Project 'Modern E36' - My 2009 BMW 128i

[Stormtrooper135i]

Okay, okay, so after nearly a year of owning a hot hatch that was really only good at carrying an entire Ikea bedroom set home at 21psi of boost in a straight line, I decided I should look around and get into a daily driver that was a better fit for me. I wanted to feel very "at home" in it, wanted it to be simple yet new-ish, have three pedals, and cost less per month than the Focus ST did.

Enter: the modern E36 M3. It's a 2009 BMW 128i. Before someone claims blasphemy, lemme mention the power-to-weight of each car. The 128i weighs 3,252 lbs and produces 230 hp (motor). The M3 weighs 3,380 lbs and produces 240 hp (motor). So, the 128i has a PtW ratio of 14.1 lbs/hp and the M3 is 14.08 lbs/hp. Really.

This greatly helped my decision to buy the 128 over a 135. I had no desire to have a turbo BMW out of warranty (that sounded, frankly, horrifying) and while more power is always more better (thank you, Lord Clarkson), I really liked how the E36 M3 felt. So, why not get another one that's got modern safety features and newer electronics? And an interior that's not falling apart?

Porsche of Arlington gave me good money on trade for the Focus, and I paid a smidge under KBB for the BMW. It has 44k miles on it and the options list from BMW ETK is two pages long. Mostly-fully loaded with M-Sport, cold weather, premium and technology packages.

It's snowing, so my photos suck:











Also, iDrive is hard. It's got the newest version of it, and I still had to break out the owner's manual to figure out how to set my radio presets. I am hoping the learning curve will lessen as I own the car a bit. Graphics and responsiveness are both better than MyFord Touch, though.

Really dig the car so far. Here's hoping I keep this one more than a year.

The throttle feels like an E36 and it pulls like an E36, but it handles like an E30 with right suspension :thumbup: