M235i advice

[ChrisH72]

So having about given up on changing my car I came across this BMW M235i at my local Sytner dealership.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2023083113...

The 2 series is a car I've kind of gone on and off and recently I have been fixed on hot hatches. But the only hot hatch I'd seriously consider as a replacement for my Fiesta ST3 is the i20N and they're still just too expensive.

I had a 325i coupe before the Fiesta and although I enjoyed it I did find it was quite big and heavy and could have done with more poke. The M235i does appeal as it would probably solve those issues. I've never had an auto either and it might be nice.

So I may actually go and look at this car!

Anything I should be aware of? Does it look reasonable value for the spec? Seems to have everything I'm looking for and I do like the colour too.
Is the engine in these okay or would it be better to look at a 240 instead?

I'm away this weekend but any advice would be welcome cheers. Might try and look at it Monday.

[anonymous-user]

The 240 has the B58 while the 235 has the N55- B58 is far more reliable according to a lot of owners so if that's a concern could be worth stretching to a 240

[liner33]

I loved my 235i and prefer the n55 engine but it’s true the b58 is better if you want to tune it beyond 400hp . They are solid cars really but usual stuff , suspension clonks worn brakes and tyres and that it drives well

[SFTWend]

I can't advise on the car, but I've come across a few Sytner Select cars that appear to be below market average price. The Select warranty looked a bit lightweight compared to the manufacturer used approved version.

Might be worth investigating whether Select cars are the same grade as manufacturer approved.

[Jamescrs]

I owned a M240i until September when I traded it in, I am a big fan of the 2 series, mine was great and I had next to no issues with it in my 3 years ownership, only thing that failed on me was drivers side window regulator, they seem to be prone to wearing out as the window drops an inch or two every time you open the door for access so thy are constantly working. Wasn't a massive issue though, think it cost me about £300 for a replacement at an independent BMW specialist.

If it was me i'd probably look for the M240i because it's an absolutely awesome engine, the one in the link seems priced quite high but then it does seem to have all the options and is low mileage so that probably explains it.

I know when I traded mine in the dealer sold it as approved used and it was sold within a week, a guy I work with traded his in recently too at BMW and his too sold within a week so don't expect to be able to negotiate discounts on sticker prices, it seems because the latest M240i and M2 are so highly priced the last generation are still well in demand.

[scot_aln]

I like these as whilst it's not a M2 it's much cheaper to keep. It's had 4 owners and just 28k miles in 8 years. Did none of them like driving the car much for some reason.

[ChrisH72]

Reliability is quite important to me. My 325i had the N53 and it did suffer some expensive issues.

But my mileage us a lot lower these days so it could be okay.

I wasn't aware there were different levels of approved used.

[LeeM135i]

I owned a late 2013 M135i from 2015 to 2020 and really loved the car. Nothing went wrong with it and the only maintenance costs were the usual tyres, brakes and the annual MOT and service. Depending on what you are used to some parts are expensive, the two part floating brake discs were especially uncomfortable. You will also need good tyres with good tread as they can be a handful in the wet / cold, but take it easy and drive to the weather conditions and you will be fine.



It’s a great GT type cruiser capable of 40+mpg on a motorway run and can be fun on a B road but can be a handful if you are really on it, it’s a 7 tenths car. If you want a 10 tenths car look at the M2 or you can upgrade the suspension to coil overs, a LSD is also a great addition.

My brother has a M240i which he’s owned for about 3 years and it’s been been just as reliable as my M135i. He’s been happy with it but think he prefers the handling of his old JCW Mini.

[liner33]

I did a load to mine , probably a better B road blaster than my M4 is

[pb8g09]

I’ve got a standard one. It’s a great car overall, but it can tramline/lose a bit of composure when pressing on (even after changing the tyres). Many will tell you ‘they’re rubbish and need thousands spent on them’, but if you’re using it as a road car it’s a great option.

Prices are crashing on them because insurance has leapt on them this year so don’t overpay. I can only get £14k max p/x on mine and I paid £18.5k 15 months ago. Not that I’m looking to sell.

[Jamescrs]

ChrisH72 said:

Reliability is quite important to me. My 325i had the N53 and it did suffer some expensive issues.

But my mileage us a lot lower these days so it could be okay.

I wasn't aware there were different levels of approved used.

There aren't different levels of approved used, Approved used is BMW's set standard (in theory) and comes backed with a 12 month BMW approved used warranty.

Sytner Select may still fall into approved used but what Sytner do is they sell vehicles which they deem too good to send to auction which have been traded in as Sytner Select vehicles, this is their own brand of used car scheme and will in my experience come with a more generic 3rd party warranty company warranty. They tend to cherry pick vehicles which are high quality and not run of the mill stuff.
I would check the car to see if it has a comprehensive service history, to be approved used it would have to hold a full main dealer service history.

I bought a Mk1 Focus RS from them which was a Sytner Select vehicle at their Landrover dealership in 2016 maybe, no issues with the car in the time I had it and the salesman was excellent to be fair to him on sorting some minor issues out pre sale but the warranty I was given was with a 3rd party warranty company.