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      01-15-2016, 08:36 AM   #1
RVExotics
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Finally saying hello

Hi everyone. Not exactly a new member here at Bimmerpost, but I haven't been active on this particular forum. However, I have benefited greatly from the information here. The lease on my F30 328i M Sport sedan was coming to an end and I was waffling on what I wanted to replace it with. We are a joint BMW-Porsche family, and we have on order (due to arrive next month!) a 2017 Macan S we're going to use to replace a 981 Boxster. Alas, practicality won out over fun, so we decided that we'd get the most fun to practicality ratio we could possibly afford, hence the Macan.

Long story short-ish, knowing I am about to say goodbye to one hell of a sports car, I decided that replacing the F30 necessitated something fun and sporty. I started looking at the 2 series, mainly the 228i. The engine in the larger 328i was always impressive to me, even if it sounded slightly clattery at idle. So as one does, I spent time on the builder spec'ing out a 228 to the way I would want it - M Sport, Tech, Premium, Lighting, Cold Weather, Driver Assistance - thus watching the MSRP quickly climb to $40k and beyond.

Then, as luck/fate/whatever would have it, a local Chevy dealer had an M235i show up used on their lot. This caused me to make two "mistakes":
1. Realizing that lightly used M235is were in the same financial ballpark as my 228i build.
2. Test driving it. Oops.

The rest is, how you say, history. I started stalking Autotrader and reading threads here at 2addicts. Thoughts of the 228i vanished, and I set my sights on a car a little over 500 mi away in Atlanta. 2015 M235i, CPO w/6k mi, Mineral White with Coral Red Interior, Technology, Premium, Cold Weather, Driver Assistance. Original MSRP was over $51,000, came to an agreed price of $41,500 including their ridiculous $699 doc fee. Being a CPO sold at a BMW dealership was important to me, because it allowed the car to both retain its maintenance plan and come with an extended warranty.

So, a few days after Christmas, we loaded up early in the still-dark hours of the morning, and set out. 8 hours later, we were there. Heavy Atlanta traffic made the test drive frustrating, but it was everything and more I remembered from the local car. There was a small rock chip on the kidneys that the dealer failed to mention, so they decided to throw in black kidneys free and pay to have them installed at my local dealer.

It's a couple of weeks later am I am absolutely loving this car. Simply put, there is absolutely no reason a car this size needs this much power. Right, I'm sure you're saying. But seriously, I find that even 1/2 to 3/4 down on the accelerator travel, it's already bordering on losing traction from the rear wheels while throwing you back into the seat. I have always wanted an M car, and have lusted after the E92 M3 for many years, but could never justify it. The cost to purchase, the horrendous fuel economy...just never in the cards. I am finding the M235i, though not a 'true' M car, fits that in-between niche very, very well. It is compliant and peaceful when you want it to be, it can get over 30 mpg on the highway (important to me because I commute to work), and when you ask, even politely, if it can give you just a little more - it responds with a ferocity that its otherwise compliant nature belies. It's almost too much fun for a daily driver.

I fear between it and the Macan, I'll never be able to go back to a 'sensible' car again.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading. I was going to close with some pictures but this forum has tighter restrictions on the file size so I'll have to resize them and add them later.
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      01-15-2016, 08:56 AM   #2
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Congrats and post some pics!
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      01-15-2016, 09:01 AM   #3
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      01-15-2016, 09:09 AM   #4
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It will look just like every other M235i with the same color scheme. I am sure one of its ilk has been posted on here before
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      01-15-2016, 11:47 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sstarrx3 View Post
It will look just like every other M235i with the same color scheme. I am sure one of its ilk has been posted on here before
Like boobs I still want to see them because it never gets old lol.
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      01-15-2016, 11:58 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RVExotics View Post
Hi everyone. Not exactly a new member here at Bimmerpost, but I haven't been active on this particular forum. However, I have benefited greatly from the information here. The lease on my F30 328i M Sport sedan was coming to an end and I was waffling on what I wanted to replace it with. We are a joint BMW-Porsche family, and we have on order (due to arrive next month!) a 2017 Macan S we're going to use to replace a 981 Boxster. Alas, practicality won out over fun, so we decided that we'd get the most fun to practicality ratio we could possibly afford, hence the Macan.

Long story short-ish, knowing I am about to say goodbye to one hell of a sports car, I decided that replacing the F30 necessitated something fun and sporty. I started looking at the 2 series, mainly the 228i. The engine in the larger 328i was always impressive to me, even if it sounded slightly clattery at idle. So as one does, I spent time on the builder spec'ing out a 228 to the way I would want it - M Sport, Tech, Premium, Lighting, Cold Weather, Driver Assistance - thus watching the MSRP quickly climb to $40k and beyond.

Then, as luck/fate/whatever would have it, a local Chevy dealer had an M235i show up used on their lot. This caused me to make two "mistakes":
1. Realizing that lightly used M235is were in the same financial ballpark as my 228i build.
2. Test driving it. Oops.

The rest is, how you say, history. I started stalking Autotrader and reading threads here at 2addicts. Thoughts of the 228i vanished, and I set my sights on a car a little over 500 mi away in Atlanta. 2015 M235i, CPO w/6k mi, Mineral White with Coral Red Interior, Technology, Premium, Cold Weather, Driver Assistance. Original MSRP was over $51,000, came to an agreed price of $41,500 including their ridiculous $699 doc fee. Being a CPO sold at a BMW dealership was important to me, because it allowed the car to both retain its maintenance plan and come with an extended warranty.

So, a few days after Christmas, we loaded up early in the still-dark hours of the morning, and set out. 8 hours later, we were there. Heavy Atlanta traffic made the test drive frustrating, but it was everything and more I remembered from the local car. There was a small rock chip on the kidneys that the dealer failed to mention, so they decided to throw in black kidneys free and pay to have them installed at my local dealer.

It's a couple of weeks later am I am absolutely loving this car. Simply put, there is absolutely no reason a car this size needs this much power. Right, I'm sure you're saying. But seriously, I find that even 1/2 to 3/4 down on the accelerator travel, it's already bordering on losing traction from the rear wheels while throwing you back into the seat. I have always wanted an M car, and have lusted after the E92 M3 for many years, but could never justify it. The cost to purchase, the horrendous fuel economy...just never in the cards. I am finding the M235i, though not a 'true' M car, fits that in-between niche very, very well. It is compliant and peaceful when you want it to be, it can get over 30 mpg on the highway (important to me because I commute to work), and when you ask, even politely, if it can give you just a little more - it responds with a ferocity that its otherwise compliant nature belies. It's almost too much fun for a daily driver.

I fear between it and the Macan, I'll never be able to go back to a 'sensible' car again.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading. I was going to close with some pictures but this forum has tighter restrictions on the file size so I'll have to resize them and add them later.
Hello sir. I like your assessment of the car. Sure it's not a "true M car", but I'll never get anywhere near the full potential of a car like that. Man, the M235i more than meets my needs as it is. I also intended to buy a 228 and made the "mistake" of driving a M235i though because that was the only stick shift 2 on their lot. As soon as I pulled out of the lot the 228 became a distant memory haha.

Congrats on your car and enjoy!
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      01-15-2016, 01:15 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BentZero View Post
Like boobs I still want to see them because it never gets old lol.
Well said! (I admit with a tinge of embarrassment.) Pics! Pics!
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      01-15-2016, 01:44 PM   #8
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Congratulations! Excellent read too. Covered the minutiae that makes the M235i the BMW it is.
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      01-15-2016, 01:50 PM   #9
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The pics I tried to post are viewable on that other Bimmer forum...you know...the festive one.

Thanks for all the welcomes!
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      01-15-2016, 02:53 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RVExotics View Post
The pics I tried to post are viewable on that other Bimmer forum...you know...the festive one.

Thanks for all the welcomes!
Nice! Another addition to the MW family.
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      01-15-2016, 06:09 PM   #11
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Great story, Congrats!
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      01-15-2016, 07:16 PM   #12
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Welcome to the 2'er Club OP...

Lots of good information and ownership discussion here.
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      01-16-2016, 09:14 AM   #13
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Congratulations. Enjoy.
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      01-16-2016, 01:33 PM   #14
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Great write up. I too was sold once I test drove the M235i. I'm still amazed at the power in this car (coming from a E46 M3 even). Cheers.
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      01-17-2016, 12:42 AM   #15
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Welcome to the forum!

My story is not even similar to yours, but the outcome is the same: I'm a happy owner of an M235i. I used to have the legendary already E46 330i, but - after many years of happy driving - something went wrong with the SMG gearbox it had. Nobody, including BMW authorized service, was able to repair it - so regretfully, I had to selll the car. It do unfortunately happened that - at the end of 2012 - the coupe version of E9x 3-series (which would be a natural successor to my 330i) wasn't already orderable, and the 4 series was one full year to be waited for. So I did a stupid move (pushed by the dealer, who wanted to cler his stock off the 2012 production, and offered me quite a nice rebate), and bought the F10 528xi. While being a really beautiful car, it felt too large for me from the very beginning, and its downsized 4-cylinder engine (the same you considered in the 228i) was simply too weak... Two years later the 2-series arrives, so what do I do: not even having an opportunity to test drive it (the M235i were very hard to get in Poland), I sell a 2 years old F10, losing a lot of money (like all premium cars, it lost most of its value during those first 2 years), and order the M235i!

Enough said, cause having the same car you can realize how happy an owner I am

But I admit that in my case, I do regret a bit that at the time of selling my F10, I didn't know at how great price the M2 will come. I'm a power maniac, so I could use the 528xi 3-4 years instead of 2, and buy the M2 for virtually the same money as my M235i...
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      01-18-2016, 01:55 PM   #16
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Welcome!
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      01-18-2016, 03:18 PM   #17
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Welcome to the M235i fam and congrats! You've made a great choice and certainly will not regret passing the 228i. Don't forget to respect her power, she's got some torque that does not hesitate breaking loose the rear end.
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      01-18-2016, 06:18 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1LegitM235i View Post
Don't forget to respect her power, she's got some torque that does not hesitate breaking loose the rear end.
Thanks for the welcome, and man you are not kidding! I can't really see myself ever needing to put the go pedal all the way to the floor, and am not really sure she'd go forward so much as she'd go sideways, but damn it'd be a lot of fun! I had, admittedly, lost a little of my BMW enthusiasm driving my 328, even in M sport guise. I have been totally reawakened as a BMW fanboy.
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      01-18-2016, 07:42 PM   #19
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Congrats. Sounds like the exact same setup that I have. I love it more every day.
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