This seems a bit expensive to me
Discussion
Please do not turn this into a New vs Used thread.
I'm considering a 1-Series coupe. For reasons that are not important all the M-Sport variants are being considered. As you do I started off with the 135i. After adding Sat Nav, stereo upgrade, leather, metalic paint, ski hatch and heated seats the price comes to about £34k. Now that is a lot of car, albeit a smallish car, for the money. Chuck the same options on a 120i and it comes to £30k. That to me seems an awful lot of money for a 170bhp NA 1-Series. When you add in the better residuals of the 135i it is almost a no-brainer to go for the more powerful car.
So I guess my question is, have prices increased so much over the last few years that £30k is considered decent value for a new car or do other people think it is a bit steep as well? I know non-premium brands are offering VAT-free deals at the moment, but if I am going to spend a lot of money on a car then I'm going to get one I want rather than the one that is simply te best value.
Just to reiterate, second hand is NOT an option as I don't want black/silver/grey/white and black leather and that rules out virtually everything on the market. I am not prepared to compromise at all on the spec.
I'm considering a 1-Series coupe. For reasons that are not important all the M-Sport variants are being considered. As you do I started off with the 135i. After adding Sat Nav, stereo upgrade, leather, metalic paint, ski hatch and heated seats the price comes to about £34k. Now that is a lot of car, albeit a smallish car, for the money. Chuck the same options on a 120i and it comes to £30k. That to me seems an awful lot of money for a 170bhp NA 1-Series. When you add in the better residuals of the 135i it is almost a no-brainer to go for the more powerful car.
So I guess my question is, have prices increased so much over the last few years that £30k is considered decent value for a new car or do other people think it is a bit steep as well? I know non-premium brands are offering VAT-free deals at the moment, but if I am going to spend a lot of money on a car then I'm going to get one I want rather than the one that is simply te best value.
Just to reiterate, second hand is NOT an option as I don't want black/silver/grey/white and black leather and that rules out virtually everything on the market. I am not prepared to compromise at all on the spec.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
agree, although i totally understand why you would want a brand new car. knowing that everything is under warranty, knowing exactly how well it's been looked after. you're able to run the engine in properly exactly how you want it. the spec is exactly how you want it, there is no compromise in terms of the car. if the OP loves the 135i, and wants it specced a certain way, then i say fair play for spending the extra for it.either way, 135i's are lovely cars and i hope you enjoy driving it
Agreed, 35k on a 1 series sounds steep to me, but having just bought a new 1 series for the missus it was a lot easier to make sure she got the spec she wanted rather than trying to shoehorn her requirements into something the wrong colour/leather/wheels etc that she would always dislike and probably regret.
So if you're happy to spend the money then go for it.
But at 35k - I'd be looking at a 325 MSport coupe myself??
So if you're happy to spend the money then go for it.
But at 35k - I'd be looking at a 325 MSport coupe myself??
Jobbo said:
Presumably the options aren't any more expensive to add to a 135i than a 120i. So there's £4k difference in price before adding them, as well as after? Does that seem better value, then?
..and the options are probably a pretty similar price to what they would be on a 5 or even 7 Series. Except that as you go up the model range more and more comes as standard. You used to be able to get a 5 Series for less than the same spec 3 Series once you'd equalised the spec. How much would a 535iMSport to the same spec be - does that make the 120i look even more ridiculous?
mattman said:
Agreed, 35k on a 1 series sounds steep to me, but having just bought a new 1 series for the missus it was a lot easier to make sure she got the spec she wanted rather than trying to shoehorn her requirements into something the wrong colour/leather/wheels etc that she would always dislike and probably regret.
So if you're happy to spend the money then go for it.
But at 35k - I'd be looking at a 325 MSport coupe myself??
having been in one, they are pretty nice, but i'd much rather have a 135i any day of the week. the 325i is the only E92 i've been in which isn't an M3. totally different cars they are to say the least!So if you're happy to spend the money then go for it.
But at 35k - I'd be looking at a 325 MSport coupe myself??
I have read some of these comments on other threads.
In no particular order, a same spec 325i Coupe is significantly (10%) more expensive. I'm already over budget with the 135i and I have to draw the line somewhere. Also, I don't want a car that large and the 135i kind of makes me chuckle because no other manufacturer is going to put a twin-turbo straight 6 into a small-medium size car. In a world of same-iness it is something different and I like that.
Yes, all options are the same price.
I think the trouble I have with the price is that, for example, I could get a fully loaded Megane RenaultSport for about £24k. Now I have sat in one and am aware that the cabin in particular is still of much lower standard than the 1-Series, but I am really struggling to see where the extra £10k is going. Actually it is only £7k-ish because I can get a discount on the Beemer.
More thinking is needed.
In no particular order, a same spec 325i Coupe is significantly (10%) more expensive. I'm already over budget with the 135i and I have to draw the line somewhere. Also, I don't want a car that large and the 135i kind of makes me chuckle because no other manufacturer is going to put a twin-turbo straight 6 into a small-medium size car. In a world of same-iness it is something different and I like that.
Yes, all options are the same price.
I think the trouble I have with the price is that, for example, I could get a fully loaded Megane RenaultSport for about £24k. Now I have sat in one and am aware that the cabin in particular is still of much lower standard than the 1-Series, but I am really struggling to see where the extra £10k is going. Actually it is only £7k-ish because I can get a discount on the Beemer.
More thinking is needed.
What's the overall cost of ownership though - specifically, how much would each car be worth at 3yrs old?
Often interesting to get PCP quotes and compare the GFV's. It was better residuals that caused many company fleets to move from Ford / Vx etc to BMW.
Having said that, you'll get spanked on the options - they become practically worthless at 3yrs old, although they'll help to sell the car.
Often interesting to get PCP quotes and compare the GFV's. It was better residuals that caused many company fleets to move from Ford / Vx etc to BMW.
Having said that, you'll get spanked on the options - they become practically worthless at 3yrs old, although they'll help to sell the car.
you open up a whole raft of choices though that could supply the same as the 135 for around the same or less - Scirocco, Audi TT, Infinti G37, Peugeot RCZ, etc (just based on list price)
You can have a whole lot of fun test driving them!
Everything is going to lose money - but as long as its want you want and you're happy - who cares!
You can have a whole lot of fun test driving them!
Everything is going to lose money - but as long as its want you want and you're happy - who cares!
anonymous said:
[redacted]
I haven't driven either car. I was quite tempted by the Megane because of the storming reviews and big discounts, but the minute I climbed into the car in the showroom I thought 'nope' and that was in a car with the terrific Recaros. The minute I got in the BMW I had the exact opposite thought and it was in basic spec. I got picked up at work the other day in a new 5 series with brown leather and that really hammered home the difference in quality. Trouble is so much of the extra cash goes on stuff you can't see - bit like foundations on a house really.Not sure what the GFVs would be. Looking in the classifieds I think I wouldn't have any trouble selling a 3 year old 135i in metallic blue with brown leather, sat nav and super duper stereo. Probably going to keep it 5 years anyway.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
If you PCP it you won't have to worry - you might even make some cash and with 5 year servicing options you can't really go wrongp.s. we went for Montego Blue with Boston Lemon Leather - nice combination but blooming easy to get dirty! (sounds awful as you'd expect it to be Yellow, but in reality is a very light cream)
anonymous said:
[redacted]
I'll have to have a look at the PCP options. Oddly I quite like the lemon leather, but my dad has cream leather and carpets and it's an absolute nightmare to keep clean. Mrs has red leather in her Fiat 500 so want something different and I really like the brown. Lightens up the cabin no end. Really like Montego blue and also the nice metalic red. No black with black and more black in this household thank you very much.jshell said:
£35k for a 1-series? 
Mental!
Alternatively, £35k for a brand new twin turbo straight six coupe with leather, Nav, awesome stereo and five years free servicing. Mental!I know I could get an M car for this kind of money but the running costs are mind blowing, it wouldn't be new and I don't want one.
I appluad the OPs unflinching dedication to his desire for a new (that's NEW for those who can't hear!!!), samll, big engined, BMW RWD quality motor.
Don't listen to the nay-sayers, "do you know what you could get used" brigade. Or "£35K on a 1 series, Madness".
If you like it, think you'll like it in 3,4,5 years and can afford to run it without compromise (unlike many with used 3,4+ M3s) then do it.
Don't listen to the nay-sayers, "do you know what you could get used" brigade. Or "£35K on a 1 series, Madness".
If you like it, think you'll like it in 3,4,5 years and can afford to run it without compromise (unlike many with used 3,4+ M3s) then do it.
jshell said:
£35k for a 1-series? Mental!
what a useful comment. Mental!willing to bet you've never driven a 135i, and IF you've even been in a 1 series, it was no more than a 120i or 120d.
if it's what the OP wants, then so what. someone has to buy brand new cars, and these 135i's could well be future classics (though the introduction of a 1M may not help that). it's a different looking thing, with a simple interior with an absolute cracker of a straight 6. i can see why some people might not like it. but f
king hell, i can certainly see why people like them.The financial madness comment was expected. However, take a look in the classifieds at the price of cars with the same spec. I can get about 10% off which brings the price down to £31-32k. Add to that a 3 year warranty, no servicing costs for 5 years and the fact that everything on the car is brand new and won't need replacing for well over a year and it isn't as daft as it sounds. You also have to factor in the pleasure of buying and speccing your own car and avoiding the hassle of looking at endless used examples that aren't quite what you want.
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