Thinking of ordering and need advice

So, I sold my '08 M Coupe in Dec. Big regrets. 15,000 miles and in perfect shape. Anyway, thinking of ordering a 135. Trying to decide on color...what do you guys think about the space grey with red leather interior? Or do you like the white with black leather? Also, getting the M package, carbon fiber rear deck spoiler, Harman Kardon audio. Thats about it....any other things I should order? will probably switch out the wheels for BBS CH's, get an exhaust (they offer one from the port - $1,400, it sounds pretty nice in the showroom) any suggestions on that? And maybe down the road some suspension changes...KW? H&R? suggestions?

Thanks for the help/suggestions everyone....

I like white on black, but I might not be the most unbiased source of information.

TiAg on black is the classic German car color, so it's never a bad choice.

Black is sexy, but the care and feeding required gets old fast. Terracotta on the inside would give an upscale look, and red would Be a little more sporty.

Honestly, for a 135 hopped up with a bunch of mods, Le Mans Blue might be your choice. It's hard to go wrong with boy-racer blue.

I like silver/black too...that was the color of my M Coupe and thought I'd try something new. Saw a 335 at work with the grey/red combo...I thought it looked pretty nice. The dealer near me has a LeMans Blue w/ black ...your right... looks good. Oh my god...they all look good ;-)

I just got a Le Mans blue with Terracotta interior 135i. I come from a 2002 M Coupe and then a Z4 3.0si Coupe. I am very happy with my choice to switch. I got my car loaded up with the options I wanted and am very happy with those choices too. I got the premium package, M-sport, heated seats, Harmon Kardon sound, comfort access, 6-MT, and navigation. I have pictures posted in the My Garage section if you want to check them out. Try to do the Performance Center Delivery if you have the time. It is well worth the extra couple of weeks in getting your car.

Feel free to ask me any questions you may have.

Thinking of options, I think the heated steering wheel is Nobel Prize material.

Originally Posted by terrapen73

I just got a Le Mans blue with Terracotta interior 135i. I come from a 2002 M Coupe and then a Z4 3.0si Coupe. I am very happy with my choice to switch. I got my car loaded up with the options I wanted and am very happy with those choices too. I got the premium package, M-sport, heated seats, Harmon Kardon sound, comfort access, 6-MT, and navigation. I have pictures posted in the My Garage section if you want to check them out. Try to do the Performance Center Delivery if you have the time. It is well worth the extra couple of weeks in getting your car.

Feel free to ask me any questions you may have.

I have a Le Mans blue with black Boston on order right now. Ive been regretting not going with terra cotta... Any pics?

I do like the LaMans Blue. Do you have any pics of the interior? Would love to see them.

Originally Posted by terrapen73

I just got a Le Mans blue with Terracotta interior 135i. I come from a 2002 M Coupe and then a Z4 3.0si Coupe. I am very happy with my choice to switch. I got my car loaded up with the options I wanted and am very happy with those choices too. I got the premium package, M-sport, heated seats, Harmon Kardon sound, comfort access, 6-MT, and navigation. I have pictures posted in the My Garage section if you want to check them out. Try to do the Performance Center Delivery if you have the time. It is well worth the extra couple of weeks in getting your car.

Feel free to ask me any questions you may have.

Sounds real similar to what I'm thinking of getting...btw, what is the "Performance Center Delivery"?

Performance Center Delivery is taking delivery of your vehicle at the plant in Greer, SC. They have a setup there where you take delivery of you vehicle as well as get to drive a model similar to yours in some track situations, skidpad, braking, and a small autocross. You also get to take a tour of the plant and museum and you get to spend time driving X vehicles on an offroad track. BMW pays for your room the night before at the Marriott in Greer, they pay for dinner that night, breakfast the next morning, and lunch while you are at the Performance Center. There is a section on this forum devoted to that titled Performance Center. Read through there some for more information or check the BMWUSA website.

Interior photos of my car follow. Terracotta with the light burl walnut trim.

Originally Posted by iversonm

I like white on black, but I might not be the most unbiased source of information.

TiAg on black is the classic German car color, so it's never a bad choice.

Black is sexy, but the care and feeding required gets old fast. Terracotta on the inside would give an upscale look, and red would Be a little more sporty.

Honestly, for a 135 hopped up with a bunch of mods, Le Mans Blue might be your choice. It's hard to go wrong with boy-racer blue.

the last thing I want is a "boy-racer" car. Maybe I should dial back some of the mods....I really like the look of the M and since it's no longer available, I was trying to achieve some resemblance to it. In fact (one) of the main reasons I'm going this route is because cars like the Subaru Sti and Mitsobishi Evo are exactly that...boy racer cars...I want a more classy, adult car that is still a blast to drive. That said, Le Mans Blue is very nice even without any mods...

Originally Posted by Jimbo1

the last thing I want is a "boy-racer" car. Maybe I should dial back some of the mods....I really like the look of the M and since it's no longer available, I was trying to achieve some resemblance to it. In fact (one) of the main reasons I'm going this route is because cars like the Subaru Sti and Mitsobishi Evo are exactly that...boy racer cars...I want a more classy, adult car that is still a blast to drive. That said, Le Mans Blue is very nice even without any mods...

Please don't allow my comment to drive you to morbid colors like "bisque," "sea foam green," or, God forbid, "institutional cream."

I don't think your le mans blue 135 will be confused with an Evo. Just don't add a fart pipe and a blowoff valve to it.

Originally Posted by Jimbo1

the last thing I want is a "boy-racer" car. Maybe I should dial back some of the mods....I really like the look of the M and since it's no longer available, I was trying to achieve some resemblance to it. In fact (one) of the main reasons I'm going this route is because cars like the Subaru Sti and Mitsobishi Evo are exactly that...boy racer cars...I want a more classy, adult car that is still a blast to drive. That said, Le Mans Blue is very nice even without any mods...

Over the years BMW has had LOTS of shades of blue. None of them is called boy-racer blue. Pick whatever you want, but the color of the car is the LAST thing I am concerned about. Why are guys so interested in color? IMO, that's not really a guy thing.

Originally Posted by ProRail

Over the years BMW has had LOTS of shades of blue. None of them is called boy-racer blue. Pick whatever you want, but the color of the car is the LAST thing I am concerned about. Why are guys so interested in color? IMO, that's not really a guy thing.

Color is one of the most important things to me. It figures right up there with which engine and do I want the manual transmission (of course!!!!). I have passed on numerous cars just because the interior trim was not what I liked, even though the rest of the car was perfect. /shrug All the colors have to be what I want for me to even consider a purchase. I could not imagine not being concerned over color. I will go so far as to say that BMW dropping the Dark Green shades from their cars has almost been enough for me to consider a brand switch. Luckily for them, I like the blues they offer enough to stay.

Originally Posted by terrapen73

Color is one of the most important things to me. It figures right up there with which engine and do I want the manual transmission (of course!!!!). I have passed on numerous cars just because the interior trim was not what I liked, even though the rest of the car was perfect. /shrug All the colors have to be what I want for me to even consider a purchase. I could not imagine not being concerned over color. I will go so far as to say that BMW dropping the Dark Green shades from their cars has almost been enough for me to consider a brand switch. Luckily for them, I like the blues they offer enough to stay.

Thanks for your point of view. I admit that I have not been considerate of those whose criteria are different from mine. My apologies. (I love my Biarritz Blue.)

I'm so happy with Le Mans. Beautiful color...

I'm glad I went with black boston. I love the Terra Cotta, but it's just not my thing with blue. On an black car? Oh hells yea. Thanks for the pics

Originally Posted by thepriceisright

I'm so happy with Le Mans. Beautiful color...

I'm glad I went with black boston. I love the Terra Cotta, but it's just not my thing with blue. On an black car? Oh hells yea. Thanks for the pics

I hear ya. I was tired of all black interiors since my two previous cars had been this way. I am also a big fan of natural/saddle leather colors and this was the closest available. My ideal would have been their color Oxford Green Metallic with the Terracotta interior, but they haven't offered green like that in a few years on anything. Maybe they will again one day.


Edit: I had the Estoril blue/black interior in my M Coupe and if there was something like that available, like the Sport Edition 1-series interiors in Europe, I would have been all over it. Sadly we just get plain old black on black. I have even considered getting the interior from a 1M, since the simple orange stitching does so much to set off the black. It just would not look right with my blue exterior.

Originally Posted by terrapen73

I am also a big fan of natural/saddle leather colors and this was the closest available.

I had natural brown on my 5er, and really liked it. It got rave reviews from others as well. The downside over black is that it started to show some wear after a couple years. (I know some like the worn leather look, but I'm not one of them.)

Originally Posted by terrapen73

I have even considered getting the interior from a 1M, since the simple orange stitching does so much to set off the black. It just would not look right with my blue exterior.

Those might be fightin' words to a University of Illinois graduate.

So, now I'm considering Red w/ black leather, aluminum trim or Blue with Red leather and aluminum trim. Either way: also getting M pkg, performance exhaust, manual, carbon fiber rear lip spoiler, heated front seats, black kidney grille...not sure about the harman kardon audio...they charge $875 for it and make a mandatory addition of BMW assist for an additional $625...all they're doing is charging $1500 for a stereo! that's crazy. Not interested in Nav. Might consider one of the pkgs...convenience or premium....not sure if it's worth it yet....
Thoughts on these color combos?

Originally Posted by Jimbo1

So, now I'm considering Red w/ black leather, aluminum trim or Blue with Red leather and aluminum trim. Either way: also getting M pkg, performance exhaust, manual, carbon fiber rear lip spoiler, heated front seats, black kidney grille...not sure about the harman kardon audio...they charge $875 for it and make a mandatory addition of BMW assist for an additional $625...all they're doing is charging $1500 for a stereo! that's crazy. Not interested in Nav. Might consider one of the pkgs...convenience or premium....not sure if it's worth it yet....
Thoughts on these color combos?

I like the red with black interior combo best, but that is mainly because I am not a fan of the red interior. That is a personal thing and I may not be giving you the best advice. I can see how it would look good to others though and in that case the blue or the space grey with red interior would be nice choices I think.

If you plan to use an ipod you want the nav. It has a tons better user interface plus album art is displayed on the monitor. I hate to say it, but I mainly got nav for the better interface with the car and ipod. I know where I am going and will probably use the nav maybe once or twice a year as an actual nav system. All the interfaces the car has (phone, ipod, sat radio, radio, vehicle diagnostics, etc.) are displayed on that nice screen though instead of on the little one that is on the radio when that is the primary display. If you have the chance, go to a dealer and play with cars that have both. The idrive setup with the nav screen is very nice and easy to use and something I want in any car I have from now on. Of course, in the new cars (new 3-series and F20 1-series) they have a screen regardless of whether you have nav.

All your other option choices seem pretty good. I got the premium package, but mainly because I was already getting leather and wanted the extra lighting. Could care less about the mirrors and don't have a garage. On the stereo, I got it and love it. I enjoy the comfort of knowing that if I am in a bad accident they will send help to me (BMW Assist) since I am often in rural areas with little traffic and a ton of deer. I used to be into car stereo competitions back in the 90's and have experience with high end systems through today. Yes, I have heard a lot better aftermarket, but not for that money unless you know how to do the install yourself or you already have components waiting to be installed. I am not doing competition stuff anymore and don't need the bass that you get aftermarket. You will be surprised what the HK has and the rest of the setup is solid too. Especially if you are willing to spend time setting up the EQ. I get peace of mind from not having people covet my aftermarket stuff and break into my car.

I have the black kidneys and installed them myself in about 5 minutes. Do not pay to have them done. I am considering the exhaust, but have not made a decision there yet.

Originally Posted by Jimbo1

So, now I'm considering Red w/ black leather, aluminum trim or Blue with Red leather and aluminum trim. Either way: also getting M pkg, performance exhaust, manual, carbon fiber rear lip spoiler, heated front seats, black kidney grille...not sure about the harman kardon audio...they charge $875 for it and make a mandatory addition of BMW assist for an additional $625...all they're doing is charging $1500 for a stereo! that's crazy. Not interested in Nav. Might consider one of the pkgs...convenience or premium....not sure if it's worth it yet....
Thoughts on these color combos?

As you can see, I've had a wide variety of BMWs, some equipped with everything, some with very few options.

Here are my opinons. As with most free advice, you often get what you pay for.

Sport package or the equivalent is essential for me. My e46s, e60, and e88 all had it, and the handling is superior in every way. However, I don't need to tell you that, as you're getting the M-sport. The sport sweats are a nice upgrade.

Heated seats/steering wheel are fantastic in any cold climate. Headlight washers are more of a pain, as they always see to wreck a good wash job, and use gallons of washer fluid.

Nav is overrated, at least the versions I had on my e60 and X3. Garmim does better for $100, especially for the three times a year I use it.

Premium package is take it or leave it for me. The memory seats are nice on cars that my wife and I share. On my cars with manuals, which shee won't drive, give me a good set of manual seats. Leather is great if you want the right color combo, but the 'ette wears like iron, and is nicer than leather on most cars. The auto dimming mirrors are cool, but you can live without them.

HK is overly expensive, and I have no issues with the stock radio. but tastes differ here.

I like having bluetooth so that means I had to get assist.

Originally Posted by iversonm

I had natural brown on my 5er, and really liked it. It got rave reviews from others as well. The downside over black is that it started to show some wear after a couple years. (I know some like the worn leather look, but I'm not one of them.)



Those might be fightin' words to a University of Illinois graduate.

My high school colors were Blue and Orange also, so I am a fan of that combo, just not on this car. We were the Panthers.

We've got heated seats and heated steering wheel on the e89. I use the steering wheel heat more often than the seat heater. But we live in a cold climate.

Even in So Cal, the heated seats will be nice to have.