Reply With QuoteGood lease deals come up on these from time to time
Personally not my thing - iDVD looking more x1 or X2
Hi guys,
I’m looking to buy a BMW 1 series to replace my Mini Cooper as my wife is expecting (due November) our first son. Question is, which one?
My wife just wants a car, so is gunning for a 118i, but I’m after something with more power than the mini so thinking 120i or 125i, but the M135i is not significantly more pricey...
My gut says I’ll never use the power of the M135i and the 125i will be more than enough for road use and will also be enough if I take the car to a track.
Obviously I’m also thinking the economy, maintenance, insurance, tax etc will all be more on the M135i, but i think I’m having an ‘it’s so shiny’ moment...
Any opinions?
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Good lease deals come up on these from time to time
Personally not my thing - iDVD looking more x1 or X2
You don't know it yet but you're going to be driving your new baby home from hospital in a way you've never driven before. Performance and handling will be the last thing on your mind.
Skip the 1 series and go straight to 3. You'll be looking at them soon enough when you've had your first family trip away and you've got the pushchair, travel cot, and a million other things that you never knew you needed in the boot, footwells, and across the back seat of the car.
My wife has run one for 4 years. I’ve used it occasionally and it's a brilliant car.
Running costs aren’t huge and it’s pretty economical on a long run if that’s what you want..
I’d definitely go for adaptive suspension and no run flats but they may well come that way from the factory now.
The power is nice but it’s the lovely sound from the straight 6 that gives me a smile whenever I use it.
For the money it’s great fun.
I agree on a bigger car, but we are a one car family, in London, and my wife refuses to drive anything 3 series size. She’s put up much resistance on giving up the 3dr mini!Originally Posted by chrisparker
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Possibly the ugliest BMW ever made, but if you like it you have have it.
I ran one for about 22k miles in a year or so. I found it much more of an effortless GT car than a hot hatch. Great torque so no need to rev it out to move quickly. I averaged about 37mpg mostly motorway miles. The ride was a bit fidgety on bumpy motorways, constantly jiggling, and had to back off on bumpy A/B-roads so couldn't use the full performance potential. Oh, and it would spin the wheels in 4th on wet roads which is exciting when you want that, but not great for pulling out of junctions or onto roundabouts in the wet as it would either cut all power or spin it away.
I liked it, but didn't love it. Eventually I found it the wrong kind of compromise for me, so swapped it for a 335d for daily use and a Clio 182 Trophy for fun (on the roads I enjoy, the M135i would not keep up with the Trophy, despite over 120bhp difference).
Ant
superseded by the M140i iirc. Plenty of lease deals available
^^^^ This, I would say look at an Audi Q5 or a BMW X5. Perfect family wagons and still good to drive. We've got a Q5 2.0TFSi and for a big ole bus she can't half get down the road when you want it to... Reminds me I need to now post on the Speed Awareness Course Thread next!
You are joking!! Not as long as the X6 is available!
I rather an x6 than any 1 series with the horrible breadvan back end.
That's a brave statement, all BMW's are ugly these days making it hard to pick a winner. The last good looking beemer was the E46 M3.
For one child I'd say that while those are capable surely the OP is going to need a minivan or even better his own bus?^^^^ This, I would say look at an Audi Q5 or a BMW X5. Perfect family wagons and still good to drive. We've got a Q5 2.0TFSi and for a big ole bus she can't half get down the road when you want it to... Reminds me I need to now post on the Speed Awareness Course Thread next!
As soon as we found out the wife was expecting child number one I took the opportunity to buy an estate car that goes like stink with terrible handling that's brilliant to drift, especially in the snow. The boy sits in the back going 'faster daddy, faster'.
OP - get the fast one and have some fun and get some petrol flowing through your boy's veins. There is a good warning in chrisparker's post though, make sure any pushchair or pram you buy fits in the boot of the BM, you can get ones with removable wheels etc. Some friends of ours have a baby and (almost) three-year-old and fit everything fine in their Golf. Buying a car because you're having a child is an opportunity not a compromise.
"A man of little significance"
Yeah all hideous, just look at this monstrosity, you stick with your E46 then
Couple I know have a 6 month year old and an M135i, - I can't see them having it for much longer, - just no room for anything. TBH, I wasn't overly impressed with the M135i, no electric seats, small, - just a small hatchback at the end of the day, - I'd soon get bored of it,.. very common also... and they don't sound great - just my personal opinion
BMWs are very common - I'm one of them. I don't see many M135i's though. You don't buy a BMW for exclusivity!
Mines got full electric memory seats but it is an option!
I’ve loved mine in the past 3 years of ownership but I did tick pretty much every option and had a few M Performance bits added.
It’s my wife’s daily so had to compromise on what I want and what she wants to drive, did initially go in for an M3 which after test driving my wife didn’t enjoy and at over twice the monthlies I opted for the M135i
Currently looking at the X4 M40i so roll on the X6 comments above haha
PCP deals weren’t that good on the M140i when I last looked so lease might be the best option.
BMW have 0% on the M3/M4 currently (believe they are not excepting anymore new build slots on the M3 due to dropping it early)
Well said! I`m no expert in these matters but the one thing I do know is that babies and all the accessories take up lots of space.
A child seat and a 2 door car is a bad combination, don`t let anyone tell you otherwise. We've looked after my stepdaughter's youngster (now 2 yrs old) and my wife struggled with a child seat and a 3 door Fiesta, in the end the car had to go and she now has a 5 door Ford Focus. Child seats often rattle when going over bumps, especially when the child isn`t in, and that effect is far worse with harsh suspension.
It's a different ball game. I`d look for something practical and forget the sporty boy-racer thing, you'll probably grow out of it when you become a parent anyway.
Paul
Doesn’t matter what you get if the pram doesn’t fit easily into the boot.
Buy the pram and then get a car that has space to carry it.
The most nervous drive of my life was getting my son home from the hospital after he was born. Then similar again a few years after my daughter was born. Someone is pulling out of their drive way 100 metres down the road - I better slow down from 29 mph.
Purchase your pushchair and car seat first if you can and seek a car boot that is big enough and the car seat fits. When it is raining and you have your hands full with shopping, a baby changing bag (or man bag), a pushchair and a crying baby, trying to neatly put everything in a compact boot does become tiresome.
Taking a baby/car seat in and out of 4x4 type car at waist/standing height is considerably easier than a normal car and bending down. Plus when you have lots of short journeys, it really helps.
I have a Golf and it is only just about manageable as the pushchair is a lightweight slim type one.
I don't know, they've had a few front runners in recent years... the 2-Series (not the 1 series coupe, the FWD thing) and the 'GT', not to mention the X6!
I tend to agree that the last 'looker' from BMW was the E46! That said, the current 3 and 4 series aren't horrible by any stretch, they are just too bloody big for their internal dimensions... I looked at some before I got my Golf and they were huge, but with tiny luggage compartments next to the Golf estate, which was a big disappointment. I could consider a 5 series estate, but I'd worry about Navy jets landing on the roof if I parked near the sea...
But yes, my first response was 'For God's sake, no-one WANTS a 1-Series!'
Cramped, ugly, did I mention ugly? - The M2 is rather nice, even a 240i, but otherwise get a 3 or 4 Series (even a used one!) or something better without a BMW badge...
M
Last edited by snowman; 15th August 2018 at 16:56.
This ^ we have adult size grandchildren and two small ones and the amount of stuff that a car has to accommodate for them is unbelievable.
A positive if old review:
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review...ives/bmw-m135i
Black is still the fastest colourYeah all hideous, just look at this monstrosity, you stick with your E46 then
If I lived in a big city and wanted a reasonably sized family car that could be a bit of fun if needed I'd be looking at a four door Golf GTE....🤔
Four doors are essential for getting a baby in and out of the back in my experience.
(Do they even make a two door - not sure)
I have a M140i and would certainly recommend. It can be a bit lively - even more so in the wet - but practical enough and cheap to run, also goes like a stabbed rat whilst remaining pretty discreet.
Never been a 1 series fan ,but having 2 kids I think you’d soon be upgrading if you got one,go straight to a 3 series.
There’s plenty of options with engines and specs
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If you don’t need too much space the 1 series are OK. My wife has a 120D Sport with a tuning box fitted and its a pretty reasonable drive. Both my brother and a good mate had M135i’s and now have M140i’s.
The 140i is very quick, but not the last word in handling or driver engagement. Good deals to be had I believe.
Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
Can't you just put a child seat in an MX-5?
You put the child seat in the wife's MX-5, don't you know anything?
"A man of little significance"
I have a 63 plate M135i auto. It's a great car. I bought it following a disastrous purchase on a previous can and wanted something relatively new, with a decent warranty and with a bit of poke. For the budget this was the perfect balance. I bought it from a BMW dealer with two years warranty and two years service pack.
It's a great all rounder and handles the commute as well as punting it around on the odd track day. Once the warranty and service pack expire I will probably sell it and get two cars. One boring econobox and then something a bit tastier for weekend duties.
I had a Passat estate when the kids were little, sometimes even that was too small, don't underestimate how much crap you ( correction, your wife ) will need, sorry, want to carry even for a few hours down the park, as above, I really do think the 1 series boot size will soon frustrate you both.
Cheers..
Jase
Black never shows the lines on a car very well and also never stays clean looking for long, I'll never buy black cars again they are a job not a colour
How tall are you?
With the baby seat in the back of our Passat I choose to sit in the back seat when the wife drives. There's just not enough room for me to be comfortable in the front. I doubt I'd fit in the front or the back of a one series with a baby seat. I'm no giant either. 6,1.
An estate car should be up at the top of your list 100%
Its a real shame your wife refuses to use anything bigger. See if you can get a 48hr test drive in one and very a kids seat in would be my advice.
I have a f31 335i touring and imho is possibly the best all rounder you can buy. Plenty of get up and go, you can throw it about a bit (obviously without your precious cargo!). And we can fit the pushchair and a large boxer dog in the boot!
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My wife didn’t want a big car as she only had a fiesta before but she loves it now.
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IMG_1185.JPG
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Sorry I don’t know why that image quality is so awful?!
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My brother has the M140i and it's really small. It's also really low to get in and out of. Although he loves the pace, he regrets buying it due to lack of space with the kids.
I've had kids for the last fifteen years and from experience, space is really important. My opinion, and his, would be to avoid it.
When our second was born I decided it was time to give up my 2 seater which I ran alongside a Honda HRV. Both got sold and I ordered an M135i on a 4 year PCP.... this was 2012 and they were just out (still got a 15% discount despite being a brand new model).
I HATED it and paid even more money to get rid of it after only 18 months. As a family car it just wasn't big enough. I'm a relatively average (nowadays) 6ft and our eldest (2yr old at the time) could kick the back of my seat if sat behind me, the baby's rear facing seat just did not fit behind my seat. The shape of the rear bench was also a problem as the base is not flat due to the rear wheel arches imposing into the area making the fitment of many baby seats and boosters a bit questionable. The rear door openings are tricky to get a baby seat in and although the boot isn't the smallest in terms of capacity the opening and the slope of the rear seat back mean it's an awkward shape even for compact prams which require a squared off area at least as deep as the pram wheels.
I could have overlooked some of the practicality failings if the car had been a joy to drive but it just wasn't. It was a great engine mated to a chassis that felt old, steering that was awful and suspension that couldn't handle the power. I also made the mistake of buying a manual as "the drivers" choice. I would compare the box to stirring a bucket of golf balls with a wilted daffodil.
It was my 4th BMW and it was enough to open my eyes to other brands. So many people seem to think that because it's RWD and has a good engine with lots of power it will be a great drivers car. I discovered to my expense that it takes more.
Last edited by mowflow; 16th August 2018 at 10:46.
I'd go 340i M Sport Touring with the MPPK added for family duties and fun when you're on your own
They are great motors, likewise a friend has the 440i with the MPPK (obviously not advising OP this model)
My only concern is they’ll be due an update soon.
New one is probably a year away but this does mean you should easily be able to achieve a 20% discount on a new one
True but worth considering if you are looking at say a 3-4 year PCP deal.
Granted not too clued up with the 3/4 series but given the tech filtering down from the current 5 it does seem a decent update is on the cards this time around.
Hi op.
Buy an estate. Enjoy the space.
Buy a Mercedes. Any Mercedes. At least people will give you the way.
As I said before, if I were allowed a bigger car I probably would. 328i touring would be ideal!
However, my wife isn’t the most confident driver and complains she doesn’t know where the corners are on most cars so even things like a golf were out.
We got a pram that fits in the overhead lockers on planes, so that shouldn’t be a problem. We are taking the car seat to the dealership on Saturday and will try it all out then.
I’m hoping it does fit... otherwise my wife wants on if those mini suv things like the vw t-roc...
Sounds like if you are willing to take a couple of compromises, the 1 series will be fine. But it also sounds like the m135i will be a bit overpowered for my purposes. I’ll be moderately sensible then and go for the 120 or 125 if the car seat fits.
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Book a test drive for your wife. The BMW do feel heavy and planted but for some who lack in confident driving the 135 might not be for you.
Look at a golf GTi/R. The 1 series boot isn't a great shape/size. If you're going away, even occasionally, pram and travel cot (if needed ) will take up a lot of room.
A3/Golf have more space, and the R has a more capable chassis. Not that you'll notice around London;).
A 5dr GTI pp is probably all the car you'll need for several years.
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[QUOTE=WarrenVrs;4856178]Look at a golf GTi/R. The 1 series boot isn't a great shape/size. If you're going away, even occasionally, pram and travel cot (if needed ) will take up a lot of room.
A3/Golf have more space, and the R has a more capable chassis. Not that you'll notice around London;).
A 5dr GTI pp is probably all the car you'll need for several years.
I would recommend an A3. 2.0 Tdi. S line black edition. Midnight edition or whatever its called.
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