[maverick83]

Hey guys, so I tried the 1-Series section on the forum with no sucess...

I looking to sell my '09 E90 318d and looking to replace it with the car I've always wanted - '13/'14 M135i Auto...

I am looking for any buying advice, I know these cars are called "bulletproof" by some and was hoping any one on here could tell me what years to stay away from, common issues, things to look out for when buying etc...

I have a budget of around £16k max but really looking for something around the £15k mark with "lowish" miles.

If anyone has advice please let me know your thoughts.

Cheers

[Chappers 71]

Save/borrow a bit more & buy an M140i

[Dann]

I've been looking at them recently and 15/16k will get you a Pre LCI with average miles.
You need 18k upwards for a decent one imo.

Just be very wary that lots of them will have been on a cheap lease for 3 years so wobt have been looked after or cared for that well (imo)

[DanTheManc]

I owned a 63 plate auto pre facelift.

I bought it new and owned it for 18 months. I didn't have any issues with it during my ownership.

They changed them slightly in July 2013. Earlier models had a pneumatic wastegate and models built after July 2013 come with a electronic wastegate. I think they changed the turbo inlet size at the same time.

Ideally, you want a car built after July 2013. Also, launch control is only available on cars built after July 2013. To be fair launch control doesn't work well at all but it's a good way to identify if the car was built after July 2013.

2014 cars came with a much nicer steering wheel. The original steering wheel looks ugly and dated.the

If the car doesn't have pro nav, ideally get one with the black panel display. It's a small coloured display at the bottom of the dials. It looks awful with it.

[maverick83]

Originally Posted by DanTheManc

I owned a 63 plate auto pre facelift.

I bought it new and owned it for 18 months. I didn't have any issues with it during my ownership.

They changed them slightly in July 2013. Earlier models had a pneumatic wastegate and models built after July 2013 come with a electronic wastegate. I think they changed the turbo inlet size at the same time.

Ideally, you want a car built after July 2013. Also, launch control is only available on cars built after July 2013. To be fair launch control doesn't work well at all but it's a good way to identify if the car was built after July 2013.

2014 cars came with a much nicer steering wheel. The original steering wheel looks ugly and dated.the

If the car doesn't have pro nav, ideally get one with the black panel display. It's a small coloured display at the bottom of the dials. It looks awful with it.

Thanks Mate, spoke to some of my contacts at BMW in South Africa and they confirmed these cars are pretty reliable and that there shouldn't be too much to be worried about.

In terms of the black panel display - Its a nice touch, my F30 320i had that as optional and it makes a huge difference to the aesthetics of the dash and instrument cluster.

I am ideally looking for a late 2013+ model, Auto with adaptive dampers not too high mileage (max 60k) - but it seems like most cars are far far away from London.

Cheers!!

[m20b25]

One of the best value cars around for speed, price, economy, etc. Just sold my 65 plate with 30k miles for 19.5 with every extra from factory (bar sunroof) if that helps.

I found that I didn't like petrol turbo cars and it wasn't special nor boring - kind of in between - so I sold it. It is a fairly average car that does a few things very very well.

The 8 speed auto and pro media (widescreen display) are the minimum 2 options - both brilliant bits of kit. Adaptive dampers were ok but I haven't been in one without it..

[Kerr]

I'm likely to move on from my M235i soon. The M235i handles notocably better than the M135i, but they are a bit more expensive.

As above go for the electric wastegate. They are a good bit faster than the little power hike suggests.

The M140i did get the M235i suspension set up. However they removed a chassis brace.

M140i is marginally faster than an electric wastegate M135i. It's 0.5sec quicker to 100mph. They don't sound as good and the engine doesn't feel as good either. It's not as revvy top end.

I wouldn't go as far as saying they are bombproof, but they are reliable cars. I've not had any mechanical issues. Quite a lot of ZF boxes have got a little whiny, but I've not read of one actually failing.

The only issue I've had was the HK amplifier failed. That resulted in full blast white noise through the speakers that would only go off when the car went to sleep.

I was angry that BMW refused to collect the car under warranty. It was deafening and dangerous to drive.

On the whole it's been a good car to own. Very reasonable running costs too. The extended warranties are a bit pricier than my E92 N54 335i. I'm sure that was only £360 per year. If I keep the M235i the warranty will be about £650.

[maverick83]

So I am the proud owner of a '13 plate M135i with 40k mls.

Car has everything I wanted:
- Adaptive Xenon
- Adaptive M Sport suspension and steering
- HK
- Pro Nav

And I am absolutely loving it!!