jalopnik: Why the BMW 1 Series is the Next Great Future Classic

[bradleyland]

Originally Posted by BrokenVert

I can take a 328 and mod it to be better than an M3.


Its just what they did right? They took a 318 and put a better suspension and did a motor swap and called It a day, right?

/s

Obviously

[Reapur]

Originally Posted by Ender_

And you've done this? i suppose you would have to be able to say that with such certainty!

sorry but it will take well over 10k to start to come close to the 1m, why do you think it was such a good deal? I know this becuase my tuner has been working on a 135 conversion and he's spent well over 10k and he's still not there.

The 1m will/is a collector, just wish i could resist driving it to keep it in great shape, but that wont happen.

Pricing out all of the m3 control arms and bushings and a wavetrac LSD is nowhere near 10k. Why would the 135i handle any worse than a stock 1M if it has all the same suspension and an LSD?

Lots of people have already done it and its nothing new to the community here.

[Hops128i]

Originally Posted by shapptastic

I like the E82, but I don't see it becoming a classic, mostly due it's awkward design. It's small, but not light. It seats 4, but not really if you are taller than 5'. It handles very well and it's rarer than the dime a dozen e90/e92s on the road, but once the 2 series with its sleeker roofline comes out, I think it will be a footnote(with the exception of the 1M). Again, not to say it isn't a great car, but I feel the same way about the 1 series as I feel about the last Pontiac GTOs/G8s; excellent cars on the inside, but the looks do nothing for me. I still think the last classic looking bmw will be the e46 M3 which is still a head turner

I think people have way different definitions of 'classic' here. The author qualifies his with those on a buget in the first paragraph:

"But it got me thinking about the outgoing BMW 1-Series, and why years from now, it may be the most sought after Bimmer of our time by enthusiasts, weekend racers and hoons on a budget. Now might be the ideal time to snatch one up."

I think In a few years, you won't see any weekend racers on a budget racing a 1M, but I can see them buying a cheap manual 128i, and turning it into a track day car. Right now, what classic BMW's are being turned into track cars? e30, e36 (M).

[Ender_]

Originally Posted by Reapur

Pricing out all of the m3 control arms and bushings and a wavetrac LSD is nowhere near 10k. Why would the 135i handle any worse than a stock 1M if it has all the same suspension and an LSD?

Lots of people have already done it and its nothing new to the community here.

You are lacking some basic knowledge of what makes up a 1M if you think that's all it is and that it can all just be slapped together.
Again I know for a fact, that it takes a whole lot more then $10k to try and match the handling characteristics of a 1M.

You can do all this and have it installed for less then $15k? I highly doubt it. Sure maybe if you get everything used and do it yourself, even then I will find it hard to believe.

-Bigger axle for a wider stance
-Upgraded Braking system
-LSD
-Front and rear control arms
-Full suspension upgrade (coil and struts)
-Bushings
-MDM tuning
-Steering rack...

Not to mention the 19" wheels, tires, cooling system, engine tune, lightened flywheel etc...

Look I had a 135i, the reason I got the 1M is because loved my 1er so much. As others have said I'm not saying its not possible to make a 135/28 handle better then a 1M but it would take ALOT of money and time to do so.

It's not about each part its about the whole being greater then the sum. And that is why the 1M will be and is a collectors, not to mention its limited production. And exactly as other have said, due to the 1M the e82 in general will be a collector just as the E30 is now because of the E30 M3.

[TripleThreat]

If you want to know if a car is/will become collectible, ask one question. Does Jay Leno have it? Then, move on and enjoy the featured article.

[Bimmer-Bob]

I'll be the first to admit that attempting to replicate a 1M by tuning a 135i is a wasted effort, but still, there is a level of ///M-worship on these boards that sometimes escalates to nauseating levels. Phrases like "greater than the sum of its parts" imply some sort of voodoo taking place at the ///M division, the result of which is the intangible yet extremely potent ///M-ness, to which we all must kneel. The reality is that suspension tuning is science, and the 1M, like all vehicles, is actually EXACTLY the sum of its parts. What else could it possibly be?

[csween86]

Voodoo!

[bmw1racer]

Originally Posted by shapptastic

I like the E82, but I don't see it becoming a classic, mostly due it's awkward design. It's small, but not light. It seats 4, but not really if you are taller than 5'. It handles very well and it's rarer than the dime a dozen e90/e92s on the road, but once the 2 series with its sleeker roofline comes out, I think it will be a footnote(with the exception of the 1M). Again, not to say it isn't a great car, but I feel the same way about the 1 series as I feel about the last Pontiac GTOs/G8s; excellent cars on the inside, but the looks do nothing for me. I still think the last classic looking bmw will be the e46 M3 which is still a head turner

The 2002 wasn't particularly a head turner and look at how legendary it's become...

[Vigilante375]

For the price a used 1M is going for, when one is for sale, you could still come out spending a lot less on a 135i making it better than a 1M. The 1 will be a collectors car and if I had one, it would be left completely stock and driven on nice days as the value of that car will continue to rise.

Those negative comments are the douche's I see in E46 M3's weaving in a out of traffic and think anything less is a POS. All of the 1er's are great cars and are unique in their own ways from the beginning the 1 series was put into production.

[vertebra]

The thing I don't particularly understand about this article and the last man standing thread is that this car has been compared to the 2002 and some will say that the naturally aspirated varient of this car is in keeping with BMW's heritage and more desirable but isn't the 2002 Turbo more desired over the naturally aspirated 2002? Are any of these cars even "Naturally Aspirated" I thought naturally aspirated meant carborated.


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[Stratus650]

nice article. that cover photo would look sick on a white T shirt

[dt373621]

Originally Posted by tuco44

Some of the comments in that article represent part of the reason I just traded my 135i MSport DCT for a 2012 (same year) 135i MSport 6MT.

The DCT is very fast but the 6MT is more engaging for me, plus in olden days, I had three 2002s. To me, the 1Series (N52 or N54/5) is today's 2002 - only better.

This car is a keeper.

Tuco44 Well done! Cheers for you making the leap to the MT from the DCT! And the 135i with Msport is just - well the best way to go. May I suggest adding the BMW stage 1 performance kit. I had it installed last summer and couldn't be happier with the added performance and exhaust burble. As a daily driver, nothing comes close to the fun factor and spirit of the E82. Driving to and from work is by far the best part of my work week.


Great article for the E82 family! I believe you're spot on with the future classic in the making.

Ride on 1ers!

[angler]

Originally Posted by Stratus650

nice article. that cover photo would look sick on a white T shirt

My exact thoughts, a friend of mine does this and is going to make me one.

[Stohlen]

Originally Posted by bradleyland

Woah woah woah... you should try math some time. Ever price an LSD for the 135i? You're looking at $3500 for the parts alone, and you haven't even touched the suspension. Go right ahead and buy yourself a set of cheap coil-overs, because you're going to need to save the cash for the hours and hours of track tweaking and tuning that went in to the 1M. Or are you just planning on slapping on some parts and calling it a day? Don't forget that the 1M has a quicker steering rack than the 135i too, so if you're going to replicate the handling of the 1M, you'll need to pick one of those up too.

He didn't say you couldn't make a 135i handle as well as a 1M, he said it'd be expensive.

There is a world of difference between a tuner car and a factory M car. That difference is in the time, resources, and experience that come out of BMW Motorsport. Yes, part of that is heritage, but you can't simply dismiss that when you're considering why someone would buy a 1M instead of simply modding a 135i.

Hate to flame so bad, but it really pisses me off when people dismiss the effort that goes in to building a well balanced automobile. Ask anyone who drives cars for a living about the differences between a tuner car and a factory car like an M or an AMG and they'll be happy to explain how much effort is involved in matching the level of refinement and completeness you get.

Yes sir, I have an LSD... It cost me $2373 shipped, built as a complete unit, in an original BMW housing with 3.46 gears, and anyone on here can buy one for that price. Again, its not expensive to replicate the 1Ms handling. Its the same chassis, with better parts put on. Replace those parts on a 135i with ones that are quality and have R&D behind them, and you can replicate the 1M. Its not like the 1M was some purpose built platform made to race like the E30 M3 was, the 1M is just a 135i with some different parts bolted on, not intended to race for the factory. With the 1Ms inflated price over msrp, you're now paying for the badge, not the parts inside it.

[111R]

Although I really like the 1 series, I wanted 4 doors and needed at least one "practical" car, as my Lotus Elise doesn't exactly qualify. When I was ordering my 2011 335i, I had a similar feeling as current 1 owners do that any newer models would be larger, have EPS, and mandatory I-drive. That's why I got one with just the options an enthusiast would want - M Sport, manual, no I-drive, PPK, with a few comfort options - premium, heated seats, HK sound system, and USB port.

There have been numerous discussions about N54 vs. N55, but I use this car as a fair weather daily driver, so I wasn't interested in 400+ bhp mods. Thus far, the N55 has been dead reliable for over 2 years (knock on wood) and will hopefully last for years with old-school maintenance. The latter seems to baffle everyone at the local BMW dealership, as 85% of the cars they sell are leased, so very few actually do this.

Now, if I can just avoid some old lady in a Buick or text-happy kid from slamming into it, I'm good for years to come.

[Stohlen]

w

Originally Posted by formula M

The 1M is still a 1 series.. his beef is about the fact he believes the 1M (as it exists stock) is superior to anything a 135i owner can do.
(Which is utter ignorance)

Couldn't have said it better myself.

[TripleThreat]

What a insecure bunch.... The writer praised each model, but obviously that is not enough for some.....

[mb135is]

Originally Posted by TripleThreat

What a insecure bunch.... The writer praised each model, but obviously that is not enough for some.....

[Raine]

Good read.

<3 1-series, RWD + compact, great/unique design (don't care what anyone says) and a pleasure to drive.

[bmw1racer]

Originally Posted by vertebra

Are any of these cars even "Naturally Aspirated" I thought naturally aspirated meant carborated.

Nope.

Carburetion and fuel injection is about fuel delivery, not how a car breathes.

[rad doc]

They are all awesome cars and I get a kick out of seeing them all. I dont think anyone really believes that you cant make a 135i better than a 1m. Just a matter of
cost. I looked closely at 135i vs 1m when i was initially told i couldnt find a 1m. In the end, the 1m i found was a better value vs creating a comparably modded car. However, i was comparing a new 135 vs a new 1m i got at msrp which i know is rare. Obviously on the used market a 135i with mods is the better value. I do like the rarity and styling of the 1m though i know it is polarizing. For that reason i am keeping mine. Nothing i can find to replace it .

[mb135is]

Now that I'm paying attention to it, I notice that I hardly _ever_ see 135s on the road. 128s, definitely. And it's not like I'm out in the boonies somewhere -- union county NJ is a busy area with plenty of BMWs and other luxury brands running around.

It's obviously not scientific, but I just don't see them out there. Seeing a 1M in the wild is a freaking celebration! I think I'm at three sightings by now.