At the risk of being flamed! A ridiculous request!

[Maine1]

Many of us bought the 6mt in early 2008 without ever seeing it or trying it. You just gotta have faith. I haven't been disappointed, it's been a blast for over 2 years now.

[NewYearsBoy]

I think step is faster... No room for error...

[LaCroix]

Originally Posted by Stoutnj89

I think step is faster... No room for error...

No it's not, any decent driver can shift more quickly than any non-DC automatic.

ALSO

[schmeah]

Now wait a minute. Are we talking 2010 step or 2011 DCT for comparison? Because I'll tell you, I went from a 335i coupe 6MT to a 135i DCT and there is no comparison. The DCT IS much quicker off the line, and there is absolutely no lag. The shifts are incredibly silky and seamless. But the 6MT is a great tranny as well and I see the merits of both ... just different.

[///M///M Good]

Originally Posted by BrokenVert

What do you mean lag? The step is instant response did you ever take it out of D?

Whatever I don't care that you're a stick guy but no need to hate on the step

As in it hesitated for a moment off the line. Second, I'm not hating. I never said anything against the transmission other than noticing the little hesitation off the line. I don't know why it was there, but when going from stopped with my foot on the brake to a moderate application of power, it wouldn't respond as I wanted. It was sluggish for maybe about 1/4 - 1/2 second and then it would start accelerating faster without any change in the accelerator position. Gear changes were fast and smooth, but off the line was a different story. It wasn't broken in, so I didn't push it hard. Maybe if I had pressed the gas harder it would have responded differently. Maybe that particular car had something wrong with it. And it was a 2011, so it was a DCT, not a Step.

[NewYearsBoy]

LaCroix... Im sorry there is no way... Line um up.... Thats why ever super car manufacturer is switching over to Paddles...

[LaCroix]

Is there seriously only one person that is currently commenting on my actual post? This is getting ridiculous. Stop arguing about dct vs step vs 6mt in my thread, please. I just need help finding a car to drive.

[BrokenVert]

^sorry op but at the mention of dct/step/6mt it's like moths to a flame

[JB135MDCT]

Test drive the M3 MT and DCT. That is what I did.

[IDBMW]

I bought my Z4 and 135i test driving only autos since that is all they had on the lot. But the 135i is BMW # 5 for me which were all manuals. I had no problem ordering a manual without driving it since I know BMW produces a good mt. The Z4 had the option of an SMG shifter but the reviews said it was not so good so I did not go for SMG. From what I read on this forum and reviews I would buy the DCT, it is far more refined than the SMG.

Perhaps you could find a 335 with a mt for a test to get at least a little feel for the mt.

[sunking420]

Like Maine1, I ordered my 135i MT without ever seeing the car in person. Had no idea of the size inside, any dimensions for that matter and didn't really care. To me it was pretty close performance wise to a Porsche Cayman S, at almost half the cost.

If you like everything about the 135i and just driving it in MT form is the only concern, go ahead and pull the trigger. Bimmer makes great manual trannies. This is my second BMW and the clutch and shifter are as good as any in my opinion.

Crazy to think these cars are 30 to 1 as far as auto vs. MT. I wonder if my car will be that much easier to sell later on?

Good luck in your quest. Hope someone in your area reads this and helps you out. I would but obviously I'm a bit out of the way.....

[bluesunit]

Agreed, there hasn't been a single 6-speed on local lots down here . . . guess they expect you to order it blind. I was lucky enough to find one used at a Honda dealership a month back.

I'll PM you, but if you are willing to wait till August 8th, I'll let you co drive my car at the next autocross in New Orleans.

How's that for a test drive

[ChrisK]

I loved the MT in my 135i, especially after removing the CDV. However...

I have been driving nothing but MTs for 25+ years: DCT feels more like a MT than an AT. After test driving DCT many times, it was a no brainer. Take your foot off the gas, and the engine brake feels just like a MT. For those that say it's not as much fun as a MT... CMON. When I see traffic, I will no longer have a sore left foot, knee, ankle, etc.

It's 2010 people, New Tech

[GaryS]

Are there really people who prefer automatic transmission in one small sports coupe but prefer manual transmission in some other small sports coupe? (not counting DCT.) I never would have expected that.

[ChrisK]

This is fun

[mitchs_z4]

bluesunit... dude I'm in Mandeville and am thinking about getting back into autocrossing. how long have you been part of Delta or Cenla???

[fermat1313]

Originally Posted by hppypaul

BMW are hypocrites. there is nothing Ultimate about an auto

Why are they hypocrites? They will sell what people want to buy. BMW sells mostly manuals in Europe. They aren't forcing people to buy autos.

To think that BMW should only sell manual cars is just ridiculous. Name one mass market manufacturer that only sells manuals. Go ahead, I'll wait.

To stay competitive (which means, to stay alive) car companies must adapt to the times. No, they aren't going to make a small light car like the 2002 again. Guess what, nobody else is. Changing markets, increased safety standards, increased emmision standards, these are all things that every car company will adapt to, or they risk becoming irrelevant.

Either way, my 135i (6mt - my personal preference) is a great car, it's fast, civilized, and a lot of fun to drive. If building this car is such a sin, then may all other car companies start sinning now!

[Northx]

Perhaps you could find a 335 with a mt for a test to get at least a little feel for the mt.

+1 - this is what I did - couldn't find a MT but wanted to get a feel for the shifting/clutch travel etc. I picked up mine on an ED and it felt exactly the same.

[BSM 335I]

Originally Posted by rsjean

That's funny. It's the same reason I bought a 6-spd.

Good luck on that one.

[BSM 335I]

Originally Posted by LaCroix

No it's not, any decent driver can shift more quickly than any non-DC automatic.

ALSO

Now I see why you posted this question. You really do not know the potential of the ZF transmission in these cars. Cause if you did you would know that they are indeed quicker in both upshifting and downshifting, with the perfect revmatch to follow with it. I've owned the 6mt and I slammed through every gear without even lifting off the gas 20% and still could not reel in or pull forward on an AT equipped one. This was done stock vs stock and even JB3 vs JB3. I will tell you this, the steptronic works much better with power added to it such as a JB3.

I mean just look at the video below. I'm sure most have seen it but honestly I cannot find a better example of how well this transmissions performs.

Jump to 1:10

[DSB128i]

There are 2 used 6 speed 135's on craigslist in Dallas at dealers.

[nordique14]

Originally Posted by fermat1313

Why are they hypocrites? They will sell what people want to buy. BMW sells mostly manuals in Europe. They aren't forcing people to buy autos.

While I would agree that they do not force you to buy a manual they certainly make it difficult. Most Americans buy cars directly off the lot and do not order them. So only stocking autos on the lot gives buyers no choice unless they are willing to wait (which most are not).

Also, look at LaCroix's case. He wants to buy a stick and has money in hand. He only wants to do a test drive (which is a reasonable request). 11 dealerships in 2 states do not have a stick for him to test drive. Seems to me the dealerships have no desire to sell stick shifts. They hate getting them as lease returns and trade-ins. When I asked my sales guy what options a car should have to increase resale value he told me auto trans and a sunroof. Nothing else was important.

To the OP, seems like you are SOL looking for a 135i 6-speed manual in your area to test. I agree with what others have said regarding try to find a 335i with a stick. Try posting the same request on E90post. The 3-series outsells the 1-series by about 12:1.

The last monthly sales figures I saw only had the 1-series selling a handful of more units than the 7-series. I think the number was about 800 units last month. If the 30:1 ratio for auto:stick is true then only about 25 stick 1-series are sold each month. Not sure about the 128:135 ratio but I would say you are looking at less than 20 manual 135i sold each month in the entire US.