New 135i

[Diver]

Instead of heading to Best Buy on Black Friday, I decided to score a new 135i. I found one at a local dealer that was close enough to perfect for my tastes and took spot delivery.

Flashback,

The other cars under consideration were the Mustang GT with Brembo brakes and the G37 coupe. Despite all the hype, what the automotive press does not tell about the 'Stang is the ride is painful. That alone killed it off. My old ride was a 2004 G35 Coupe. Since the dealer had treated me really well, I decided to give them another shot. However, the G37 sedan that I had as a loaner while they were fixing my G simply did not do it for me. It was so far off the mark that I never even bothered to drive the coupe. There was no way a sport suspension and lower seats was going to fix it. You could say that there was a real big rubber band between the driver and what the car did. The wait for a kick down was impossibly long.

After my painful ride in the 'Stang I headed straight to the BMW store. I think it took about five blocks for me to fall in love with the car. There is something so direct and fast about the response of the DCT. Frankly, I can't drive a stick as well as the DCT works in auto mode, and I believe few people can.

The 135i is really a car for an individualist. There is nothing else that is so small on the outside, so powerful, yet still has a back seat (of sorts) and an easy going demeanor when not being pushed. It's a coupe that is nearly a sports car. It's also a gutsy choice to make as it costs more than a typically equipped 328i.

[Focusedintntions]

I went through the exact same process and am leaving an 07 G35 coupe...took me about 5 blocks of driving to really fall inlove with the 135. The g37 is really missing something compared to the g35. So now onto the 135.

[spellbmw]

Yea, the 1 is definitely an amazing ride. I've driven several 328i loaners and feel the 1 is just a helluva lot more fun and worth every penny!

[GO135i007]

I looked at the same cars. The Mustang Gt with Brembos, the G37 coupe, and a few others. At the end of the day none of those cars could touch the power I'm getting from my car with a few mods.

[Diver]

Gentlemen, thank you for your comments. I neglected to mention that I owned a brand new 1969 BMW 1600 in white. It had a 4 speed manual transmission, no AC, an aftermarket radio and cost something like $2700. I now feel some of the same things I felt with that sweet car, albeit in a modern vehicle that is mind boggling in its refinement and sophistication. It's not just nostalgia. The 135i feels every bit as fast as my 92 Vette (LT1, M6) was, but does it's thing with a whole lot less fuss.

[roo97ss]

Originally Posted by Diver

Gentlemen, thank you for your comments. I neglected to mention that I owned a brand new 1969 BMW 1600 in white. It had a 4 speed manual transmission, no AC, an aftermarket radio and cost something like $2700. I now feel some of the same things I felt with that sweet car, albeit in a modern vehicle that is mind boggling in its refinement and sophistication. It's not just nostalgia. The 135i feels every bit as fast as my 92 Vette (LT1, M6) was, but does it's thing with a whole lot less fuss.

stock it's quicker than an lt1, but not quite up to ls1 standards. However with a tune and a few mods it's ls2/3 style.

also, the car is so far ahead of the c4 in terms of chassis and handling. the C5 and C6 are nice chassis, but the cheap seats are unbelievable. I know fat american middle aged guys, guidos, and a few enthusiasts buy vettes, but put some real seats in a real sports car...

To me its the refinement and sophistication that hurt the 1 in its mission to be a sports car. It's very capable with real tires (although i hear new run flats are decent) and suspension mods, but somewhere between the older BMWs, and even Vettes i've had and say the audi. Surprisingly the car hangs on amazingly even when it feels it won't and you're going faster than you think.

[Diver]

The C4 had a problem with chassis flex. It did all sorts of strange things when driven hard. If there is a real problem with Corvettes, its Chevy service. A Vette owner pays a bunch for the car and gets treated like the owner of a stripper pickup or compact. The technicians are competent, but the service writers, management and company policies are so unfriendly.

[miiipilot]

Congrats. I looked at both the G37 Sedan and Coupe before I got the 135i too.

However, I am regretting not getting/waiting for a DCT. I love rowing my own gears, but I think it was time to check out some new tech. Next time though...next time.

Anyways...lovin' my 135i. I owned an '03.5 G35 6mt w/brembos and it was a blast, but you are right...the new G's were "missing" something.

miiipilot

[1speedbike]

Sounds like a good black friday.. congrats on the car, and welcome!

Like a lot of other people the Stang and G37 weighed in heavily when I was considering my car. It was the first year Infiniti upped the HP of the G coupe to 330 HP too. The 1er was a way better ride, and is still faster though. The Stand was tempting, but my girlfriend's brother has one that's lightly modded. Even with just cosmetic stuff and an axleback exhaust, I hate that ride. Way too loud, even with mufflers on just an axleback (though the sound is intoxicating!), and the ride is god awful. I haven't driven it, but not even he really likes the shifter and clutch as much as the ones found on most German cars. You made the right choice.

[roo97ss]

Originally Posted by Diver

The C4 had a problem with chassis flex. It did all sorts of strange things when driven hard. If there is a real problem with Corvettes, its Chevy service. A Vette owner pays a bunch for the car and gets treated like the owner of a stripper pickup or compact. The technicians are competent, but the service writers, management and company policies are so unfriendly.

bmw company policy isn't really any better. all left to dealer. take the car in with a complaint and no check engine light and you'll be back on the street with it needing to make another complaint before they will fix anything. (car running cold, ie stuck/bad thermostat...no CEL had to go pick car up, drive around block..ie sit in parking lot for 15 min and go back making same complaint before they would do anything) BMW policy. Loaner car...none...BMW policy....

oh and have a bad fuel pump....you get software update first as long as it 'tests' ok...then you'll be back in 3 weeks via tow truck.

At least the premium service includes 3 oil changes in 50k miles...

[Diver]

Originally Posted by roo97ss

bmw company policy isn't really any better. all left to dealer. take the car in with a complaint and no check engine light and you'll be back on the street with it needing to make another complaint before they will fix anything. (car running cold, ie stuck/bad thermostat...no CEL had to go pick car up, drive around block..ie sit in parking lot for 15 min and go back making same complaint before they would do anything) BMW policy. Loaner car...none...BMW policy....

oh and have a bad fuel pump....you get software update first as long as it 'tests' ok...then you'll be back in 3 weeks via tow truck.

At least the premium service includes 3 oil changes in 50k miles...

Roo, sorry things did not please you. This is my second BMW from the same dealer, and they do get things right, including loaners.

[roo97ss]

Originally Posted by Diver

Roo, sorry things did not please you. This is my second BMW from the same dealer, and they do get things right, including loaners.

yes, i was speaking to BMW policy, not your dealers policy. the dealer my parents bought their vette from did service themselves as a premium car with loaner service, etc. for corvette owners, the same way BMW dealers do...it's not a company thing and therefore not something they can be held to.

The SM told me regarding the problem without cel. if they fix something BMW won't...then he said 'may' not reimburse them for it unless customer makes additional complaints replicating problem.

I had this happen on two cars. When i dropped the second off I told them this was the problem and I wasn't putting up with the BS of needing to bring it back if there was no CEL. When they called, they told me no CEL, I told them road test it and tell me there's not a problem. They then did fix it; not sure how they went about logging my second complaint or whatever.

[1SerieStud]

I've had both a 2007 G35 coupe, a 2008 G37S coupe, and now a 135i. Bang for the buck, the G37S is a better car, as they throw in everything you could possibly want in a car for a fixed/lower price than the same configuration in a 135i. Things that I thought were standard in a luxury brand such as power seats, upgraded surround system, and a few other bells and whistles go out the window with BMW and require extra money if you want them.

That being said, the 135i is more of a driver's car, and feels more connected to the road than the G37S did. It also outperforms it in every sense of the word, hence my decision to own a 135i. Happy driving to you and congratulations!

[Diver]

Originally Posted by 1SerieStud

I've had both a 2007 G35 coupe, a 2008 G37S coupe, and now a 135i. Bang for the buck, the G37S is a better car, as they throw in everything you could possibly want in a car for a fixed/lower price than the same configuration in a 135i. Things that I thought were standard in a luxury brand such as power seats, upgraded surround system, and a few other bells and whistles go out the window with BMW and require extra money if you want them.

That being said, the 135i is more of a driver's car, and feels more connected to the road than the G37S did. It also outperforms it in every sense of the word, hence my decision to own a 135i. Happy driving to you and congratulations!

I could have picked up a 2010 G37 Coupe for about $4k less than the 135i. As I mentioned before, there seemed to be too great of a lag between driver inputs and automotive motion. In particular, the kick down seemed to take forever. The G37 sedan loaner I drove did have strong acceleration, but the wait really took away from it. The G37 is also on the front heavy side. Apparently, there are bunches of unsold 2010 G37 Coupes sitting in dealer inventory. All of the 2011 G's were set to be released on November 10th, but the coupes have been held back in order to give dealers a chance to clean out their lots. Here we are, November 30th, and no 2011's. That is really late, and not exactly the sort of thing that inspires confidence in the purchase.

My 04 G35 coupe had been a decent ride, although not a superstar. The radio shorted out which, incredibly, prevented the car from starting. Two tows to the dealer and $900 later it was running again. The escapade was enough to get me shopping for a new ride. I guess 6.5 years in the same chariot was long enough.

[Trojan4evr]

congratz man. great buy. enjoy in great health.