View Single Post
      11-28-2012, 12:07 PM   #85
Oldracer
New Member
0
Rep
7
Posts

Drives: E36 M3, E30 325is, Others....
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: U.S. Great Lakes

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by doublevanosrc View Post
I always wanted a car with 300hp and the brakes along with standard xenon and m tech kit sold me on the 135(along with great pricing). After 2 years of ownership it's a great car no doubt but a 128 would of been enough. It's really hard to fully enjoy all the power of this great engine on public roads so sometimes i feel 230hp would of been just fine along with the BMW performance brake kit. As I get older(34) I'm starting to realize the true meaning of "it's better to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow". My next car will no doubt have less power and better mileage, I'm thinking of a 328i turbo or VW GTI would be just fine.
So, my wife and I managed to drive both cars earlier this week. Sort of an "Apples to Oranges" comparison because the 135 was a low mileage used '11 with MT and the 128 was an AT with only 14 miles but still, while not totally depositive, it was illustrative.

We drove the 135 harder because we could and in deference to whoever eventually buys the 128, we didn't flog it. Neither had the M Sport and both felt very nice during a normal in town / out of town typical test drive loop. In comparison with our E36, I particularly like the slow speed maneuverability of the shorter wheelbase 1 series. It also sits up a bit higher and the viability seems quite a bit better than the E36.

Although our M3 is very impressively fast, for most purposes I've always considered our E30 the more pleasurable drive at legal U.S. highway speeds. That's the primary reason I kept it. In town it simply has better ergonomics and perfectly adequate "point and squirt" for almost all conditions. On the track or waaay too fast on the open roads....M3, no question.

The 135 is undeniably a powerful and impressively fast car but in terms of balanced engine response, the 128 appeared to be quite similar to our present cars including the M3. I can't offer a fully accurate comparison though because I came away feeling that the 128 we drove was somewhat crippled by the AT. My wife truly hated it and couldn't stop comparing it to her 89 year old mother's Taurus.....a little over the top, I though.

My wife is in love with power and immediate response so she was enamored with the 135. For me though, it's all about handling and living with the car in the real world. I don't track anymore, the race car has been apart for at least 25 years, and I guess I no longer have an interest in that hobby. Realistically, as much as she loves the power, the M3 is a waste for her and frankly she wouldn't be able to handle 10/10 ths of our old 325is.

I'm in agreement with doublevanosrc above. What I think we really need, and would be happy with is a 123d like our friends in Paris have. It's no slouch and when we drove it a few years ago, enjoyed it a lot at over 40 mpg. But that isn't an option in North America.

A modern equivalent of our E30....a 128iS..... would be just about right but in their infinite wisdom, BMW doesn't offer such an option. It seems as though a 128i, M Sport, MT car is a very rare combination. I called five dealers in our major metro area and found exactly none. Same thing on a nation-wide search. Two salesmen confirmed "If you want one, you'll have to order it.....".

If we order it, we may as well pick it up in Europe. If it's being built for us anyway, I may as well try to get the exact car we want. Is there any way I could add upgrades...especially better brakes...as an option over the normal M sport suspension? I know from way too many hours reading this forum that the parts exist. I don't see it as a listed option in the build codes and dealers I spoke to don't seem to be interested in going to the effort to find out. It's a little frustrating doing the waltz with them and that's a big reason why I tend to keep cars a long time.

Anybody? Thanks in advance.
__________________
'97 E36 M3
'90 E30 325is
'68 250SL coupe/roadster
'67 Lotus Elan C/P racer (FHC type 26 clone)
Many early Porsches (regrettably sold long ago when they were cheap)
Appreciate 0