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      02-01-2013, 09:40 PM   #10
BMWCali
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Drives: 2018 X6M
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ilikebmxbikes View Post
Do you plan on modding the car?

I ask because most of the stuff that the 135IS offers over the 135I are things that people usually mod first. The 135IS comes with bmw performance wheels, bmw performance exhaust and the bmw performance power kit. All are great upgrades from the factory but there are lots of aftermarket offerings that will match them in quality and often in price. Also modding yourself, you get to pick the parts you like and make your car suit your own personal taste.

So if you just want the car out of the box with no intention to mod and can afford the price increase, I would get the 135IS. If you do planning on moderately modifying the car, I would get the 135I, a Cobb AP, Apex wheels, non runflats and a berk exhaust and then save for some suspension mods. The above 135I will smoke the stock 135IS.

The Porsche is a whole different beast. I really like the new boxsters and they really have strayed away from the 'chick car/poor man carrera' boxsters of the past. The 135I may be quicker in a straight line and on paper, but the boxster will likely smoke the BMW on a track and be just as, if not more, fun to drive.

The bmw has more luggage space and can fit two more people in its foldable rear seats if that matters.
Great feedback; thanks! Yes, no intention to mod. No need at all for the rear seats. I'm a single guy and never have more than one passenger.

If I could afford the Boxster S, I wouldn't even be having this discussion. :P I looked very (very) long and hard at it.

Only the non-S Boxster is within my reach right now. Also, I'd probably buy the Boxster, whereas I'd lease the 1 series, as I think the Boxster will hold its value more, especially because I only drive about 5,000 miles/yr. And BMW is more optimistic with their residuals so their lease deals tend to be better, but there's rarely any equity left at the end of the lease (in terms of being able to buy-out and flip it).

I guess I'd love to take a 135is out for a couple of hours and then come back and take a 135i out for a couple of hours immediately after. But I don't think I'd be able to convince a sales manager to let me have two hours with two different cars. One, yes, but probably not two, as I'd put about 60 miles on it during that time and that's basically 120 miles from one prospective customer. Not sure what else to do other than read the reviews, find out whether I should go 135is or 135i, and then just get an extended test drive on the one I choose on paper just to make sure I like it before I pull the trigger.

Like I said before, the area where I think I really like the 135is over the Boxster is the highway passing power. Not having the power to pass on the highway makes me want to rip my eyeballs out. It's also more dangerous... I've actually had a couple of close calls because I've gone to thread the needle between cars on the highway and have come close to an accident a couple of times because I needed more power and it wasn't there. With more power, you can be more precise at getting through traffic and that really appeals to me with the 135is.

Apparently, BMW says the 135is vert will do 0-60 in 5.1 seconds, but we all know that BMW under rates those times so it's probably more like 4.9 seconds. Whereas the Boxster is 5.4 seconds. Which is a pretty big difference. The Boxster is 265HP and the 135is is 320HP. The 135is does weigh 3,700 lbs. and the Boxster is only 2,950 lbs. though! 750 lbs. is a whole lot of weight!

But I think the gap is even bigger for passing speeds than 0-60 times. Does anyone know what the 135is convertible's 50-70mph time is and what the Boxster's 50-70mph time is? I'm assuming the 135is will be way faster, but perhaps it's closer than I think?
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