130i, will I be waiting forever?

[Mr Whippy]

For a manual 4dr xenon and leccy seats?

Is retrofitting xenon or leccy seats quite easy? Or are parts rare (quick checks and they seem rare)

I’ve not yet tried one but after a bit of time looking at them generally they seem just as big/practical as a Golf R32... and on paper (and likely to drive), better in almost every regard.

Just finding a nice one in a good spec feels like it might take a few years given the amount on AT.

[Mr Whippy]

Yeah I’m not averse to parts bin modding where it’s fairly easy to do so.

I did consider SE even for the 330i but the list of mods vs msport is quite big.

I quite like the SE suspension on our F30 335xd, if the 130i SE is the same then win win... but the softer ride in my Golf R32 does frustrate occasionally... you get a second round of bounce a lot at the back in high speed compressions etc.
Not something you can easily test until you own the car and get it on local roads.


Memory seats is a core thing I want. Manual seats just annoy me now.

Yeah the Golf boot is apparently bigger... maybe wider just, but not as long.
Maybe the Golf R32 boot is smaller already?


I’ve seen some special model 3dr 130i with lemon leccy seats and all are high spec... also they have BBS wheels I think.
Just not sure I can live with 3dr yet having occasional toddler use in mind... though it is very occasional. Hmmm.


Anyone know the best forum for UK 130i type owners?

Thanks

Dave

[Mr Whippy]

aeropilot said:

Bemmer said:

There's one on here low miles £10989 but apparently just under £9000 worth of pounds of factory extras..... www.cramag.com

Crikey......yes, I can't think of any option that has been left not ticked on that one (except metallic paint) makes it very rare....and with such a rare colour combination, I'd go as far as to say that it's unique, won't be another one like that in the UK. Even has the horrid active steering option ticked, which is really rare!!
BUT.....and this is a big but, its an auto.......and the 130i with the Steptronic box, is not a pleasant drive. I drove a demo auto 130i back in early 2009 and its why I waited a bit longer to be able to afford a 135i.

Edited by aeropilot on Friday 28th September 15:24

I was sat in that exact car 2 days ago.

I went to have a serious recce of a 3dr and check boot size, access to rear seats, rear seat space with driver seat set for me, etc.

I’m not keen on the red in the skin. The shape is already challenging, and it was more challenging in red.


And yeah, automatic, I really can’t live with another auto in the household haha.
I can’t really cope with the lameness of an auto for ‘driving’


Had it been titanium silver and manual I’d have it in a heartbeat.


On leccy seats.
MOT man moves them.
Service might move them.
Wife won’t drive it unless it can be easily set to her position == miles from mine.
Move them to clean under them.
Finer position settings.
Easy to try new settings then move back to known good.

If you’ve lived with them they’re impossible to live without.

And imo, BMW manual seats are pretty poor.
Your average Peugeot has better manual seat controls, finer smoother controls and easier to reset if moved, tweak positions etc.

That said even my R32 seats are ste manual ones too.
Germans are crap at manual seats

[Mr Whippy]

There is a nice LE for sale on babybmw now.

£7,000 for 70k mile 07 which seems ok to me.

I’m going to have to take a serious look at some local 3dr and 5dr 1ers (any engine), just to get a feel for if a 3dr will work with toddler stuff.


I’m assuming LE still have isofix in back side seats? Remembering they’re 4 seaters not 5!
I always just worry about getting a toddler out of a 3dr in an emergency etc. Hmmmm.

[Mr Whippy]

We have an F30 3er for the main family car, so ‘my’ car is more just a fun cheaper car that can also do backup or occasional toddler work.

I think LE were high spec so all had front isofix == front airbag deactivation, so a decent front facing seat for toddler would make life easy, then swap to back, or wifey in back, if needed for a full trip out.

I think I could cope with a 3dr on that basis/usage need.


The main task now is just finding one close ish to try/buy.

[Mr Whippy]

Yeah the LE are a nice spec... just no heated seats unless specified maybe.

The Leeds/Harrogate area seems thin on interesting cars, everything is always so far away, or ropey looking stuff in Bradford/Manchester area.

[Mr Whippy]

Ah ok that makes life even easier then haha!

Pvogue’s LE above looks pretty stunning.

Apart from those M3 CSL style splitters, it looks like all BMWP parts on a standard car.



Would anyone here buy a car without seeing it?
I really can’t be arsed driving to Southampton, but there is one there:

https://www.babybmw.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=58&a...

If you were to pay for say an RAC/AA check and/or one of those buying services to check it, and assuming no obvious issues, get it delivered.

Given all LE are the same, and assuming it has a solid history/receipts (can check all online, phone, via email etc), and I’m not gonna have issues with spending a few quid to make it nice, I can’t really go too far wrong?


Just testing one to check I like it, on a decent run out.


Has anyone here had an E85 and an E81/87 and can compare the experience?

My R32 isn’t really what I wanted, something more like my Z4, but in a hatchback...
Does the 1er share a similar DNA?

[Mr Whippy]

Mr Tidy said:

Mr Whippy said:

Has anyone here had an E85 and an E81/87 and can compare the experience?

My R32 isn’t really what I wanted, something more like my Z4, but in a hatchback...
Does the 1er share a similar DNA?

Well almost!

I had a 123d SE "Dynamic" for over 6 years, then sold it 4 years ago and have had an E86 3.0Si since then.

Because my 1er was the "Dynamic" it had the M-Sport seats and suspension, but not the 18" wheels.

Even as a diesel it was more refined, quieter and smoother riding. It handled pretty well, but felt totally different - mainly because you aren't sat as low as in the Z4, or as near to the back wheels!

But at least you would have the same N52 3 litre engine in a 130i, but probably a bit quieter (3 litre Z4s had a Sound Generator) whereas I don't think 130is did. Performance should be pretty close too.

However I'd be surprised if a 130i felt that similar to an E85, although probably closer to it than an R32.

Sorry I can't be more helpful, but I never got to drive a 130i sadly.

It’s weird because the Z4 NVH was spot on really.
It was never racey or grating, just informative and enjoyable.

I’ve seen some non UK market N52 used a sound generator on the 1er, so a retrofit could be possible... just the bulkhead issue... I’m sure a hole can be made :-)


What I liked in the Z4 that the Golf gets wrong is:

Driveline rigidity: Awd and transverse engine have just made the entire driveline lashy, laggy and rubbery and numb.
Rwd with long mounted engine = win on response and crisp driving.

Engine tech: Even the m54b30 in my Z4 was more cultured than the vr6 3.2.
More economy, nearly as much power, and mapped a shed load better out of the box, and that’s the m54... the n52 is on another planet across the board I’d guess?
I’d forgive the R32 engine more if at least it was mapped well but you really do find you use no throttle or full throttle a lot... very little seems to happen in between.
It also feels like it has lag mapped in to make crap drivers not pay for mistakes (fast lifts or wot applications)


I’ll really have to try a 130i but if it’s even half way back to a Z4 I’ll be winning!

[Mr Whippy]

I was in the area with time to burn so went to see the black one but it’d gone.

I can’t even remember the spec.

I need something local to pop up to go test/buy.

[Mr Whippy]

Yeah lack of leccy seats will put me off but in hindsight maybe it shouldn’t have haha.
Only now do I realise they were a rare option on 4dr especially.

I still want them though haha!

[Mr Whippy]

Yeah I think 3dr is a compromise for my wants already so a bit more isn’t so bad if I go that route.

4dr, xenon, leccy seats, blue, is now my ideal spec.

Oh and a good hifi maybe but not so bothered about the sat nav ones.

I take it fancy nav and a good hifi aren’t prerequisites for each other?

[Mr Whippy]

Sigh.

Waiting forever sucks!

All the nice ones coming (reasonable miles, bmw history, late models) up are auto or 3dr or both.


I’m tempted to put up ‘wanted’ ads but I’m weary that just attracts people to dump a bag of crap car on you... then you waste days going to see cars with issues trying to be hidden?!

[Mr Whippy]

Advertise it exceptionally well on babybmw and then put it up at what you think.
Then let the market decide, and it up to you if you let it go.


Just my 2p bit too many car sellers are crap at doing adverts for car enthusiasts imo, which is who yours will have to sell to to get anywhere near it’s worth.

Yes you can go look/ring up etc and get details, but the seller can do all that work for buyers by being thorough.

So pics of the car, closeups of wheels, damage, wear, blah blah...
Every service, repair, invoice item, mileage etc.

Only with all this info can an enthusiast fairly determine the cost/worth imo.


All that said rarity does mean some ignorance to value/price... but if you need buyers to come appraise the car to find that out it’s right/all details stack up, then it’s going to be a long process.

[Mr Whippy]

swanny71 said:

I always say this on “looking for a 130i” threads, but you really don’t need to get too hung up on mileage. Find a good one that’s been well looked after, and the mileage is pretty much irrelevant when compared to condition and history.

Mines now way past 150k miles and honestly looks/drives like it has less than half that - a set of shocks and a few other easy to replace suspension bits at 120k helped obviously. The engine is star of the show, still sensational and feels like it’ll go on forever.

I *kind* of agree.

I’d even go as far as saying I’d rather buy a cheaper high miler and rebuild anything wanting it, so it’s like a zero miler.


But given the price spreads I’d rather spend £10,000 on a minter that’s been garaged and done 50,000 miles, than £5,000 on one that’s had 100,000 miles of all year use, salty roads, and winters sat outside.


And ultimately it’s the underneath/core of the car that worries me with mileage.

Paintwork gets a battering and ultimately a full respray isn’t cheap.

And the underneath will eventually corrode. It starts with brake pipes but eventually it’s sills etc.
If that process has already set in a lot it’s inevitable as a cost down the line.


If I find a 130i and like it like I did my Z4, I want to keep it for 10yrs+ and garaged, dehumidified, heated, little winter use, cleaned and protected underneath as well as on top.
Starting with a fresher one makes sense to me financially, in the bigger picture.

[Mr Whippy]

Which are Sport Edition?
Are they LE? Or are they something different?

I’m still flip flopping on 3/5dr.

Variety is so limited I’m thinking a nice 3dr is better than a 5dr I’m gonna be a bit unhappy with as a car.

There are two slightly off the books 3dr up at the moment.
One is almost too nice, £10,750... sub 45k miles... nice grey colour, but leaving me zero budget to tweak it a bit... the other is an instant-buy assuming it checks out at £8,750... but it’s a huge drive to go see it and part of me is just a bit put off by the LE.
Black being a pita to clean and tidy, same with white leather.


I’m not too fussed on prices rising. My R32 is in the same boat so as long as I can swap across I’m happy.

[Mr Whippy]

Ah those numbers were 125i?

I’m sure the Coupe is a lovely car for those who like them but I never got on with the looks... same with the new 2er... too tall and thin looking.

E90 Coupe had a look of a banana.

The E46 was the last nice BMW Coupe for me... ooor right forward to the F30 (don’t know the correct ‘codes’ nor do I care, bmw are dicks for making so many, mini rant over )

So hatches or saloons are the ones for me

[Mr Whippy]

I quite like some of the newer car’s looks, but from testing a few, the older cars certainly are more ultimate driving machines.

My wife keeps saying the 140i we drove was nice, I keep reminding her they’re expensive and bland to properly drive, unlike the Z4 which she says was ‘hard work’ but fun (ie, rewarding)

[Mr Whippy]

It’s a shame you had to go from fbmwsh to bmw + diy, and then one owner from new then one new owner for just one year, to then be selling it.

Good luck with it though

[Mr Whippy]

Yeah lots of choice and lots of crap.

How people let their cars get so bad amazes me.

[Mr Whippy]

I’d mothball it if you can.

And get it back on fbmwsh.

In 10 years it might be worth twice as much :-)