The 130i Thread

[Herbmiester 923]

2 hours ago, Blackie said:

Feel free to start 135i N54/5 threads if that's your thing. A lot of us prefer the 130i though. It's a bmw, isn't that what we're here for?

No we are here to discuss BMWs which is what I am doing. 

[Palazzo 477]

10 minutes ago, M3AN said:

Load-through is terrible on the e36... can't even get my push bike in. No problems with the 130... and no e36 sedans had folding rear seats did they?

I got a bike in, but it wasn’t as easy as it could have been. Skis are easy though. Flat pack furniture etc etc, no idea about sedans.

Dont get me wrong, I’m not ragging on them, just a little bemused by the level of love.

[Willy Sea 46]

1 minute ago, Palazzo said:

I got a bike in, but it wasn’t as easy as it could have been. Skis are easy though. Flat pack furniture etc etc, no idea about sedans.

Dont get me wrong, I’m not ragging on them, just a little bemused by the level of love.

Its all about the N52B3 engine...........and it wears many suits.

[KwS 2425]

1 hour ago, Palazzo said:

I got a bike in, but it wasn’t as easy as it could have been. Skis are easy though. Flat pack furniture etc etc, no idea about sedans.

Dont get me wrong, I’m not ragging on them, just a little bemused by the level of love.

We get it, you dont like them, no one is forcing you to buy one, or to post/view this thread. Leave it alone.

I have driven a few 130s, and have owned two 3.0 M3s, and the 130i is a more dynamic engine. Doesnt love to rev as much as an S50, but has a lot more down low torque and pulls hard. Its a better engine to live with and more useable power on the back roads without getting too far into trouble.

I still want to own a manual 130i. A compact RWD manual hatch with a big engine and decent build quality (far better than any E36/E46) is a nice simple formula for fun.

[M3AN 4016]

1 hour ago, Herbmiester said:

No we are here to discuss BMWs which is what I am doing. 

But this thread is about 130's... ?

[GorGasm 563]

Can't go wrong with AutoTopNL.  Skip to 6 minutes for driving.

 

[Herbmiester 923]

3 hours ago, M3AN said:

But this thread is about 130's... ?

Which we are doing, how they may be a bit overrated.

[Jacko 2154]

Interesting one, https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/specialist-cars/competition-cars/auction-2532205397.htm 

One of the 13 nz new manuals, might be the first?, and a non msport 130... absolute poverty spec (like it was always going to be a racecar?)

 

[M3AN 4016]

12 hours ago, Herbmiester said:

Which we are doing, how they may be a bit overrated.

Well, the consensus opinion of owners, observers and journos alike is that they're quite underrated. Doesn't mean everyone has to like them though. ?

[NZ BMW 368]

I was following a 120i today in the same shape. Did none of these things come with the shark fin? That long antenna looks like something which belongs on a 1993 Golf. Horrible. 

[M3AN 4016]

7 minutes ago, NZ BMW said:

I was following a 120i today in the same shape. Did none of these things come with the shark fin? That long antenna looks like something which belongs on a 1993 Golf. Horrible. 

Two types of stock aerials, long "fishing rod" version and stubby "sport" version (see my 130 thread)... no e8x's came with the shark fin style from the factory.

[Jacko 2154]

Sharkfin antennas are tacky, so over done, every 1993 golf has one, and now it just looks like everyone with a 7 series tarted their car up on ebay... throw some fake chrome shark grills on the doors/front wings and your at full stage 2 ebay tune. 

The long antenna is where its at. Radio controlled cars are class. 

[M3AN 4016]

41 minutes ago, Jacko said:

The long antenna is where its at. Radio controlled cars are class. 

I have ~2 dozen RC cars and we haven't been using "whip aerials" since the 90's... 2.4GHz SS all the way baby. Even my transmitters have no (or very small) external antennas.

Must say, I'm not a fan of the long aerial on the e8x's but the sport version is a direct swap. Indeed pretty much any eBay diversity antenna will work (FM, GPS and 3/4G - I think AM is still in the frame or on the window).

[Driftit 2078]

21 hours ago, Palazzo said:

I got a bike in, but it wasn’t as easy as it could have been. Skis are easy though. Flat pack furniture etc etc, no idea about sedans.

Dont get me wrong, I’m not ragging on them, just a little bemused by the level of love.

I had a 55" TV in it's box in the back of my 130i.  Laying flat.  And I think it has had a washing machine in the back at some stage too.

I love my one because it does everything I ask of it well.  I can park it anywhere.  Take it to track days.  Do high speed runs at Ohakia.  Cheap insurance.  Comfortable.  Allows me to bully RS3 Audi's over the Remutaka hill.

But most of all.  It cost far less than what I would consider the next comparable vehicle.

[kiwi535 538]

i am sure i moved a washing machine in my 120d.

I laugh at E36 owners saying E87 are ugly

[Herbmiester 923]

9 minutes ago, kiwi535 said:

i am sure i moved a washing machine in my 120d.

I laugh at E36 owners saying E87 are ugly

I laugh at you laughing. I dont mind the E87 but they are certainly an acquired taste. E36 Coupes are of course one of the prettier BMWs ever made. 

[KwS 2425]

59 minutes ago, Herbmiester said:

E36 Coupes are of course one of the prettier BMWs ever made. 

Err...

You have a good sense of humor. E36s can be decent looking cars, but they are far from "pretty" or even on the scale of the prettiest BMW has turned out. And this is coming from someone that was a diehard E36 fan.

[Palazzo 477]

“Bully RS3 drivers”

 

Hahahahaha!

 

This has become pointless.

 

They are clearly the record holder at the Nurburgring with more rear seat room than a Maybach. The boot is so capacious Mexican drug cartels have started putting a ton of cocaine in the boot for late night border runs as they can outrun a plane.

 

At the start of this thread, I actually quite liked them. 
Not anymore.

Props to Mean and Jacko though, both of your cars will be better for your ownership and good examples.

[KwS 2425]

1 minute ago, Palazzo said:

At the start of this thread, I actually quite liked them. 
Not anymore.

I feel like this says a lot more about you than it does about the cars.

[Herbmiester 923]

7 minutes ago, KwS said:

Err...

You have a good sense of humor. E36s can be decent looking cars, but they are far from "pretty" or even on the scale of the prettiest BMW has turned out. And this is coming from someone that was a diehard E36 fan.

Well if a nice E36 Coupe is far from pretty an E87 must be downright Fugly!

[Herbmiester 923]

8 minutes ago, Palazzo said:

“Bully RS3 drivers”

 

Hahahahaha!

 

This has become pointless.

 

They are clearly the record holder at the Nurburgring with more rear seat room than a Maybach. The boot is so capacious Mexican drug cartels have started putting a ton of cocaine in the boot for late night border runs as they can outrun a plane.

 

At the start of this thread, I actually quite liked them. 
Not anymore.

Props to Mean and Jacko though, both of your cars will be better for your ownership and good examples.

Yes laughing at the Bully RS3 drivers as well. Buddy has an RS 3 and even my modded 335i cant get near it. 

[Herbmiester 923]

On 2/15/2020 at 10:11 AM, Jacko said:

RWD hatch, (pretty much in a class of its own), relatively light, brilliant engine, fun if flawed chassis that can be easily fixed, manual gearboxes can be had and available for peanuts at the moment. 

N52 is far better engine than N54 in every aspect other than power output, and comparing penis dyno sizes, and how often do you get to use more than 200kw on the road anyway? 

Got a link to that, if you look at zeperfs, 130 is faster than MPS (and way faster than Mx5) around all the tracks they list. 

 

I dont understand why E36s get so much attention... slow, unreliable, uninspired things.... if they werent so unreliable they couldve come out of any of the generic japanese 90s manufacturers  

 

The N52 is a more reliable engine in some respects, but its worth noting the internals of the N54 rarely give issues unlike the lifters on the N52. As to the whole penis size comment, all I can say is that it was you that felt the need to mention it...........  What you do lack in an N52 that you get a shed load of in an N54 is torque, crazy launch you forward like a slingshot levels of torque, available from about 1800 rpm. Out of corners its so impressive you dont need to rev it to 6000 plus RPM you just ride the torque wave and watch cars disappear as they scramble for revs. In the real world it makes overtaking so easy, better than most V8s that I have owned. BTW BFYB results below. 

Edited February 16, 2020 by Herbmiester

[Blackie 510]

I've owned many E36s - coupe, sedan and currently a compact and the 130i load space is way more practical and usable.

[Herbmiester 923]

1 minute ago, Blackie said:

I've owned many E36s - coupe, sedan and currently a compact and the 130i load space is way more practical and usable.

Cant argue that at all, but you would hope that after 2 decades they would have a better design. 

 

[Blackie 510]

3 minutes ago, Herbmiester said:

Cant argue that at all, but you would hope that after 2 decades they would have a better design. 

 

I think it is better