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      02-03-2016, 10:26 AM   #3
nachob
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thanu31 View Post
I absolutely love the 1M, has been my dream car for a while.
Now that I am thinking of buying one, I am worried since it wont have warranty. Do I need to worry about the turbos going out like the 335i's and the 135i's ?

Would suck to spend another 5-10k on top to replace that.

I been looking into the M2 just for peace of mind, but im not in love with it like I am with the 1M..

Any advice or thoughts that could ease my mind for the 1M?

Thanks
I actually recently bought my 2nd used 1M from Toronto and brought it to the US. It is now out of warranty and had the same concerns as you. I was #1 on the list for the M2 primarily because I wanted Euro Delivery option and because you get 4 years of warranty during payment period which is really great. The M2 is really nice looking and a good value and very cool but despite this it doesn't have "IT" like the 1M did for me. I was also in the special situation where I sold my first 1M and was waiting for the M2 and chose to buy a used 1M without warranty. I do like the M2 overall but it just feels like another nice BMW M car, not really unique like the 1M.

In the 1M, you can get the no-nav strippers with manual seats which are lighter and give you more headroom and the cockpit looks amazingly clean and teutonic to me which I love. The cockpit in the M2 is just like every other non-focused driving cockpit today. Also the 1M has some unique qualities. It is rare! You never see one on the road. It was the last BMW ever that was only offered in a manual gearbox. It was the first turbo-charged M car. It doesn't have fake/enhanced engine sound which bothers some of us and the steering rack, while not the best feedback, is hydraulic and does give you a bit of feedback. It also looks graceful and classic now compared to all the edges on the M2 which look great now but I'm not sure how they will hold up over time.

With that said, the throttle response on the M2 will be better which is the one thing I would change on the 1M. If you plan to drive a lot and in the snow, the M2 is probably the way to go but if you plan to take care of the 1M, those that are well taken car of will hold their value pretty well down the road. I still get staring and thumbs up from even old people when they see my 1M which is surprising. I usually park where I can see it from the restaurant window and I'm surprised even 80 year old ladies, stop and point it out to their husbands and walk around it.

As far as reliability goes, you might have issues with fuel pumps. It's pretty sporadic but a lot have had one replaced. Also, possibly fuel injector replacements. Down the road the turbos might need replacement but they seem go go a long time without failures. Electric water pumps do go out but that's on all of them probably even the M2 later on.

Finally, as I said before, the strippers are the lightest and rarest and they will also tend to have less electronic glitches and easier repairs than NAV units so I would try to find one of those. Also, Valencia is the most attention getting color but the paint is pretty delicate and shows every nick since the primer is white underneath. White hides chips better which you might consider.

So I guess it depends on whether you will take really good care of it or daily drive it. 1M for care, M2 for daily is my vote.

Best wishes and if you have any questions feel free to ask, I'm on my second 1M and I would take an M2 if I lost it for some reason but I don't have any car lust when I see M2, there are too many little things on the 1M that you can't get anymore that make it special to me.

Best wishes.
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