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

[propkaPT]

I highly doubt any 1 series except the 1m will be a future collectable. As a proud 1 series owner I know this is a street car, not a track car, auto x car, drag car etc. Everyone on here knows you have to do some serious modding to get rid of the factory understeer built into the car. Also, it doesnt have collectability because too many were made. However, Look at the 1m...1000 made...in used form its worth more than it was new....15k over sticker at dealerships at one point, one place tried to charge 40k over sticker . My biggest regret...i didnt buy one when i had the chance

[jkoral]

Wow, some serious hate in the unapproved comments:

"... The 1-series is the abomination of the US BMW line up. It should have never existed. It should not exist today..." (CleverBS)

"All 1 series variants handle worse and are slower around a track then the same engined 3 series. No BMWphile likes the 1 series, it is just a decontented 3 series..." (Foo2rama)

"The 1-series coupe is too ugly to love... It's ugly in an Aztec way (harsh, I know). The lines are bad all over the car. The tail is too short. When combined with the tall roof, it looks like a dog taking a shit. The grill and lights are too large in proportion to the nose, it looks like a dog surprised it's taking a shit. The shoulder and sill lines aren't parallel or converging, the sill bows down. Like a dog surprised his knees are buckling while taking a shit. In the end, that's a lot of dog shit." (TekamulBurner)

"1 series feels like it was the 'Short Bus' version of the 3 series. Worse, it felt like a bargain basement 3 series, especially in that rental-car-grade interior that should have had BMW ashamed to put its name on." (DaveInva)

[angler]

Originally Posted by jkoral

Wow, some serious hate in the unapproved comments:

"... The 1-series is the abomination of the US BMW line up. It should have never existed. It should not exist today..." (CleverBS)

"All 1 series variants handle worse and are slower around a track then the same engined 3 series. No BMWphile likes the 1 series, it is just a decontented 3 series..." (Foo2rama)

"The 1-series coupe is too ugly to love... It's ugly in an Aztec way (harsh, I know). The lines are bad all over the car. The tail is too short. When combined with the tall roof, it looks like a dog taking a shit. The grill and lights are too large in proportion to the nose, it looks like a dog surprised it's taking a shit. The shoulder and sill lines aren't parallel or converging, the sill bows down. Like a dog surprised his knees are buckling while taking a shit. In the end, that's a lot of dog shit." (TekamulBurner)

"1 series feels like it was the 'Short Bus' version of the 3 series. Worse, it felt like a bargain basement 3 series, especially in that rental-car-grade interior that should have had BMW ashamed to put its name on." (DaveInva)

WTF do they know? I love my car and I came from a E92 M Sport.

[bradleyland]

Originally Posted by propkaPT

I highly doubt any 1 series except the 1m will be a future collectable. As a proud 1 series owner I know this is a street car, not a track car, auto x car, drag car etc. Everyone on here knows you have to do some serious modding to get rid of the factory understeer built into the car. Also, it doesnt have collectability because too many were made. However, Look at the 1m...1000 made...in used form its worth more than it was new....15k over sticker at dealerships at one point, one place tried to charge 40k over sticker . My biggest regret...i didnt buy one when i had the chance

I was thinking the same thing. The 1-series has just been in production too long, and too many copies were made for it to become a collector's car. Anyone waiting for the E82 to gain collector status (by any reasonable measure) is going to be in for a looooooong wait while their numbers dwindle.

Having said that, I think the 1M's presence in the 1-series line up really does help the E82's long term prospects. How many people are interested in the E30 3-series, primarily because of the E30 M3? Obviously, a vanilla E30 doesn't have the draw of the M version, but there are plenty of buyers for clean E30 cars. I'd venture that the E30 M3 has a lot to do with that.

[monkawekrue]

cool read.

[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

[bradleyland]

Coincidentally, my 135i 6MT goes back on lease trade-in on July 14th of this year. The car is incredibly clean (no kids, non-smoker, never eaten in, and I'm borderline OCD when it comes to had washing) and garage kept. If anyone would like an inside line on picking it up CPO, let me know.

[Reapur]

Originally Posted by formula M

Imagine if BMW would've fit the 135i with M3 bushings...

BMW avoided better suspension for the sake of not stepping on the toes of the M3 and 1M.

But as a sub $1000 mod its pretty much priced as a "impulse buy" price point as far as performance mods go.

People drop far more money into exhaust and CF diffusers which do far less for performance than M3 suspension bits do for the car.

Essentially you can buy a 135i and spend 2.5-3.5k or so on control arms, bushings, and an LSD then pretty much have a car that handles as well as a 1M. People not involved in the online community probably don't know about this and assume the car is sloppy and not very sharp. But for the price of the mods to fix the shortcomings its well worth it.

[simianspeedster]

Not to parse words, but I think there's a difference between classic and collectible. Classic is more of a recognition or celebration of a car's attributes, especially relative to the time it was produced and the cars that followed it. Collectible assumes those attributes (or others) will be considered so desirable that the car will hold its value better or eventually rise relative to other cars from the same era.

To me, the 1 Series may represent a future classic because of all the "lasts" as I described previously in this thread. That's why the 2 Series, IMO, may not be considered a direct replacement as others have suggested. And, as the article mentions, future tuners and tinkerers may have fun with 10-15 year old 1 Series because they are fairly easy to mod/tune and they share a lot of parts with the far more common 3 Series.

But as for collectible, only the 1M seems a sure bet and maybe (!) some other variants to like the 135is, albeit to a much lesser degree.

[tuco44]

I could care less about the collectability of my 1 Series; I just want to drive it and enjoy the drive. The 1M "might" be collectible, or not, in time. I don't think the point of this discussion is collectability and its related value, it is the driving enjoyment closer to the older BMWs that the 1 Series provides.

[simianspeedster]

Originally Posted by tuco44

I could care less about the collectability of my 1 Series; I just want to drive it and enjoy the drive. The 1M "might" be collectible, or not, in time. I don't think the point of this discussion is collectability and its related value, it is the driving enjoyment closer to the older BMWs that the 1 Series provides.

Exactly. There are a few people (even a couple kids) in my neighborhood who have modded E30s and I can assure you their cars are not collectible. I bet they have good reasons -- likely enthusiasts' reasons -- for continuing to maintain and drive their cars regardless of their market value.

[exPat]

Love the article -- it nicely captures most of my feelings about the car. Beyond that, however, some of the posts on this thread are pure comedy.

A couple of observations. First, everyone on this site is an enthusiast. Second, if anyone is looking for the BMW badge as a trophy they wouldn't be driving a 1er (the "poor man's" BMW -- lmao!).

So for anyone on this thread not showing some 1-Love (and you know who you are), I suspect you're just driving the car until your lease expires. Cool. Have fun with your next car and have fun being a fanboi on the next website. If you don't see the 1er for what it is, the end of certain engineering and production values, then I can understand why the car might look less than elegant or why you wish for more cup holders or 12v receptacles or whatever.

I appreciate good engineering and design. The 1er might not be perfect, but it comes closer than anything else I see available. Anything. From any manufacturer. Unfortunately I don't see how it becomes a collectible (in economic terms), but I absolutely see how it could become a classic.

This is a car that was built to a price point for a particular market segment but with enough DNA carried over from BMW's heritage that they couldn't possibly make it bland enough, or timid enough, for the masses. In spite of these considerations the 1er manages to attract buyers who could easily afford pricier Bimmers or other marques.

The 128i, especially, was purposely watered down so it wouldn't appear to be true competition for a 3er. But with just a few minor tweaks it's easy enough to reveal the car's true character. Enjoy as is, use factory parts to upgrade, or mod it. The 1er performs at least on par with it's bigger, pricier bretheren -- and can easily surpass it many ways.

The 1 is dead. Long live the 1!

[Ender_]

Originally Posted by Reapur

Essentially you can buy a 135i and spend 2.5-3.5k or so on control arms, bushings, and an LSD then pretty much have a car that handles as well as a 1M. People not involved in the online community probably don't know about this and assume the car is sloppy and not very sharp. But for the price of the mods to fix the shortcomings its well worth it.

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.

[TripleThreat]

Originally Posted by simianspeedster

Not to parse words, but I think there's a difference between classic and collectible. Classic is more of a recognition or celebration of a car's attributes, especially relative to the time it was produced and the cars that followed it. Collectible assumes those attributes (or others) will be considered so desirable that the car will hold its value better or eventually rise relative to other cars from the same era.

To me, the 1 Series may represent a future classic because of all the "lasts" as I described previously in this thread. That's why the 2 Series, IMO, may not be considered a direct replacement as others have suggested. And, as the article mentions, future tuners and tinkerers may have fun with 10-15 year old 1 Series because they are fairly easy to mod/tune and they share a lot of parts with the far more common 3 Series.

But as for collectible, only the 1M seems a sure bet and maybe (!) some other variants to like the 135is, albeit to a much lesser degree.

Cannot agree with you more. Becoming a classic does not necessarily mean it has to be a collectible or outhandle/outperform most of other cars. I wonder why some people tend to mis-understand the word "classic" for "collectible".

[bradleyland]

Originally Posted by TripleThreat

Cannot agree with you more. Becoming a classic does not necessarily mean it has to be a collectible or outhandle/outperform most of other cars. I wonder why some people tend to mis-understand the word "classic" for "collectible".

Probably because so many "classic" cars are collected

I see the distinction now though, and I agree 100%.

[strati1]

It's a keeper for sure. People outside the BMW community never understand when I tell them that I plan to keep my "year one of the one" 128i until the day that I die....and I'm 20.

[Frank_NJ]

Have a 1M coupe and plan to get a 2M to join it in the garage!

[strati1]

Originally Posted by Frank_NJ

Have a 1M coupe and plan to get a 2M to join it in the garage!

Then you can tell us how the steering feel compares back to back!

[Stohlen]

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.

Woah woah woah... don't get butt hurt so easily. He said handle, not look like... To get a 135i to handle about as well as a 1M it wouldn't take much. Better wheels and tires, some suspension bits and an LSD. Not very hard. And it will perform "pretty much" as well as the 1M, if not better, depending on the parts and such. Not expensive, so don't act like your 1M is some completely redesigned car, its the same unibody with different parts bolted on... thats it.

When it comes right down to it, there are only 2 reasons people buy the 1m over the 135i.

1. They don't wanna do the extensive amount of work needed to create the performance and/or looks of the 1m.

2. The heritage of the M means enough to them to spend the extra cash to get a car with the M name and engineering in it.

[Bimmer-Bob]

Regarding "classic" vs."collectible," the last line of the article jokes about track junkies picking up 1ers for "1/4 of MSRP," so the author is definitely not implying that the car is some sort of investment. In fact, I'd argue that a big part of the car's appeal is its relative affordability.

[bradleyland]

Originally Posted by Stohlen

Woah woah woah... don't get butt hurt so easily. He said handle, not look like... To get a 135i to handle about as well as a 1M it wouldn't take much. Better wheels and tires, some suspension bits and an LSD. Not very hard. And it will perform "pretty much" as well as the 1M, if not better, depending on the parts and such. Not expensive, so don't act like your 1M is some completely redesigned car, its the same unibody with different parts bolted on... thats it.

When it comes right down to it, there are only 2 reasons people buy the 1m over the 135i.

1. They don't wanna do the extensive amount of work needed to create the performance and/or looks of the 1m.

2. The heritage of the M means enough to them to spend the extra cash to get a car with the M name and engineering in it.

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.

[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