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What to look for when buying used i35i?
Hi all,
What do you suggest I look for - and look out for - in buying a 6-7yo 135i convertible with 45K on it? Do the turbos or control boards cause repair issues? Is the drive train pretty dependable?
The 2-series owners I've chatted up say it's a fun runabout but not so comfy for long highway drives. Does that fit the 1's as well? I'm looking for a fun top-down drive that isn't a beast, won't complain if we just drive it gently, and won't be uncontrollable if we punch it for the occasional quick merge.
After a bad experience buying/selling-back a 2013 328i last Summer, my wife and I are looking at a friend-of-a-friend 135i today. It's 2012 or 2013, "loaded", auto, 1-2 owners and all local dealer service. The 328i was a rough runner, just 30K SoCal miles but no history and bad "lot rot", rain seals baked out etc. It was jumpy, had tramlining trouble even with new tires & alignment, was hard to control. Diags showed trouble with several onboard computers including ignition, eco, etc. They did take firmware upgrades ok but did not seem to improve car's running. I sold it back to dealer when I realized we were never going to love that car. Here's hoping the 135i is the car "that should have been".
Cheers
Bob Davis
current 1989 BMW 325i vert
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