Has anyone compared the 128i e82 to a similar year Focus ST?

[Blau]

I'm needing to bail on my 128i for carseat reasons. I still want a fun car, but I'm not in the position to spend 5 digits right now. Thinking of a near lateral swap of my auto 128i with 11k on the odometer for a 60k mile Focus ST 6 speed.

will I hate it?

[b1aze]

Originally Posted by WeShallCallHerBlau

I'm needing to bail on my 128i for carseat reasons. I still want a fun car, but I'm not in the position to spend 5 digits right now. Thinking of a near lateral swap of my auto 128i with 11k on the odometer for a 60k mile Focus ST 6 speed.

will I hate it?

I have a carseat in my 128i without any issues at all. It'll be tight when I need to fit a 2nd but surely doable.

And a lot of people really like the FST. But its also fwd so its vastly different than an i6 rwd coupe.

[Thunderguts]

I wasn't that impressed with the driving dynamics of the Focus. The RS, yes of course, but the standard ST didn't feel all that special. It's still a reasonably fun car I guess, but I preferred the feel of the Civic SI. You might also look at a GTI. Both of those are fun and can be had with 4 doors.

One thing is for sure, I HATE the Focus dashboard. The 128i interior is damn near perfect in my mind and the Focus interior is one of my least favorite of any new-ish car.

[Gangplank]

I'd go with a VW GTI before a Focus if possible but then again I'd probably just get a Jeep if I sold my 1er.

[iminhell1]

FiST>FoST

[atr_hugo]

Before getting the '13 135i replacement for a totalled '08 135i (hit from behind - uninsured driver, go figure ; -) I drove a number of cars including the Ford, VW GTI, Subaru and one or two others.

From my perspective the Ford's steering feel was better than the VW's. Both are available with manual trannies. The GTI may be screwed together a bit better than the Ford. The WRX may be the most liveable of the bunch though.

So, WRX > GTI > ST from my perspective. But I could have lived with any of them if the 'finance committee' would have balked at my getting another 135i.

[kaputt]

The GTI will feel more like your 128i, at least in terms of “German-ness”. They’re pretty fun cars, and I’ve flirted with them many times in the past.

[edisapimp]

Have you driven it?

Only you can decide if you will hate it.

I do have one piece of advice though: Children only get bigger. If you are worried about the space of a car seat, then consider ditching a sporty car altogether and getting something which can grow with your family. For me that was a pickup truck (although I kept my 1er).

[Lucky1]

My good buddy has one so I've spent seat time as a passenger and a little as a driver. The car has superior infotainment and has a really slick 6 speed manual which really impressed me.

Unfortunately the seats are horrendous. I'm a small guy and I felt like the bolsters were crushing me and they are not adjustable!!! The seats are way too small, hard and tight (I know, that's what she said). The 1 series is a way, way more comfortable car. Completely disqualifies it in my view. GTI and Golf R do not suffer this problem.

[lakefront]

Helping my daughter look for an affordable sporty car and kinda narrowed it down to these 2. Really interested in reliability before anything else. Manual trans, sunroof are musts. I think a 2012-13 128i would be more reliable but cost a lot more to do any needed repairs. Focus ST would be a few years newer, but turbo and related piping, Ford quality.....
This car would have to last at least another 5-7 years. Love GTIs but the older ones are certainly not reliable enough. Any thoughts appreciated.

[Rmtt]

Originally Posted by lakefront

Helping my daughter look for an affordable sporty car and kinda narrowed it down to these 2. Really interested in reliability before anything else. Manual trans, sunroof are musts. I think a 2012-13 128i would be more reliable but cost a lot more to do any needed repairs. Focus ST would be a few years newer, but turbo and related piping, Ford quality.....
This car would have to last at least another 5-7 years. Love GTIs but the older ones are certainly not reliable enough. Any thoughts appreciated.

Are you a DIY type of guy? If so, I think the 128i would be the way to go. VCG, OFHG, and OPG are the biggest repair costs I believe.

I did the first two myself and have never worked on a BMW before so it was pretty cheap. The Oil Pan Gasket was already completed when I bought the car through an Indy and cost the previous owner ~$700 according to the paperwork that I got.

Aside from that, just oil changes...plugs....coils....coolant...brake pads. Normal replacement items. And there are plenty of threads on the N52 on the "3" series side where most of the posters have 200K+ miles on them.

It has enough power for what it is, and feels like it has more. (Throttle response, handling, etc).

It would have been a perfect car for my daughter when she started driving years ago. But she picked a Scion Xa. It was very reliable with only oil changes up until 175,XXX miles when she got rid of it.....and she beat that car up pretty badly learning to drive.

[Tommm]

car seats and small cars don't go well. Been there... I would go bigger than a compact. Maybe take a look at the Volvo S60. No manuals, but they depreciate like rocks, have enough room in the back for two seats, or an adult, and they have decent pickup. They aren't as sporty as a 3 series, however, they offer a little more rear legroom and did I mention they depreciate like a rock.

My big thing is three pedals, so I would look at a used 5 series if they still make them with three pedals. Those also depreciate like rocks.

[lakefront]

Originally Posted by Rmtt

Are you a DIY type of guy? If so, I think the 128i would be the way to go. VCG, OFHG, and OPG are the biggest repair costs I believe.

I did the first two myself and have never worked on a BMW before so it was pretty cheap. The Oil Pan Gasket was already completed when I bought the car through an Indy and cost the previous owner ~$700 according to the paperwork that I got.

Aside from that, just oil changes...plugs....coils....coolant...brake pads. Normal replacement items. And there are plenty of threads on the N52 on the "3" series side where most of the posters have 200K+ miles on them.

It has enough power for what it is, and feels like it has more. (Throttle response, handling, etc).

It would have been a perfect car for my daughter when she started driving years ago. But she picked a Scion Xa. It was very reliable with only oil changes up until 175,XXX miles when she got rid of it.....and she beat that car up pretty badly learning to drive.

I've done a fair amount of maintenance type stuff on my 135 so the plan is to get a car (somewhat) locally and go over it myself before sending it out to her. but since she lives about 1000 miles away I'm not gonna do much after that.
I'm thinking of basics like starter, alternator, etc but those aren't gonna be that much different as long as they aren't done at a dealer. The BMW is just a better built car I think. Love what you've done with yours. Thanks for the response.

[Gangplank]

If you do the work yourself then buy the 128i, do the water pump, VCG, OFHG, spark plugs and change the fluids.

If she's planning to have kids with that 5-7 years get a 4dr something or other.

[Blau]

This thread is 7 years old and I'm still wondering if I should trade my 128i for a Focus ST. Wow.

The 1er is great. No complaints. The issue is I'm getting bored. I've done all the suspension, bushings, sway bars, m sport pieces, manual swap, exhaust, big brake kit... I'm just kinda done and have no desire to throw any more money into it.

So... Focus ST maybe? I don't think the GTI is for me, I've test driven one every time I've purchased a car in the last 20 years and have never driven one home.

[krhodes1]

Originally Posted by Gangplank

I'd go with a VW GTI before a Focus if possible but then again I'd probably just get a Jeep if I sold my 1er.

Very much second this. I had a '17 GTI Sport when I bought my e88. Very comparable cars in fun factor and of course the GTI feels "German" too. The MK7s are very solid cars too. I had zero issues with mine in the four years I had it from new.

I DEEPLY regret falling for the silly money Carvana gave me for that car and wish I still had it. The problem, as with all the warm/hot hatches used, is finding one that hasn't been hooned to death.

Totally missed that this was a bit of a necrothread. Oh well.

[cerealwars]

Mk7 is peak GTI, from what I keep hearing.

Blau have you driven a FoST yet? Go see if you can try one out for a couple days.

Fiesta looks a lot more fun to me, but maybe that's too small. I rented a '24 WRX and liked it a lot more than I thought I would. Drove more "adult" than my 1er.

I'm in the same boat, I love my 128 to death but I'm not convinced it's the best tool for the job with my more arduous commute. 4-banger Giulias are depreciating quite nicely...

[Fishee]

Originally Posted by cerealwars

Mk7 is peak GTI, from what I keep hearing.

Blau have you driven a FoST yet? Go see if you can try one out for a couple days.

Fiesta looks a lot more fun to me, but maybe that's too small. I rented a '24 WRX and liked it a lot more than I thought I would. Drove more "adult" than my 1er.

I'm in the same boat, I love my 128 to death but I'm not convinced it's the best tool for the job with my more arduous commute. 4-banger Giulias are depreciating quite nicely...

I've had:
MK3 GTI
MK4 GTI
MK5 GTI
MK7 GTI

I can say, the MK7 is definitely peak GTI, and just as fun to drive as my 135... just a different experience. Also it's still pretty "germanic" and not gross inside at all.

Also a few choice mods to the GTI make it just amazing.

[ShocknAwe]

I love a GTI. That said. I hope you kept your 128. You can definitely do car seats in a 1er, it was our only car for the first kid. Fits a car seat and a dog really nicely. Now that one kid is out of a seat we can fit a car seat, a dog, and another kid back there for trips under about 5h.

Such a versatile chassis!

[kasheed]

I can't speak to the 128, but I'm about to do the opposite; buying my dad's 2012 135i and selling my 2013 Focus ST. The Focus is getting up in miles but I've owned it since new and it's been a great car. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to someone if you found a good condition one. I prefer it to the GTI mainly because of the size, but both cars are a hoot to drive and make a lot of power with minimal bolt ons. My wife also used to have a Focus ST (2015, more equipment) that we recently sold for a new Honda Passport. The one drawback of the Focus ST was the Recaros, while very comfortable for commuting and hitting the twisty roads in North GA, were not great for long trips, which we're doing more of now to visit our parents.

[tracer bullet]

It's definitely allowed to switch cars. I've got a Z4 now... If I had a 10 car garage I'd still have the 1-er, but it went to a good home. I'll miss it of course, after 13 years, it was great (great!) but it's OK to try other things too.

[Ygrene]

Originally Posted by Blau

This thread is 7 years old and I'm still wondering if I should trade my 128i for a Focus ST. Wow.

The 1er is great. No complaints. The issue is I'm getting bored. I've done all the suspension, bushings, sway bars, m sport pieces, manual swap, exhaust, big brake kit... I'm just kinda done and have no desire to throw any more money into it.

So... Focus ST maybe? I don't think the GTI is for me, I've test driven one every time I've purchased a car in the last 20 years and have never driven one home.

I went from an FBO tuned ST to my 128. The ST easily had more power, was faster and a blast to drive but, the refinement levels for a daily were frustrating. Aftermarket support was huge and parts were inexpensive so it was a lot of fun to build the car- if you can get past some of the quirks and quality of the interior, the car is fantastic for an enthusiast imo. I'm surprised I don't see more around at autox and car shows.