128i order

[Pron1series]

I just placed an order for a 128i (wanted to snag the I6 before the 28 gets the 4 turbo).

Options are:
Manual Transmission
Mineral Grey Metallic
Coral Red Boston Leater/Glacier Aluminum Trim
M-Sport
Premium
Lighting
Technology
Harman Kardon Surround
Heated Front Seats
Park Distance Control
Anti-theft Alarm

Needless to say, I'm extremely excited!

[simianspeedster]

That's going to be a fantastic car! Excellent color combo (I almost chose the same) and our options are nearly identical. Now begins the torturous wait. Be strong, brother. Be strong...

[gregthegr8]

Welcome to the party of those of us ordering and trying to get the last of the 1's before BMW goes astray.

And congrats to another mineral grey 1er in LA as mine is on a boat on the way.

[simianspeedster]

Cool. I didn't see that the OP was in LA. The 3 of us will have to get together when our cars are all here. They'll each be different enough to warrant comparison.

[gregthegr8]

And if we get into an argument, our gang of mineral greys outnumber you.

Clearly mine is the most muted/tame/boring combo with grey on black. I'll pretend to be the sophisticated one in black tie.

Pron - where'd you order your car from? Just curious.

[simianspeedster]

Because you'll eventually get the impatience/curiosity bug when your car is waiting for a ship, here's a list of the WWL ships departing Bremerhaven for Port Hueneme in the next month: http://www.jocsailings.com/GlobalSai...2f29&VT=all%2c

NYKline is also used sometimes: http://www2.nykline.com/vesselschedu...s&scheduleId=0

[Pron1series]

Thanks guys we will definitely have to get together. I ordered mine from bob smith - got a great deal. My parents ordered a car from there last year (ED - my idea and it was their favorite trip they've ever taken) and had a great experience with a chick in the Internet department. Went through her as well and she has been fantastic.

[gregthegr8]

Originally Posted by Pron1series

Thanks guys we will definitely have to get together. I ordered mine from bob smith - got a great deal. My parents ordered a car from there last year (ED - my idea and it was their favorite trip they've ever taken) and had a great experience with a chick in the Internet department. Went through her as well and she has been fantastic.

Sadly, I've never had any great experience with chicks from the internet.

[MA128]

Originally Posted by gregthegr8

Sadly, I've never had any great experience with chicks from the internet.

Met my wife long before Al Gore invented the Internet so no issues there!

Count me in as another Mineral Grey 128 about to be ordered. Very similar to OP's build.

128 6MT Coupe
M-Sport
Premium (w/ black leather)
Cold Weather
Xenon
Harman Kardon
Bluetooth w/ BMW Assist
Anthracite trim

I love my 2009 128 and, as you can see by my signature, the suspension is finally right. The only reason I want to buy a new one is because I want to have this car forever (especially being the last chance to get I-6 and hydraulic steering). My current 1er has almost 70,000 miles on it now and will have about 140,000 miles by the time I retire. If I buy a new one now, it will have only 70,000 miles on it and be a good candidate for long term ownership when I put on many fewer miles per year. I'll probably sell my 2009 to my son.

OP - I highly recommend the Xenons. I'm 58 so that's part of the reason but these are just fantastic headlights.

You'll note that I do not want the technology package. Although iPod navigation is a little clumsy without iDrive, I simply hate screens stuck on top of dashboards. The 128 has such a clean, low-profile dash and it's a more pure, or "vintage," driving experience. That's another reason to grab a 2013 car. I despise the "iPad" that BMW sticks on top of every F30 dash and imagine they'll do the same with the 2014 2-series.

[HeyMoe53]

My apologies for stepping in late here...I really like Mineral with Coral. That combo is outstanding. I would have thought about it myself, but I've owned a number of gray cars, and never a blue one, so I'm looking at LeMans with Oyster.

So you live in LA, and are getting a stick? I salute you!

Hoping for speedy passage through the Panama Canal, and such.

[Pron1series]

HeyMoe,
It's a ballsy decision - I do my best to avoid traffic where I can but I still use the 405 to get to work and back. But I just hear such great things about the 128i with manual that I had to do it. I should be moving closer to work soon so that my commute won't be so bad. I cannot wait for it to get here!!

Congrats MA128. I really really like the mineral grey.

[gregthegr8]

I took some pics of a 135is that was mineral grey with coral red that I test drove if you want to check those out here:

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showt...=800159&page=2

Also, I saw a used 135is in mineral grey with coral red interior that has a lot more interior shots than I took, since I ordered black, but might give you a good idea of what it visually looks like since I imagine you haven't had the luck to see it in person.

http://www.bramanmotorcars.com/used/...634f63feb8.htm

[simianspeedster]

One has to be fairly dedicated to drive manual in the LA area. The dealers carry virtually zero manual cars so it's special order every time, and you have to deal with traffic at times, of course. That said, I've lived in Southern California my entire life and I haven't had an automatic as my daily driver in almost 20 years. And I just ordered another manual car -- I just can't break the habit!

I fully understand why people switch to automatics in areas like LA. It's not always easy, but I can't imagine not driving a manual, especially a 128i. In another 5-10 years we may not have a choice on new cars, so we might as well enjoy the end of the era...

[jdf]

Originally Posted by simianspeedster

One has to be fairly dedicated to drive manual in the LA area. The dealers carry virtually zero manual cars so it's special order every time, and you have to deal with traffic at times, of course.

Dealers are similar around here in the DC area, and also back home in Atlanta-- though I have every so often found manuals to test-drive. LA does take the vast extent of their traffic to pretty amazing heights, but I think any major city makes a pretty decent excuse for an automatic. Even still, when I bought the Mustang a couple years ago, I wanted all three pedals. That was really tough to find-- the Mustang set likes their automatics around here.

When I ordered my 135i, though, I felt like I was going pretty darned modern compared to the sorts of things I'm used to driving, so I may as well go all the way and get the modern DCT gearbox. Part of that was I'll still have my beater Miata around (three pedals and a five-speed) so should I feel the need to get old school, I still can. Since I hope to keep the 135i around for about five years, I'm hoping this doesn't wind up feeling like a mistake when the shiny wears off...

[Suprgnat]

Originally Posted by simianspeedster

The dealers carry virtually zero manual cars so it's special order every time,

I asked one of the guys at East Bay BMW, and he informed me about 3% of the cars they sell are manuals. Waited for almost 2 months for my MT car to arrive from Germany.

Originally Posted by HeyMoe53

I'm looking at LeMans with Oyster.

No arguments here!

Originally Posted by MA128

I highly recommend the Xenons.
You'll note that I do not want the technology package...I simply hate screens stuck on top of dashboards. The 128 has such a clean, low-profile dash and it's a more pure, or "vintage," driving experience.

Would have gotten the xenons if I weren't forced into buying the Premium Package and Adaptive Light Control.
Auto-dimming interior and exterior mirrors. Meh.
Comfort Access keyless entry. No.
Lumbar support. May have been nice, but no complaints with the sports seats.
Satellite radio with 1 year subscription. Would have liked.
Moonroof. No, let's not install 40 pounds 4 1/2 feet off the ground.
Universal garage-door opener. Seriously?
Interior mirror with compass. What am I, f'ing Marco Polo? I have a smartphone!
Power front seats with driver seat memory. Nobody better be changin' anything!
Ambiance lighting. Um, I'm 51 years old. I'm not trying to seduce anyone in my cool car.

$4500.00 for xenons? No effing way.

[simianspeedster]

Originally Posted by Suprgnat

I asked one of the guys at East Bay BMW, and he informed me about 3% of the cars they sell are manuals. Waited for almost 2 months for my MT car to arrive from Germany.

I recall hearing somewhere that the manual take rate for the E9X in the U.S. was somewhere in the 5% range, but I can't find the source. It sounds about right to me, and I'm sure that number goes down as you climb the BMW food chain.

I sometimes wonder how much of this is chicken and egg. I'm not suggesting that BMW would sell 25% manuals in L.A. if the dealers stocked many more of them, but a lot of people don't have the patience (or planning skills) to order a car and wait 2-3 months -- they just figure out what they want and start looking around to see which dealer has the closest car to their desired config. By not stocking any manuals, the dealers are almost assuring that they have no chance of selling manuals to anyone except the most faithful.

It's sad, but understandable to some extent based on where BMW is heading as a brand.

[Pron1series]

Production completed yesterday! Is there any way to know which ship the car will be on? There are two NYK Line ships leaving 4/13 (I assume my car didn't make it on to any of the 4/6 ships) and two JOC ships leaving 4/20. Thanks for the help.

[gregthegr8]

Unfortunately there's no real way of knowing what boat you'll be on in advance. Most of us are averaging about 9 days from end of production to being on a boat. So, might be close but you might be able to get on a 4/13 boat. And even once you're on a boat, there seems to be about a 3 day lag to even get confirmation.

You'll get a better idea once your status switches to at port awaiting a shipping vessel. If it's there by the 10th or so, you might make that 4/13 boat. I'll make sure to post pics of my mineral grey to make the wait as unbearable as possible for you. =)

[Pron1series]

My status changed this morning to at port awaiting shipping vessel - I certainly hope it gets on the 4/13 boat or it has to wait until 4/20 I think.

[gregthegr8]

Chances are pretty good then that you'll get on that boat. Then the seemingly forever boat ride.

[Pron1series]

Today the BMW lady said that my car is in transit. The boat doesn't leave until 4/13 though so I'm a bit confused. Can anyone provide clarification? I assume that it just means it's ON the boat but the boat hasn't actually left the port.

[gregthegr8]

Interesting. If it switched from at port awaiting a shipping vessel and now says in transit, you're on a boat! Realize, she is typically a day or two behind, but ask your dealer, who should show it as on a boat and the ETA if you can't figure out which boat it might be on. They sometimes use a couple of other carriers, so it's possible a boat snuck in there under your radar and picked it up.

It's probably on the Torino though. check the W&W website today and tomorrow and put your VIN # into the cargo ID and see if it shows as on there. Sometimes they show up, sometimes they don't. A bunch of us on a recent boat there was a 3-4 day lag before our cars showed up in their cargo system.