Anyone here regretted buying a 135i?

[Pete.J]

I am currently in the market for a N54 BMW.

Considering an E82, E90, E92. Below are my personal opinion on all three cars acquired from my research and talking with mates that own them.

E82:
The Enthusiast pick of the bunch, small nimble, comes with a decent set of Brembo brakes for the track. Smaller bonnet, means same mechanical jobs are slightly harder to perform than on the E9X cars Because of the lack of space.

I am leaning towards the E82 because they can be had in manual too. I am not a fan of the stubby crammed look of the E82, but I think a few tasteful exterior mods could make it look a lot sleeker.

I also heard that you can fit much wider tyres on the E90 and E92 chassis than on the E82, because the guards (on the E9X) can accommodate for a wider tyre setup without scrubbing.

I am also not a fan of the single-sided exhaust tip, but I guess that can be fixed as well. 125i and 135i look exactly the same from the back loll

E90:
The jack of all trades and the most practical car here. I like the idea of having a 4 door sports sedan, that can carry 4-5 people comfortably and has a decent-sized boot. And can also hit the track and drags while doing that.

It doesn't come in manual, it's not big deal for me but I wouldn't mind rowing my own gears (my current car is manual). I also drive a lot in peak-hour traffic, so the comfort of having an auto in bad traffic equates the missed enjoyment of changing my own gear at the track or when going on spirited drives. I am 50:50 on this one.

Not the prettiest sedan out there, that's for sure, but it doesn't look stubby/crammed and I think with some exterior mods it could look really sleek.


E92:
The sexy good looking pick of the bunch, imo it looks better than both cars mentioned above.

I can't find any other positives to the E92 apart from its looks, it shares all the same running gear with the E90 sedan, and it's also offered in manual gearbox if I decided to go that path.

Negatives though; the E92 seems to be a lot heavier than the E82 and E90, not sure why. It's not that much bigger in size. I think from memory there's about 100kg weight difference when compared to the E90 and E82 of the same transmission. The extra weight it's carrying means it won't be as much fun for performance driving. The E92 is also the most expensive out of the bunch.

Was anyone here faced with a similar dilemma before pulling the trigger and purchasing their E82 135i? If you can give any insights to my comments above, that'll be great.

Thanks in advance!

[titium]

I love my e82. but then again I was set on it right from the start never really was interested in the e9x.

they need to be lowered the factory wheel gap looks so shit IMO.

just make sure you're prepared for the n54 maintenance costs....

[iEuropa]

I bought a 135I because I love the stubby look of the car. I think long, slender coupes look terrible. 335i, genesis, g37 etc.

The interior is lacking compared to other BMW models, and the car is a pain for rear passengers over 5'10". I don't usually carry more than one passenger, and I wanted a toy, so I was willing to make those sacrifices.

In all, I regret nothing, and love this car every time I get in it! You'll have a terrible time finding a manual gearbox 135I depending on where you live. I looked for 8 months and never found a remotely good deal on a stick... when the AT takes a dump I'm going to manual swap despite the costs involved. Good luck!

[Cavpilot2k]

So few regrets that when my original 135 lease was up, I found a 135 to buy and five years after first starting my 135 journey, I still have one as my daily driver.
the problem with the E90 and E92 is that they are so ubiquitous. Everybody has one. The common person on the street doesn't even know what a 135 is, so they get looks and comments. I like the feeling that my car is something less common and therefore more special than the E90/92 that everyone else got when they were entering the BMW market. I come from the military and a 3-series is virtually a rite of passage for company-grade officers. Not interested, thanks.

[PG]

I think e90 do come in manual but rare. All the n54 cars are cheap nowadays so cost is similar. I drove both, and just liked the e82 better. The weight difference isn't that much I think. The e82 also seems more reliable generally.

[optigrab]

Some good thoughts in your post

The only time i don't love my E82 is wheel and tire fitment. Really hard to fit a square rotatable set of tires on it.

1 series brakes are not track ready (maybe for a light session) dust boots will melt and the pistons will crack

Much easier to hustle a 135 down a narrow country lane than a 3 but that is probably not a issue in Australia. If i didn't drive so many small roads and was not concerned with lowest weight, that would have made my decision harder. Might have picked a 3 coupe.

Good luck

[dh58]

I regretted selling my 1st 135i

So I came back and bought another.. lol

[TS135i]

I usually sell my cars after 3 years, I just can't part with my 135i so I kinda regret buying it

[dane083]

I regretted the DCT, the time it takes to engage a gear czn be worrying, especially when you pull out in front of a car and it doesnt do anything.

[Orangee94]

just wishing it was manual for extra fun for me, other than that no regrets what dane083 said sometimes theres a bit of response lag from the dct transmission but once your at speed its as smooth as butter with gear shifts

[vtl]

No regrets great car, theyre all msport so it's one less thing to worry about. There is zero difference in engine bay space between a 335i and 135i. 135i is actually easier to work on overall.

Dislikes:
Can't fit wide wheels easily
Hard to find with nav and its very expensive to retrofit (more than e9x)
53l fuel tank is too small
Decent amount of space in the car but can't put large things in because none of the openings are big enough to fit large objects in.

Otherwise fantastic car

[smrtypants44]

I would have probably perferred a e92 (335is) but its even harder to find than a e82 135. But I'm happy with my e82

[John_01]

1 series is a unique car as being a small coupe with high power and rear wheel drive.
It has some issues in stock form:

1) Suspension is underdamped and has too much body roll. Unsuitable for the performance of the car IMO.
2) Stock rear sub frame bushes give wobbly handling and steering - as though the car always needs a wheel alignment. This is a design compromise for run flat tyres.
3) Fuel tank is too small.
4) Seating position is too upright. 3 series has a better, more sporty layout.

[The Wind Breezes]

I'm thinking about ditching the 1 for a Tesla, or maybe picking up an i3 depending on the deal they give me.

[froop]

I regretted getting an auto E88 135i when I started racing so I bought another 6MT E82 135i and now I have 2 lol

Having driven a few E9x's, their chassis is much more planted due to the wider and longer wheel base. E82s can be quite twitchy on the limit, but that only makes them more exciting right? Very lively. With the right mods they can be excellent track cars.

If you're thinking about getting a manual car, definitely don't settle for an auto. It's just not the same in feel and other than maybe needing an upgraded clutch if you go for big power, they're very hassle free.

[Simonnn]

Originally Posted by dh58

I regretted selling my 1st 135i

So I came back and bought another.. lol

Same here..

[_ink]

Originally Posted by froop

I regretted getting an auto E88 135i when I started racing so I bought another 6MT E82 135i and now I have 2 lol

Having driven a few E9x's, their chassis is much more planted due to the wider and longer wheel base. E82s can be quite twitchy on the limit, but that only makes them more exciting right? Very lively. With the right mods they can be excellent track cars.

If you're thinking about getting a manual car, definitely don't settle for an auto. It's just not the same in feel and other than maybe needing an upgraded clutch if you go for big power, they're very hassle free.

Was going to point this out also! The E92 is a much more planted chassis, it's the first thing I noticed when driving the two... The E92 also feels like it has more interior space.

I'd also throw in the ultra rare, and true Jack of all trades E91 N54!! This is what I would go with if I had my time again.

[koastal]

Originally Posted by froop

I regretted getting an auto E88 135i when I started racing so I bought another 6MT E82 135i and now I have 2 lol

Having driven a few E9x's, their chassis is much more planted due to the wider and longer wheel base. E82s can be quite twitchy on the limit, but that only makes them more exciting right? Very lively. With the right mods they can be excellent track cars.
.

I put some BC ER coilovers on my 135. It is very stable now. You are right they were very soft and not comfortable on the limit prior.

[fly_inverted]

After 4 years, and several thousand dollars of tweaks, I regret having a car that is so brilliant that there is nothing in the entire BMW range that as a package, is better. 135i for life.

[135i2]

A great car with an LSD and no run-crap tyres...BBK, Coil-overs blah, blah..

We are spoiled by the relatively inexpensive power and reliability available compared with other brand platforms.

Had mine since new and it will never be sold, just goes through its metamorphosis from year to year.

[imske3000]

The 135i stock has an engine that out performs the chassis. I had a 135i with some handling and suspension mods and I loved it, my favourite mods were Coilovers and LSD. When it hit 100,000kms I sold it. After driving allot of different cars I ended up back in an E82 but a 1M this time around. It's hard to go past the N54 engine.

[MT135]

Mines for sale, realized I should've just got the E9X M3.