Am I crazy???

[baltimmore]

Hey guys. I am in an interesting situation with my current car, and would love to get some input from fellow bmw enthusiasts. I currently own a 2011 335 x drive msport. I love the car, but have had an issue that can't be fixed by BMW. My car is in going to be taken back by BMW, and I am going to now receive a new car. At first, I was just going to get another 335 xdrive coupe, but I couldn't resist the temptation of checking into other options. For fun, I called my dealer to see if a 1m was available to order, and with some luck an order was canceled MONDAY that is now being held for me. Now i have an extremely tough decision, and i would greatly appreciate your thoughts/input based on my situation.

1. I am 23, so i don't need to worry about the limited seats/space, and no v8 means better gas mileage. ( i know...m buyers shouldn't worry or care about gas mileage...)

2. The limited production makes me feel comfortable with the idea because the car just came out, and is a unique M. It seems to have everything I have dreamed up in a bmw. It is fast, nimble, nice exhaust, aggressive lines, and just looks awesome!

3. i live in maryland so i will have to get snow tires. i have a place to store them, so changing out tires and rims shouldn't be an issue. I think a snow tire setup should be more appropriate for winter weather than my current all season tire setup.

4. The CRAZY part. I have never driven stick before. My friend has a manual bmw that lives about 2 hours away. He said he would teach me how to drive a weekend before picking up the car.

Am I making a poor decision by basically learning how to drive stick on a high performance BMW?? I love driving more than anything, and I am often bored flipping paddles on my car. The 1m seems to be the perfect car that can be both comfortable and fun, but I just want to hear thoughts of others who have been in similar situation, or who has valuable input. Thanks!

[Simsims]

no

I learned stick on my first new car a few years ago.

I was 22 and took 2 hrs of driving lessons.

[DiavelM3]

The very first car I ever learned how to drive was a Porsche 944 turbo with stick... At the age of 15...
I say if you have the means and passion, go for it

[nachob]

Originally Posted by baltimmore

Hey guys. I am in an interesting situation with my current car, and would love to get some input from fellow bmw enthusiasts. I currently own a 2011 335 x drive msport. I love the car, but have had an issue that can't be fixed by BMW. My car is in going to be taken back by BMW, and I am going to now receive a new car. At first, I was just going to get another 335 xdrive coupe, but I couldn't resist the temptation of checking into other options. For fun, I called my dealer to see if a 1m was available to order, and with some luck an order was canceled MONDAY that is now being held for me. Now i have an extremely tough decision, and i would greatly appreciate your thoughts/input based on my situation.

1. I am 23, so i don't need to worry about the limited seats/space, and no v8 means better gas mileage. ( i know...m buyers shouldn't worry or care about gas mileage...)

2. The limited production makes me feel comfortable with the idea because the car just came out, and is a unique M. It seems to have everything I have dreamed up in a bmw. It is fast, nimble, nice exhaust, aggressive lines, and just looks awesome!

3. i live in maryland so i will have to get snow tires. i have a place to store them, so changing out tires and rims shouldn't be an issue. I think a snow tire setup should be more appropriate for winter weather than my current all season tire setup.

4. The CRAZY part. I have never driven stick before. My friend has a manual bmw that lives about 2 hours away. He said he would teach me how to drive a weekend before picking up the car.

Am I making a poor decision by basically learning how to drive stick on a high performance BMW?? I love driving more than anything, and I am often bored flipping paddles on my car. The 1m seems to be the perfect car that can be both comfortable and fun, but I just want to hear thoughts of others who have been in similar situation, or who has valuable input. Thanks!

If you are 23, get the 1M. You will have the rest of your life to be practical with a 4 door sedan. Enjoy it while you can. As far as learning to drive stick, everyone should know how to drive stick. The new clutches are so light now compared to older cars and you will be 100 times glad you learned to drive stick. It is much more involving and there is pride that comes from shifting your own gears. I have a friend that just bought a manual 335i after owning an automatic 328i and he is much happier. Also, the new cars have hill hold, which I don't need but I must admit it is a cool feature and one less reason to fear the manual. The ABS holds the car for you on a hill so it won't roll back. I am not positive that the 1M has it, but all the new 3 series have it. Maybe someone can chime in on this?

The only concern I have is that this is a hell of torque monster to learn manual on. Not my first choice, but if you are a judicious person, that should be OK. If you are not judicious, I would probably not start on such a beast.

Good luck!

[l888apex]

the 1M is very easy to drive, the clutch is light and the torque makes it easy to get going. without the m button pressed the engine is a bit more sluggish and allows for smooth shifts. the twin disc clutch has a long engagement and is very light. yes, it has hill hold.

[BrokenVert]

Just so you know the 1M has an N54 straight six not a V8.

Gas mileage is nearly identical to your N55 coupe.

And I know people that learned how to drie stick on their 135. Nothing wrong with it but be prepared to do a clutch replacement after 20K miles or so

[baltimmore]

Originally Posted by BrokenVert

Just so you know the 1M has an N54 straight six not a V8.

Gas mileage is nearly identical to your N55 coupe.

And I know people that learned how to drie stick on their 135. Nothing wrong with it but be prepared to do a clutch replacement after 20K miles or so

I know that. Must have worded it wrong. I meant for it to be a joke because I always read a bunch of arguments on the m3 fourms about gas prices. Is the clutch covered under warranty, and if not how much are they?

[MikesOne]

23 and driving a 1m? I would think what you really need to worry about is what will you be driving when you're 50. Ole and good luck kiddo.

[BrokenVert]

With wear items, like a clutch, it is a merky deal.

Its entirely up to the dealer. If they determine that your clutch wore out early due to abuse or lack of skill than you may have to suck up the replacement cost.

I can't comment on the cost of a clutch replacement on the 135 as I haven't done one myself

I'm not trying to make your scared at all. Lol

If I had your opportunity I'd take it in a heartbeat. Go for the 1M and have a car that you'll love.

[gazz]

I have just gone from a 335i to a 1M. The cars are very different in character. 335i is a lazy person's sports car whereas the 1M is for drivers who want to be involved. If you want to develop your skills as a driver then there is no choice to make, it has to be the M. It's not that much more powerful than a 335i so it shouldn't be intimidating to drive.

Not sure about the worn clutch at 20k though. Unless you abuse it or ride the clutch or don't shift properly it should last much longer than that. Take an advanced driving course in the proper use of a manual shift, it's worth it.

Good luck.

[SamChas]

Originally Posted by MikesOne

23 and driving a 1m? I would think what you really need to worry about is what will you be driving when you're 50. Ole and good luck kiddo.

I'm 21 and get the same car.. So I think I Will get a Nice car at 50 too !

[baltimmore]

Thanks for all the input! I have always wanted to drive manual, and it doesn't sound like I will regret going with the 1m. I'll keep you guys updated with the final decision. Should know at the end of the week.

[nachob]

Originally Posted by baltimmore

I know that. Must have worded it wrong. I meant for it to be a joke because I always read a bunch of arguments on the m3 fourms about gas prices. Is the clutch covered under warranty, and if not how much are they?

Clutch is covered for defects, not wear or abuse. My E46 clutch started to shudder intermittently over a couple of years starting at about 15K miles. Finally at 35K and several complaints, the tech felt it and said there was a problem. I had to sign authorization for almost $3k to see if I had abused the clutch. I knew I had not, so I signed it. The took it apart and said looked perfect, so they replaced it under warranty. I think you will get more than 20K out of the clutch, just don't abuse it and you should be more than fine. The best thing is also to treat it like new brake pads. Take it easy for a few hundred miles, let the material bed on the fly wheel and pressure plate. Don't let a salesman side-step the clutch with 3 miles on it to show you how fast the car is! I have seen this myself several times! Idiots!

One time I drove to a dealer because he had the car and color I wanted. I asked for a test drive and the car still had plastic covering on it and 3 miles. He fires it and and lays down 20 feet of rubber stone cold. After the test drive he asks if I want to buy it. I said yes, I want one, not this one though!

[nachob]

Originally Posted by BrokenVert

With wear items, like a clutch, it is a merky deal.

Its entirely up to the dealer. If they determine that your clutch wore out early due to abuse or lack of skill than you may have to suck up the replacement cost.

I can't comment on the cost of a clutch replacement on the 135 as I haven't done one myself

I'm not trying to make your scared at all. Lol

If I had your opportunity I'd take it in a heartbeat. Go for the 1M and have a car that you'll love.

This car has a special lightened flywheel which will be even more bucks, but if you don't abuse it, you will be fine! I think DCTs are more likely to have problems than manual gearboxes and clutches. They are tried and true. DCTs have really only been on the market for about 4 years. Can't wait to see the lines at the transmission shop for DCT gearboxes out of warranty. Anyone want to go in on a DCT repair shop in a few years?

: )

[alik01]

Do it! If all you financial ducks are in order, in fact it probably won't cost you much more - you really can't lose! It's going to be once in a lifetime car and everything we've read says it's amazing.

There is no time like when we're young - I'm 24 and I cannot wait for my car to get here!

[superchargedman]

I learned on a na 944!

Originally Posted by ferrari4evr1

The very first car I ever learned how to drive was a Porsche 944 turbo with stick... At the age of 15...
I say if you have the means and passion, go for it

[M12Power]

I learned how to drive a manual in a brand new BMW 318is back in the days. Not ideal but had no choice at the time

Oh, and the dealer did replace the clutch on that 318is under warranty one time even without telling me first. They said it was defective, but initially I thought it was because I had abused it trying to learn how to drive a stick shift and later how to heel-and-toe

[Turbolader]

I'm a bit older than you, but by the time I was 23, I had owned probably 10 cars, most of which were manual transmissions. My current manual transmission is a stage 3 dodge neon srt-4. I can't think of a better car to learn on than the 135/1M/335. Why? Well, for one, C&D rated it (in the 135) as one of the "ten best" transmissions in the world. The other reason is that, as others have said, newer hydraulic clutches are FAR lighter than cable clutches (Like on a Mustang LX 5.0 I had). Lighter clutches are easier to learn on because most of them have orifices in the lines to soften the blow...you're going to want to remove it later on, but for now, it will help you (And your pressure plate will thank you). Another reason is that it's rear-wheel drive. On higher-powered FWD cars, the manual can be tricky because you're trying to mitigate torquesteer as well as trying to launch smoothly to prevent axle hop (Which brakes things like axles rather quickly).

I am not sure of your financial situation, however you may want to check how much your insurance is going to be driving a 1M at 23. I don't think I could afford the insurance (now), for what it would be for a single 23-year-old.

I've taught several people how to drive manual transmissions. If your buddy is patient, and you leave your ego at the curb, you can learn very quickly. Just remember that every clutch is different, even among the same cars. Also, new manuals have a tendency to be a bit 'stubborn' for the first couple thousand miles.

There is one golden rule when driving a stick...if you get freaked out, push the clutch in...usually that will settle the car down no matter what the car is doing.

If you drive often, and challenge yourself by driving in HEAVY traffic, you'll learn very quickly. Once you learn, it can be one of the most rewarding things you can do when driving.

[135roller]

im 17 and i learned manual on my 135i

[sparoz]

Originally Posted by baltimmore

Am I making a poor decision by basically learning how to drive stick on a high performance BMW?? I love driving more than anything, and I am often bored flipping paddles on my car. The 1m seems to be the perfect car that can be both comfortable and fun, but I just want to hear thoughts of others who have been in similar situation, or who has valuable input. Thanks!

It is much easier to learn stick on a good gearbox, then other crappy ones . The next thing is learn to rev match down shift, then heel toe, and then double clutching.

[jnm]

I'm sure the 1M should not be too hard to learn to use a manual transmission for one simple reason:

Lots of torque at low RPMs

It should be quite forgiving simply because of that...

Now... should we also tell him that actually you only really need to use the clutch to start from a stop and that you can switch gears (up and down) without using the clutch on any manual gearbox, or should we wait until later?

[M3 Adjuster]

Originally Posted by jnm

I'm sure the 1M should not be too hard to learn to use a manual transmission for one simple reason:

Lots of torque at low RPMs

It should be quite forgiving simply because of that...

Now... should we also tell him that actually you only really need to use the clutch to start from a stop and that you can switch gears (up and down) without using the clutch on any manual gearbox, or should we wait until later?

Later.... MUCH later.....


To the OP... Seriously... you just got a " GET OUT OF JAIL FREE " card. The xdrive might have been nice in the winter, but you are correct... a set of snow tires will do you wonders... You have a chance at buying what might be the next greatest legend from BMW M, compared to an xdrive 335. Easy decision!! Just don't sleep on it too long! If at all possible.. I would recommend buying a beater car or truck like a Mazda B2000 or Toyota pickup manual in the meanwhile and boning up on your 3 pedal driving so you save yourself a few crunched gears in a brand new car.

With all the torque the 1M has... you really wont' have to shift a lot while learning because there is so much torque in any gear..... the 1M will be a lot easier to learn in than many cars..