production cut off for the 135i and 135is

[Iron Man]

Originally Posted by Ian.long

Ordered this morning....
I ended up going with Alpine White over Coral Red, 6MT, and Harmon Kardon.

And then immediately regretted it.

I ended up going with my original build, lemans blue, black with blue stitching, HK, heated seats, 6mt.

Did anyone else have this amount of trouble picking a color?

Yes, it literally took me weeks to decide.

I don't think you could go wrong with either color combo above.

[gregthegr8]

Originally Posted by Ian.long

Ordered this morning....
I ended up going with Alpine White over Coral Red, 6MT, and Harmon Kardon.

And then immediately regretted it.

I ended up going with my original build, lemans blue, black with blue stitching, HK, heated seats, 6mt.

Did anyone else have this amount of trouble picking a color?

I think a lot of us labored over the color (and options!). Even after I placed my order, I still was driving around to check out 135is's in other colors to make sure I made the right choice.

We'll see if you change again. =P On my 2008 135, I decided at the last minute that I wanted the heated seats, so decided to change from titanium silver metallic to jet black to save $550 to then add the heated seats for $500. When I called BMWNA to find out when the last day I could change was, I never even got to ask, as after I gave them my production number so they could look it up, they said, congratulations sir, your car went into production this morning.

I think your first instinct will generally be the right one.

[mb135is]

Originally Posted by Ian.long

The reason that I'm asking this is really just because some of the new bmw's I have driven are a little boring and I'm wondering if the people saying the 1 is a really fun car have driven other great cars. In your case you have so thanks for the input.

I always get a little nervous+anxious I made the right decision when buying a car.

I know the GP well. It is what started my search when I was getting the itch. I found some good ones for low 20s, which led me to looking at E46 Ms, which led me to the 135is. Funny how you find ways to spend your money sometimes.

I love the R53. I had mine setup absolutely perfectly for serious track work - it was as balanced as a car could be, and it surprised many people in the turns. The R53 with the NOW power of the supercharger and the perfect steering epitomizes fun; so does the 1er. You're buying a fun car, rest assured. I think of my 1er as a blend of my R53 and my ZHP, honestly. All it needs is cloth seats and it's the perfect car!

Originally Posted by Ian.long

Ordered this morning....
I ended up going with Alpine White over Coral Red, 6MT, and Harmon Kardon.

And then immediately regretted it.

I ended up going with my original build, lemans blue, black with blue stitching, HK, heated seats, 6mt.

Did anyone else have this amount of trouble picking a color?

I went back and forth. First was Blue Water, then Lemans, then got down to Titanium and Space, then Mineral had me for a few days, then back to Titanium and Space, then Space. Actually a bunch of my friends over at zhpmafia.com helped me order my car and tipped me over the edge in favor of space.

I had one friend giving me the hard sell on lemans with the blue stitching. There are some light settings where I don't _love_ lemans, and the fact that the blue stitching doesn't continue onto the doors is the type of detail that would bother me (my OCD, not really a knock on the car).

But yea, we all go back and forth on color. In my gut I've always wanted and lusted after SG/CR so I had to go with it. Sounds like your gut was telling you Lemans from the start.


Just got back from Bimmerfest East. Saw one 135is 'vert in Lemans with Blue stitching with a ridiculous "M is" badge on the back. Saw another AW 135is from a distance pulling up (saw the 313 wheels and black mirrors). Saw a ton of 1Ms and a good amount of regular 135s.

[ISLong]

I think what got me away from the Le Mans and the blue stitching is that it's one of the most popular colors and I hate having something that is just like everyone else. I just keep telling myself there are still only like 50 something of them and the odds of actually seeing one is very very low and it's what I really wanted.

A couple days ago I had actually put CB and Le Mans beside each other in a picture on Facebook and asked which color everyone liked better. I had about 17 for CB and about 15 for Le Mans. It didn't really help haha.

Was your defuser the $1700 bmw performance one? I want to find one, and that would be a little cheaper for me with my discount but still more than I'd like to pay...

[Kouper]

Originally Posted by mb135is

I know the GP well. It is what started my search when I was getting the itch. I found some good ones for low 20s, which led me to looking at E46 Ms, which led me to the 135is. Funny how you find ways to spend your money sometimes.

I love the R53. I had mine setup absolutely perfectly for serious track work - it was as balanced as a car could be, and it surprised many people in the turns. The R53 with the NOW power of the supercharger and the perfect steering epitomizes fun; so does the 1er. You're buying a fun car, rest assured. I think of my 1er as a blend of my R53 and my ZHP, honestly. All it needs is cloth seats and it's the perfect car!


Just got back from Bimmerfest East. Saw one 135is 'vert in Lemans with Blue stitching with a ridiculous "M is" badge on the back. Saw another AW 135is from a distance pulling up (saw the 313 wheels and black mirrors). Saw a ton of 1Ms and a good amount of regular 135s.

Hey mb135is,

Would be fun to compare notes. I had a 2006 MINI S coupe, with the full Dinan S2 engine mods and S3 suspension mods and LOVED it. As much as I dislike FWD, it was such a fun go-kart with 206 HP and only 2600 lbs, and so perfectly balanced (and that much better once I ditched the run flats for Michelin PSS)! The R53 with it's instant screaming supercharger was so much more visceral than the 135is that I almost feel like I'm driving a luxury car now - LOL. But I'd forgotten how much I'd missed that straight six smoothness and sound since I owning my '99 E36 M3 years ago. Decided to get the 135is in a convertible for something different and am definitely enjoying it. But that MINI will always have a very special place....

How was Bimmerfest East? You probably saw my buddy Jon Shafer there. I've been to Bimmerfest here on the left coast many times.

[mb135is]

Originally Posted by Kouper

Hey mb135is,

Would be fun to compare notes. I had a 2006 MINI S coupe, with the full Dinan S2 engine mods and S3 suspension mods and LOVED it. As much as I dislike FWD, it was such a fun go-kart with 206 HP and only 2600 lbs, and so perfectly balanced (and that much better once I ditched the run flats for Michelin PSS)! The R53 with it's instant screaming supercharger was so much more visceral than the 135is that I almost feel like I'm driving a luxury car now - LOL. But I'd forgotten how much I'd missed that straight six smoothness and sound since I owning my '99 E36 M3 years ago. Decided to get the 135is in a convertible for something different and am definitely enjoying it. But that MINI will always have a very special place....

How was Bimmerfest East? You probably saw my buddy Jon Shafer there. I've been to Bimmerfest here on the left coast many times.

I had the full Dinan engine treatment on mine as well. It was definitely quick, just about as quick as my ZHP. When I got my R53, I thought I was going to keep it forever. I absolutely loved the thing. Then the track addiction came, which led to modifications, which led to further track addiction, which ended in a really, really quick car that was a nightmare to drive on the street. I had it set up by a guy who builds MINI race cars, and the thing was friggin' ridiculous.

Here are some shots:






It's funny, coming from the ZHP, the E82 seems really visceral, but I can see how coming from the R53 would make the E82 feel like a lincoln towncar.

Bimmerfest was fun. Car overload! There had to be thousands of cars there. I don't know who John Shafer is or if I saw him hahah.

I saw one 135is for sure - a Lemans convertible. Possibly an Alpine coupe, but that was from a distance.

I only stayed until about noon before it sort of got old for me. As you can tell, I like to get together with my car friends then bomb around the track in between conversations. Wiping dust into clear coats then sitting around and watching the paint shine isn't really my thing. There were some ridiculous cars there, though. Best car I saw? My old ZHP was there! I miss that car.

[bp-plickner]

My 2010 Mini JCW was the most fun car I ever drove. Great road feel and pretty quick off the line. driving cross country in it several times on some roads I would set the cruise control at 105. That little four banger was turning some revs and the exhaust sound never got tiring. It had a much stiffer ride than the 135is also. My biggest quandary in buying my 135is was trading off the gas mileage. The JCW did between 27 to 30 mpg every day of the year, city and highway. If I got 15,000 miles on the front tires I was doing good.
The 135is is a much more refined ride with a lot less road feel. I am still getting used to how quickly the 135is accelerates, because it sure doesn't feel like it. I forgot how much I liked rear drivers, and even though it lacks a mechanical LSD I can sure feel the rear tires bite when when I goose it out of a turn. To get in the 20mpg around town I find I have to lay back on the accelerator and keep the tach at around 2k rpm. That's right about where the exhaust lets you know it's there. Great car.

[Kouper]

Originally Posted by mb135is

I had the full Dinan engine treatment on mine as well. It was definitely quick, just about as quick as my ZHP. When I got my R53, I thought I was going to keep it forever. I absolutely loved the thing. Then the track addiction came, which led to modifications, which led to further track addiction, which ended in a really, really quick car that was a nightmare to drive on the street. I had it set up by a guy who builds MINI race cars, and the thing was friggin' ridiculous.

It's funny, coming from the ZHP, the E82 seems really visceral, but I can see how coming from the R53 would make the E82 feel like a lincoln towncar.

Bimmerfest was fun. Car overload! There had to be thousands of cars there. I don't know who John Shafer is or if I saw him hahah.

Wow, we have a few MINI fanatic converters to 135is. Cool. Very nice looking MINI. I can see how it would get to be a bit much for the street after a while, though. Mine was equipped so nicely from the factory, with LSD, Sport pkg, 17" web spoke alloys (which I had powder coated to match the factory dark silver; never saw any others like that), HK sound, as well as many other great options. It was one of the most trouble-free high perf cars I've owned, 6 years and 75K miles with none of the normal issues, and loved to be driven hard. I never expected to like it as much as I did or own it for as long as I did; I usually tire of cars much sooner.

Sorry, I didn't expect to you find some random Jon at Bimmerfest -- Jon Shafer is the founder of Bimmerfest and is usually running the whole program, giving away the awards and raffle prizes, etc. But yes, after a while it becomes car overload.

Here is a pic of my MINI. I do miss it:

[mb135is]

Gorgeous MINIs, BP and Kouper!

[Kouper]

Originally Posted by mb135is

Gorgeous MINIs, BP and Kouper!

Thanks.
We apologize for this mini-interruption. Now back to our regularly scheduled thread

[gregthegr8]

The 135is must feel gigantic compared to a mini.

Never driven a mini, but did own a cozy coupe in the early 80s,

Greg

[Kouper]

Greg,

Cool car. But I don't see the CC emblem on the side... was that a fake?
(sorry, you've now heightened my sensitivity to originality on this site as we flush out the phonies....)

[gregthegr8]

That is not MINE pictured, so I assume whoever posted that online debadged it. =P Guess that's the opposite of re-badging as a car it isn't.

[bp-plickner]

Originally Posted by Kouper

Thanks.
We apologize for this mini-interruption. Now back to our regularly scheduled thread

[IEDEI]

i order my 135is tomorrow. wish me luck! will give you all the specs when the order goes through.

[morningscifi]

I think you should still be okay if your dealer has been allotted an order of one. My dealer had one left and I was able to successfully order my 135is on the 15th. If they don't then I'm not sure how much luck you'll have.

[IEDEI]

Originally Posted by morningscifi

I think you should still be okay if your dealer has been allotted an order of one. My dealer had one left and I was able to successfully order my 135is on the 15th. If they don't then I'm not sure how much luck you'll have.

i was told on Friday that they can do it.

[mb135is]

Fingers crossed!

[DeepOvertone]

Originally Posted by IEDEI

i order my 135is tomorrow. wish me luck! will give you all the specs when the order goes through.

Stay away from Minerl Grey... I heard that after six months it just starts to melt off of the car and will clog your exhaust and ruin the interior.

[gregthegr8]

Originally Posted by DeepOvertone

Stay away from Minerl Grey... I heard that after six months it just starts to melt off of the car and will clog your exhaust and ruin the interior.

Say whaaaaaaaaaaaat?! Well, sounds like it'll match my ex-wife then.

[Worra]

I ordered my 135is (Black Sapphire, MT) on July 14th. The tracking on bmwusa.com is still on "order documented" but I haven't moved on to production just yet . Anyone else know how long this first stage usually takes?

[gregthegr8]

Originally Posted by Worra

I ordered my 135is (Black Sapphire, MT) on July 14th. The tracking on bmwusa.com is still on "order documented" but I haven't moved on to production just yet . Anyone else know how long this first stage usually takes?

The BMWUSA tracking is incredibly slow to update and often several days behind real time. Try the 1-800 number which you can find on the main ordering and tracking sticky on the forum. That seems to only be a day behind and is a better source of info. For mine for example, the 1-800# kept saying scheduled for production with no confirmed production date, then suddenly switched one morning to INTO production.

My order was placed Feb. 19 officially and went into production March 5 if I remember correctly. So, that was about 2 weeks. Depends what the allocation and slot and production date that slot had when your order got placed, if it went towards an existing slot, if that makes any sense. So, some people are able to modify slots that were coming up within a few days, others had to just wait til a slot became available, etc. etc.