New 1M Owner

[redux]

Originally Posted by StreetCredShifter

I think that is too early. It is only early March. I still have not driven it on my favorite backroads. As I said in my post, Spring, Summer, and Fall are still to come. I hope my first impression is not my last.

The car comes alive once the DSC is turned off. It's a modern car you can steer with the throttle, much like the trailing arm BMW's of old. Unlike the e46, you have to be rather aggressive with 1M to get the best of it.

[champignon]

Originally Posted by StreetCredShifter

Thanks to all for the comments. I hope I can address some of the issues raised. I am not saying the 1M stinks. I just gave my first impressions and compared it to another M car that I bought recently.

I am glad to see other members also have a passion for the 1M and the other cars from the F82 era as well as the E46 era. It seems like some still think the 1M is better and others can see my point that the E46 M3 may be more enjoyable.

I also never said that the hydraulic steering on the 1M was awful. I actually praised the hydraulic steering on the 135is after my last few BMWs and Porsches came with electric steering. I just said that I do not think it is any better than the E46 M3, which I prefer more.

I am glad that most owners had the WOW moment from the first time they drove the cart. I did not. That does not mean that I hate the car. It just means that I was expecting a WOW moment after owning a 135is and getting back into BMW M cars iwth the E46 M3. It may come, or it may not.

I know people like to rag on old M cars becaus of know issues. . . . . I would not be scared off from buying either a E46 M3 or a 1M bacuase of known issues. One just has to be prepared to deal with them and have the extra cash.

In the end, it may be that they are both great cars, and it does not have to be an either/or issue at all. It can be both are great cars, but some prefer the E46 M3 while other prefer the 1M.

Maybe it is an age issue as well. Younger guys prefer low end torque and older guys prefer to rev their engines. I got my first BMW during what I consider the Golden Age when the E38 was the 7 series, the E39 was the 5 series, and the E46 was the 3 series. All great cars and most will concede that they all might be the pinnacle of their respective generations. When I bought my first BMW, all the cars were rear wheel drive, and driving performance came before luxury and technology and were not as big as they are today. The 1M, and the 1 Series for that matter, was a return to that ethos.

To conclude, thanks for all the comments and your passion for the 1M and/or the E46 M3. Enjoy the upcoming driving season! (apologize for Snippage to make post shorter)

I'm not quoting the OP in order to give the impression that I am responding to him only, rather I am replying to the thread as a whole as it stands now.

People need to get real. BMW made a few great cars and a lot of good cars, in the past. Unless the planets realign, the odds of any more good cars being made is not great, and of any more great ones being manufactured is non-existent.

As to great cars, everyone will have their own list, but they certainly include all the M3s from the E-46 and backwards (apologies to the engine in the E-36), certain older M5s, the M1, the Z3M Coupe (especially the S54 version), and the 1M. I'm sure I'm missing one or two cars here.

For the good ones, there is most everything made before around the year 2000, maybe a bit later, not including any of the SUVs. The 1-Series, the last gasp of the "good cars," is at least good and I would say very very good for the 135i, including the 135is. Most everything from about 2013 on was a "big miss," other than for the M2.

As the owner of first a 1973 2002, bought new, then a 1993 325i, also bought new, the 1-Series is everything those cars had plus lots of power and performance, in a small package with modern car features. Within the last year I had a chance to drive a 1984 320 which was for sale by its sole prior owner, in surprisingly good shape. Even that was a good old BMW, with not a lot of power or performance, but still fun to drive.

So we can pontificate about which car is better than that car, but the reality is that we are talking about a bunch of relics. Since few or none of us have the resources to fly all over the country and look at each and every one of these older BMWs that come up for sale, used, we are basically looking at a market of one-offs. If you relish this sort of car, just hope that you can find one in decent condition that you like and decide to buy. Pontificating about a vanishingly small set of cars with minor advantages, pro and con, the best examples, is entertaining but will not aid someone later trying to find one of these cars which are rapidly disappearing from the marketplace.

[1&done]

Originally Posted by hot-j

You got me there. I WISH the 1M came in LSB.

...and hellrot, and Phoenix yellow

[StreetCredShifter]

Champignon, that is fair. I am curious about what is was like to buy a BMW car new in 1973. That was before the 3, 5, and 7 series became the standard line-up.

I was a teenager in the 1980s, and that is when BMW came into my consciousness with its exposure in shows like Motorweek, more American car mags started paying attention to European and Japanese car manufacturers, its association in popular culture with Yuppies, and for motorsports guys with the development of the M cars from the M division, and with German Touring racing and rally racing.

How was the BMW brand marketed in 1973 in the US? Were there any BMW dealers in your area? Or did you buy it from a dealer that specialized in European brands? My local dealership was family owned up until a couple of years ago. It had a nice history page on its website that showed the evolution of the dealership through the years. It started off as a German car body shop in the 1960s, then it became an authorized BMW service center only in 1971. Then in 1972, its started to do sales as well as service. Then it hit the jackpot with the explosion of BMW's popularity in the 1980s.

Can you share your buying experience of what it was like buying a BMW back in the day? What other choices were available, ie, 3.0 CS, etc.?

[champignon]

Originally Posted by StreetCredShifter

Champignon, that is fair. I am curious about what is was like to buy a BMW car new in 1973. That was before the 3, 5, and 7 series became the standard line-up.

I was a teenager in the 1980s, and that is when BMW came into my consciousness with its exposure in shows like Motorweek, more American car mags started paying attention to European and Japanese car manufacturers, its association in popular culture with Yuppies, and for motorsports guys with the development of the M cars from the M division, and with German Touring racing and rally racing.

How was the BMW brand marketed in 1973 in the US? Were there any BMW dealers in your area? Or did you buy it from a dealer that specialized in European brands? My local dealership was family owned up until a couple of years ago. It had a nice history page on its website that showed the evolution of the dealership through the years. It started off as a German car body shop in the 1960s, then it became an authorized BMW service center only in 1971. Then in 1972, its started to do sales as well as service. Then it hit the jackpot with the explosion of BMW's popularity in the 1980s.

Can you share your buying experience of what it was like buying a BMW back in the day? What other choices were available, ie, 3.0 CS, etc.?

In the fall of 1973 I was a sophomore in college in L.A., and the deal with my parents was no car in the freshman year and if my grades were at least good, they would help me to buy a car at that point, although there was a budget, which would buy a modest American compact car. L.A. was really into imported cars at that point, and all my friends had imported cars with stick shifts. Popular cars I remember among my friends were Toyota Celica, Fiat Spyder, BMW 2002, and one or two others. Most of my driving prior to getting my first car was on my parents' automatics.

I went back east where my family was for the summer, and worked selling small appliances on commission to make some money towards buying a car. My store sold a lot of overpriced junk, and I remember selling a stereo to a famous congressman, Daniel Inouye (?sp) of HI who was famous from the Watergate Hearings.

I told my parents I wanted to buy a 2002; they were incredulous, said it was an overpriced and spartan car compared to the American cars I could have bought, but I was adament. We went to a dealership in the DC area and I placed an order for an orange 2002 with 4MT (5 speeds were not available in that car nor were they common at that point). The car was supposed to cost $3700, however by the time it came in the price had gone up to around $4K, which seemed exhorbitent at the time. The car had crank windows, no A/C, and no radio. The dealer substituted a puke yellow color at the last minute, claiming that the orange one had been damaged in transit by "potash" on the freighter; I'm sure that they just sold the more desirable orange car to someone else and stuck me with the yellow one because they knew I was planning to drive back cross country shortly and would have no choice. BMW was not a common brand in the DC area in 1973, however there was at least one dealer. Most people drove American made cars in that era, especially back east. I don't remember the other cars in the BMW lineup at that time, but believe they included the Bavaria (I'm guessing a precursor of the 5-Series) and the 3.0 CS Coupe. BMW was viewed as making sporty but expensive and spartanly furnished cars in that era.

I kept that car for 8 years, by which point I had gone back east for professional school and then back west to SLC where I lived for a few years. The car was on the verge of rusting out all over when I sold it, and got a VW Jetta which I tolerated for 4 years.

Fast forward to 1993, after further schooling and a nascent medical career ultimately in Alaska, I moved back to the lower 48 with a Lexus SC300 sport coupe which I got a deal on but was however an awful car with a notchy transmission. I traded it in, straight across, for a new 325i, red in color, which I owned for 10 years. It had a 5MT. BMW was common enough by that point that Boise, not a huge city in 1993, had a longstanding dealership.

The 325i reminds me very much of my 135i Coupe, in that it was entry level luxury and drove really well, although was way less powerful than the 135i coupe is. The 325i also was a 4 door sport sedan, although the overall shape and size is very similar to the 135i Coupe.

[StreetCredShifter]

Great story, thanks for sharing!

[MMM PWR]

I feel the pain here.. Currently own a 2005 ZCP E46 M3 and receive my 2011 1M BSM Dinan S2 next week - will post long story 2 year court case once I have it. Wife says I can't keep both. Need a new wife or a good hiding place.

[eeghie]

Originally Posted by nachob

That's exactly what this forum is for. I had similar puzzlement when all the press said there was no lag in the 1M and when I drove it, it had lag. I had to post on here asking if my 1M was the only one with lag? : )
...

The laws of physics dictate: turbo = lag. So I too was sceptical of the best turbo and no-lag hype. The reason why, after my first 1m experience, i never looked back at NA is that the torq bonus pleased a subconsious part of my wish list: go fast faster. Now when I experience that minor hint of lag while driving, I just kick myself for my belated down-shifting before shooting straight back into heaven.

[M3 Adjuster]

Originally Posted by MMM PWR

I feel the pain here.. Currently own a 2005 ZCP E46 M3 and receive my 2011 1M BSM Dinan S2 next week - will post long story 2 year court case once I have it. Wife says I can't keep both. Need a new wife or a good hiding place.

no wife is the better option for me ...

Where do I subscribe for the story ! Wow.

[M3 Adjuster]

Originally Posted by champignon

In the fall of 1973 I was a sophomore in college in L.A., and the deal with my parents was no car in the freshman year and if my grades were at least good, they would help me to buy a car at that point, although there was a budget, which would buy a modest American compact car. L.A. was really into imported cars at that point, and all my friends had imported cars with stick shifts. Popular cars I remember among my friends were Toyota Celica, Fiat Spyder, BMW 2002, and one or two others. Most of my driving prior to getting my first car was on my parents' automatics.

I went back east where my family was for the summer, and worked selling small appliances on commission to make some money towards buying a car. My store sold a lot of overpriced junk, and I remember selling a stereo to a famous congressman, Daniel Inouye (?sp) of HI who was famous from the Watergate Hearings.

I told my parents I wanted to buy a 2002; they were incredulous, said it was an overpriced and spartan car compared to the American cars I could have bought, but I was adament. We went to a dealership in the DC area and I placed an order for an orange 2002 with 4MT (5 speeds were not available in that car nor were they common at that point). The car was supposed to cost $3700, however by the time it came in the price had gone up to around $4K, which seemed exhorbitent at the time. The car had crank windows, no A/C, and no radio. The dealer substituted a puke yellow color at the last minute, claiming that the orange one had been damaged in transit by "potash" on the freighter; I'm sure that they just sold the more desirable orange car to someone else and stuck me with the yellow one because they knew I was planning to drive back cross country shortly and would have no choice. BMW was not a common brand in the DC area in 1973, however there was at least one dealer. Most people drove American made cars in that era, especially back east. I don't remember the other cars in the BMW lineup at that time, but believe they included the Bavaria (I'm guessing a precursor of the 5-Series) and the 3.0 CS Coupe. BMW was viewed as making sporty but expensive and spartanly furnished cars in that era.

I kept that car for 8 years, by which point I had gone back east for professional school and then back west to SLC where I lived for a few years. The car was on the verge of rusting out all over when I sold it, and got a VW Jetta which I tolerated for 4 years.

Fast forward to 1993, after further schooling and a nascent medical career ultimately in Alaska, I moved back to the lower 48 with a Lexus SC300 sport coupe which I got a deal on but was however an awful car with a notchy transmission. I traded it in, straight across, for a new 325i, red in color, which I owned for 10 years. It had a 5MT. BMW was common enough by that point that Boise, not a huge city in 1993, had a longstanding dealership.

The 325i reminds me very much of my 135i Coupe, in that it was entry level luxury and drove really well, although was way less powerful than the 135i coupe is. The 325i also was a 4 door sport sedan, although the overall shape and size is very similar to the 135i Coupe.

It's a darned shame that BMW doesn't currently make a 228 , m235/240 or M2 sedan

[css008]

To OP: I've done a slew of mods to my 1M. No doubt in my mind priority #1 is catless DP's and an exhaust. You won't be disappointed.

[abashoe]

OP thanks for the great write up. I currently own a Z4M Coupe and am thinking about switching to the 1M.

I love the s54 but will need something fun with back seats soon.

[etr2016]

Originally Posted by abashoe

OP thanks for the great write up. I currently own a Z4M Coupe and am thinking about switching to the 1M.

I love the s54 but will need something fun with back seats soon.

I had a Z4M but then with a new baby I wanted something with a back seat (even as a third car, that is infrequently used, I found it annoying). Now, for a 4th car....I could probably deal with a two seater. Reach out to me if you're considering selling.

[champignon]

Originally Posted by etr2016

I had a Z4M but then with a new baby I wanted something with a back seat (even as a third car, that is infrequently used, I found it annoying). Now, for a 4th car....I could probably deal with a two seater. Reach out to me if you're considering selling.

Why stop at 4?

:-)

[etr2016]

Garage space....