[bensanford]

My wife & I were looking to replace our 2003 Acura RSX Type-S. I wanted a toy car like a Miata, but after driving one - it was just too small and hard to get into. I liked the Boxster and Cayman, but too costly and probably not that practical, and my wife didn't like them either. We wanted something small but also with good performance and test drove a number of cars, but couldn't reach a joint agreement. Then a high rating in Consumer Reports prompted us to check out the 2 series, and it was the first car that we both could agree on. Seats were comfortable that the interior was quiet. We looked at the 4 series hard-top convertible but the loss of trunk space made that one drop out of consideration.

The dealer stock of 230's and 240's was almost all automatics, mostly x-drive, and most with black interiors - so we placed the order for our 2018 in July, and picked it up in October. Very happy with it, but with the current summer tires, probably won't be driving it much until the spring. It's my first German car since several Porsche 914's years ago - which were really fun cars at the time.

[SteveInfante]

I have always had a small car besides a 2010 Merc C Class 6MT. I found out I was about to be going to Germany for a few years and traded the Merc in for a Mustang GT with the Track Package and Recaro seats. Drove the crap out of that while in Europe. Although it was very comparable to a lot of the E9X M3's that friends had while I was there I was tiring of the weight and size of the car.

I wanted to get back into a small European car with 2 doors with "sports car" handling and got good gas mileage. I test drove the M235 with the auto and liked it a lot. When the slightly loved 228i showed up on the lot I drove that and ended up purchasing it after selling the Mustang to a German friend of mine. It checked all the boxes.

- small
- 2 doors
- 6MT
- great mileage
- mod friendly
- driver's car feel
- large enough back seat to accommodate my two sons
- color combo was IMHO one of the best and unique I could find (Midnight Blue Metallic with Terra leather)

It had 2700 miles on it when I bought it in June 2015 and I'm now over 67K miles. It's been super dependable. I've done all my own maintenance since I've been out of warranty and I never stop loving the way it drives, the color, and how unique it is. Especially here back in the US I haven't seen another like it on the road, anywhere. Maybe by the time my son graduates from HS in a few years and heads to college he will inherit the 228 and it will be time to get myself an M2. I have driven the F80 M3 numerous times as well as the M4 but for me, I just like the size and performance. My only gripe, if you want to use that word, is not having sportier seats. I have the base (performance wise) car with Premium, Cold Weather, and Adaptive HID's, and the 6MT. With just a BMS Stage 1 tune and aFe drop-in filter combined with my driving style and affliction for taking the curvy roads versus being stuck in traffic I've eaten up some tires. I'm about to be on my 3rd set of UHP All seasons.

It's the best daily driver I've had in over 20 cars. It will be hard to beat when the time comes.

[stevenvillatoro]

Okay, ahem. Here my somewhat unique criteria that led me to the M240i:

1. Excellent outward visibility; great sightlines; well-placed pillars
2: Compact footprint; narrow width; decent turning radius
3. Reasonably high seating w/wide range of adjustment (see 1. above)
4. ~$50K price
5. RWD, a Miata demeanor in coupe guise
6. Operable sun/moonroof
7. Reliable
8. Apple CarPlay
9. Decent fuel economy; versatile as DD or GT for trips
10. Easy on the eyes, but not flashy or pretentious

[B_Rice]

Was looking for a fun coupe that had usable rear seats. Cross shopped a mustang GT and decided against it once I sat in the rear seats and found they had abysmal head room even at my manlet height of 5'8.

[M235SDCA]

I didn't want something that felt a lot bigger than my E46. Had to have a convertible. The 4 just felt a little too big - M4 vert was tempting but just felt a little big driving. Too bad BMW isn't making an M2 vert, but M235 FBO with Enzo tune is as much power as I really need on the street.

[ardifan]

Needed a sports/touring convertible with a manual trans, with some luggage capability. Came down to a 911 or this 2-series. I really don't fit in a 911. Ordered an M240i convert/stick. Had to move out of the summer tires to do a long winter trip with lots of luggage. Works a treat! Will get another set of wheels to put the summer performance tires back on next year and intend some autocross/track day time. This is a driver friendly car for putzing around with the top down and is a great long distance driver; love the folding back seat! EXCEPT, that darn very small gas tank doesn't give much range!

[M235SDCA]

Originally Posted by ardifan

EXCEPT, that darn very small gas tank doesn't give much range!

OMG you are not kidding. Even my E46 had a normal size tank. That is the one thing about the 2 I don't like. You would have thought BMW could have found space for an extra 5 gallons.

[Mr Carrots]

Because I foolishly assumed the B58 would be cracked by now and didn't read enough

[Ron Jeffries]

My 3-series retractable had a folding back seat that made a shelf, but didn't open automatically to the trunk. (In fact I'm not sure if it could so so at all: maybe a ski port?)

I'd like the shelf and to have the trunk closed off (optionally).

[RoundelM3]

Wife's previous car was a 128i Convertible, but in 2016, there was no more 1-series in the US. The 228i M-Sport convertible is a step up and there was no other soft-top convertible choice from BMW except the 6-series, which was WAY out of our price range and was way too big.

[Maynard]

I got the bug for a performance car after I test drove a 370Z that was from the previous year (a 2014, late in 2015). The wife was a big help too, as she was good to encourage me, pointing out that we were going to be replacing the DD anyway, and had the extra to go for s/t enjoyable too. The Nissan dealer had an attitude (knocked a 'whole 2500' off the msrp and wouldn't even talk - I think he wanted it for himself) which all coincided to put me in the market, trying different things until I found s/t that hit the most buttons. Miata was the only thing close, but I also found it too small for daily use, and wasn't willing to keep the old car as a winter rat. I hadn't kept up w/ BMW and had been interested in a 3-series coupe, luckily they showed me the 2 first, as I'd have had no interest in a 3 or 4. From then on, nothing even came close.

Geeze, now I'm getting all misty - might have to call off sick and go for a drive instead of tackling the pile in front of me.....

[mdputnam]

It was all part of BMW's diabolical marketing plan. We took my wife's 135is in for its final warranty service. Normally, the dealer gives us a generic 4 cylinder 4 series car with absolutely no options as loaner. No problem, as the car service takes less than a day and we only have to suffer with what could best be described as a corporate lease bait car. This time they loaned us a brand new, with only 200 miles, Estroil Blue M235i convertible with almost every option available. Woohoo!! Then the bastards called and said we had to keep the M235i for the rest of the week because they had to order a part. So, after driving the M235i around for a week, I sold my 16 year old Toyota Tundra and ordered an estroil blue M235i convertible with all the go fast goodies I could find.

[rightrudder]

The M240i just does everything well. I like the idea of small chassis/big engine, and I was weaned on BMWs (drove a 1600 in college, and an E46 until recently). The M240i makes nearly 150 bhp more than than my old 325i, but it's within 1 mpg average fuel economy.

I had originally planned to track the M240i, but it's just too nice to subject it to rock chips, etc. So I bought a used 2012 Mustang GT for track days, modified the suspension, and threw on a set of Potenza RE71Rs. I call it "The Stepchild," as it accepts a beating quite nicely.

[Toxophilite]

For me it was fairly simple but hard to find. Here were my requirements:

Room in backseat for parents (tallest being 5 feet 4 inches)
Decent trunk space
AWD
6 cylinder boosted at maximum (was ok with 4 cyl and boosted) just for fun
Compact
Fun to drive
Comfortable for my fiancee as she has back pain sometimes on longer drives
Under 50k USD

Coming from an SLK350, I wanted something that handled like a go kart once again but something I could use year round. I looked at the audi s3, s4, rs3 and contemplated a used rs5. None of them really scratched the itch that the bmw did. The interior, while nice, was just not... me. I looked at the amg c43 coupe and sedan but I ran away after I saw the insurance rates for those. I looked at a used e63 amg but the fact that gas mileage was very poor (although a bit faster and, from what I hear, a blast to drive), insurance was still too high. I looked at other BMWs in the range as well such as the 435i coupe and gran coupe, 340i, 640xi, 650xi and a 550i but they all had a smiliar story... they felt like boats! I am small myself (5 foot 6) so having a giant car is not really a need for me. The funnest car to drive and the one that I wanted to test drive over and over again was the m240i so thats what I went with. It just passed ireland on its vessel and I should be getting it in a couple of weeks (I hope!)

[lateapex'er]

The time finally came to replace my riced out Honda Civic! Finished getting my Masters, landed a big boy job, and decided it was time for an upgrade.

Potential Vehicles:
328i/335i
e46 M3
MB C350 sport
Evo
STI
Lexus IS250
Keep Civic, buy Porsche 964 (911) to compete with my father!

Notice, no two series on the list above. As I was searching through AutoTrader for 3 series, I came across a beautiful CPO Glacier Silver Metallic/Coral Red/228i/6MT with about every option minus M Sport Brakes, Parking Distance, and Rearview camera
The car was listed as a 3 series by mistake, and upon further research found out about the two series model. It was only then did I learn about the M235i, and its differences to the 228i. After much research, and test driving both cars at local dealers, I decided to pull the trigger on the 228i as it was the best match for myself. Drove three hours to go pick it up! The rest is history.

[VIN240i13]

After owning boats and trucks to pull them for a period of 15 years while I was living in Florida, I wanted to get back into sports cars. I have owned several over the years starting with 2 Mazda RX-7’s, 3 Mustangs, 2 Vetts and a Porsche. I spent a considerable amount of time narrowing the field down to three contenders:

1) 2014 Slightly used Mustang Shelby (Under 5k miles for $65k)
2) 2017/2018 Corvette Z51 / 3LT Package
3) 2017 BMW M235i

During the process of selecting a final 3, I also considered the Dodge Challenger, Chevy Camaro and Ford Mustang GT.

It was a close call between the BMW and the Vette and when I thought it was time to make that final decision, I went with the Vette. I had a hard time finding the right color / package combo in the used market so I went ahead and placed an order for a 2018. The BMW I test drove during the decision process was a 2016 M235i Coupe with the manual transmission.

In my area there are only 2 BMW dealerships in a 125 mile radius so the pickings are slim. The day after I placed the order for the Vette, the BMW dealership called me and said they have received 3 brand new 2018 M240i’s and one was a convertible. I had told them I had already placed an order for the Vette, the dealership was quite persistent in recommending I should come over and test drive the latest model. I figured what I have to loose so I went over to take a look.

I decided to take out the convertible first, beautiful blue with a black top and black interior, fully loaded with all the toys, MSRP just over $58,500. The salesman I had worked with before just threw me the keys and said “go play” and come back when you’re ready; so that’s exactly what I did, I drove the car for about an hour, it was a picture perfect day so the top went down immediately. One thing I noticed after the extended drive was how “comfortable” I was. The BMW is deceptively fast and a blast to drive. I am first to admit the sound of the Vetts V8 under throttle is amazing but the M240i in Sport+ mode has a sound that was equally satisfying.

The key decision element for me was the “driver comfort and fun factor”, the Vette is a beast of a car and you feel it when you drive, the BMW felt more refined, a car I can drive for ours and not feel exhausted. I am not as aerodynamic as I would like to be these days and the one thing about the Vette that came into view after the BMW test drive was the amount of physical effort I had to exert when exiting the Vette, did not have that issue with the BMW.

When I returned to the dealership I tried to hide my enthusiasm and told the salesman you need to make the numbers do some "magic" before I decide to cancel the order on the Vette. After another hour of going back and forth with the numbers they finally made me a sales offer on the 2018 M240i that I just could not refuse. A quick call to the Chevrolet Dealership to makes sure my deposit was in fact fully refundable and I became a new BMW owner.

[beard627]

Manual transmission. Good performance and handling. Small enough, not a boat. DD'able. Enough luxury/comfort. Something where I don't need a loan. Can carry my road bicycle in a pinch. Did I say manual transmission? I love my Estoril Blue/Cognac leather 240i. Oh yeah, manual transmission.

[CP911]

Wanted 2-door coupe, M/T, RWD, no sunroof. Not many cars out there to pick from these days, quite honestly. The B58 is also one beast of a motor! What's not to love about the m240i (or any 2 series really), especially considering the price?

[virtguy]

I've had an E46, two E90s, and a F30, and as nice as the F30 was, I'd felt that the 3 series had gotten too big. I wanted that playful, connected feeling of the E46 again, and my M235i captures it well, only with a lot more power.

[M240Driver]

After a brief fling with an Alfa Quad I was looking for something dependable that offered reasonably comparable performance. The M240 is a great compromise car for me offering impressive acceleration and handling along with very decent ride quality. At 1400 miles I’m very pleased.

[Shovelman]

I have a long history of mediocre cars and just retired. If I didn't buy a nice sports car at this time, I never would. Just could not get excited about the Chevy Cruze. My brother swore off MB in favor of BMW for reliability. The car had to be good, great name and all. Never test drove one, just ordered it. (230i RWD MT VO) Love it!

[Miata13]

Originally Posted by Shovelman

I have a long history of mediocre cars and just retired. If I didn't buy a nice sports car at this time, I never would. Just could not get excited about the Chevy Cruze. My brother swore off MB in favor of BMW for reliability. The car had to be good, great name and all. Never test drove one, just ordered it. (230i RWD MT VO) Love it!

Recently retired myself..and with all this "noise" about the coming of driverless electric cars, there won't be many more opportunities for a car like the 2 series...Haven't pulled the trigger as I haven't worn out the on-line configurator yet
Congrats on your 230i !