[BMW335iOn18s]

Originally Posted by brocklanders

I'm not sure you understand what feedback means.

I do, but the E8x/9x don't have much of it anyways. They're no E46.

[brocklanders]

Originally Posted by BMW335iOn18s

I do, but the E8x/9x don't have much of it anyways. They're no E46.

I'm sure you have read the thread where the driving instructor gave his impressions on the 228 on the track. If you haven't read it's pretty interesting especially the part where he smoked a tire and had to hear it to tell. Even if you are correct about the e80's and e90's having little steering feedback, which I would have to disagree with having owned three of them, still little feedback is much better than none.

[BMW335iOn18s]

Originally Posted by brocklanders

I'm sure you have read the thread where the driving instructor gave his impressions on the 228 on the track. If you haven't read it's pretty interesting especially the part where he smoked a tire and had to hear it to tell. Even if you are correct about the e80's and e90's having little steering feedback, which I would have to disagree with having owned three of them, still little feedback is much better than none.

Well, we had 2 e92 335i's (a 11/2006 build and a 11/2009 build) brand new and i genuinely don't think they had much more feedback. The steering felt more natural on center, and thats about it. Same story with my friends 135i. My M235i has the same amount of feedback, including tramlining/bumpsteer, with less steering effort. Plus, the E92 felt huge compared to the E46 and the F22. Just because one guy couldn't tell he was smoking the tire, doesn't mean he is definitive. Plenty of people have taken thier 2 series to the track and that's the first time i've heard of something like that.

[brocklanders]

Justify your purchase how ever you'd like, I'm done with this conversation just like I'm done with the modern car. They are all engineered and built on fuel economy and so people don't have to pay attention to what there doing. When I bought my new 2013 BMW I just knew I was going to keep it forever, a year and a half later after the novelty wore off the electronic nannies are getting on my nerves.

[VR-Tech]

Originally Posted by BMW335iOn18s

Well, we had 2 e92 335i's (a 11/2006 build and a 11/2009 build) brand new and i genuinely don't think they had much more feedback. The steering felt more natural on center, and thats about it. Same story with my friends 135i. My M235i has the same amount of feedback, including tramlining/bumpsteer, with less steering effort. Plus, the E92 felt huge compared to the E46 and the F22. Just because one guy couldn't tell he was smoking the tire, doesn't mean he is definitive. Plenty of people have taken thier 2 series to the track and that's the first time i've heard of something like that.

I owned the e46 M3, E92 M3, F87 M2, f36 428i gran coupe, F82 M4, and now own the 2013 135Is.

The 'little feedback" you mention still better than the f82 M4, F87 M2 steering feel (2017 M2 feels better than the 2015 M4 that I had). It could be your own preference, but it is silly to say that the M235 steering is superior to that of the 135is or that it offers little feedback. There will always a percentage would side with 235 , but usually any proper enthusiast will likely to agree then 135 steering is superior to the newer model.

[Ron Jeffries]

Very late in the thread, but ... I traded a 2013 135is convertible (auto) for a 2018 M240i convertible xDrive at the end of September. The 135is is more raw and had a better sound (no MPE on the 240i (yet)). It was more fun when driven hard in good weather. The M240i feels stronger, rides better in either Comfort or Sport mode, and sticks to the road better. In tight turns, I think it understeers less because of the xDrive, and it is far less likely to spin a tire under power in a turn. The steering is pretty numb, more numb -- I think -- than the 135is was.

As for equity, I don't know. I expect the M240i to average out more fun per day than the 135is, but for the 135is to have higher peaks on the great days.

[9t2hoo]

Originally Posted by krhodes1

The thing is, the people who want a stick, WANT a stick, and will pay for it. Check out prices on stickshift e91s for the ultimate example of this. Autos are more popular, but they are also as common as dirt, so you are competing against a lot more sellers, even thought there are more buyers too. You only need that ONE buyer. Dealers will always offer less because they want to turn the inventory as quickly as possible, not necessarily maximize profit on each car. A private seller with some patience can make out like a bandit.

When I sold my 2008 335i 6MT last July, i didn’t list it until the night before my new M240i arrived at the dealer. I didn’t expect to get much interest. I found a buyer within 48 hours. The guy drove 400 miles to get the car. He told me he just couldn’t find a well-kept 6 MT car with low miles. When I sell my current car, I expect it will go even quicker because manuals will be even rarer in 6 years.

[Maynard]

Our local Dealership has always had MT 2 series, any times I've been talking to them about this; my SA sort of scoffed at the 'hard to sell, need to wait for an enthusiast' bit. Not surprisingly, there are a lot of enthusiasts at a BMW dealership (or at least enough). Not sure I'd bank on future demand, though - I suspect that the number of MT drivers who age out of it is outnumbering the new drivers coming up who want one, especially with how good the newer AT's have gotten. And it takes a real leap of faith to turn your MT car loose on a test drive, no matter how many times you say 'break it you buy it'. Regardless, these are not cars to buy for future equity; go for the pleasure you will get out of them.

[p912guy]

Originally Posted by 9t2hoo

When I sold my 2008 335i 6MT last July, i didn’t list it until the night before my new M240i arrived at the dealer. I didn’t expect to get much interest. I found a buyer within 48 hours. The guy drove 400 miles to get the car. He told me he just couldn’t find a well-kept 6 MT car with low miles. When I sell my current car, I expect it will go even quicker because manuals will be even rarer in 6 years.

I'd like to think you are right, but my data point is just the opposite. I am certain the reason my 6MT equipped m235i convertible sat in the dealer's inventory for 15 months before I bought it was because it had the MT. It was a car that should have appealed to enthusiasts, Alpine White over Black Dakota, MP Exhaust, MP Kidney Grills, MP Side Sill Decals, but it just sat there with no buyers, most of that time on the showroom floor. It certainly appealed to me as an enthusiast, as I had my eye on it for nearly 3 months before I bought it. Even then, I didn't pull the trigger until the asking price had been incrementally reduced over 3 months to 9K off sticker, and they finally accepted my offer of 10K off sticker.

I plan to keep the car at least 6 years, so it will be a while before I see if it's tough to sell or if I can exact a bit of a premium because of the 6MT. Until then, I am glad it didn't appeal to other enthusiasts and I am enjoying every mile behind the wheel rowing through the gears.

[aozer]

Originally Posted by 9t2hoo

When I sold my 2008 335i 6MT last July, i didn’t list it until the night before my new M240i arrived at the dealer. I didn’t expect to get much interest. I found a buyer within 48 hours. The guy drove 400 miles to get the car. He told me he just couldn’t find a well-kept 6 MT car with low miles. When I sell my current car, I expect it will go even quicker because manuals will be even rarer in 6 years.

i almost went to chicago to buy a pristine MT m235i (im in texas). ended up settling for an AT here in TX.

[XutvJet]

On cars.com, the 6MTs tend to have a $1K-2K higher asking price. I could see how a 6MT convertible would not be a strong seller given the clientele that typically buys a convertible.

I had to order my M235 6MT because no one within ~700 miles of Kansas City stocked a 6MT plus I didn't want a moonroof or nav, but wanted most of the other options. When the car showed up (Mineral white, red interior), many of the reps were drooling over it and most had no idea that you could delete the moonroof. When it comes time to sell, my car will likely cater to the true BMW enthusiast that wants the lightest M235 possible. It's a smaller group, but it's a group that's likely willing to pay more. Even then, I have no hopes of the car having excellent resale. It's a BMW afterall.

The 8AT cars are quicker, no doubt. From a roll, there's going to be little difference assuming the 6MT driver can shift fast. If you are competitively racing the car, the automatic is the way to go for sure. For many of us, the autos are simply not near as fun to drive. Clicking away at paddles is rather boring (been there, did that for 6+ years). The rarity of the 6MT (in used form) is what likely drives the higher asking prices. Every review of the M235, M240, and M2 makes it a point that the 6MT is the one to get. There's good reason for that.