Is it BMW, the 1er, or both?

[duder13]

Hi. Since lately I've seen a lot of talk about modern cars and how they're losing their feel, I thought it might be fun to open up a discussion on why you chose a 1er. Are you a huge BMW fan? Do you just love the 1er? Maybe a bit of both?

In my case, I've primarily been a Porsche fan my whole life, and BMW has never been on my radar much, although I certainly like some of the classics, like the 2002, M1, etc. I had a neighbor growing up who lived in a pretty modest suburban house, but they bought a new 8 series at the time, and I thought that was a pretty insane car, but it still never took me like Porsches. Also, my uncle bought an M roadster the first year they were out, so I kind of never wanted a BMW, since it's what my uncle drives.

Well, fast forward to this millennium, and I manage to own both a Porsche 996 Targa and a 987 Cayman. These cars were fantastic to drive, but, not being someone who likes to stand out (see Cashmere Silver Metallic 135i,) I always felt a bit self conscious in those cars. I mean, I had people flip me off when I was simply casually driving around at the speed limit, just because of "Porsche." So, when family life dictated that I needed some kind of real backseat, I started looking around.

While a lot of BMW fans go gaga over the E46, E92, etc., I was never really wowed by those cars. Coming from a Porsche background, they still looked like "family cars" to me, for lack of a better term, so I was shocked to see an E82 in a parking lot. After only having read about them for a few years, the compact, pugnacious 1er really looked like the closest thing I could get to a sports car with a reasonable backseat. I still stare at the thing, because it's a mean looking little car, and I appreciate how it's the same length as my Cayman.

My only problem now is that, if I was forced, I guess I'd get an M2 these days, but I really have no interest in upgrading to anything I've seen on the market, so I'm kind of planning to grow old with this 135i.

So, for me, it was never so much about BMW, but, rather, I just really liked the 1er. What about you? Are you a lifelong BMW fan, or is the 1er a special circumstance? Do you plan on replacing it soon? Cheers!


p.s. I will say that the BMW Club is much more suited to me than the Porsche Club ever was.

[Gangplank]

Personally I've been a BMW fan since my uncle let me drive his 650 CSi. It was the 80s and I found riding in it fascinating. It had gobs to torque and a really great look even today as a classic.

I've owned a few BMW motorcycles and an X5, e60 545i, and finally the 135i. Interestingly the 545 & 135 have similar power numbers, similar weight & feel even though the 5 was bigger. The 545 had dynamic steering/suspension and handled like a stock car. It was a fantastic driving car. Probably the best of any car I've owned but the reliability was terrible. The e60 was ahead of its time but BMW really screwed up the reliability on those cars.

The e82 1er fits my mid-life persona better than anything I've owned. It's fun, pretty reliable, isn't too expensive to own & drive, handles really well & has far more power than I need.

I plan on keeping it and driving it until it doesn't run anymore.

[kaputt]

I got into BMWs as a kid. My neighbor bought a brand new E46 ZHP with a stick and for some reason I fell in love with that car. As I got older and learned more about BMW, I loved how they made (at the time) all of their cars for the enthusiast. You could get a stick in the whole line up and didn’t have to pay super mega bucks to get something that was fun to drive but still a little refined.

For the longest time I thought I’d buy new, and I almost did buy a new 2 series, but a lot of the tech like iDrive and Sport Modes kind of turned me off. So I started shopping for E46 ZHPs and stripper 128i’s, but made it hard on myself by only wanting a super clean low mileage example. Stumbled by accident across my 128i with 17k miles at the time. Loved how it still had an old school feel, hardly any tech, and the more classic BMW look.

BMW today kind of disappoints me. They still make some great cars, but I think the only ones left with any personality are the 2 series and the M2. I’ll admit also that the new 8 series is pretty sexy and I’ll be interested to see how the next M3 is.

But unfortunately BMW has mostly left the “every day enthusiast” behind. The new 3 series is just another bloated semi luxury sedan, so that really leaves the 2 series as an “affordable” fun car. Everything else that has any personality is an M car and is $$$.

[rowsdower]

I don't care about brands. I had a 2010 6MT GTI to get to work and some motorcycles (Suzuki, Yamaha, and Ducati) for fun. The GTI was experiencing its second water pump failure at 80k miles (among many other issues). Front wheel drive was also a bummer. The idea of owning that car out of warranty was scaring me, so I was in the market for something that ticked these boxes:

1. Small
2. Manual
3. Rear wheel drive
4. Inexpensive

It was never supposed to be a track car or anything - just a DD. That had me looking at used 128is, new FRS/BRZs (this was 2013 so there weren't any used ones), and a couple of other models. The Toyobaru twins were a significant step down from the GTI in terms of the interior and power, and the other models I looked at didn't fit my needs for various reasons.

I will say that the GTI was the better overall car in a lot of ways. Better power delivery for street driving, FAR better shifter, more utility being a hatchback, better interior (both quality and features). The 1er clearly handles better and is rear wheel drive, and feels more grown up. It took me a long time to like the 1er more than the GTI.

Would I buy another BMW? Probably not, as I'm now in a place in my life where I've got a DD (a Mazda) and a fun car (the 128i). Whatever I replace the 128i with will primarily be a track car so it would be something more focused like a used Cayman. My Mazda is good enough for street driving.

[Rmtt]

I had a 2006 330, and an e46 M3 in the past as daily drivers as I had always had a Corvette for weekend fun and modding.

Recently I had an older small ford ranger as a daily that finally gave up at almost 265K miles.

At that point, I was looking for a "Daily" that would give me some fun through the week as the Vette does on the weekend.

Being that I didn't need 4 doors, the 128i and 135 immediately grabbed my attention. I wanted something reliable that I could do my own "wrenching" on...and had a little room for improvements as I always have to be "tinkering" with my cars.

I will admit all of the research on the 135 scared me although I could handle the work, but I wanted a car that I would have on the road more than in my shop. I would have liked to pick up a 135 and looked at a few, but when I found my 128i, I was hooked.

Alpine White, Gray interior, 6 speed, sport seats, "M" suspension and nothing else.

Plus it has a "power-band" that is the complete opposite of my Corvette. I can "stretch" it's legs without worrying about shutting it down right out of 2nd gear, and it's a joy to drive.

[Thunderguts]

This is my first and only BMW. It was meant to replace my last beater. I wanted something light and flickable for a daily driver, but not something I would care about if it got a little hail damage. Well, it turns out that I love my little 128 so much that I'm pouring money into it and planning to keep it as long as it's viable.

I honestly don't think I'd buy another BMW unless it was an E30 M3, 2002, or maybe a second 1er. I love the way my little 128 drives, but I can't stand all the computers and sensors that can fail. Who needs a damn sensor to tell them that their brake pads are getting low? In that respect, I'm very much opposed to the modern BMW philosophy of idiot-proofing their cars.

I do love the dynamics of the 1er. The perfect 50/50 weight distribution and short wheelbase make the 128 amazing to drive fast on city streets. Like the Toybaru twins, you can have fun with this car below triple digit speeds. It's a shame that the car weighs about 250 lbs more than it should because of all the electronic nannies. I absolutely love my 128, but I don't think a new BMW will ever interest me.

[Soterios]

It's not about brand at all. I had a $20,000ish toy car budget and wanted something quick, moddable, and 'nice' to drive around. The 135i was kind of the only car that fit the bill. Everything else was either too old or too slow or too big.

BMW makes a lot of neat cars, but they were almost never in the 'performance per dollar' catagory that I care about until recently. Moving forward, I could see myself picking up another low mileage turbo BMW if the price/model is right.

[N54Yankee]

135 was my first BMW. Been a V8 muscle car guy my whole life and still am. Have a C6 Corvette that’s worked pretty good and at the time I was looking for a hot, decent handling smaller coupe for DD use. In my research I came across the N54 135 and digging deeper I thought this is the car I’m looking for. Test drove one and was pretty impressed by the package as a whole. Bought a new one a couple days later and still have it. Added a Cobb to give me additional gittyup, M3 arms up front all is well, I got even more then I expected from the 1’er, it’s my little Bavarian I6 twin turbo muscle car. The C6 and the 135 make for a very nice one two punch.

[Esteban]

Growing up I always thought of BMW as a status seeking snob's car. 'Big-Money-Waste.' In 2008 I was driving my car, a supercharged Mustang GT 5-speed, down the road and pulled up next to an E46 M3 at a red light. When the light turned green that M3 took off like a bat out of hell and so did I, and I blew him right out of the water. All he saw was my taillights and exhaust. I know there's more to a car than straight line speed, but it felt sooooo good to beat that M3. I whipped the snobbery right off of him and his BMW, I thought.

Anyway, soon after that I had a hiking accident, and after several months and many attempts I realized I could no longer work a clutch safely so I was in need of a new car. I had read an article earlier that year about the 135i and was curious about the little car. I asked my wife and she drove me (in my Mustang) down to our local BMW dealer that weekend so I could check it out. Well, it was love at first drive. There was so much more to this car than snob appeal. Could I have been wrong about BMW all this time? Yes, I was most certainly wrong. Loved everything about this car. Loved the size and power, loved it's looks and the way it handled. Loved the steering feel. Loved the driver focused cockpit; everything you need, nothing you don't. The Steptronic transmission was really nice. It had paddle shifters so I could shift manually and it was very fast. Needless to say I traded my Mustang and bought the 135i that day. Black Sapphire Metallic over Coral Red leather.

A few years later BMW changed the Steptronic in the 135i to the DCT and I went down to the dealer to see what it was like. A beautiful Le Mans Blue 135i with the DCT and black leather had just arrived on the lot. It was gorgeous, and the new DCT shifted extremely fast. I was in love... again. Loved everything about the car... again. Very lightly optioned, just the way I wanted it. If I was going to order a 135i, it would've been just like this. So I traded my black 1er for my new blue 135i with DCT and it's been a match made in car heaven ever since.

[The Wind Breezes]

I don't care about brands and neither should you. My 1 series made sense at the time cuz I wanted an inexpensive tunable turbo RWD car with dual clutch.

[Captain Blood]

The 135 is my midlife crisis car (until I can afford a E63 wagon. 707hp).
I absolutely love the power the N55 produces. I thought my G35 and Maxima were fast. I really liked the Maxima, lots of power, the CVT wasn't really too bad, and it was very reliable. But with lots of power you get lots of torque steer with FWD. But the 135 totally blows it away. The only real drawback is I've had performance cars for my terrible commute (32 miles) but the route I take has gone from slightly congested to backed up bumper to bumper over the majority of the drive, so I don't get to enjoy the benefits of the 1er nearly as much as I used. to.

[Esteban]

Originally Posted by Schwarzschild Radius

The 135 is my midlife crisis car (until I can afford a E63 wagon. 707hp).
I absolutely love the power the N55 produces. I thought my G35 and Maxima were fast. I really liked the Maxima, lots of power, the CVT wasn't really too bad, and it was very reliable. But with lots of power you get lots of torque steer with FWD. But the 135 totally blows it away. The only real drawback is I've had performance cars for my terrible commute (32 miles) but the route I take has gone from slightly congested to backed up bumper to bumper over the majority of the drive, so I don't get to enjoy the benefits of the 1er nearly as much as I used. to.

If you like wagons with power, there's always the Cadillac CTS-V Wagon. 556HP, and the rare manual transmission option.

[Captain Blood]

Originally Posted by Esteban

If you like wagons with power, there's always the Cadillac CTS-V Wagon. 556HP, and the rare manual transmission option.

That used to be a dream car. But that would be a stop light king and highway king. No manual needed. But that dream has been replaced with the dream of the E63 wagon.....or Ford GT.

[MightyMouseTech]

Have always had a soft spot for BMW, but never been a big fan boy. Well, I guess I am now, now that I work there. The 1er just suits me perfect though. I enjoy small cars, and had always lusted over a 1er. Such a small car (same size as my Civic) with a hulking turbo six under the hood. Perfect. Nothing else has tempted me since I got her.

[Tommm]

I bought my 128 because I needed another car. I wanted a two door with a manual and I saw my car on the local craigslist and the sellers were pleasant people. No love, no lust, I wont fall in love with something I cant take to bed.

I took a blue collar buddy of mine on a Porsche Club tour with the destination a restaurant. When we got back to his house he said to me that he was very nervous when he said he would go on the drive. He didn't think he would fit in with the Porsche owners. He said he had a great time and wants to go again. Couldn't believe how nice everyone was. I try not to drive my BMW - which actually has working signals or my Porsche like an ass. I don't get birds flipped at me too often.

[parnet17]

Late 60's picked up a 61 MGA1600, which was a blast, then kids arrived and bought a 1970 Toyota Corolla for $2,006. About 1500 lbs, 50hp, and about 40 mpg this while the gas crisis was going on. What a great car. Kids gone so I picked upa 2000 Z3 3.0 which reminded me of the MG. Wife didn't care for it, always complained when we took it couldn't buy anything because of the size. Retired and was going on a Bucket List trip to go camping cross country and was looking for something bigger than the Z3. Bought a 08 135 vert mt in 2010. Packed my sleeping bag, tent, butane burner, small cooler and spent 3.5 weeks going cross country hitting bunch of national parks alone, wife no go on camping. Next was a 2011 135 white vert with DCT, couldn't take the clutch any more. Did another cross country trip for 4 weeks, same deal southern trip cross country with most of the National Parks. Looking on line 1 day in December 2014 and came across a 13 135is silver vert with 2,900 miles and jumped on it. No cross country trip yet but am planning on it. Biggest impression besides being a hoot to drive, and listen to with the PE is how comfortable the sport seats are. Someone once said "It's all about the drive" how true.

[Tuxedo]

I'm on my 4th BMW with getting a 19' X3 last mo and Mrs Tux first BMW. If anyone gets Roundel mag and reads the TURNSHU article I'm different story but 7/8's infatuated with my 1er that fella was with Z3 cpe. If I can find an old post on why I would stay with the 1er over a new 2-Series Ill edit and quote later.

This is my tribe and will love it or miss it forever once my 1er time is spent, drive'em like you stole'm cause this ride is going by the way of the dodo bird not long from now. The 128i vert is fun. My drive is still mechanical with only a few more years until it's gone. We really have something that will be lost to the future. Love, Tux

[zx10guy]

For what ever reason, I've always had this thing with BMW back when the E30 hit the market. Over time, I cut my teeth on domestics and modding them. Life progressed where I eventually got into sport bikes and ended up putting my time and energy into them. So my car enthusiast itch took a back seat to bikes. My last play toy was a 94 Z28. Over the years I watched the M3 sky rocket in price and size. So I shelved my desires to own a M3. Then I started reading about the 1 series. Looked to be the ideal package. Small foot print with a big ass motor and BMW's reputation for handling. But life was still getting in the way so yet again I shelved that idea.

Fast forward a few years, I get diagnosed with cancer, got married, and had my first child. All of that happened in under 2 years. I was feeling down one day and started browsing the Internet looking at cars. I knew BMW announced the end of the 1 series. But decided to search around to see what's out there. To my surprise a fairly local dealer had a new 135i in black (ok technically carbon black) in their inventory. I had thought there were no more stock of new 135i's. I set up an appointment to test drive it and the rest is history.

One of my decisions to get my 135i was the info I got that the 2 series was going to EPS. The other reason is I wanted something different. I've always had domestics and mainly econoboxes. The Z28 really my first all out performance car. Prior to buying the 135i, I had dabbled in European marques with my Ducati. I figured I would continue this for my next car purchase.

Overall I've been happy with my 135i. It was one of the things how weird as it may sound that helped me mentally get through the stresses of the aforementioned life events and some additional major ones that followed which I haven't elaborated on.

[dtla1]

Fresh out of college with a decent salary, I needed a car. I had never owned a car myself before as I had no car in college and my parents would let me borrow one of their cars whenever I was home or even back in high school.

I had always been a car guy, I studied Civil Engineering, but also got very involved with the Mechanical Engineering student clubs just so I could wrench for fun. The E46 M3 was a dream car for me for a long time and was strongly considering picking one up. At that time though, those were starting to skyrocket in price and I was a bit weary of the maintenance it might require. Instead I found the 135. Similar size to the E46, similar power (albeit the headroom to tune the Turbo was a huge plus), and also similar in price, but with the added benefit of the CPO being available.

Big guy in a little car will never get old to me, it feels like the car wraps around me like a blanket.

5 years later, plenty of CPO warranty work, plenty of mods, plenty of my own maintenance (Oil Changes myself to split that 15k OCI, etc) and I still love the car. If I ever experience catastrophic engine failure, I'll have a tough choice to make. Since I have the DCT, I imagine an engine swap won't be the easiest thing to do, but that's the ultimate goal. Maybe by then there'll be a surplus of 6MT that I could pick up and swap in.

[Esteban]

Originally Posted by zx10guy

For what ever reason, I've always had this thing with BMW back when the E30 hit the market. Over time, I cut my teeth on domestics and modding them. Life progressed where I eventually got into sport bikes and ended up putting my time and energy into them. So my car enthusiast itch took a back seat to bikes. My last play toy was a 94 Z28. Over the years I watched the M3 sky rocket in price and size. So I shelved my desires to own a M3. Then I started reading about the 1 series. Looked to be the ideal package. Small foot print with a big ass motor and BMW's reputation for handling. But life was still getting in the way so yet again I shelved that idea.

Fast forward a few years, I get diagnosed with cancer, got married, and had my first child. All of that happened in under 2 years. I was feeling down one day and started browsing the Internet looking at cars. I knew BMW announced the end of the 1 series. But decided to search around to see what's out there. To my surprise a fairly local dealer had a new 135i in black (ok technically carbon black) in their inventory. I had thought there were no more stock of new 135i's. I set up an appointment to test drive it and the rest is history.

One of my decisions to get my 135i was the info I got that the 2 series was going to EPS. The other reason is I wanted something different. I've always had domestics and mainly econoboxes. The Z28 really my first all out performance car. Prior to buying the 135i, I had dabbled in European marques with my Ducati. I figured I would continue this for my next car purchase.

Overall I've been happy with my 135i. It was one of the things how weird as it may sound that helped me mentally get through the stresses of the aforementioned life events and some additional major ones that followed which I haven't elaborated on.

Hope you are doing okay, Henry, and hope you are staying cancer free.

[bagekko]

Well technically the 1 series and 2 series share a chassis and maybe some other bits with Mini so..... lol

I am a big BMW fan. Nothing non-BMW in the foreseeable future unless I add a truck again to the stable.

After having my Z3 for 10 years, I had a child, was only supposed to be one so the Z3 was not going anywhere. Then I gave into the pressure and said sure we can have a second child. At first the Z3 still wasnt going anywhere, but having a classic that sits waiting for minor work more than its on the road, a supercar which while reliable you never know, I decided a convertible with a back seat and more reliable was needed. Though driving experience my Z3, a 2.8 Msport 5 speed, is miles more enjoyable to drive than the 135i.

I wanted a CPO convertible with DCT & MSport, the 135 I bought was the right car at the right time. The kids love the convertible which is great since I will always have one.

I said as soon as the CPO runs out its gone, think it expires late this summer. I have been looking for its replacement for almost a year. As soon as I find the right 2016+ M4 convertible in a manual or M6 convertible, 2013/4 (cant remember when manual was discontinued for the 6) low mileage 6 series convertible in a stick, or they make a M2 convertible, the 135 will be gone.

I like the 135, but to me its nothing I find really special to keep much longer, mine has about 67k miles and it has more rattles than my Z3 which had almost 100k at 15yrs old. I dont care for the DCT and want as many manual trannies as I can have before they completely disappear in this world. The only DCT replacement I would accept is the M6 vert.

Just recently I was cursing myself as to why I ever traded the Z3, I should of just kept it too. The trade in was not relevant only $6k, but the top had issues, whole suspension was original, and I didnt have the time to dedicate to working on 3-4 cars. Though both my wifes cars could of lived outside and I could have had all 4 garage spots

[swunder]

The 1 is the newest BMW I've been interested in, other than an M2 which I'm just kind of assuming is amazing.

The 2 series in general looks teenager dumb aggressive to me, nothing like I think of BMW's looking back in the day. Plus the electric steering and fake engine noise (lol)... good bye. I've driven new 3's and 4's (loaner 320 and 435)-- they feel like any other car these days -- nothing about them is special.

So I guess I'm really just an older BMW fan (e30's, 34's, 39's, z3) with the 1 series conveniently fitting my desire for - euro, small, rwd, manual and rare (have never seen another 135is in person) while being new enough to DD. The new grills/designs and lack of manual's on new BMW's is just an abomination.

My #1 is Porsche but I just couldn't squeeze a used Cayman S into my budget. Some day...