Saw The 1 Series @ The Dealership On Saturday...

[Ben Carufel]

stripper? does it have roll up windows and cloth seats? I suppose the leatherette might be cheaper really.

Now we're talking! But I can still have a 2002 330ci with leather and cruise missiles for that much.

You've failed, salesman.

No cloth seats available, unfortunately.

The Lotus Elise proved that modern roll up windows are lighter than manual window mechanisms.

If you think an E46 330ci is going to provide even half the driving excitement of a 135i, you need to sell your BMW and get a Hyundai, because you don't know the next thing about cars.

[eric (^__^)]

I was talking about the stripper 128i, but go ahead and get huffy if you need to.

[kellie]

I was talking about the stripper 128i, but go ahead and get huffy if you need to.

I think the 128 will be more fun to drive than the E46 330. E46s don't do a thing for me though. I think the N52 is a great little motor, it's so much more responsive than the M54. The newer cars just feel tighter and more nimble than the cars of the E46 era. Most E46s I drive feel sloppy in comparison.

[eric (^__^)]

Yeah, until I actually drive one I'm basically just blowing steam out my ass.

But hey, it's Friday.

[Julien]

...

Shut the fuck up.





Thanks.
Julien

[Ben Carufel]

Shut the fuck up.





Thanks.
Julien

'Scuse me?

[Julien]

'Scuse me?

ya hurd me

[bam2002]

Just got back from a club event at the Ferman dealer in Palm Harbor FL.
They had the 135 up on the lift.

The rear diff looks alot like a e30. Front arms are like the e34. Strut assemble looks new design. May be e46.. since I have not worked on one i dont know.

We got under the belly cover and after looking at how tight everything is on the turbo side, Im not sure I would get one. the 128 looks very managable RE being to work on the car. Plus it was not a slow car. They only had the auto with the paddle shifters, but it did well. Faster than my e30 and of cours the 318ti.

My biggest complaint is the lack of headroom. I can barely make it in the car so with a helmet there is no way.
I will have to wait untill they decide to make them without sunroofs. OR go with the hatch.. I think the hatch has a higher roof line.

And I do agree with whoever said they look like they got punched in the face.. If you look at the from of a 1 series next to a 3 series. Its a much taller grill and body line..

my 2 cents..

[CleanAzzE30z]

ITS CATURDAY!!!!



Mariano

[einstein57]

The 1er is a nice car but i don't see the average car buyer dropping 34,500 for a stripper 135i when the 330hp g37 sport 6mt coupe can be had for 35,800 which comes with power leather seats and intelligent key standard. I think 30k would be better spent on an s54 m coupe and a Toyota echo DD for practicality. The whole puspose of bringing the 1 series to the us market was to appeal to the younger market who can't afford a new 335i but would like a nice luxury coupe. I think BMW may have over shot the the price range to make this car a stellar seller. There are just to many great choices in the low $30k range and i don't see this car being worth over $40k for the baby in their line up. Just my

[808AWD325xi]

I saw a 128i vert at the dealership yesterday. At first glance it reminded me of a Pontiac Sunfire with plastic looking angel eyes that were probably built by Mattel. Total chick car.

[Jon325i]

Thread revival time: I test drive a '08 335i

So my brother had to take in his '06 330i for a scheduled maintenance (covered under extended warranty) and initially the stealer (Niello BMW on Fulton Ave. here in Sacto) wasn't going to offer a loaner car. However, because the dealer dropped the ball on his first appointment - and thus reschedule for today - they were willing to offer a loaner as a "we're sorry" gesture. The guy who handles assigning loaners was about to put my brother in a 2008 328i coupe when my brother noticed a silver 335i sedan. When he inquired about it, the guy told him 'it was just returned to us....it hasn't even been washed or detailed'. My brother told him he didn't care....he was interested in driving the 335i because he's thinking about trading up to one (a complete lie but the guy bought it anyway).

Once he got the car, he came by and we took it for a quick drive. Sadly it was equipped with a Steptronic slushbox so some of the fun factor was lost. But I soon found out there was still a lot to like about this car. The most prominent impression: Torque. Lots of it. Everywhere. Mash the right pedal into the carpet and feel yourself planted against the seat (which are quite nice by the way). I was surprised by just how much scoot its got. I can only imagine what a 6-speed manual would be like....faster for sure and more engaging. I got on the freeway for a few minutes and ran it up to just over 100mph.....three times. Mid-range punch is real good. The small twin turbos makes for a very linear delivery in the 'whooosh' factor as it accelerates. This car has the sport suspension and rolling on 18s with runflats. I didn't get a chance to explore the grip in the corners with these things - I keep hearing/reading that for the serious driver (a la the occasional HPDE) ditch these tires for something better. Ride quality was nice though and the one transition ramp I took at around 70 or so didn't yield any surprises. Solid & stable....nice.

Now about the Steptronic gearbox. In standard "D" mode the car defaults to 2nd gear for taking off from a stop during normal driving. Only when you hammer the throttle will it drop to 1st gear - and when you do (like I did), I was able to break traction with a small 'tire chirp' as I set off. The DSC was switched off in case you're wondering. Now if you want to use the manual shift mode you can slide the gate from "D" over to the left and tip it up or back for different ratios. However, I was interested in the wheel mounted paddle thingys. These are set up so that either one can do both upshifts and downshifts.....not like a typical F1 car (or VW/Audi with DSG) where the right shifts up and the left shifts down. Holding the wheel at 9 & 3, with my right index finger I switch up as I accelerate and press with my right thumb to shift down under braking. In a matter of a few tries I had it sorted and stuck with it. What's interesting when running the Steptronic in this mode is that so long as the revs aren't near redline, the gearbox will hold the selected gear. I was doing 80 in 4th, flicked the paddle with my right thumb and - bing - 3rd gear and the motor is somewhere just north of 4500rpm. Punch it here and off you go. Great for overtaking a Prius in a New York minute.

So that's about all I have to report - I wish the test drive could've lasted longer. One thing for sure: this car with better tires, a software upgrade, the 6-pot front brakes and perhaps a real LSD would make for a very entertaining car to own. What I like about the 335i over the 135i is that it will be damn near as quick but you still have 4-door practicality and a good sized trunk as well. It can be a good DD as well as occassional track day toy.

Here's a pic a snapped. My rattle can is parked just in front of it.

[Stephen]

I like them. They are a litle heavy but with 4.7 to sixty and 27mpg or so i stop worrying about the weight... and they look even better in person

[Raxe]

We installed Dinan software in a 335i this week. I didn't get to drive it really, but the technician who did it said the car was too fast (he owns a 2007 M Coupe and a Ducati). Interesting...

[kid325e]

I work at car tender an independent bmw shop and we had an orange/red 1er here on the lot. Looked very nice from what i saw, tan interior is killin it. (in a good way)