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eBay Find of the Day: Texas dealer's replica BMW 135 tii
Click above for photo gallery
Now that BMW's 1-series has a solid presence on dealer lots, enthusiasts of the Roundel can start with lusty customizations that pay homage to the great BMWs of the past. In the case of this 135, we can say that BMW started it with its Concept tii that made the rounds in late 2007. Classic BMW in Texas plucked a 135i out of its stock for Projekt 1. Many of the "upgrades" that have been applied to the car are largely unneeded cosmetic geegaws like mirror covers and bodykit accents. We're down with the matte stripe job on the hood, and the vaguely described "retrofit front suspension" and performance exhaust system offer some tangible benefits; the exhaust even proves its worth with dyno sheets.
Basically, the exhaust and suspension are the only things on the list worth having, and those would cost about 5 grand, rather than the 12K price inflation this 135 is carrying. While we're sure Projekt 1 is a hoot to drive, we already have a hard time getting behind 1 Series pricing, no matter how brilliant the chassis is. Slapping a bunch of junk on it and bumping the price into the heady $50,000 neighborhood doesn't make it any more attractive. Still, if you want to have the most exclusive 135i on the social climber block, a Buy It Now of $55,372 will make it yours. Thanks for the tip, David!
Gallery: BMW 135 - "Projekt 1"
[Source: eBay]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Soccer Mom 2:57PM (8/24/2008)
Someone must be insane to pay that much for a 3-series caricature.
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geo.stewart 3:01PM (8/24/2008)
as opposed to a bejewelled 3-series coupe with 10-15K buckaroos left over. ummm, I'll pass thank you very much.
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jay 3:11PM (8/24/2008)
too bad they didnt put in any of the other performance goodies... namely performance brakes, cf intake, and those beautiful rebranded recaros from the performance catalog
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Egon 3:28PM (8/24/2008)
"While we're sure Projekt 1 is a hoot to drive, we already have a hard time getting behind 1 Series pricing, no matter how brilliant the chassis is."
Nuff said. Having sampled a 135i and a 335i back to back, there simply wasn't enough upside to the 1 to justify the smaller package and similar MSRPs. The 1 is trying to occupy a wafer-thin niche and will likely only cannibalize 3-series sales during its lifespan.
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JD 7:25PM (8/24/2008)
I disagree, having sampled both an 08 335i and 08 135i back to back. The 135 felt smaller- I felt more comfortable going fast in it. Not to say the 335 feels bad going fast (on the contrary), but the 1 seems to shrink around you even more as speed climbs. For my purposes, a 135 would be better than a 335. Also, the brakes on the 135 are pretty damn good as they are- remember the 135 is like an M version of the 1, right down to the bumpers.
I do think this model is stupid, though, and it will be sold to someone who wants to be able to tell their friend that their car is special.
Seminole 3:39PM (8/24/2008)
Is this the same dealer that had the ridiculously overpriced 335?
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aaron 3:54PM (8/24/2008)
seminole, you may be right. Classic BMW is not to far away from where I live and are known for bad customer service (compared to BMW Dallas and North Houston), so I wouldn't be surprised they have stooped to this level.
That said, when it comes to servicing cars, they may be the best in the southwest.
Torrent 4:03PM (8/24/2008)
It looks like the exact same showroom... In almost the exact same spot.
Colonel Guaranty 3:52PM (8/24/2008)
And I thought the "regular" 1-series was overpriced.
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Will 3:52PM (8/24/2008)
Maybe they're selling lots of $30k Mugen Civic Si's and are convinced of the soundness of that business model.
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PJ 4:55PM (8/24/2008)
What, $25K for a sticker-and-suspension job, and I don't even get a Shelby badge? :-)
These really are fantastic little cars, though. In a couple of years, a lightly-used six-speed 128i will be stupid fun *and* refined for $25K.
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DKB_SATX 4:50PM (8/24/2008)
This particular stealership (Classic BMW, Plano, TX) is about 2 miles from stuck-up Stonebriar in Frisco, where you can't have an F150 pickup outdoors, but you're allowed to have a Mk LT or a Ridgeline or an Avalanche. Perhaps that's where their customers for $55k 1-series tart-ups come from?
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JayP 5:30PM (8/24/2008)
I'll take a stab... they're waiting on some sugardaddy to buy a car for their wife/daughter/etc who has no clue of the tii.
Any card-carrying BMW fan would laugh and stay away.
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3seriesisking 6:59PM (8/24/2008)
I'd say you're right on. I don't know why anyone who knew what this car was would pay such a premium for this car.
Realitycheck 2:41PM (8/26/2008)
Just think you could almost buy two Pontiac G8's and have a back seat that won't cost you your friends legs...... I was all for the 1 series untill I saw the price and the back seat. With the exchange rate being the way that it is you will see a $60K home made special edition before the next model change.
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bdp 7:19PM (8/24/2008)
I simply don't understand the 1 series. It's not cheap (in fact, I would say it's expensive). It's not remarkably different than the 3 series in looks. It's certainly not exciting. And, it's somehow being marketed as a return of the 2002 when there's absolutely nothing in common with it in concept or execution. BMW may have finally laid an egg.
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Cornholio 8:13PM (8/24/2008)
"It's certainly not exciting. "
I have a hard time believing that you've driven the car when you utter things like this....
No debate on the price, but to say a 135 is not fun to drive is suspect.
trashcan 8:26PM (8/24/2008)
Finally laid an egg? I guess if you ignore pretty much the entire X series. The idea of the 1 series is to produce a car that is similar in size to the previous generations of 3 series. The price is due to not really cutting back on the standard features. If you are a driving enthusiast you can easily get one for 37k. I think that's a pretty good price, there aren't a lot of luxury minded RWD turbo sports cars available with manual transmissions in this price range. If you need frufru options like park distance control, active steering, well then yeah, its way overpriced as you can easily get to 45k.
PJ 8:36PM (8/24/2008)
128i: 100% of the 328Ci's power and contact patch, 95% of its curb weight, 80% of its price tag. Seems like a no-brainer to me.
josh 10:41PM (8/24/2008)
It always amazes me how idiots like yourself think the 135 is "expensive". What are you comparing it to? It's 7K cheaper than the 335, which to most of us is a lot of money.
It's also faster, brakes better and handles better.
Please do some research before you go around complaining about a car's price and saying that you "don't understand it". Pretty simple to understand:
Cheaper
Faster
Same Interior Volume