Nothing compares

[Esteban]

Originally Posted by duder13

Yeah, don't get me wrong, stock vs. stock, a Cayman is a more planted, better race car, and the turn-in is ridiculous, but the 135i steering is still nice IMO. My Porsches were twitchy, which would make me a little nervous in the left lane of the 405, when they were doing work on it and the boundary wall was right next to the lane line. One sneeze and you're in trouble!

Didn't know you were from CA.

Yeah, the 405 can do that to me on a regular day, but maybe it's because I'm just not used to it. I do my very best to stay away.

Some years ago my daughter was going to UCLA and living there as well and I would go to visit her every week for dinner and a movie, and I would take the 405. What a nightmare! lol

[duder13]

Originally Posted by Esteban

Didn't know you were from CA.

Yeah, the 405 can do that to me on a regular day, but maybe it's because I'm just not used to it. I do my very best to stay away.

Some years ago my daughter was going to UCLA and living there as well and I would go to visit her every week for dinner and a movie, and I would take the 405. What a nightmare! lol

Yeah, I lived there for 15 years, but we moved to Portland three years ago.

[Esteban]

Originally Posted by duder13

Yeah, I lived there for 15 years, but we moved to Portland three years ago.

Haha, that's what I get for assuming.

Oregon is cool, though.

[duder13]

Originally Posted by Esteban

Haha, that's what I get for assuming.

Oregon is cool, though.

Oh, you were right. I was referring to the 405 a few years back down there north of Santa Monica. My work is still based out of Hollywood, so we still come down that way.

[Gangplank]

The title made me remember that Sinead O'Connor song. Lol!!

[jlc45]

I have a 2012 135i 6MT with about 37,000 mi on it, 59,000 km. Car is basically mint.
It's a fun car and superior in many ways but I have to say the shifter is really only "OK" versus expectations. I have driven standard shift cars and trucks for many years (since 1964 to be precise) and the best feeling shifter I ever had was in my 1999 Acura Integra.
This car is extremely easy to launch and impossible to stall but the shifting is really not up to the quality of the engine which as you all know is fantastic. I miss my Acura (Honda) shifter.

[vinylengraver]

Originally Posted by jlc45

This car is extremely easy to launch and impossible to stall but the shifting is really not up to the quality of the engine which as you all know is fantastic. I miss my Acura (Honda) shifter.

With great power comes great responsibility.
As nice as it feels, I'd doubt that Honda transmission could take 450Nm of torque.
1series 6MT feels pretty industrial in comparison and so does the clutch/flywheel combo. It's rattly, notchy and not very precise.
But it manages to propel this big chunk of steel from standstill to freeway speeds in seconds as it takes all the abuse and begs for more.
The power of this motor puts a lot of demand on the entire drivetrain and I can totally live with the lack of precision and finesse in exchange for the solid feel that it provides.
And it's kinda fun forcing the cogs to mesh each and every time - makes you feel like you're beating the beast into submission, lol.

[chris_flies]

Originally Posted by jlc45

I have driven standard shift cars and trucks for many years (since 1964 to be precise) and the best feeling shifter I ever had was in my 1999 Acura Integra.
This car is extremely easy to launch and impossible to stall but the shifting is really not up to the quality of the engine which as you all know is fantastic. I miss my Acura (Honda) shifter.

Well, Honda/Acura shifters were/are regarded as the nicest available (see S2k)

90's-on BMW's have all had the notchy, heavy, and fairly clumsy shift action. I recently rebuilt my shifter with Teflon and Urethane bushings, fresh hardware, and a BMW SSK lever, and it is awesome now. You just know where the gears are, you know that you're in-gear, and it's got a nice snick-snick action.

I may've said this recently, but the new ND Miata feels flimsy and clumsy in comparison to the way my shifter does now...

[mr.fabulous]

Originally Posted by atr_hugo

I wrote up my adventures of replacing the '08 135i - it went unpublished. Here's an excerpt:

"She Who Must Be Obeyed (SWMBO) decreed that I would shop for a 'new' car, used cars for her are “somebody else's problems for sale”, oh and I would have to look for other marques besides BMW. The challenge in front of me was determining what could be lived with over the long haul. I hadn't really wanted to replace the '08 135i anytime soon – in fact, not long before the accident, I'd written down a list of items that I wanted to improve or replace in order to keep it running indefinitely.
"

You are with a very cool chick