I'm torn between a new 2012 135i and a 2010 lease swap. Help!

[startover]

My 08 135i 6mt is off lease soon and I'm planning to get another one. I've kept the 08 completely stock over the 3 years (I kind of grew past the strong desires to mod, and the 135i has been fast enough in its stock form for me anyway), but all of a sudden I started to have this urge to experiment a bit with the PnP chip for that extra bit of thrill.

Now I've already have a 2012 car on order (got production number etc, but sale is not binding, since the color I ordered (black ext/red int) is easy to sell, dealer did not ask for any deposit). But then I saw this 2010 car on swapalease.com with almost exactly the same colors and options I wanted. Mileage a bit high at 20k (highway miles according to owner), but lease was for 45k miles so I have 1.4k miles/month off the 18 months left, good payment too ($460/month after incentive).

I understand that the 2010 model has the more desirable N54 engine which is easier to tune. (By the way I'll be likely going for the PnP chip only, with everything else stock) But then the 2012 one will be a brand new car. Cost wise they're not that different, with the 2012 lease having less upfront fee (since the leaseswap will have transportation fee, application fee and existing lease's $350 disposal fee etc) but higher monthly payment (around $650).

Now I'm really torn. Part of me wants a hassle free new car (never done a lease swap before, letting alone one from 1800 miles away...) but parts of me craves that "twin turbo". Do you think the N55's potential is really that limited and the inferior cast crankshaft etc matters a lot? (did lots of reading on the older threads, but all of them tend to have lots of arguments going on).

Help me make up my mind please!

[jpd]

Consult dealer over chipping a lease assumption????? 2010 seems to be a good deal. N54 may or may not be the one for you. Problems with fuel pump but are covered by BMW.

[doublevanosrc]

Originally Posted by startover

My 08 135i 6mt is off lease soon and I'm planning to get another one. I've kept the 08 completely stock over the 3 years (I kind of grew past the strong desires to mod, and the 135i has been fast enough in its stock form for me anyway), but all of a sudden I started to have this urge to experiment a bit with the PnP chip for that extra bit of thrill.

Now I've already have a 2012 car on order (got production number etc, but sale is not binding, since the color I ordered (black ext/red int) is easy to sell, dealer did not ask for any deposit). But then I saw this 2010 car on swapalease.com with almost exactly the same colors and options I wanted. Mileage a bit high at 20k (highway miles according to owner), but lease was for 45k miles so I have 1.4k miles/month off the 18 months left, good payment too ($460/month after incentive).

I understand that the 2010 model has the more desirable N54 engine which is easier to tune. (By the way I'll be likely going for the PnP chip only, with everything else stock) But then the 2012 one will be a brand new car. Cost wise they're not that different, with the 2012 lease having less upfront fee (since the leaseswap will have transportation fee, application fee and existing lease's $350 disposal fee etc) but higher monthly payment (around $650).

Now I'm really torn. Part of me wants a hassle free new car (never done a lease swap before, letting alone one from 1800 miles away...) but parts of me craves that "twin turbo". Do you think the N55's potential is really that limited and the inferior cast crankshaft etc matters a lot? (did lots of reading on the older threads, but all of them tend to have lots of arguments going on).

Help me make up my mind please!

Well since engine tuning is at the top of your to do list the N54 is one you want. Don't get me wrong I love the N55 but i don't plan on tuning it. Go with the 2010 or try to find another one with lower miles but that might be tough if you want the red interior.

Also why not just buy out your current lease?

[startover]

Originally Posted by doublevanosrc

Also why not just buy out your current lease?

It's going out of warranty in one year. I don't feel comfortable driving a turbo BMW without warranty. I could have it CPO'ed before buying it out, but that will cost around $2500 per dealer, plus the relatively high buyout on the car ($24k), and it's gonna need new tires and all that.. I just don't think it's worth it.

As far as the lease+chip+warranty issue goes, my understanding is that as long as I keep everything else stock, use the conservative map, remove the PnP before going in service, and be generally gentle with the car (I'm not really an aggressive driver. The "spirited" driving sessions are really few and far between.), the chances of something going seriously wrong is pretty small?

[yaymitch]

I spoke to Dinan rep last week and they are going to have a software tune available for the N55 in about 3-6 months. Most Dinan tunes do not void warranty. Not sure of the exact numbers as far as performance enhancement but supposed to be similar to what Dinan did for N54.