[Caliscip]

     Featured on BIMMERPOST.com

I am considering either the 230i or m240i (both RWD) and the way I have them both built comes out to about a $5k difference (M Sport performance addons on 230i come standard on m240i).

As I'm coming from a much weaker, non sporty car, I'm not sure whether I should opt for the more powerful B58 as I know the B48 is a worthy upgrade over my current ride.

I am leaning towards m240i since it will probably be slightly more sought after down the line and will for sure keep me satisfied for many years without the itch to upgrade to something "better".

Just wanted to hear the thoughts of anyone else who was deciding between the two.

[LivingInSalt]

M240i no brainer

[steelatx]

For what may be many of our last ICE vehicle (hopefully not, but the writing is on the wall) , the B58 is the way to go. The MPG difference is negalible for the massive increase in performance. You also touched it right on the nose, long term demand and desirability. The B58 will retain its value longer over time. If you want to see the stark contrast do a search for the previous Gen 6 cyl vs 4 cyl prices.

I love my m240i and I loved my 2017 230i, both are wonderful cars and you'll having an amazing ride no matter what. However, the B58 is something truly special.

[DrJLag420]

No replacement for displacement. M240

[Hapbob]

I had a m240i 2020 vert.
Sold it and went suv route for a bit.
Decided I wanted another 2 series and found a 230
Put the deposit down and waited for it to come in to dealership.
I only waited 4 days and decided I better go with 240.
That was in may.
I am still waiting for allocation to order 240.
I can’t go with anything except 240 now that I had one.
Wouldn’t be happy with less.
240 to be sure.
Hap

[MPR]

I'd try other dealer(s).

[CarsAndGuitars]

Originally Posted by DrJLag420

No replacement for displacement. M240

All 183 cubes

[02M3ForMe]

Your M240i total cost of ownership will likely be lower since the B58 cars all hold their value quite well. Also, certain features like HUD are only available on the M240i, increasing its marketability versus the 230i.

Even if the cars depreciate at the same rate, a used M240i will never be the same price as a similar used 230i, so you’ll always get back some of that $5k when you sell. As I wrote above, I expect that you’ll actually get more than the $5k back, making the M240i cheaper to own (excluding any other costs like fuel, insurance, etc).

[Rbcmima]

M240i for sure, I'm coming from a much weaker sports car aswell

[tdfn426]

Long time reader here who just went through a similar conundrum, so I thought it would be worthwhile to join up and share my decision process.

For background, my wife and I have a 2021 X1, so 228 hp B48 turned sideways/FWD, and a 2019 Honda Insight, which has appreciated in 3 years of ownership. We are replacing the Insight with the 230 for a fun first rwd daily to complement the X1 before the used market goes back to reality.

The B48 even with the Aisin gearbox in the X1 is so much better than the Honda and Toyota powertrains we've previously had. So coming from non-sporty economy cars, the B48 never feels like not enough power for normal street, highway, backroad driving. I recently drove my parent's new NX and for a 4 cylinder, the B48 sounds so much better, far less grating than the Lexus. Obviously it is not an inline 6, so sound and power won't match the B58, which the m240i owners can speak to.

For us, we went 230i for the following reasons:
1, As a first RWD sporty car, we were more concerned with handling. From looking at comparisons, the 300 lbs out of the front and more front-mid engine configuration of the 230i helps with that over the m240i.
2, More manageable power for everyday use as we don't track or autocross or anything. A fun drive for us is backroads. 5.1 0-60 seems like plenty and dusts our previous cars. If we were used to more power, then it might be different, but it will have the best power/weight of any car we've owned.
3, Price, as spec'ed our price difference between the 230 and 240 was $7k. While it may depreciate more than the 240, who knows. Our 2019 Honda hybrid has appreciated in 3 years of ownership. For our case, the price difference wasn't worth the power, despite the sound and desirability.
4, Availability, there would have been 3 people ahead of us for an allocation for the m240i. We were first on the waitlist when we ordered a few weeks ago, and within a week had an allocation for an October/November build.

I hope the different perspective is helpful in your decision making process. My thought is if we want more power down the line, the M2 and m240 will still be in production for another 7 years and potentially in a much more sane car market.

[steelatx]

Originally Posted by tdfn426

Long time reader here who just went through a similar conundrum, so I thought it would be worthwhile to join up and share my decision process.

For background, my wife and I have a 2021 X1, so 228 hp B48 turned sideways/FWD, and a 2019 Honda Insight, which has appreciated in 3 years of ownership. We are replacing the Insight with the 230 for a fun first rwd daily to complement the X1 before the used market goes back to reality.

The B48 even with the Aisin gearbox in the X1 is so much better than the Honda and Toyota powertrains we've previously had. So coming from non-sporty economy cars, the B48 never feels like not enough power for normal street, highway, backroad driving. I recently drove my parent's new NX and for a 4 cylinder, the B48 sounds so much better, far less grating than the Lexus. Obviously it is not an inline 6, so sound and power won't match the B58, which the m240i owners can speak to.

For us, we went 230i for the following reasons:
1, As a first RWD sporty car, we were more concerned with handling. From looking at comparisons, the 300 lbs out of the front and more front-mid engine configuration of the 230i helps with that over the m240i.
2, More manageable power for everyday use as we don't track or autocross or anything. A fun drive for us is backroads. 5.1 0-60 seems like plenty and dusts our previous cars. If we were used to more power, then it might be different, but it will have the best power/weight of any car we've owned.
3, Price, as spec'ed our price difference between the 230 and 240 was $7k. While it may depreciate more than the 240, who knows. Our 2019 Honda hybrid has appreciated in 3 years of ownership. For our case, the price difference wasn't worth the power, despite the sound and desirability.
4, Availability, there would have been 3 people ahead of us for an allocation for the m240i. We were first on the waitlist when we ordered a few weeks ago, and within a week had an allocation for an October/November build.

I hope the different perspective is helpful in your decision making process. My thought is if we want more power down the line, the M2 and m240 will still be in production for another 7 years and potentially in a much more sane car market.

100% agree with this. The 230i is no slouch and will be an engaging and fun car. Keep in mind, 5.1 0-60 used to be super car territory. I often have this discussion with friends. Law of diminishing returns. At what point is 0-60 going to be moot when discussing sports cars. 0-60 in like 2 seconds??. It's about how it makes you feel, how it drives, handles, etc. If you don't need the raw power get the 230i. Another note, the Porsche Cayman has a 300hp flat 4 and is about that 5 second mark. Maybe a little less.

[LivingInSalt]

Originally Posted by steelatx

Another note, the Porsche Cayman has a 300hp flat 4 and is about that 5 second mark. Maybe a little less.

Yeah but what about the Cayman GTS?

[donnyfontaine]

Originally Posted by tdfn426

I hope the different perspective is helpful in your decision making process. My thought is if we want more power down the line, the M2 and m240 will still be in production for another 7 years and potentially in a much more sane car market.

Only thing I'd say is they won't be full ICE engines, hybrids/EVs will be taking over honestly in the next 2-3 years. Second hand market tho these should def be solid options

[Caliscip]

Originally Posted by tdfn426

Long time reader here who just went through a similar conundrum, so I thought it would be worthwhile to join up and share my decision process.

For background, my wife and I have a 2021 X1, so 228 hp B48 turned sideways/FWD, and a 2019 Honda Insight, which has appreciated in 3 years of ownership. We are replacing the Insight with the 230 for a fun first rwd daily to complement the X1 before the used market goes back to reality.

The B48 even with the Aisin gearbox in the X1 is so much better than the Honda and Toyota powertrains we've previously had. So coming from non-sporty economy cars, the B48 never feels like not enough power for normal street, highway, backroad driving. I recently drove my parent's new NX and for a 4 cylinder, the B48 sounds so much better, far less grating than the Lexus. Obviously it is not an inline 6, so sound and power won't match the B58, which the m240i owners can speak to.

For us, we went 230i for the following reasons:
1, As a first RWD sporty car, we were more concerned with handling. From looking at comparisons, the 300 lbs out of the front and more front-mid engine configuration of the 230i helps with that over the m240i.
2, More manageable power for everyday use as we don't track or autocross or anything. A fun drive for us is backroads. 5.1 0-60 seems like plenty and dusts our previous cars. If we were used to more power, then it might be different, but it will have the best power/weight of any car we've owned.
3, Price, as spec'ed our price difference between the 230 and 240 was $7k. While it may depreciate more than the 240, who knows. Our 2019 Honda hybrid has appreciated in 3 years of ownership. For our case, the price difference wasn't worth the power, despite the sound and desirability.
4, Availability, there would have been 3 people ahead of us for an allocation for the m240i. We were first on the waitlist when we ordered a few weeks ago, and within a week had an allocation for an October/November build.

I hope the different perspective is helpful in your decision making process. My thought is if we want more power down the line, the M2 and m240 will still be in production for another 7 years and potentially in a much more sane car market.

Excellent write up! I actually did have an order for the 230i (closest dealer had an available allocation and a long waitlist for m240s). But I was having some doubts (ridiculous I know, since as you said and I've read elsewhere, the 230i is fantastic) so decided to reach out to other, further out dealerships to see if they had any allocations for m240s.

Part of me was hoping they wouldn't so I could easily stick with my first decision. But I did find a dealership that had one available allocation for an m240 going into production in Oct.

Also, while both dealerships technically sold "at MSRP", they included forced addons . But the dealership with m240 allocation charged notably less than the 230 one so giving less money to a stealership was another point in favor of the 240 order.

Additionally, as another poster mentioned, I took a look at the going rates for older 2 series and the difference between similarly built 230s and 240s was typically $7-10k. Since my difference was only 5k-ish, I figured that was another point in favor.

Ended up cancelling the 230 order and placing one for the m240. Now I'm just hoping the 240 won't be too overwhelming for someone coming from a baby car

[LivingInSalt]

Originally Posted by Caliscip

Ended up cancelling the 230 order and placing one for the m240. Now I'm just hoping the 240 won't be too overwhelming for someone coming from a baby car

20 years ago I went from a 190hp Nissan Maxima to a 333 HP BMW M3.

You'll be fine.

[ryo-]

as long as you're responsible, extra power doesn't mean a thing.

[M240SLC]

Originally Posted by steelatx

For what may be many of our last ICE vehicle (hopefully not, but the writing is on the wall) , the B58 is the way to go. The MPG difference is negalible for the massive increase in performance. You also touched it right on the nose, long term demand and desirability. The B58 will retain its value longer over time. If you want to see the stark contrast do a search for the previous Gen 6 cyl vs 4 cyl prices.

I love my m240i and I loved my 2017 230i, both are wonderful cars and you'll having an amazing ride no matter what. However, the B58 is something truly special.

This is exactly how I saw it. If this is going to possibly be the last ICE car I buy, I'm going to spec it out exactly how I want it and with the B58. No pussy-footin allowed!

[eddj]

Life is too short to drive boring cars

[azuki]

Originally Posted by tdfn426

For us, we went 230i for the following reasons:
1, As a first RWD sporty car, we were more concerned with handling. From looking at comparisons, the 300 lbs out of the front and more front-mid engine configuration of the 230i helps with that over the m240i.
2, More manageable power for everyday use as we don't track or autocross or anything. A fun drive for us is backroads. 5.1 0-60 seems like plenty and dusts our previous cars. If we were used to more power, then it might be different, but it will have the best power/weight of any car we've owned.
3, Price, as spec'ed our price difference between the 230 and 240 was $7k. While it may depreciate more than the 240, who knows. Our 2019 Honda hybrid has appreciated in 3 years of ownership. For our case, the price difference wasn't worth the power, despite the sound and desirability.
4, Availability, there would have been 3 people ahead of us for an allocation for the m240i. We were first on the waitlist when we ordered a few weeks ago, and within a week had an allocation for an October/November build.

I hope the different perspective is helpful in your decision making process. My thought is if we want more power down the line, the M2 and m240 will still be in production for another 7 years and potentially in a much more sane car market.

preach brother. I don't want power, never cared for it where I live in Dallas. I want to spend the difference on visual/luxury elements and still be able to drive a nimble small coupe no other higher end manufacturer (ie MB/Lexus/Audi/etc) provides in this day and age.

Hopefully people will stop crying about ID8 and how M240i > 230i, etc.

[a358970751]

m240i , you paid extra $5000 when you buying , but when you selling it after 3 or 5 years , there will be $5000+ more than 230i .

[whiteninjazx6r]

M240i is the absolute no brainer here. B58 is magical.

[Fahfoofnik]

A vote for the 230i. I echo the couple of folks in the "don't need the power" chorus. The '22 230i I've got is amazing. I don't track my cars and the hp in the 230i is all I need. Yeah it's RWD & I'm in the Midwestern USA, but my family & I have had cars without either snow tires or all wheel drive for 30+ years and we do just fine in that department.

I think it's a very personal thing. For me I tend to stray from the "must have all the power always" mentality. There's nothing wrong with that, but in the months I've had the 230i there have been zero issues with overtaking, spirited driving when I want to, plus all the luxury and comfortability I've always wanted.

When I bought mine the next best M240i that was closest to my budget was still $6,000 more than I could afford to spend. I had the thought, "Maybe I should just wait -- and hold out for the bigger engine when I can afford it."

However, after taking a 230i for a spin & comparing it with the M240i & its driving experience, it was easier to make up my mind. The 230i had absolutely everything I wanted; I ended up finding one well within my price range; and I have zero regrets.

Other than being able to tell people who ask if it's a 6-cylinder or a 4-banger (a lot of olds in my family) that it's a 4, for my own driving tastes and experiences-- the 230i is perfect. I don't really care what others think if I drive a 230i & not an M240i.

I also believe the M240i could very well be better. Think it depends on the driver and what's ultimately important. If it's "speed and power," then yeah -- M240i. For others like me who are enthusiasts but don't feel the need for the most in the class -- to me, the 230i has the best mix of pep, quickness and overall speed in the most comfortable and luxurious package in a price range I can afford.