Peter10 Posted May 27, 2012 Share Posted May 27, 2012 I said on another thread that I will Get rid of my zed if the road tax gets any closer to £500 in the next year. I have a new job that most of my time is devoted to (against my free will) and I can't attend the car shows it deserves to be at. I want a fast, fun car to replace it with but one that can take more than one passenger. I know the 135i isn't particularly fuel efficient but neither is the zed so I'm used to that. The big thing is for a 3.0L twin turbo car the road tax is excellent at tax band J (£250) so will save me £210 a year straight away. Also, it's probably one of the better looking BMW's out there at the moment. Does anyone have any comments or opinions on this car? Anyone owned or driven one or know someone with one? I've been told with a tweak here and there it can compete with M3 levels of acceleration, but not sure if this is true and what cost it would need investing to do so. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetSet Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 viewtopic.php?f=9&t=61426&p=882114&hilit=135i#p882114 Also, it's probably one of the better looking BMW's out there at the moment They all look the same to me . Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter10 Posted May 28, 2012 Author Share Posted May 28, 2012 I mean that the 1 series coupe looks good compared to some of the other 1 series shapes. The new 5 series doesn't do it for me either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dblock Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 TBH I dont see the point in shelling out so much money to save £210 a year? Unless you just want a change? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronzee Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 TBH I dont see the point in shelling out so much money to save £210 a year? Unless you just want a change? That's what I was thinking. Pretty small amount of money in the bigger scheme of things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 It's £4 a week. How much extra is the 135i going to cost you to purchase? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gangzoom Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 The 135i has the same engine as my 335i (in fact its the same engine thats in the 1M), but only lighter....Intercooler/Remap/DeCat will see 400bhp no problems, will cost about £1.5-2K depending on cheap you can get the parts fitted. However you do need to spend another £1.5-2K on a LSD to make use of the power, otherwise your just be seeing the Traction Control light come on a lot!!! Economy is actually better than the Z!! I haven't driven one but have no doubt it'll fun. When buying one make sure you get one with all the Spec you want...BMW charges extra for just about every options and some of the cheaper cars have a very sparse interior. For of all round practicality/performance/economy I think think there's very few cars that come close to what a 135i/335i can offer, especially now when you can pick up a decent 335i for £12K!!.... Its just a shame they all look boring in comparison to the Z, and there's a 118d/320d around every street corner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R35LEE Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 Great car and great engine and easily tuned Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynamic Turtle Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 I agree with both Dblock and Gangzoom. Dblock rightly says that trying to save £210 a year in tax when the 135 costs £5-10k more than a Z, is a bit silly. However, when you look at gangzoom's argument that the 135 has potentially 25-30% better fuel efficiency (is that with cheaper 95ron too?), then maybe the argument is stronger if you do a lot of miles. 400hp for an extra £4k is a nice option to have, if you want extra power. I'm sure there's an online fuel costs calculator that can work out the actual sums for you. Agree with other posters that the 1/3 series look a bit prosaic. Maybe get one in a slightly lary colour to compensate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter10 Posted May 28, 2012 Author Share Posted May 28, 2012 TBH I dont see the point in shelling out so much money to save £210 a year? Unless you just want a change? A 135i second hand is priced between £14k-£20k depending on year and spec. I fancy a change simply because I can't enjoy the zed for what it was bought for any more (such as car shows/events etc). Also, I could do with an extra 2 seats now. I can't really think of any other cars at this price range, with this level of performance which can seat 4 people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chesterfield Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 I can't really think of any other cars at this price range, with this level of performance which can seat 4 people. Depends on year. M3/5/6 can all be had for that, as can some Merc AMG's Having been in "bored" mode myself recently, even though I have absolutely no time to drive any weekend car, there are a lot of cars out there that have depreciated a LOT and represent bargains at the moment. 650i was one I had pointed out to me, and they can be had for as little as £12k now, 6 years old with 60k on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humpy Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 I can't really think of any other cars at this price range, with this level of performance which can seat 4 people. Depends on year. M3/5/6 can all be had for that, as can some Merc AMG's Having been in "bored" mode myself recently, even though I have absolutely no time to drive any weekend car, there are a lot of cars out there that have depreciated a LOT and represent bargains at the moment. 650i was one I had pointed out to me, and they can be had for as little as £12k now, 6 years old with 60k on them. I love the 650i, they look the business Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gangzoom Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 Depends on year. M3/5/6 can all be had for that, as can some Merc AMG's Having been in "bored" mode myself recently, even though I have absolutely no time to drive any weekend car, there are a lot of cars out there that have depreciated a LOT and represent bargains at the moment. 650i was one I had pointed out to me, and they can be had for as little as £12k now, 6 years old with 60k on them. You can obviously get a lot of cars which are more powerful than a 135/335 for £20K, but most of them come with eye watering running costs if used as your main car. My 335i gets used daily and in 12months have cost me £0 on maintenance (£35 for MOT), has got an oil change coming, but shouldn't be more than £150, and according to the onboard computer nothing else is due for another 12 months. The appeal of the 335 for me isn't because its the most powerful/best handling car money can buy, but because it combines comfort/economy/practically into a package that can deliver 80-90% the performance of a M3 for not a lot of money. Similar thats why I loved the Z...a Elise/VX220/S2000 are all much more involving to drive, but when I spend 80% of my time doing city/M driving I was happy to sacrifice pinsharp handling for heated leather seats, and Aircon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbitstew Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 Ive just been looking at 123d`s and a lot of people seem to pitch the 123d and 135i together in "as do which car i buy out of these 2". The reviews of the 135i are very good indeed. Very quick and the engine sound is apparently great. But for me, I figure I may as well keep my zed if im going for another big engined petrol. Im increasingly swaying more and more to the 123d as my next car. 0-60 in 6.7 seconds as standard, 200bhp (can remap to 270bhp) and mega amounts of torque, coupled with 45mpg->50mpg if you take it steady. Sounds great to me... fun when I want fun, and economy when its the daily runner. Only downer is that the coupe ones seem to be expensive. 24k for a nearly new one..... or 18k for a 3 year old one. Thats a lot of money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docwra Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 I can't really think of any other cars at this price range, with this level of performance which can seat 4 people. Depends on year. M3/5/6 can all be had for that, as can some Merc AMG's Having been in "bored" mode myself recently, even though I have absolutely no time to drive any weekend car, there are a lot of cars out there that have depreciated a LOT and represent bargains at the moment. 650i was one I had pointed out to me, and they can be had for as little as £12k now, 6 years old with 60k on them. I love the 650i, they look the business Unfortunately if your first name isnt "Sheikh" then running one can be an issue The x35i engine is a beauty and Im really tempted by a 135 myself, but everyone I kno who has had a 123d for any amount of time REALLY rates them. This is probably why they hold their mony so well, like 535d's do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoff-r Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 They're cracking little cars mate, go test drive one and go with your gut instinct! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gangzoom Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 Ive just been looking at 123d`s and a lot of people seem to pitch the 123d and 135i together in "as do which car i buy out of these 2". The reviews of the 135i are very good indeed. Very quick and the engine sound is apparently great. But for me, I figure I may as well keep my zed if im going for another big engined petrol. Im increasingly swaying more and more to the 123d as my next car. 0-60 in 6.7 seconds as standard, 200bhp (can remap to 270bhp) and mega amounts of torque, coupled with 45mpg->50mpg if you take it steady. Sounds great to me... fun when I want fun, and economy when its the daily runner. Only downer is that the coupe ones seem to be expensive. 24k for a nearly new one..... or 18k for a 3 year old one. Thats a lot of money. Forget the 123d...start saving up for the new F30 328i 1) 245 bhp (4 cylinder turbo so no doubt will be easy to remap) 2) 0-60 < 6 seconds 3) CO2 emissions 149g/km = £135 road tax. 4) 44 mpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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