[caycep]

Yeah, I don't think he meant literally, more like philosophically - a light 4 cyl BMW w/o the frills other than driving.

His One-Take on the 228i m sport at Willow probably helped form his opinion.

[Mjpgolf1]

These discussions are always amusing. In the end when it comes to us enthusiasts the car people chose is almost always about price. It’s not that someone’s 228 is better balanced, or they wanted better fuel economy, or that the m235/240 are too common. If you bought the 228 msport just e honest with yourself and all of us and enjoy the car you have. A car enthusiast will always choose the m235/240 over the lesser models because it’s bmws top performing model within that series, aside from the M cars. If you went in to the dealer and couldn’t justify the extra costs associated with the m235/240 then there’s nothing wrong with that. But don’t make excuses that the 228 was more rare and you didn’t want a car that’s more common, or that you wanted the better fuel economy (which isn’t really even a factor between the two models), or that the 228 is better balanced (because that also is not the case). You guys that own the 228/230 bought the car because of the price difference. Whether you didn’t see the value or just plain couldn’t afford it. In the end just enjoy your car and don’t try to justify your purchase to yourself and all of us. The m235/240 is flat out the better car which is why it’s more money. That doesn’t mean the 228/230 msport isn’t a great car as well. But there is no way to come up with some theory on how the 228 is better and that’s why you chose it. The 228 was more affordable and that’s it.

[Ron Jeffries]

it’s pretty risky to claim that we know why people choose what they choose. certainly for most of us subjective value for money is in there but not always in an obvious way. my candidates for this round, winding up at M240i convertible, had criteria of fun, year round use, including michigan winters. serious contenders included: 4 series retractable xdrive, MB GLC, Golf R, BMW X4 and X1 and X3, and the M240i. considered and priced: Focus RS, Honda Civic R, Nissan Juke (really, i had one and liked it a lot), Lexus or Infiniti performance models, and others.

Certainly I think the M240i is the most value to me for the money, but it was more the value side that I varied, not just the price.

[Kolyan2k]

No offense to Matt, but he is my least favorite auto youtuber. I dont get his one takes, they say almost nothing about cars

[3rdcoast228i]

Originally Posted by Mjpgolf1

These discussions are always amusing. In the end when it comes to us enthusiasts the car people chose is almost always about price. It’s not that someone’s 228 is better balanced, or they wanted better fuel economy, or that the m235/240 are too common. If you bought the 228 msport just e honest with yourself and all of us and enjoy the car you have. A car enthusiast will always choose the m235/240 over the lesser models because it’s bmws top performing model within that series, aside from the M cars. If you went in to the dealer and couldn’t justify the extra costs associated with the m235/240 then there’s nothing wrong with that. But don’t make excuses that the 228 was more rare and you didn’t want a car that’s more common, or that you wanted the better fuel economy (which isn’t really even a factor between the two models), or that the 228 is better balanced (because that also is not the case). You guys that own the 228/230 bought the car because of the price difference. Whether you didn’t see the value or just plain couldn’t afford it. In the end just enjoy your car and don’t try to justify your purchase to yourself and all of us. The m235/240 is flat out the better car which is why it’s more money. That doesn’t mean the 228/230 msport isn’t a great car as well. But there is no way to come up with some theory on how the 228 is better and that’s why you chose it. The 228 was more affordable and that’s it.

I don't think anyone ever said it was a better car. And the 228i isn't more rare than m235/240, not sure what makes you think that. I think what people are saying it's a fun car. Not everyone wants or needs an M car to have fun.

And yes it does come down to price. I don't need to go out and buy a M2 to justify that it's better than an m240i though.

Edit: Fuel economy between the the two isn't a factor? What?

[Mjpgolf1]

Originally Posted by 3rdcoast228i

I don't think anyone ever said it was a better car. And the 228i isn't more rare than m235/240, not sure what makes you think that. I think what people are saying it's a fun car. Not everyone wants or needs an M car to have fun.

And yes it does come down to price. I don't need to go out and buy a M2 to justify that it's better than an m240i though.

Edit: Fuel economy between the the two isn't a factor? What?

I think you mistook my post my friend. Definitely didn’t mean it the way you took it. I’m also very well aware the M235i/M240i is more rare than a 228/230, I sell them for a living so I would hope so.

Was actually trying to tell people to just enjoy their car and it’s great no matter what they chose. If you read back thru each and “every” post in this thread you will see where my comments about fuel economy and “rarity” stem from, they aren’t my thinking but instead taken from some of the responses here. Some people feel the need to try to convince others somehow that they chose the lesser of a certain model for some other reason than the price. Everything is always about price.

I will add that the the combined fuel economy for a new 230 is 28mpg while the M240 combined is 25mpg, so hardly enough to be a decision maker when dropping $40-$60k on a car.

[3.0L]

Originally Posted by Mjpgolf1

These discussions are always amusing. In the end when it comes to us enthusiasts the car people chose is almost always about price. It’s not that someone’s 228 is better balanced, or they wanted better fuel economy, or that the m235/240 are too common. If you bought the 228 msport just e honest with yourself and all of us and enjoy the car you have. A car enthusiast will always choose the m235/240 over the lesser models because it’s bmws top performing model within that series, aside from the M cars. If you went in to the dealer and couldn’t justify the extra costs associated with the m235/240 then there’s nothing wrong with that. But don’t make excuses that the 228 was more rare and you didn’t want a car that’s more common, or that you wanted the better fuel economy (which isn’t really even a factor between the two models), or that the 228 is better balanced (because that also is not the case). You guys that own the 228/230 bought the car because of the price difference. Whether you didn’t see the value or just plain couldn’t afford it. In the end just enjoy your car and don’t try to justify your purchase to yourself and all of us. The m235/240 is flat out the better car which is why it’s more money. That doesn’t mean the 228/230 msport isn’t a great car as well. But there is no way to come up with some theory on how the 228 is better and that’s why you chose it. The 228 was more affordable and that’s it.

"Better" is in the eye of the beholder... ah, I mean owner.

I won't bother mentioning why guys pick different size gir... nope, not
going there.

[BarryJI]

Originally Posted by Mjpgolf1

These discussions are always amusing. In the end when it comes to us enthusiasts the car people chose is almost always about price. It’s not that someone’s 228 is better balanced, or they wanted better fuel economy, or that the m235/240 are too common. If you bought the 228 msport just e honest with yourself and all of us and enjoy the car you have. A car enthusiast will always choose the m235/240 over the lesser models because it’s bmws top performing model within that series, aside from the M cars. If you went in to the dealer and couldn’t justify the extra costs associated with the m235/240 then there’s nothing wrong with that. But don’t make excuses that the 228 was more rare and you didn’t want a car that’s more common, or that you wanted the better fuel economy (which isn’t really even a factor between the two models), or that the 228 is better balanced (because that also is not the case). You guys that own the 228/230 bought the car because of the price difference. Whether you didn’t see the value or just plain couldn’t afford it. In the end just enjoy your car and don’t try to justify your purchase to yourself and all of us. The m235/240 is flat out the better car which is why it’s more money. That doesn’t mean the 228/230 msport isn’t a great car as well. But there is no way to come up with some theory on how the 228 is better and that’s why you chose it. The 228 was more affordable and that’s it.

Well that’s about as condescending as it gets.

[CAMOETO]

Originally Posted by 3.0L

"Better" is in the eye of the beholder... ah, I mean owner.

I won't bother mentioning why guys pick different size gir... nope, not
going there.

That's why you fun ride can't be the same size as your daily ;-)

[Dylan86]

Matt Farah is a decent reviewer, however, his opinions and repeat reviews with inconsistent feedback are starting to piss me off. I feel like he went from one or two really good reviews, weekly, to a cramped "get more vids done" approach. It's effectively ruining his ability to distinguish real pro's/cons between his tests. Either that, or the assortment of donated test cars is getting thin, and he's doing whatever he can to keep his channel flowing with new footage..

I'll stick with Chris Harris, thanks. He can actually drive, too

[USA-RET]

Originally Posted by Mjpgolf1

These discussions are always amusing. In the end when it comes to us enthusiasts the car people chose is almost always about price. It’s not that someone’s 228 is better balanced, or they wanted better fuel economy, or that the m235/240 are too common. If you bought the 228 msport just e honest with yourself and all of us and enjoy the car you have. A car enthusiast will always choose the m235/240 over the lesser models because it’s bmws top performing model within that series, aside from the M cars. If you went in to the dealer and couldn’t justify the extra costs associated with the m235/240 then there’s nothing wrong with that. But don’t make excuses that the 228 was more rare and you didn’t want a car that’s more common, or that you wanted the better fuel economy (which isn’t really even a factor between the two models), or that the 228 is better balanced (because that also is not the case). You guys that own the 228/230 bought the car because of the price difference. Whether you didn’t see the value or just plain couldn’t afford it. In the end just enjoy your car and don’t try to justify your purchase to yourself and all of us. The m235/240 is flat out the better car which is why it’s more money. That doesn’t mean the 228/230 msport isn’t a great car as well. But there is no way to come up with some theory on how the 228 is better and that’s why you chose it. The 228 was more affordable and that’s it.

There actually is another consideration that can and does enter into a choice between the two cars. Performance.

I wanted to trade my C7 Corvette in for something less "beastly". Yes, that car actually was too powerful for me to enjoy around town w/ some spirited driving. Even with moderate acceleration (1/2 throttle), I was way past the posted speed limit and attracting plenty of attention in the process.

I stopped by our local BMW dealer and explained my reason for trading and mentioned I wanted to get either the M240i or the M2. Money was not a consideration. Actually my 2015 was worth close to what the M240i was selling for, so easier for me to write a small check for the diff that to expect the dealership to write me a much larger one for the 230i

He said either of those choices wouldn't be too far off in performance from the C7 I was trading. He suggested I get the 230i instead. Still a fast, fun car, and less performance than the C7 I was trading.

I stuck w/ the M240i as I thought it would be far tamer than the C7. Actually found the salesman to be correct. The M240i is very close to the C7 I traded and w/ the Dinan Stage 1, I think it's an even match.

Again, I find the M240i to be more performance than I need for spirited driving, however, it doesn't draw near the attention the C7 did when I do play w/ it in traffic.

I find that I have more fun w/ my JCW tuned 2015 Mini Cooper than either the C7 and the M240i. Car is just easier to get have fun with. 0-60 is in the high 5 sec range and is plenty for around town hooliganism. Guessing the 230i would be also.

Just sayin' choice isn't always about money. It can be about how much car a person really needs or wants.

I firmly believe it is far more fun to drive a slow car fast than to drive a fast car slow.

[Dylan86]

In this video @4:18 he says, and I quote: "you huck this thing into a corner, and all of that lightness I liked about the 228i m-sport, it's still here".

So.. which one is it, Matt? lol...

[F22228I]

I just love an opportunity to celebrate the 228i for what it is or what I've observed, that's all . And believe me there are many better cars out there depending on the situation (e.g. track), starting with the M235i and M2.

The 228i M-sport is plenty of car for me and my daily commutes, and it certainly does not leave me wanting more...except for one thing: more sound that comes out-of-the-box with the M-cars. I really think I need an exhaust soon...
(prepared for the M guys to say I actually need 2 more cylinders ).

[B_Rice]

Originally Posted by Kolyan2k

No offense to Matt, but he is my least favorite auto youtuber. I dont get his one takes, they say almost nothing about cars

I'd say he's still leagues above "vehicle virgins".

[Kolyan2k]

Originally Posted by B_Rice

I'd say he's still leagues above "vehicle virgins".

I had to look them up, I dont even watch those. Nick is really good, Dough is cool too. I also like EverydayDriver and Carfection, well and obviously Chris Harris, and Motor Trend.....oh and have to give some credit to that guy on "CNET On Cars", I think he is alright too.