BMW 125i M Sport - Any thoughts? (2010-2013)

[Mr Tidy]

dibbers006 said:

Considering a 1 Series 125i M Sport. Probably around £7-10k. 2010-2013.

50-100k miles.

Anything to watch out for or consider. Any must have spec. Any alternates?

I think the Nav screen is a must but beyond that I can't see too much must-have spec.

Edited by dibbers006 on Thursday 7th July 18:13

The 125i had the same 3 litre N52 engine as the 130i but just down-tuned for some reason - a remap gets it to 130i power!

But the front brakes on the 125i were smaller.

Look out for oil leaks around the cam-cover and oil filter housing as the gaskets deteriorate over time and the electric water pump will die at some point, but it's life is pretty random.

I'd be looking for M-Sport seats, but wouldn't bother with a 10 year old Sat-Nav if the 15 year old one in my Z4 is anything to go by!

[pb8g09]

Curious how these and the 135i coupe are similar price given the latter is so much quicker.

I've got 125i and 135i's in my saved list so definitely get the appeal OP.

Is the auto a ZF8 or an older box? (i.e. is it a case of manual is the only decent option?)

[SteBrown91]

pb8g09 said:

Curious how these and the 135i coupe are similar price given the latter is so much quicker.

I've got 125i and 135i's in my saved list so definitely get the appeal OP.

Is the auto a ZF8 or an older box? (i.e. is it a case of manual is the only decent option?)

Probably because there is a lot of hype around them that they are “almost a 130i” so people try and price them accordingly. They are also alot less troublesome than the N54 of x35i of that era.

The auto is the ZF6 which is not a terrible slushy dim witted box by any stretch but isn’t as sweet as the newer ZF8

[pb8g09]

They all look rather poorly spec’d compared to even the F series cars despite dealers calling them high spec!

[bodhi]

I've had one for 8 years and it's been brilliant - lots of fun to drive and pretty reliable, with not much needed over and above regular maintenance. Only challenge with them is how rare they are, there are less than 1000 in the country, so it may take a while to find your ideal spec. I did find when I got mine it was rare to see one with lots of options ticked, as a) there weren't many options in the first place, and B) people tended to go for the 135i rather than a highly optioned 125i.

Stuff I'd say is important:

Front and Rear Parking Sensors
Heated seats
Upgraded stereo (standard one isn't much cop, so look out for tweeters in the door mirrors - this can be retrofitted however)
Manual Box - the ZF6 is an OK box but doesn't really suit the character of the car and can cost 5 mpg or so in general driving


Nav I would say is up to you. Mine doesn't have it, so have used Google Maps throughout its time with me, and the set up itself is getting quite dated these days, although I am reliably informed it can be easily upgraded to support Carplay/Android Auto.

Few jobs I've had / wanted to do on mine:

Remap - if this hasn't been done it should be your first port of call, as the engine is a little strangled as standard, the remap means it zips to the redline as a BMW 6 should.
Get rid of the runflats - I went with Pilot Sport 4s (now 5s) and it transformed the car.
Suspension refresh at 130k miles - didn't have to be done but it wasn't as well tied down as it should be, drives superbly now (on 163k)
Couple of ABS sensors
Wheel bearing

I suspect by now most of them will have had the remap and tyres changed.

That's all over 108k miles and 8 years, so nothing too concerning imo. It is incredibly similar to the 130i hatch, which Auto Bild claimed was their most reliable long termer ever, which I can believe.

[driver67]

dibbers006 said:

Any thoughts on THIS?

Budget and spec slip

I think the price is a bit strong but it's a Dealer with FBMWSH.

It is expensive for an older car. Depends whether you're happy to go turbo or hang on for an N/A engine.

Performance wise the 135i is quicker but the N52 is a brilliant engine.

I've had my 130i for a while now, over 150 thousand miles and the engine still pulls like a train.

Dougie.

[bennno]

dibbers006 said:

Any thoughts on THIS?

Budget and spec slip

I think the price is a bit strong but it's a Dealer with FBMWSH.

I’ve a 125i m sport cab, 3L manual, in silver, full bmwmdsh. 10k miles less, unmolested that I’d take half of that for.

Full spec pro nav, xenon’s, heated seats etc

[rfn]

dibbers006 said:

Any thoughts on THIS?

Budget and spec slip

I think the price is a bit strong but it's a Dealer with FBMWSH.

Looks smart. this is an N55 engined one (2010 onwards) and has the 7-speed DCT gearbox as opposed to a traditional torque converter.
It is strong money but compared to others on offer, not bad?

[Finglescave]

I had a 130i for a while. Check the sump for rot as they are expensive to replace (BMW part only from memory). Biggest unexpected bill i got was £1200 as the electric water pump failed - yellow coolant warning light, swiftly followed by red coolant warning light soon after (again BMW only part). I did also upgrade the shocks to Bilstein as the originals were over 100k.

[Mr Tidy]

Finglescave said:

I had a 130i for a while. Check the sump for rot as they are expensive to replace (BMW part only from memory). Biggest unexpected bill i got was £1200 as the electric water pump failed - yellow coolant warning light, swiftly followed by red coolant warning light soon after (again BMW only part). I did also upgrade the shocks to Bilstein as the originals were over 100k.

£1,200 - ouch!

When I needed a new one for my first Z4 Coupe (same N52 engine) I was upset to get an £800 bill.

A few years later the water pump on my E91 325i (also N52 engine) died and the same Indy bought a new pump elsewhere for £300, instead of £500 from BMW.

OE pump is made by Pierburg and can be bought elsewhere for much less than BMW charge!

[ZX10R NIN]

dibbers006 said:

Any thoughts on THIS?

Budget and spec slip

I think the price is a bit strong but it's a Dealer with FBMWSH.

My problem with that car is the price you can have an M235i with less miles for the same money:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202207137...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202207298...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202206277...

More miles but some nice options but also 2k less:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202207117...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202206186...

[rfn]

ZX10R NIN said:

My problem with that car is the price you can have an M235i with less miles for the same money:

I appreciate this is my opinion, but having driven a 135i a fair few times, and owning an M135i for 3 years and also an M240i, the 135i is a better drivers car.

[ZX10R NIN]

rfn said:

I appreciate this is my opinion, but having driven a 135i a fair few times, and owning an M135i for 3 years and also an M240i, the 135i is a better drivers car.

All opinions are welcome as they'll help the OP decide which way to go, that & test driving them.

I think the 135i is a bit more rawer & due to the short suspension travel a little more lively than the 235/240i but all three are good cars although without suspension work none are what I'd call drivers cars.

I know what you mean in the the M235/240i make it easier to move swiftly down the road.

[bennno]

To my eyes the Bangle 1 series is an awful lot better / cleaner looking than 2 series which followed it.

[Finglescave]

Mr Tidy said:

Finglescave said:

I had a 130i for a while. Check the sump for rot as they are expensive to replace (BMW part only from memory). Biggest unexpected bill i got was £1200 as the electric water pump failed - yellow coolant warning light, swiftly followed by red coolant warning light soon after (again BMW only part). I did also upgrade the shocks to Bilstein as the originals were over 100k.

£1,200 - ouch!

When I needed a new one for my first Z4 Coupe (same N52 engine) I was upset to get an £800 bill.

A few years later the water pump on my E91 325i (also N52 engine) died and the same Indy bought a new pump elsewhere for £300, instead of £500 from BMW.

OE pump is made by Pierburg and can be bought elsewhere for much less than BMW charge!

From memory (going back a few years) getting the water pumps wasn’t easy and the specialist i used was struggling to get one. At the time it was my work car so it had to be back on the road ASAP. I’d have been far happier with £300

[KTMsm]

bennno said:

the Bangle 1 series is awful

EFA



It's annoying as I'm stuggling to find a replacement car, a 1 series would fit the criteria but I just can't cope with how horrible they look

[bennno]

KTMsm said:

bennno said:

the Bangle 1 series is awful

EFA



It's annoying as I'm stuggling to find a replacement car, a 1 series would fit the criteria but I just can't cope with how horrible they look

Very model, colour and spec dependent. Note I said awful lot better looking than what followed, original 1 series coupe / cab is way better than fussy 2 series which followed it.

[KTMsm]

bennno said:

Very model, colour and spec dependent. Note I said awful lot better looking than what followed, original 1 series coupe / cab is way better than fussy 2 series which followed it.

I'm considering a 2 series as it looks far better to me

[bodhi]

bennno said:

Very model, colour and spec dependent. Note I said awful lot better looking than what followed, original 1 series coupe / cab is way better than fussy 2 series which followed it.

Not even sure I'd say they look fussy - to my eyes they just look bland compared to the 1 Series Coupé/ Convertible.

[bennno]

dibbers006 said:

Still on the hunt...

Any opinions on this LINK?

It's a bit of a wildcard but probably around £7-8k all-in I'd guesstimate.

Did you even scroll through the pictures, number 10 is quite special.