Oppo: What are Your Thoughts on the E82 1 Series?

"DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!" (daft-ryosuke)
12/26/2018 at 17:00 • Filed to: None

I just drove one of these for the first time and was pleasantly surprised. Maybe surprised enough to make one my next car? I need some info before I can proceed though.

DISCUSSION (26)

E90M3 > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!
12/26/2018 at 17:04

Fantastic car, get one. Get a 128i, the N52 is pretty bulletproof apart from things like coils.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!
12/26/2018 at 17:05

I have plenty of thoughts.

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!
12/26/2018 at 17:07

its pretty... cant help you beyond that

my experience with bimmers ends with anything built after 2000

DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
12/26/2018 at 17:08

Care to share?

Danimalk - Drives a Slow Car Fast > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!
12/26/2018 at 17:12

Years ago I was looking at 128i M-Sport, manuals. Didn’t find many, and the ones I found at the time were too much money or too high mileage.

Might have to take another look though...

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!
12/26/2018 at 17:13

I’m sure it’s a fine drive, but every time I see one I think of this:

Kinja'd!!!

Now we know where they got the inspiration for the styling...

ihm96 > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!
12/26/2018 at 17:14

If you want fast and dont mind a bunch of extra maintenance go for the 135. If you want a classic bmw formula get the 128, plus its basically bulletproof.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!
12/26/2018 at 17:27

Yes, what in particular do you want to get feedback on?

for Michigan > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!
12/26/2018 at 17:32

I have a 2010 128i with 6 speed auto, premium package, and winter package.

Kinja'd!!!

As a sports car, it’s honestly a bit disappointing coming from an NB MX-5, but as a baby GT, it’s fantastic. It’ll easily return 30 mph at a quiet and comfortable 80-85 mph while still being fun to toss around a winding road when you find one. Putting the trans into Sport will get you decent 0-60 mph sprint and the I6 will keep pulling into triple digits speeds.

While highway mileage is great, city mileage is awful. I generally see 17-19 mpg on my commute. But relatively thin pillars, a small turning radius, and a compact footprint mean it drives great in the city.

Practicality is so-so. There’s actually decent leg room in the back seats and the sedan-like roofline means head room isn’t awful. The 60/40 split folding rear seats allow enough cargo space for a set of wheels and tires, but it’s tight.

The manual 128i unicorn is basically impossible to find in the sates. Last I checked, Autotrader listed about two in the entire country.

CaptDale - is secretly British > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!
12/26/2018 at 17:37

I like how they look and I’d probably stab someone to be able to own a 1M Dinan

DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
12/26/2018 at 17:41

Long term maintenance costs, what it’s like to live with, basic stuff.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!
12/26/2018 at 17:42

Drool.gif

DasWauto > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!
12/26/2018 at 17:43

Kinja'd!!!

I’ve only had my 128i a week so I can’t offer much ownership insight but I encourage you to find one wholeheartedly.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!
12/26/2018 at 17:43

He owns one.

DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
12/26/2018 at 17:47

I know.

BeaterGT > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!
12/26/2018 at 18:00

The pic you posted makes it look like the side of the car is melting.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!
12/26/2018 at 18:26

They get a bit rattly after a while, but that’s a standard BMW thing. The gaskets on the engine that aren’t the head gasket tend to start failing around 75,000 to 100,000 miles, which if you can wrench, it’s not that big of a job, minus the oil pan gasket, that’s a pretty big one which involves dropping the front subframe, but that’s if it fails. Get the sport package or don’t bother. Also try to avoid the variable steering if you want the best power steering feel ever offered. The sport package uses factory, but unbranded, bilstein shocks which last forever. You will eat through rear tires about twice as fast as the fronts. The pre-LCI taillights will fail due to crappy LED drivers. The LCI taillights look better anyway.

The 128i doesn’t have a temperature gauge, nor a dipstick. iDrive was optional, my car doesn’t have it, which is nice, but it’s personal preference. Actually pretty much everything on 1-series was optional, so it’s kind of a roll of the dice on what you can find, such as an adjustable steering column, or a stereo with or without tweeters, or keyless ignition, etc...

There was also no limited slip diff available from the factory unless you got the 1-Series M, and aftermarket ones are available, but they’re around $1100-1300. Oversteer can still be initiated without one though.

The 135i is much faster than the 128i, but it’s much heavier and handles worse.

Mine is a 128i with the only options being the sport package and metallic paint. Good fucking luck finding one exactly like it. The only things that I’ve modified are changing out the muffler for the BMW Sport muffler for better sound , an AFE Cold Air Intake also for better sound, Fischer Audio door speakers so that I could actually have tweeters for better sound, the M-perforated leather shift knob because racecar (it’s weighted), euro spec black line LCI taillights because read above, Hawk HPS 5.0 brake pads because autocross, EBC rotors, Red Line fluids, Mobil One motor oil, and when I race I use Bridgestone Potenza RE71Rs mounted on OZ Omnia’s but otherwise I just rock the standard sport 17” staggered wheels with Pilot Sport AS3’s in the front and AS3+’s in back because read above.

Anything else?

E90M3 > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
12/26/2018 at 18:31

My oil filter gasket is starting to weep, been like that for a year or so now.

wafflesnfalafel > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!
12/26/2018 at 18:32

I know a couple folks that have had them, both 135s and both with auto boxes . Both had issues with the transmission fairly quickly, (one was only at 35k or something.. ) Interestingly, both now have SUVs, one an Audi Q5, the other an X3. The 1 series is snug for me (head, leg room) but the interior on the one friend’s I rode in was super nice, very nice seats, and the dash was more traditional BMW (which I personally think is beautiful) and less modern gizmotron.

Danimalk - Drives a Slow Car Fast > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
12/26/2018 at 18:32

Good write-up and can concur on the rarity of your configuration.

It’s hard to find out exactly what a given car has too , because you have to widen the search nationwide to have any manuals to choose from, and then are at the mercy of that dealer/seller knowing what the car has or doesn’ t.

I basically just gave up looking for my combo, haha

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Danimalk - Drives a Slow Car Fast
12/26/2018 at 18:51

Use BMW VIN decoders, they help.

DasWauto > Danimalk - Drives a Slow Car Fast
12/26/2018 at 19:08

Agreed, it took me almost 6 months to find my non-black, non-sunroof, 6-speed, sport package 128i.