Went to my dealer to see 135i and M3
 

I know that both of these cars have been reviewed here before but I wanted to make a few observations. I've been busy and just didn't get around to my dealer sooner.

• There were two M3's; an E90 and an E92 on the floor. (I don't know if there were more in stock somewhere.) Neither had markups on them, at least not on the windows. They're nice but not selling and at $70,000 as optioned, will likely sit for a while. They had a very nicely optioned 550i Sport for $69,000. Different cars, different classes, but dollar for dollar, I'd take the 550.
• Jerez Black is very, very nice but unfortunately it's prone to swirling like Carbon Black is and a brand new E90 M3 in Jerez had been abused by the dealer's car wash monkeys, wearing lots of swirls as a brand new car.
• The 135i looks kind of funny in person. It's too stubby and tall.
• Despite looking tall, it is not for tall people. I sat in the back seat behind the driver's seat set for my position and I had just enough room to put my feet under the driver's seat and my head was touching the roof. I am 5' 7" so it'll be torture for a 6 footer. The front seats were reasonably roomy.
• The dealer had the misfortune of BMWNA sending them a 135i priced at, hold on, $47,000! It had all the options and will make a very nice demo vehicle because no one in their right mind would pay that for a 135i. I will say that the Glacier Silver Aluminum Trim is pretty cool looking.

It really makes it kind of tough to decide what BMW I want next. The 135i is really too small and unless it's a stripper, not worth it when compared with a 335i. The E90/E92 M3's are just too expensive. Maybe the next one will be a 335. It's just too good.

Glad you had a chance to check it out. 335i is a very nice car for the price, but for $70K, 550i sport or M3, I agree that you'll probably enjoy cruising in the 550i!

Good luck.

Swirl marks on a brand new $70k car! That sucks. I like both the M3 and the 135i. The M is out of my price range, so I have been paying more attention to the 135i. I saw a conv't 135 on the road and thought it looked good, but I haven't been up close on one yet.

I hear you on the 335 coupe. It is IMO one of BMW's best looking cars right now and with Procede can be fairly close to the M3 performance at a much cheaper price. It is a very good all around car.

Facelift 335 is the way to go.

We need some carbon black and Jerez black comparison shots.:thumbup:

Yeah, a brand new $70K car all swirled up. There were some very distinct ones and broad swipes, like when they wiped a rough towel across it. I would demand that they send it for proper paint correction. They know that I do not want my cars washed when I take them in for service. :tsk:

You hit the nail on the head. The 335 with PROcede is so close to the M3 for so much less money. There are definitely some differences but 50% more cost than the 335? I'll pass. In fact, I did. I was first on the M3 waiting list and I never followed through nor did I get a call. The reality is that there is no need for a waiting list. Dealer allotments are good and demand is pretty low. I had a nice chat with one of the salesmen and he was being very candid with me about BMW's pricing. He had a client consider an M3 all optioned up and by the end of it, the guy decided just to get a 650i. Different kind of car but for the price, it felt more worth it to him. Even his initial comment about the M3 was that it's a very lofty price for an M3.

I wish we could see that. Jerez definitely has the blue tones to it that Carbon Black has but I would say that Jerez appears darker. Whereas Carbon Black seemed to show more blue at a shallower view angle, Jerez requires a very sharp angle to show off the blue tones. I think the light has to reflect off it more because of a lesser degree of blue in the paint. :dunno: The example I saw was in direct bright sunlight. (91 degrees too! :yikes: )

A facelifted 335i sedan might just be the ticket for me next year. The lease on my E90 330i is up in June. We had planned on a Euro delivery of something next year and might still do it but the Euro is kicking our dollar's butt so it might prove too expensive a trip. If I do get a 335i I'll do an almost stripper. I have to admit that I over-optioned my 330i and learned from that.

Jerez has 4% more black, and less of blue but green instead.

Jerez Black Metallic
Paint code - A73
The mix is :
Color ( % of total mix )
Black ( 80%)
Pearl Blue ( 7% )
Dark Violet ( 5% )
Light pearl blue( 4% )
Laser Green( 3% )
Pearl White( 1% )

Carbon Black Metallic
Paint code 416
The mix is :
Color ( % of total mix )
Black ( 76%)
Special Red ( 5% )
Pearl Blue( 12% )
Dark Blue( 4% )
Brilliant silver( 2% )
Silver( 1% )

What exactly do you call a stripper??

Thanks for your observations Kevin. Seems that there's starting to get some overlap in terms of performance/$$ in the BMW line-up; but they've got customers covered pretty tightly in terms of finding exactly the car spec'd exactly to meet your needs.

In terms of value I think the M3 loses out to both the 135i and 335i. Procede and a lsd don't cost that much relatively speaking.

Between the latter two, it depends on what you want/need/value. There's a $7k base price between the two, and the 135i has a 400lb weight advantage. The better looks and greater space might be worth that $7k to one person; while another might want the performance advantage of the 135i, and the fact that it's $7k (or whatever the difference when optioned) cheaper would be a bonus. 135i and 335i customers will be of distinct groups.

Took you long enough. :nanana:

But seriously i was just wondering what kev got this last time that he wouldn't get the next time. :confused:

If I were buying a 135i new, my opinion of a stripper would be (in order of importance) sport package, xenons (if not included as standard or in the sport package) and leather. I have not built one on BMWUSA yet, so I am not sure what is standard or included in each of the packages.

The only additional item I would consider adding would be Sirius radio. I would then immediately get the Procede. After owning a e30 318i, e30 325e, and a current daily driver e36 325i I am determined to get a substantial engine in my next car.

vinuneuro, you are right. There is starting to be a lot of overlap as far as performance and price are concerned. It is a good time to be a BMW fan. That is not even counting a pre-owned e46 M3, which is still a great car and on my list. That M badge has been a dream of mine for a while now.

He got too many options & packages last time which he wants to strip down. Don't think he wants his new car with stripper. :rofl:

The only thing with procede and other mods on 135 or 335 is that you do not get your money back at resale time. But M cars retain better resale values. I am debating a lot these days as I have a 135i ready to be built but still deciding if I should go for facelift 335 or M3. Decisions.

BMW has taken notice of the way BMW owners put money in after market mods and that's why they are coming with their own performance parts for 1 and 3-series.

I'm sorry. I meant to say "exotic dancer". :D

Whoo hoo! I was right. I did perceive Jerez as being darker than Carbon. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, my keen eye detected 4% more black. :thumbup:

The 135i would be best as a lightly optioned car with plans for some track work. When the price gets into the low to mid $40's, it starts to get out of its niche. If that is where the strength of the 1er lies then you are absolutely right that it will be distinct buyer groups. I tend to think that the price gap for most people will be less than $7000 and will make the decision more difficult. Case in point: me. :tsk:

I think I would skip navigation because it is not that good and for me the only utility in it is as a display for my Bluetooth phonebook and iPod. I wish BMW would include a screen for displaying these things plus other settings but without having to pay for navigation. ie. E70 and E60. I would probably skip Comfort Access. It's cool and all but there are many times I'm left standing at the door, finger on the door handle, waiting for the darned thing to lock. Unlocking is easier but the locking part doesn't always work. It's "only" $500 but that's still a bit of coin for novelty.

Since I would skip navigation and the dreaded iDrive, I would probably get a manual transmission. Not only would that be a big money savings but it would be more engaging and more fun. The reason I opted for Steptronic was to accommodate the complexity of iDrive and the conflict between having to shift and manipulate the iDrive. It was also meant to be more suited for potential SoCal freeway driving/sitting.

True, you don't get your money back but the price of admission is so much less than the M3 it wouldn't be a painful hit.

You're in an interesting position. I would probably rule out the M3 for cost reasons but then you're into the 135 versus 335 dilemma. The 135 is small but you've been working with a Mini so size doesn't matter to you. ;) Seriously, if you can manage in a Mini then the 135 probably won't be too small and if you keep the option list short, you could have a fun little car. On the other hand, if you want some space and more comfort, a facelifted E90 335 would be excellent. I really, really like my E90. It's so good in every area that it's near perfect. Having four doors is nice and the back seats are realistic. My 6' 1" father-in-law is fine back there. I would opt for that out of the three and I would keep the options pretty sparse on it too. I would even consider leatherette. BMW's fake leather is actually pretty good. The real stuff isn't exactly Connolly.

Part of my issue is that I would be going from one E90 to another and that would feel a little strange since it would be like keeping the car I've had for a few years but putting in a new motor, albeit an excellent one.

I had leatherette in MINI and its indestructible. My issue with MINI was the stick shift in stop and go rush hour traffic. Ride was little stiff too whch they fixed in 2nd gen MINIs with on demand sports mode. Otherwise it was a good DD with excellent handling.

but you can easily remove the procede unit whenever you want. 20 min job.

Then you can sell it on ebay and get some of your investment back. :thumbup: