It has been 3 long years I might say, I remember the first day I picked up my 2005 TSX. The car has been a blast to drive in terms of refinement, amenities, ride comfort, fuel efficiency, and reliability. I even did non-navi to navigation mod. This car will now be going to my mother, who currently drives a Toyota Camry.

I got the car for its excellent value vs. dollar. I was a college student on a small budget. Now that I'm a full time engineer making a decent salary, the TSX no longer fits my lifestyle, at age 24.

It is now the first time in my life I enter the realm of BMW. I am currently eyenig the BMW 135i. Such a marvelous machine, performance of the previous E46 M3 at a fraction of the price.

I believe it may very well be the balance of performance, ride comfort, 25mpg (efficiency), sports factor, at a reasonably priced $36,000.
I have looked at comparable cars including G37s, IS350, Evo, STi, and none offers the perfect balance of high fun-factor, monster torque, ride quality, handling, other than the BMW 135i.

I will be shopping at the dealers this and next week, hoping to drop my $1k security deposit and wait 2 months for the car to be delivered from Leipzig Germany.

If anyone has any last minute comments, suggestions, consolations, ideas for me, in regards to my choice, please let me know now, or forever hold your peace!

 

well, to each his own I guess.

have fun with it, I hope it doesn't break on you.

 

Good luck with your choice. BMWs are fine pieces of machinery!

 

See: https://acurazine.com/forums/1g-tsx-2004-2008-124/good-bye-685270/

Post #15,21 and 27

 

the 1 series is nice, but too small for me! i'd rather get a slightly used 335i or 335xi instead.

 

This is from: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/bmw-335i/

"ktm :
September 11th, 2006 at 9:02 pm

Areitu, my history with BMW was not as, shall we say, joyful. Within one month of ownership it was in the shop 4 times. The last time it went in the ECU died on me while I was doing 65 mph; the speedometer, tachometer, turn signals, climate control, radio, damn near everything stopped working. This was on a Friday evening around 5:45.

I nurse it to Irvine BMW and they quickly scan the computer only to come back and tell me that, yep, your ECU died. “We don’t have any parts in stock and the earliest we can get a part is Monday. We’ll give you a loaner but you’ll have to pay for it on Sunday”……excuse me?

The other problems were a bad driver side power window harness, driver side seat belt mechanism would not retract the belt, and one other item..."

It seems that everyone loves to drive a BMW. Certainly, not everyone wants to own one.

 

See also: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/200...s-335i-review/

 

true.

BMW is junk in my eyes.
and that 135i is so stripped, you get zero options and luxuries.
straight ripoff and disappointment if you ask me.
but like I said, to each his own.

just make sure you sell it before the warranty runs out.

 

If you are wanting the 135i for power and performance, go test drive a Pontiac G8 before you put down a deposit. But, only with the V8 engine;

360 HP, 390 ft-lbs of torque, NO run-flat tires, regular gas, I believe near 50-50 weight distribution, plenty of room, sharp looking, much lower price than BMW (and probably better reliability, as well), sport shift on console, 6 speeds.

Specifications at:

http://www.2008pontiacg8.com/specs.html

http://www.motortrend.com/cars/2008/...ons/index.html

 

Check out http://www.1addicts.com A great way to know what you're getting into is to hear from current owners.

 

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=63

wow, sooooo many problems with it.
lol.
BMW never learns.

 

I see bunch of bmw haters.

G37=
IS350= :thumbsdow
135i= so, so.
Evo= sick car.
STi=

If I have to pick one, then I will go with g37. I also like Evo, but bit high schoolish car. I think 135i is bit small for my taste, not to mention that it's bit pricey for what it is.

how about slightly used 335i?

 

Good luck when you move on. IMO, the 1 series is odd looking (ok, to be honest I find it really ugly), too small, and way too expensive when you start adding on options. Not to even mention reliability. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy it.

 

so much hate in this thread lol. I personally like the 135i. the car has a LOT of potential. like others have mentioned though, it is a little too small. If I were to upgrade I would look for a used 335i, maybe a used e46 M3. or wait a few years and pick up a used e92 M3.

 

To me hate would be subjective criticism and not being able to back up the claims. Unfortunately for BMW, though, their reliability is pretty rough. I LOVE the looks of Bimmers (one of my favorite looking cars actually) but owning one scares the crap out of me, because I was personally stuck on the highway NUMEROUS times due to my friend's 3 series.

And that is just one of many stories involving numerous models...

 

hate?

the truth is the truth.
sorry.
read the threads yourself.
the car was poorly built.

 

owning > reading. until you own one yourself and then have a bunch of problems, then you can come on here and say it is the truth. I have a few friends w/ bimmers and they haven't had any problems at all.

 

MMs was talking about the 1 series... not bimmers in general (although I think 95% of german cars are garbage).

 

Meh, don't listen to them. If you want a 135i, then I say go for it! If you have problems, then that's what BMW's awesome warranty/service is for...it doesn't seem like you keep your cars for over four years anyways.

I plan on going the same route as you though, so maybe I'm biased

 

I think 135i is a nice machine personally but of course reliability is another issue. It's a chick car w/ good performance, and over price.

 

Curious comment - I've been an engineer for 18+ years and make a generous salary by any measure, and I think BMWs are the thing that does not fit my lifestyle - at age 41. They are overpriced, cost a fortune to own after the warranty runs out, and are generally just not necessary aside from the "prestige" of owning one. So think of it this way - what would you do with an extra $30K in the bank four years from now? I don't know your financial situation, but the curse of being young and making your first "good salary" is many over-do it on a car and become a financial slave to it. Consider your alternative - drive the TSX for another 4 years, own it, and bank what you would have spent on the BMW. Is the driving experience of a 1-series really worth the $30-35K you could have had? Also, have you looked into the insurance? A 1-series is going to be more - maybe a LOT more - for a 24 year old.

Just think this one through. I suspect there is more to your life than a car, and between now and your late 20's a lot could change. What if you hate your job and want to move? What if you meet that girl and want to get married? Being a slave to a $600/month car payment limits your options. Owning an excellent car like a TSX, and having all that money to enjoy life with is not a bad deal.

My

 

Well put... I would have to agree w/ this post. Many times in the past 3 years I have pondered the thought of trading in my TSX for something new (i.e. 3 series, G37s's, sti, IS350 and Evo's), however I realize that by changing cars every 2-4 years is certainly not a great financial move. The greatest feeling will be when I finally pay my TSX off December 2009 and own it out right.

 

That's a pretty misleading presumption. The link was to the Maintenance & Warranty section of that forum. It'd be like someone saying the TSX was built poorly because they only visited the "Problems & Fixes" section on here and saw all of the issues people are having with their respective cars.

 

+1 I'm a professor of bioengineering, make a generous salary, and the TSX is plenty for me. I'm 37, but the TSX would have been more than enough for me at 24 too. I prefer to have more money in the bank, the freedom that comes with that, and the hope that in a year or two I'll be done with car payments... for ten or more years (when the TSX will wear out).

To each his own, though...

 

Lucky Mom.

 

Isn't the OP (Greendestiny) a chick anyways?