1M vs 135i

[dgedition]

I know this topic has been beat to death over the years but with todays current pricing of a135i at 15-20k and a solid example of a 1M running north of 65k is it maybe better to just go the 135i route with some light mods?

The 1M is obviously a better car but is it 40k better for the pure use of a play street car? I'm only asking because I have a 135i and I'm at a crossroads of either throwing some coilovers on it and maybe an LSD or just saying screw it and picking up a 1M.

I understand it will never have that full M3 suspension setup and steering rack.

[N55e82Simon]

Originally Posted by dgedition

I know this topic has been beat to death over the years but with todays current pricing of a135i at 15-20k and a solid example of a 1M running north of 65k is it maybe better to just go the 135i route with some light mods?

The 1M is obviously a better car but is it 40k better for the pure use of a play street car? I'm only asking because I have a 135i and I'm at a crossroads of either throwing some coilovers on it and maybe an LSD or just saying screw it and picking up a 1M.

I understand it will never have that full M3 suspension setup and steering rack.

For a small fraction of the price you can have a very similar experience to the 1m in 135. Or find one that’s already done up for a similar price.

I think for most people the 1m is an investment that they don’t use which is a shame. But the 135 will solve that for most people and drive it and enjoy it.

For the money I think you can get a better car for a driver then the 1m for what they fetch. But there is something undeniable able the 1m overall. If I could get one and put a few hundred miles a year I would. But I need more money

For what it’s worse I love my 135i and think it’s a great platform overall.

[ayao]

There are two schools of thought regarding this topic:
1. The 1M is just a tarted-up 135i.
2. The 1M is more than the sum of its parts.

A lot of the decision will come down to budget as well as how much you buy into #2. I do not think there is necessarily a right or wrong answer but the forum keyboard warriors are passionate about their opinions.

NGEE just picked up a 1M to maybe replace a Stage 3 Dinan 135is - his opinions might offer additional insight to this.

A colleague of mine recently picked up a 135i vert and has done a bunch of work to it (M3 control arms, coilovers, DP, FMIC, tune, etc) and is in love with it. I recently took him for a ride in the 1M. I maybe shouldn't have because now he is having a crisis of faith and wondering if he should have just gone straight to a 1M.

Finally, prices for 1Ms are all over the place. I'd love to see them explode and help fund my retirement but it's hard to know if this will ever happen. I was stalking a recent Cars & Bids no reserve auction for what looked like an excellent specimen (40k miles, Canadian car, 3rd owner) and it ended up selling for $48.5k which is considerably lower than what I was hoping or expecting. So, all this to say that the right car for the right is probably still out there if this is the direction you end up deciding.

[PRTSB1M]

Usually, if you have to ask this question, then the 1M is not for you. I've owned an N55 135i, an F80 M3, and now my 1M. You can't fit enough tire on a 135i to manage the torque of a tuned N54.

If you can do the N54 maintenance/mods yourself, then the 1M is more than worth it; otherwise they wouldn't have held their value for more than 10 years.

[dgedition]

Thanks for the replies! So basically I need to try and snag a drive in one of these 1Ms...hahaha.

I spotted the Canadian C&B car and just chalked that up to being out of the US. I've been on a crazy hunt for these and 65k seems like the sweet spot of decent history and lower mileage. Obviously the small boutique dealers basically fix the market higher but I kind of just write those cars off. A VO one just sold after auction on B&T for I could imagine no more than 66k and its posted up at 85k 2 weeks later.

This question only really popped in my head because I've been through cars and their special edition counterparts and never been wowed beyond belief. One example is the M2C vs CS, I know they are both M cars but the CS is not worth the premium.

Its a bummer there are probably 200 of these sitting in garages with less than 200 miles on the ODO. If I land one I'm driving it!

[NGEE]

Originally Posted by ayao

A colleague of mine recently picked up a 135i vert and has done a bunch of work to it (M3 control arms, coilovers, DP, FMIC, tune, etc) and is in love with it. I recently took him for a ride in the 1M. I maybe shouldn't have because now he is having a crisis of faith and wondering if he should have just gone straight to a 1M.

^^This.

Think about the fact that his colleague was just a passenger, and is having this crisis lol. The 1M is a sublime car - just search YouTube.

I had a 135is that I dumped $18k into over 18 months - mostly cosmetics but also a DINAN Stage 3 tune. It was an absolute beast and my forever car. But I became more and more frustrated at the inability to put all that power down with an open diff. So I began to explore options for an LSD. I was totally prepared to go that route when I came across a 1M for sale that had no navigation (single-hump dash) and manual seats, and I impulsively pulled the trigger.

Look, a 135is in great shape with lower mileage will fetch $20k these days (I sold mine with 100k miles for $17k). Since a 1M with 50k miles is going for 60k+ these days, consider that you could put $50k into a 135is and come out better for it - an AWESOME car. But it will never be worth much.

Most people these days are keeping 1M's in their garage in hopes of increasing values. But I'm in a unique situation where I'm 66 years old and don't care about future values - I'ma drive the shit out of my 1M and enjoy it. But if you are concerned about future values, then ditch the 135is, buy the 1M, and keep it in your garage. Otherwise, the 135is is a great car if fitted with an LSD.

[E46M3forRay]

Originally Posted by dgedition

Thanks for the replies! So basically I need to try and snag a drive in one of these 1Ms...hahaha.

This question only really popped in my head because I've been through cars and their special edition counterparts and never been wowed beyond belief. One example is the M2C vs CS, I know they are both M cars but the CS is not worth the premium.

Its a bummer there are probably 200 of these sitting in garages with less than 200 miles on the ODO. If I land one I'm driving it!

It is easy to shrug off all the limited model trim that BMW has offered because in our own subconscious mind, the disparity in price is usually the common denominator. It triggers the, "oh for that x amount, i can do this..."

I came from an M2CS and in your example, there is about $25-30k price difference. If you look closely and even though they look identical, there are so many unique changes and some of the parts are bespoke specific to the CS like the carbon hood, the carbon weave in the roof, carbon center console, M dynamic suspension, huge power gain and so on. It also drives differently and good in every way. That price difference alone is worth the gain given there were additional engineering development done.

It's the same basic idea with the F80 M3 and I just so happen that I'm also a previous owner of an M3CS. The price difference between a comp and cs was also similar except BMW dropped the ball on the M3CS back in 2018-2019 and I was able to snag one at 21% off.

I didn't expect to land and own a 1M. After I sold my M2CS DCT, i was looking for the same car in manual. When a 1M popped up locally to me with only 16k miles, I rushed and went to look at the car and now i own it. The 3 things that sold me on the 1M was - shifter feel, hydraulic steering feel and best of all, it's a Unicorn.

[CoralRed]

I bought my 2008 135i (still have it but it’s for sale!) and my dad bought his 1M new (sold last summer) so I have significant time in both. To me by far the biggest difference is the steering. It’s soooo much better in the 1M. More direct, more feedback. The 1M isn’t much faster than my 135i but it will way out perform it in the twisties.

Now…. My dad’s 1M sold for over $100,000. Is the driving experience four times better? Absolutely not.

[PRTSB1M]

Originally Posted by CoralRed

The 1M isn’t much faster than my 135i but it will way out perform it in the twisties.

If it will "way out perform it in the twisties," that means it's a faster car. To expand on this, a 135i will easily overcome the front tires and push through a turn (understeer). The largest tire you can fit on the rear of a 135i will easily fit the front of a 1M. The 1M also has M Dynamic mode (MDM), which means you can slide the car around without ditching it. I don't think anyone has successfully ported MDM to a 135i.