discount to be had with the dealers etc? You can PM me if you like

[7heGeneral]

Oh and I'm sorry I've been rather quiet since I asked the question - Work had been really hectic and I didn't manage to log on until today.

I'm now contemplating ordering a new M140i in a few months time as it's not too much more expensive then what some dealers want for their M135i's. I'll keep a look out for a M135i as I'm currently not quiet ready to pull the trigger on a new one, I need to finish my ongoing house renovations before I'd be allowed to up my budget enough.

Oh and thanks for ALL your replies guys - It's been a great help in knowing it is probably the right car for me

And while I'm here - what are the back seats like? I'm 6'0, would somebody around my size manage to get in the back while I'm in the front? And also does the M135/M140 come with folding rear seats as I know that's something that was a VERY rare option (should be standard in my opinion) on the E90 M3 I was looking for.

Thanks again!

[jan8p]

7heGeneral said:

Well done mate! Hopefully you're enjoying it

Care to share how much you paid for yours? I'm just wondering whether there's much discount to be had with the dealers etc? You can PM me if you like

No worries, sent you some info via PM

[jan8p]

7heGeneral said:

e the back seats like? I'm 6'0, would somebody around my size manage to get in the back while I'm in the front? And also does the M135/M140 come with folding rear seats as I know that's something that was a VERY rare option (should be standard in my opinion) on the E90 M3 I was looking for.

Thanks again!

I'm 6ft2 and I fit in OK ish behind the drivers seat in my driving position. I wouldn't want to be in there for long journeys but it's certainly usable.

Check out this video from Joe Achilles, gives you some good insight, he is 6ft3!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fg0lxIfT00E

And yes, folding seats. IIRC the only option relating to folding seats was having a separately folding middle section + armrest, for skiis etc. But the standard rear seats do fold flat.

[va1o]

7heGeneral said:

Thanks at Va10 - This is very confident inspiring for me. I'm sure you had a MK5 GTI (Which I've now had 2 of) and if you find it as good as you say it is, I'm sure I'd enjoy mine when I find one / order one too!

Yeah I have had a MK5 GTI a few cars back, good memory! I was very fond of that car and it too was a brilliant all rounder. Overall I prefer the BMW, but the GTI is a little more practical and better value for money I guess. The two do exactly the same MPG, but one is quite a bit quicker

7heGeneral said:

I'm now contemplating ordering a new M140i in a few months time as it's not too much more expensive then what some dealers want for their M135i's. I'll keep a look out for a M135i as I'm currently not quiet ready to pull the trigger on a new one, I need to finish my ongoing house renovations before I'd be allowed to up my budget enough.

Funny you should say that as I was thinking this week the only thing I'd really consider replacing mine with is a new M140i! I quite like the look of the new Shadow Edition version. Might email TRL for a quote but won't realistically be doing anything for another few months as have a re-mortgage to sort first...

7heGeneral said:

And while I'm here - what are the back seats like? I'm 6'0, would somebody around my size manage to get in the back while I'm in the front?

I'm 6ft2 and with the drivers seat in my position I can just about sit behind myself, but it is very tight. I've had 4 people in the car a few times and it's alright just not massively spacious. No worse than my friends E93 335i or the Audi S5 I had last year.

[Goatex]

Re the back seats...if you are carrying rear passengers then worth speccing the 'through load' option i.e. 40 20 40 folding rear seats as it is the only way of getting a rear armrest (which also includes cup holders) - it's not clear that this is the case in the price list / configurator.

[T16OLE]

7heGeneral said:

Oh and I'm sorry I've been rather quiet since I asked the question - Work had been really hectic and I didn't manage to log on until today.

I'm now contemplating ordering a new M140i in a few months time as it's not too much more expensive then what some dealers want for their M135i's. I'll keep a look out for a M135i as I'm currently not quiet ready to pull the trigger on a new one, I need to finish my ongoing house renovations before I'd be allowed to up my budget enough.

Oh and thanks for ALL your replies guys - It's been a great help in knowing it is probably the right car for me

And while I'm here - what are the back seats like? I'm 6'0, would somebody around my size manage to get in the back while I'm in the front? And also does the M135/M140 come with folding rear seats as I know that's something that was a VERY rare option (should be standard in my opinion) on the E90 M3 I was looking for.

Thanks again!

With the discounts on new ones the gap is narrowed like you say.

You'll have a newer and more valuable car come
resale time.

[NickXX]

T16OLE said:

With the discounts on new ones the gap is narrowed like you say.

You'll have a newer and more valuable car come
resale time.

I went though a similar thought process and ended up going used in the end. The main benefit of going new was getting a 140i rather than a 135i (with the 20hp extra).

The problem I found was that I wanted auto, pro nav, driver comfort pack, seat heating and a paint which wasn't white - which pushed it up to £30k+.

There was an abundance of them on the used market, and ended up buying one with the right spec (plus a bit more - sun protection glass and HK) for £23,600, being 11 months old and with 8,000 miles. So realistically saving around £7,000 for a car that still had over 2 years warranty left.

[Koje]

Like others have already said the M135i is also the best overall car i have had and i have had various nice and fast cars over the years. Mine is nearly three years old on PCP and BMW have been contacting me but despite the deals on M140/M240 i am considering just buying it.
It ticks all of the boxes for me. Mine is a sport Auto which i wasnt sure about ordering over the manual but i love it, 99% of the time i drive it in manual mode but i just use the paddles, its a doddle. If i am in busy traffic i stick it in eco/auto and the car does the work. Best of both worlds.

For the road the performance is more than enough, i have had various blats with other M cars and big performance cars (C63/RS4) and the little M holds its own every time. Sure being rear drive it can struggle for grip in wet conditions out of corners but i don't tent to push it when wet anyway (who really does??).

5 Doors, hatch back, torque for any gear acceleration and when you want it sport mode and fun. Room for the Kids, tip runs and rear drive fun when you want it for great value. I would go for the auto and adaptive as a minimum. Everything else is if you want it.

Someone mentioned the M140i is much faster, it isnt. It is a marginal improvement in many respects but a much better/faster car it is not.

The only thing i would say...for me...it is not the sort of car that makes me want to get up on a Sunday morning and go for a blat. It is fun for sure but it is not a pure sports car. Again just me but for that i think you would want something else. I have a stripped out Clio 197 F1 for track days and that does me for fun.

Edited by Koje on Saturday 10th June 22:52

[arj7]

I am looking at these, they sound incredible.
What's it like as a family car? Space in the back/boot?
I'm looking used budget is £20-£25k

[F355GTS]

arj7 said:

I am looking at these, they sound incredible.
What's it like as a family car? Space in the back/boot?
I'm looking used budget is £20-£25k

boots OK but rear leg room is a bit compromised for long journeys if the driver front passenger are 6' plus. Point to point they are a very very quick car definitely seek one out with the adaptive suspension.

Do check out the deals on a new M140i, look at coast2coast etc, a well specced car will be more than your budget to buy but the discounts are big and a 3/4 Year deal will cost you around 1/2 your budget with no depreciation worries plus you get a new car to your spec and 3 Years warranty. Worth also adding the service pack

[Crafty_]

arj7 said:

I am looking at these, they sound incredible.
What's it like as a family car? Space in the back/boot?
I'm looking used budget is £20-£25k

Boot will probably be big enough, but rear leg space is a bit lacking for teenagers.

As said for your budget + a bit more you'd be in a brand new base spec car. Expect 20% discount off list.

Your budget should easily see you n an LCI M135i, maybe even a 140.