BMW 1 Series Coupe Forum / 1 Series Convertible Forum (1M / tii / 135i / 128i / Coupe / Cabrio / Hatchback) (BMW E82 E88 128i 130i 135i)
 





 

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      07-16-2012, 01:13 AM   #1
simianspeedster
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Any SoCal 128i Coupe/Convertible owners want to swap test drives (2011 335i Coupe)?

SoCal 128 Coupe/Convertible owners:

I'm a few months into the 3rd year of a 3 year lease on my 335i Coupe and I'm leaning towards ordering a 128 Coupe or convertible early next year to replace it. I want to get back to something smaller and lighter with a naturally aspirated engine that I can wind out in the real world without getting into trouble (my last car was a Z4 3.0si coupe manual which I often miss).

I'm not particularly fond of the direction BMW is taking with their new models, so I see the E82 as maybe my last chance to get a classic BMW with hydraulic steering, an NA engine and decently low weight. We recently got my wife an F30 328i and I find it to be fairly disappointing as a sports sedan, but it's a nice luxury sedan daily driver. In short, I don't see myself getting a new 3 based on how her car drives.

Based on what I see at local dealer inventories, I think it's going to be next to impossible to find a 128i manual with Sport or M-Sport to test drive in SoCal, so I was wondering if anyone on this forum who has a 128i Coupe/Convertible with a manual transmission and Sport/M-Sport would be interested in meeting up for a test drive swap. If any of you are interested in driving a 335i Coupe M-Sport manual (2011 model with N55 engine and the revised factory Sachs dampers from the late E9x run), it could make for a fun and educational afternoon.

Granted, this idea may sound crazy to some of you, but that's not my intent. I'm not looking to drive anyone's car like a track hero or anything like that -- I'm just trying to get some decent seat time in a hard to find car so I know if I should go through the trouble of ordering another BMW as I did for my current car (manuals are really, really hard to find around here).

Anyhow, I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask, so if any of you are interested and you have the right car, PM me if a meet-up sounds fun to you. You'd be doing me a huge favor, so I'd gladly spring for a nice meal anywhere you'd like.

Thanks in advance!

My ride: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=396781
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      07-21-2012, 03:58 PM   #2
John Dempsey
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if you want to test my 135 i would love to swap it with you.
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      07-22-2012, 07:12 PM   #3
simianspeedster
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Thanks for the offer John. If I don't hear back from any 128i drivers, I may take you up and maybe we can convince a 128i driver to join in on the fun. I live up in the foothills of LA, so perhaps we could meet somewhere in Orange County as a midway point.

Driving a 135i back to back with my car will tell me about half of what I want to know: how does the smaller chassis feel? How is the 1 Series Sport/M-Sport ride quality compared with the 3 (though I know the 128i would have 17s to your 18s)? How do the 1 Sport Seats feel compared to the 3? I'm also interested in driving a 128i to see if the additional weight difference is as noticeable as I expect.

Is your 135i a manual? Also, any chance you have the HK stereo option? I'm interested in hearing the differences between the 3 Series HK and the 1 Series HK -- on paper, they're a little different (speaker count, location and power).

I'll see if I get any more 128i bites, then I'll be in touch. Thanks!

P.S. Out of curiosity, is Lou's Records still kicking around in Encinitas? I lived in San Diego for a few years and I spent a lot of time (and $$$) there back in the day.

Last edited by simianspeedster; 07-22-2012 at 08:22 PM..
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      07-23-2012, 11:36 PM   #4
John Dempsey
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yeah love lous records,
and yes its a manual and it does have the HK stereo!!
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      07-24-2012, 01:48 AM   #5
simianspeedster
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Quote:
Originally Posted by John Dempsey View Post
yeah love lous records,
and yes its a manual and it does have the HK stereo!!
Sweet! Sounds like a nice ride.

OK, it's on. I'm busy the next couple weeks, but I'll PM you soon to figure out a date & time.

Now go find a comparable 128i in North County to join in on the fun!
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