Greetings: Picked Up A Like New '12 128i

[MOTO]

Just picked this up this new daily for the wife...sweet little car!

Solid history, no stories, bay area CA car (no stories that I could find). Clearly garaged it's whole life by someone that apparently liked looking at it more than driving it. That'll get solved with us.

Entire car inside, out and underneath looks brand new. Doesn't even look like it was ever driven in the rain. Crazy.

Stock except for Vogtland coilovers (cheap but ride quality is actually quite good), and 19" wheels (VMR's, I think).

Wife is liking it. Fun little car.

Was run through and it seems most things have been refreshed. The only thing I am unclear of is the trans.

Any suggestions on what else to look out for, swap out or refresh on this year, would ben helpful. Must do mods? Totally open to suggestions.

I have to start learning this platform and I look forward to a few upgrades...for starters, perhaps LED front light bulbs (or other, better recommendation). Gotta get rid of the old, yellow halogen bulbs.

Anyhow, thanks all and cheers.



PS: Forgive the order of pics...

[BMWCCA1]

Originally Posted by MOTO

Was run through and it seems most things have been refreshed. The only thing I am unclear of is the trans.

Are you wondering if the transmission has been "refreshed"? At 20,000 miles? Or are you trying to figure out how it operates. I can tell you in my wife's 128iA the only way I could be even slightly happy with the automatic compared to my 128i stick, was to put it in Sport/Manual mode and shift it.

[MOTO]

Originally Posted by BMWCCA1

Are you wondering if the transmission has been "refreshed"? At 20,000 miles? Or are you trying to figure out how it operates. I can tell you in my wife's 128iA the only way I could be even slightly happy with the automatic compared to my 128i stick, was to put it in Sport/Manual mode and shift it.

Simply thinking that this thing has been sitting for many years, barely driven. Was thinking out loud that perhaps it wouldn't be a terrible idea to make sure ALL the fluids were replaced, even though it has low miles. Maybe it's not necessary on the trans...

I'm sorry that my statement wasn't clear enough...

Yeah, it's my wife's DD, and she doesn't want a 3rd pedal. The auto is more than adequate for her and I found the car still quite fun, shifting in manual mode. Slow and slushy compared to the M340i and of course, Porsche PDK's but hey, it's a 2012 BMW.

Thanks for your input. (?)

[GoRomeo]

Nice find. Thanks for sharing. Congrats.

[19Neil]

Congrats on the purchase. Lowest miles I've seen on a coupe since I've been looking. Don't mind the auto snobbery. Respect all builds! Did you guys give it a name? My girl is Hilde. Happy motoring!

[parameter416]

Congratulations and welcome!

It seems like an odd combination: auto trans and non-Sport package, with coilovers and 19 inch wheels. I'd be curious to know how the previous owners used it.

I bought my used 128i with 110,000 km (about 70k miles) from a BMW dealer, so I had no previous owner history to go on at all. I had all fluids changed, including the transmission and differential fluid. BMW insists these 2 are lifetime fluids that never need to be replaced, but I had them changed anyway (I'm planning to keep my 128 very longterm; your priorities may vary).

[jdt10768]

Those wheels look good, fun car, enjoy
Don't worry about trans fluid, my 2 cents

[MOTO]

Originally Posted by 19Neil

Congrats on the purchase. Lowest miles I've seen on a coupe since I've been looking. Don't mind the auto snobbery. Respect all builds! Did you guys give it a name? My girl is Hilde. Happy motoring!

Thanks...yeah, I couldn't find a lower mile example in my nationwide searches. This was right in my back yard. No brainer.

I used to be a huge 3 pedal guy -- Z06's, 996 Turbo. After I went PDK in my 991 Turbo S, I started to appreciate the auto. While I'd prefer to have this car in stick, it's the wife's daily, not mine.

Never named our cars -- maybe she'll come up with a ridiculous name, that'll make me less inclined to want to drive it.

[MOTO]

Originally Posted by parameter416

Congratulations and welcome!

It seems like an odd combination: auto trans and non-Sport package, with coilovers and 19 inch wheels. I'd be curious to know how the previous owners used it.

I bought my used 128i with 110,000 km (about 70k miles) from a BMW dealer, so I had no previous owner history to go on at all. I had all fluids changed, including the transmission and differential fluid. BMW insists these 2 are lifetime fluids that never need to be replaced, but I had them changed anyway (I'm planning to keep my 128 very longterm; your priorities may vary).

Thanks!!

Hmmm, well, I wouldn't necessarily call it odd.

Someone had a non sport package, auto car...and upgraded the wheels and suspension. Why is that odd? I see that stuff all the time from car guys who like to mod their cars. Heck guys put huge wings on 4 door honda civics. Talk about strange, lol.

The buyer got it from a car guy in Palo Alto, who apparently drove it occasionally...one of many cars in his stable. Car clearly wasn't a track car -- I have spent years on the track, I know a track driven car when I see one. Seems to have been owned by an enthusiast and weekend street driver, who had multiple cars.

Thanks for your input!

[MOTO]

Originally Posted by jdt10768

Those wheels look good, fun car, enjoy
Don't worry about trans fluid, my 2 cents

Thank you. Appreciated.

[Finneganistan]

Great looking car, congrats!

[Gray_Panther]

Sick! And only 20k miles!

[MOTO]

Thanks!

Already checked my vanos bolts. They look good.

Looking at some Apex 18” wheels and new rubber, to get rid of the 19’s.

Got a subtle rear spoiler and better grilles.

Bluetooth music streaming. Check!

Not too many more mods are available or needed for this thing. My wallet is thankful.

Will bring the paint back to a new level, and enjoy this thing.

Neat little car!