[Covfefe]

Originally Posted by cyclingismylife

I just wanted to point out that you can hold down the left paddle and the car will drop to the lowest gear immediately without having to shift through each gear. Just an FYI in case you decide to go with the auto. This is the first auto car I have ever owned and I had serious reservations of not getting a manual and It's really growing on me the more I drive it.

I know about that feature and it worked when I tried it. My problem with it is I want to choose when to hit the gas after it gets into the gear it needs to be in. If holding the left paddle put it into the lowest gear without needing to mash the gas, I'd probably be satisfied with the auto. I just don't like waiting around for the auto to do it the slow way or having to floor it on the car's terms, not mine.

[Covfefe]

Originally Posted by cristo

There were two new M240i convertibles
at a dealer one town over in Lancaster
last month and no others in all of
South Central PA.
We bought one, and the other was sold
soon after.

Keep in mind that convertibles don’t
usually sell quickly in December

Not looking for a vert. I feel vulnerable with the top down in convertibles, but I really do like opening the moonroof on my 135i. Plus, the convertible has much more weight and less rigidity.

[B58togo]

Originally Posted by Covfefe

That guy with the orange car is wack if he thinks he is getting $59,000, and an M2, in any case, is just a bit more car than I need. I really wish I could like the ZF8's molasses downshifts

I wasn't a huge fan of the ZF8 until I flashed it with stage 3 xHP. It really changed the overall dynamics.

https://www.xhpflashtool.com/maps_prices/

[PDM5]

I looked for months and when the car with all the options I wanted popped up, I booked a flight and picked up the car. Just gotta be very patient (I know it is VERY hard) and something will pop up. There are a couple on Autotrader that meet your requirements and there is one for sale on the forum as well.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by PDM5

I looked for months and when the car with all the options I wanted popped up, I booked a flight and picked up the car. Just gotta be very patient (I know it is VERY hard) and something will pop up. There are a couple on Autotrader that meet your requirements and there is one for sale on the forum as well.

^^^ This.

TLDR (below): be very clear what your bottom-line requirements are; search all relevant sites daily, if not multiple times each day; be ready to move if the right car appears; and definitely, confirm a car's specification by looking up the VIN to see exactly what the car consists of. Then, ask on this site if you have any questions about option codes, which features were available on which models in which years, et al.

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In my case, I wanted a used 228/230 in a particular configuration. It had to have MT, RWD, no moonroof; and, preferably, Arctic White with manual seats. An M240 was a fallback (I didn't need the power, but the car was perfectly acceptable as an alternative).

I looked every day on every possible site, and I found two possibilities over the course of a couple of months. One was on this site, reasonably close at four hours away, had been modded in a way that would have cost me to re-mod, and I decided to hold off while I kept looking. It sold soon after I first saw the ad.

A few weeks later, I found another; IIRC, it was at a dealer in Utah. The distance wasn't a problem. It ticked the main three boxes, but two days after I found it, it too had sold. Lesson learned: there were buyers out there for the configuration I was after. That was not a surprise, as I've been seeing owners like that at the track for many years.

Bit of background: it was May, 2018, I wanted a car for the 2018 track season, and so time was an issue. I was willing to buy a new car, but it was in-between production cycles, and I would have had to wait until after the season before a car built for me could have been delivered. Of course, there's no way I'd find a new car on a dealer's lot in the configuration I wanted.

Except...I did.

By this time I'd spent quite a while looking for a car - maybe three months. I'd posted a few times here during my search, and another member pointed me to a new 2017 M240i that ticked my three biggies. So he said, anyway.

That car was, however, very poorly specified by the BMW dealer, and that's why it had never shown up during any of my searches. The dealer had an MT, no-moonroof car listed as having an automatic with a moonroof. Go figure.

As a result, I ignored that member's suggestion for a few weeks. When I finally got around to looking at the listing, there it was in the photos: MT, no moonroof, and a VIN confirming same. Yay! I called, asked the salesman to go look at the car and physically confirm the configuration (which he did), and then gave him my bankcard number for the deposit. I was on a plane soon after.

It's worth mentioning that the only reason a car in that configuration existed on a dealer's lot in the first place was that it had been ordered by a buyer who chose not to take delivery when the time came.

So it helps to know if you're looking for an-almost unicorn, or for a car that BMW leases/sells by the thousands each and every year. Where I am, that means: automatic, AWD, moonroof, heated whatever...and just generally the options that the average person commuting, going to the store, and taking moderate trips needs and/or wants or that BMW or the dealer has decided that the buyer should have. Nothing wrong with that, but I was aimed towards a street/track car, an-almost unicorn.

By the time I bought, I felt very lucky to find a car that met my basic requirements and had been sitting on the dealer's lot for a year, resulting in a $10K markdown.

[Shovelman]

If they say it's MT ask them to text you a pic of the three pedals on the floor. Might save you a long trip.

[Covfefe]

Originally Posted by dradernh

^^^ This.

TLDR (below): be very clear what your bottom-line requirements are; search all relevant sites daily, if not multiple times each day; be ready to move if the right car appears; and definitely, confirm a car's specification by looking up the VIN to see exactly what the car consists of. Then, ask on this site if you have any questions about option codes, which features were available on which models in which years, et al.

Good advice. My only issue right now is one on auto trader that meets my spec requirements, but the only things holding me back are the price (6mt and estoril + non-black interior is rare and they know it) and the fact that it is a salt belt car. I don't know what the undercarriage looks like, but I would prefer a southern car. I'm tempted to put an extra few grand down given the underside of the car is good because I don't want to pass this car up in hopes of more options in the future.

[Covfefe]

Originally Posted by Shovelman

If they say it's MT ask them to text you a pic of the three pedals on the floor. Might save you a long trip.

Oh, I saw the pedals. They are the stainless steel ones too

[Pray for Mojo]

Manuals seem scarce in the US, the dealer here always orders about half manual, half automatic.

[Covfefe]

By the way, can anyone tell me the rpm at 70mph for the 6mt? I used an RPM calc and it said 70mph was about 2500. That seems awfully high as my 135i auto turns 2500rpm at 78 in 6th.

[XutvJet]

Originally Posted by Covfefe

By the way, can anyone tell me the rpm at 70mph for the 6mt? I used an RPM calc and it said 70mph was about 2500. That seems awfully high as my 135i auto turns 2500rpm at 78 in 6th.

Yeah, 2500rpms is about right. I'm close to 2800rpms around 80mph. I much prefer it this way as it makes passing without downshifting easy. l see 28-30 mpg in pure highway driving going around 75mph.

[Covfefe]

Originally Posted by XutvJet

Yeah, 2500rpms is about right. I'm close to 2800rpms around 80mph. I much prefer it this way as it makes passing without downshifting easy. l see 28-30 mpg in pure highway driving going around 75mph.

I just worry about exhaust drone as I would like to put an exhaust on. The M235i with the MPE sounded lovely, although I know that MPE is different from the B58 MPE. The 8AT sits at around 1900 at 80 mph...

[4Hockey4]

Talking to a dealer, he said very lil MT's on lots, most special order and very rare on a lease. 5% USA are ordered MT, 75% are special orders. (that was 2019 #'s)

I spent about $2K premium last fall for a 235i MT in gray with M performance (what i wanted). At the time using 12 sites, there were 6 MT's available under $35K with under 30K miles.

Having said that, with the turn of the model year and auction year, that has improved. CPO MT's are low right now, but spring should bring a few more.

I spent 6 months researching, talking to many dealers etc, unless you get lucky, yes MT's will cost a bit more holding all things consistent. Most dealers said they'll move on retail prices for an AT, but not MT, don't let retail prices fool ya.

Good luck and either way, you'll love your car. (and yes i love the MT too )

[cyclingismylife]

Originally Posted by Covfefe

I know about that feature and it worked when I tried it. My problem with it is I want to choose when to hit the gas after it gets into the gear it needs to be in. If holding the left paddle put it into the lowest gear without needing to mash the gas, I'd probably be satisfied with the auto. I just don't like waiting around for the auto to do it the slow way or having to floor it on the car's terms, not mine.

It does, you do not need to be mashing the gas. Just hold in the paddle, gear drops to lowest without over-rev and then mash on the gas when you are ready.

[Covfefe]

Originally Posted by cyclingismylife

It does, you do not need to be mashing the gas. Just hold in the paddle, gear drops to lowest without over-rev and then mash on the gas when you are ready.

Originally Posted by cyclingismylife

It does, you do not need to be mashing the gas. Just hold in the paddle, gear drops to lowest without over-rev and then mash on the gas when you are ready.

Hmm. That's something I didn't know. I read about it online and what I often found was holding the paddle by itself did not do it. It kind of makes me want to test drive the m235i with the MPE and LSD again, although I'm pretty sure the salesman thinks I was wasting his time and I don't know if I can ever really love alpine white (probably my last pick other than jet black if that was ever offered). I wonder if the 2018 X3 30i in the garage will let me do the same thing with the left paddle lol.

[p912guy]

Originally Posted by XutvJet

Yeah, 2500rpms is about right. I'm close to 2800rpms around 80mph. I much prefer it this way as it makes passing without downshifting easy. l see 28-30 mpg in pure highway driving going around 75mph.

Same here. I generally run between 2000-3000 rpms all the time so I'm in 3 gear up to about 40mph and 4th up to 50 mph. I find keeping the revs in that range returns reasonable mpg and also enough power and torque for most driving needs. I have MPE and no droning at all. I suspect MPE in a 240 would produce similar results. 240 might return slightly better mpg too.

[XutvJet]

Originally Posted by Covfefe

I just worry about exhaust drone as I would like to put an exhaust on. The M235i with the MPE sounded lovely, although I know that MPE is different from the B58 MPE. The 8AT sits at around 1900 at 80 mph...

I've got the MPE and the HJS Euro 6 catted DP. My M235 6MT has no drone. I'm very sensitive to drone/vibration as I routinely have my wife and two kids in the car. I've had exhausts on other cars that I removed because of drone.

It's my understanding that the MPE on the M240 is a bit less aggressive than the MPE used on the M235. My MPE is fairly loud and sounds glorious with the DP. I absolutely love it.

[XutvJet]

Originally Posted by 4Hockey4

Talking to a dealer, he said very lil MT's on lots, most special order and very rare on a lease. 5% USA are ordered MT, 75% are special orders. (that was 2019 #'s)

I spent about $2K premium last fall for a 235i MT in gray with M performance (what i wanted). At the time using 12 sites, there were 6 MT's available under $35K with under 30K miles.

Having said that, with the turn of the model year and auction year, that has improved. CPO MT's are low right now, but spring should bring a few more.

I spent 6 months researching, talking to many dealers etc, unless you get lucky, yes MT's will cost a bit more holding all things consistent. Most dealers said they'll move on retail prices for an AT, but not MT, don't let retail prices fool ya.

Good luck and either way, you'll love your car. (and yes i love the MT too )

Yep, even back in Feb 2016, 6MTs were extremely rare. I ordered my 6MT because my "M Lite" option list was going to be impossible to find (MW/Coral Red, HK stereo, winter and parking package,no nav, and no moonroof). The dealer required a $3K non-refundable downpaymet because they "didn't want to be stuck with a car no else would want". They had no idea that the car would be ordered without a moonroof. With the 6MT and moonroof delete, my 6MT weighs about 140 lbs less than a comparably equipped 8AT rwd M235.

[MassNerd]

Originally Posted by Covfefe

Hmm. That's something I didn't know. I read about it online and what I often found was holding the paddle by itself did not do it. It kind of makes me want to test drive the m235i with the MPE and LSD again, although I'm pretty sure the salesman thinks I was wasting his time...

Also make sure you're in Sport/Sport+ mode. The transmission shifts quicker than when in Comfort mode.

[Covfefe]

I had the car in sport drivetrain and chassis on the test drive and the shifts I asked it to do individually were still slow. I wish I tried the paddle hold without my foot to the floor on the test drive. If the car was EB, MG, or MR, I'd probably be compelled enough to test drive and buy today if my mind changed about the transmission. It seems like a bargain for $30k with 30k miles, MPE, LSD, and some of the more premium packages. The adaptive suspension on the car was wonderful. My 1er crashes over every bump.

[petrosexxual]

Originally Posted by Covfefe

Hey guys, I'm looking to get into something newer than my 08 135i. I test drove a very nice M235i today with the M Performance LSD and MPE, but unfortunately, I thought the auto was terrible for the application. I'm no stranger to the ZF8 in BMWs, but for such a sporty car, I feel it fell apart trying to drop 4 gears after spamming the paddle shifters. I've been on the lookout for a 6mt M240i although I've never driven a stick (I'm 19 and just haven't had the opportunity), but damn is the selection limited.

This is what I see nationwide: https://www.autotempest.com/results?...ansmission=man

Is the selection always so poor? I know the take rate for the manual is low, but man, I hoped for more than 8 coupes nationwide. I feel that the only one I have any interest in is very overpriced, but with so few cars on the market, I guess they can charge what they want. I just don't want to pass up on this one and regret it because there may not be another one I like for some time.

Quite hard to find when I was searching for M240i in 2017. I specifically wanted Estoril Blue with a 6 M/T. Only 2 were available on the West Coast at the time, just months prior to the LCI model release(I wish I waited for the Digital Oil Temp Gauge).

So yes, I do consider them quite rare, especially if you are particular about color options. One feature that annoys me with the M240i vs the M235i is the auto rev-match feature, which cannot be disabled unless turning all safety aids off. This may be a potential turnoff if you are seeking a pure "Manual" experience, or just drive with DSC Off, however just be prepared to catch the frequent tail wagging especially in wet conditions, it's quite a bit of car especially knowing what I was like at the age of 19

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by petrosexxual

...just drive with DSC Off, however just be prepared to catch the frequent tail wagging especially in wet conditions, it's quite a bit of car...

I drive with DSC Off at the track, where that makes it much easier to get the most out of the car.

As you note, on the street in the wet this car likes to step sideways on you - and in no time flat. You don't have to be particularly aggressive with the throttle for it to do that, either. It's something to watch out for.