130i to E9* M3 Saloon

[edition]

Hi,

I'm thinking of swapping my 130i for a M3.

What are costs likely to be like in compairison to the 130? Double?

I do about 6k per year so no too concerned about fuel prices. I think they will do about 10mpg worse?

Any advice would be great!

[rossb]

not sure of running costs of 130 but e90 costs i have experienced:

fuel - 21 mpg for a manual - DCT might be a little better on juice
tyres - £300 or 400 from dealer for 19" rims
discs pads fitted - £1400 at dealer
if it does not have a warranty supplied - the full bmw warranty was £850 for me on 50k car - i would suggest this is a wise purchase

don't ever run it on anything other super unleaded - do get the standard exhaust modified for full orchestral effect from one of the finest naturally aspirated production engines made - you'll love it

[isherdholi]

MPG is about right.

You'd be foolish to buy tyres at a main dealer. Only mugs do that. So you can search for tyres online, these are the sizes for the OEM 19-inch wheels: -

Front: 245/35/19
Rear: 265/35/19

Generally speaking, it is possible to get all 4 for around £1000 - and thats Michelin Pilot Super Sport which are the best tyres out there. PS2's or Conti's would be cheaper but still good)

+1 on the OEM exhaust mod - I ran this for a little while until I upgraded to an Akrapovic System.

[cpufreak]

MPG depends on how you drive it.

cruising at 70-75mph, I get ~27mpg on my DCT car.

On a recent trip to the Nürburgring, which involved: driving in/out of london, 350 miles each way of motorways of which ~75 miles each way was spent at, or approaching the "155mph limit" (its actually more like 165mph), and a bunch of lap of the nurburgring, my car averaged 17.9mpg


Overall I'm averaging ~19mpg in 7000 miles... but I do live in london, and drive it a fair bit round there.

[///Mike]

I went from a 135 to and E92 rather than an E90 but everything that has been said here so far is spot on.

I am averaging 22-23mpg with lots of motorway miles.

I have put 12K on mine in 5 months and I love it. + 1 for the exhaust mod too. I did that after 7K miles and I should have done it sooner. It sounds great!

As an all rounder it really is very hard to beat.

[DazNich]

And anybody looking for one would be hard pushed to find a better example than mine

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/b...

[swanny71]

I went the other way - from E90 M3 to 130i.

Service/insurance/tax etc costs were almost double. Fuel wise, I managed 22mpg at best with the M3 (DCT) but average an easy 32 with the 130i (same annual mileage of approx 15k and and journey type including lots of M'way miles).

BMW warranty is essential I'd say but they quoted me over £800 to renew the AUC warranty just before I sold the M3. The 130i warranty is just over £400.

Exhaust mod is IMO essential - that V8 is fantastic but the standard exhaust note is just too muted. I did the mod early in ownership and it recieved many compliments.

For me the M3 is just a little too competant, the speeds needed to 'work' the car are too high in modern traffic/roads conditions and I don't really miss it (excpet for the sounds it made and the DAB radio). DCT was brillaint though.

130i is probably 85% of the car for 30% of the cost. Given unlimited funds I'd definately have another but in the real world the little BMW is better for me.