[SeanE]

So I recently relegated my '16 m235i to the garage and picked up a 2nd car for daily duties (too much trouble with potholes since moving to Philly area this year) and now thinking it's too much car to keep as a 'toy' in the garage. Also doesn't help that I still owe about $18k on it and payment is high.

A 135is just popped up locally with 51K miles on it, one owner, locally owned and serviced exclusively at the dealer who is now selling it. It is a manual, which I prefer for my 'fun' weekend car or whatever. Though the miles are high compared to mine 51K vs 21K, the payment would be lower and I've always thought of the 135is as slightly more of a 'halo' car than mine with its automatic tranny with zero, and I mean zero, options.

Am I crazy to consider picking up the car that is the predecessor to the truly great 2-series? I've only ever test-driven a 135i with a manual a few years ago, just before buying the 235 actually, and thought it was great. Opinions from anyone who has owned both or had extensive time behind the wheel of both would be appreciated.

TIA!

[overcoil]

I'd keep the 235.
I understand about the payments. Thing is your 235 is surely worth more then the 135 and I can't imagine how you can do the 135 w/o losing asset. I imagine if you simply sold the 235 you could in theory rationalize it as similar to leasing expense. If you do some kind of trade deal I don't think you'll come out ahead financially overall as the two earlier options of either keeping or selling,

[capt_and]

Get the 135is if it's a coupe. It's a hard to come by car that is still commanding a premium relative to the regular 135i. I was trying to get the 135is coupe but couldn't find any good deals on them (I only found a handful nationally) and wound up buying a new m240i. But given the choice at the time, I would've bought the 135is. Your car is a run of the mill, bottom spec car - the 135is is a more special car.

[SeanE]

Perfectly juxtoposed ideas here...from a financial standpoint there's no doubt you're correct that I come out on the losing end--forfeit the car that still has 1.5 years of full warranty, most of the depreciation is on me etc. There will also be issues sooner or later with the 135, but to me '13 is the sweetspot of getting the N55 motor, and still get the hydraulic steering that we lost to the electric assist in the 2's.

OTOH, capt is correct, the 135 is a coupe, and the dealer only has it listed as a 135i, not sure if they realize this. I imagine if they list it correctly, it will sell fast as you just don't find them anywhere these days. Tough call. I am scheduled for a test drive tomorrow which of course won't help me see things pragmatically!

[wdc330i]

Are you sure it's really a manual? Sometimes dealers also list the DCT as a manual. Just check the photos carefully, if you haven't done so already. And/or decode the VIN.

[XutvJet]

I'd run all the numbers if it's largely a financial thing. Consider sales tax, insurance increase (it will certainly be higher), and maintenance into this assessment. The reason being is I doubt you'll be saving much at all.

The 135is is basically the 135 version of the M235. It's a solid ride. Just keep in mind it's a 5+ year BMW and will start having the typical issues which won't be covered by any warranty. Your M235 still has 1.5 years of warranty left. I wouldn't be surprised if the 135is needs a couple grand in work within a few months of ownership.

[SeanE]

Originally Posted by wdc330i

Are you sure it's really a manual? Sometimes dealers also list the DCT as a manual. Just check the photos carefully, if you haven't done so already. And/or decode the VIN.

It is a manual, I've seen the car on the lot while it was waiting for new tires and sales area prep.

[SeanE]

Originally Posted by XutvJet

I'd run all the numbers if it's largely a financial thing. Consider sales tax, insurance increase (it will certainly be higher), and maintenance into this assessment. The reason being is I doubt you'll be saving much at all.

The 135is is basically the 135 version of the M235. It's a solid ride. Just keep in mind it's a 5+ year BMW and will start having the typical issues which won't be covered by any warranty. Your M235 still has 1.5 years of warranty left. I wouldn't be surprised if the 135is needs a couple grand in work within a few months of ownership.

Definitely talking sense here. I'd be surprised if the insurance would go up, but maybe you're right. I'm probably better off seeing if I can sell my car private party and then look for a 235 with a manual down the road.

[XutvJet]

If you want something fun for the weekends, an NB Miata is hard to pass up, IMO. A buddy has a butched up 99 NB and he just added a Flyin Miata turbo (simple install) and the thing hauls, handles, and is raw. It's perfect. It makes 200whp and 190wtq and weighs 2300lbs. It makes 8psi and the turbo response is solid. It looks the part and has the power to weight of a current gen 5.0 but feels so much faster because you're on the ground and it's loud and raw. It's such a driver's car. Mods are cheap and endless. Repairs simple and parts readily available. For $11k in the car total, it's impressive.

[msej449]

I'm in a similar position with a 2016 M235i Convertible (16K miles) and a 2007 small run-around (80K Miles) which we should probably replace before it hits 100K miles and needs a raft of major repairs (clutch, aircon etc.).

I think it all depends on whether you plan to keep the BMW for the medium to long term, or replace it within 3-4 years.

Because our M235i was a long-term purchase, we take a slightly longer-term view of out total mileage, say over 5-7 years, rather than the usual 3-4.

For us this means that we'll keep the BMW indefinitely and try and minimise its mileage to what it's best for (holidays, long road trips, summer outings). This then argues for keeping the 2nd car and piling on miles for mundane local trips (gym, shops, municipal dump etc.), plus the inevitable public car park minor dents and scratches. And for us, probably a renewal of the 2nd car - without it, all that mileage and wear and tear is on the BMW.

I'm inclined to the view that if your M235i isn't pothole-tolerant then the earlier model won't be any more so. And that if your M235i ownership is for the medium/long term than leaving it in the garage is really no bad thing.

[morphomeman]

If OP bought the '16 235 new and owes only $18K on it, the payments are high because the loan was quite short term. The upside of that is that in a fairly short time, OP will have zero payments on a pretty new car. So, OP should either refinance the $18K at longer term or just do some belt tightening in anticipation of the glorious moment.
Thinking that the solution is to sell the '16 while under warrantee and buy an older car with relatively high mileage is madness. Among other factors already mentioned, the chance of an unexpected large-cost repair is fairly high, especially compared with having no prospect of a high-cost repair with the current vehicle.

[dsmclone]

Sell the m235i and don't replace it with anything. Take the money you were making on the payment and save it so that you can pay cash for your next car.

[SeanE]

More good advice from you all...Yes, the payment is high because I put it on a 4-year loan with significant money down, with the expectation of having it paid off or nearly so when the warranty expires. Then it could be a true garage queen.

Miata was my other thought as well. It's just that being a 2-seat roadster, it is a complete toy, with no room for the family, can't put a bike in the back etc if I want to take a weekend trip. So, that might be a car for much later when I'm in a position to do it.

The pothole issue is to be mitigated by the fact that I now have a dailyD with fatter (and cheaper) tires, so during the winter and spring when roads up here are at their worst, the 2nd car won't be on the road much. And yea, the tires on the 135is are even more low-pro than the 235.

[overcoil]

When I shopped for my 235 in 2014 a dealer had a new black ext / dark reddish int - 135is w/automatic trans.
It was in the showroom on a battery tender.

That was one of the nicest cars and I still think what would have been if I bought it.

Luckily my ‘15 235 has been great to own but if I were a collector a 135is would be the car I would like to also own.

[mdputnam]

I have both in convertible form. A 2016 M235 and a 2012 135i with the DCT, performance engine option, LSD, M Perf exhaust etc. (basically all the things that the 2013 135is had plus a few more go fast goodies). Anyway, the two cars are different beasts. The 135 is not as well sorted out as the M235i, the handling is a bit on the raw side compared to the M235i. In the 135's favor the DCT is much better than the M235's ZF8 under almost all conditions. On the practical side the M235i rides better has more room and is just a more refined car. Now for the reality, the M235 has be a paragon of reliability other than 2 oil changes and one convertible top recall nothing has gone wrong on the car. I can't say that of the 135. During the 4 years under warranty the car was at the dealer 16 times for various repairs. Now two years out of warranty, we've been to the independent BMW mechanic twice and currently have yet another oil leak so it is going in for a third repair. I love both cars, but certainly wouldn't trade in a M235 for a 135is.

[3rdcoast228i]

I think this has to be something that you really WANT to do. Financially it doesn't make sense, especially since you still have some warranty left on the m235i. Owing 18k isn't that much to owe on a 16', pay it off and when the warranty expires you can spend some cash to make your car "special".

I like the idea of the 135is, but it's not really a halo car IMHO. 1m would be a halo car. To me the 135is was a precursor to the M lite you have now. The n55 in your m235i has more output than the other n55s they put in other cars.

You can easily make your car special, drop in a LSD and some other goodies and you have one fun and desirable car.