F12 M6 & M135i Drive

shaank · 17 Apr 2013 at 13:29

interesting write up, thanks for taking the time to do so

not sure why it's spurred on comments re what people can afford and all that, I took the OP as just the personal experience of hooning about in two cars one afternoon, cars that a lot of us don't have the access to, to do the same. So it's nice to read

antijoke · 17 Apr 2013 at 13:59

My next door neighbours dad has an M6, oh boy it looks and sounds epic, I cry everytime he comes around in his new shape 3 series instead of the M6.

Barks · 17 Apr 2013 at 22:28

Am I being impatient?

So M135i is the first brand new car I have bought, let alone a high performance BMW. I ordered it in early January. I had an estimated delivery date of mid March which I guessed was optimistic. I'm now informed by my dealer the worst case scenario is early May.

I was never expecting miracles, but it's so painful seeing on the various BMW fan forums that people who have ordered even in early March are taking delivery! I've never been so excited about anything in my life and I just want the bloody car already. I'm stuck in a 1.6 Mini Cooper for my commute to work and can't stop thinking about how glorious that straight six is going to sound, especially now we're in summer weather... windows down time!

Guess I'm venting some frustration but my dealer keeps letting me down

Very much looking forward to getting it and I will of course post some snaps/videos on here

FYI: If anyone in a similar situation is interested, I ordered a 5DR and it seems BMW have been pushing out the 3DRs much faster.

Housey · 17 Apr 2013 at 22:35

Your dealer is not doing you any favours I suspect, same happened with my first M3, I had a 9 month wait for that! Today I would not wait like that and annoyingly the dealer knows that so will oddly, find one sooner. Tis the way it works sadly.

Barks · 17 Apr 2013 at 22:39

Robbie G said:
The M6 has something that the M135i does not, which is an aura of menace. I'd also have it all day long over the tarted up executive saloon that is the M5. It's different and stands out, so in spite of some minor quibbles about the trim, I'd have it over pretty much every other current road-going BMW. Expensive it is, but that's because it's unique.

Oh, and it's the best looking BMW on the road.

The M6 of course is the most desirable car but 'aura' is an interesting word. The hilarity with the M135i is that it blends in. It is outrageously quick due to the peak torque kicking in at stupidly low revs and the weight, but go past 4,000rpm and the thing just sounds phenomenal IMO. It's a ridiculously fast car. It will annihilate a Porsche Boxster whilst carrying 5 people in (reasonable) comfort. A grandma could drive the thing to Tesco and back in comfort.

If I could afford an M6 then sure, but right now I'm happy with something at 24 that can aggravate an M6 driver

I really think any self respecting petrol head needs to get behind the wheel of an M135i and see what the fuss is about, it's stupidly, rapidly, ridiculously quick for what it is.

Barks · 17 Apr 2013 at 22:43

Housey said:
Your dealer is not doing you any favours I suspect, same happened with my first M3, I had a 9 month wait for that! Today I would not wait like that and annoyingly the dealer knows that so will oddly, find one sooner. Tis the way it works sadly.

The car is supposed to be due for delivery week commencing the 20th. My dealer is on holiday until the 20th - convenient

If I have it by the end of April then I'll be happy but any longer then I'm going to start getting annoyed. Judging from the Baby BMW forums, some members have gone as far as tracking the ships and it seems there are two which are docked in the UK so I am really hoping mine will be with me shortly.

I really can't emphasise how exciting this is for me as this is my first performance car and something I have saved up for and desired for such a long time.

Housey · 17 Apr 2013 at 22:44

It will be worth the wait.

Barks · 17 Apr 2013 at 22:47

Housey said:
It will be worth the wait.

Never a truer *word said.

* Phrase perhaps

Barks · 17 Apr 2013 at 22:53

I'm pretty sure from other threads Fox said he wouldn't be surprised if I lost my license as a young driver in that car. I still remember distinctly from the test drive we pulled onto a dual carriage way, I was doing 40mph on entry and I had to stop when the dealer pointed out I was doing just south of 100mph, within seconds. I'm still thinking perhaps I would have been better off with something fairly but not as fast in between cars. Going from 120bhp to 320bhp is going to be a shock to say the least!

Gaygle · 17 Apr 2013 at 23:04

Honestly speaking, this is something to be wary of. There are far too many speed camera vans out these days, and you'll find yourself overtaking 3+ cars with no drama, only to look down and see you're doing over a ton without realising.

Barks · 17 Apr 2013 at 23:23

Gaygle said:
Honestly speaking, this is something to be wary of. There are far too many speed camera vans out these days, and you'll find yourself overtaking 3+ cars with no drama, only to look down and see you're doing over a ton without realising.

I've had enough scares in the Mini. Even a 1.6 Mini Cooper can get up to 110mph (indicated) without much effort. I won't lie, around town I will use the paddles to enjoy the engine but on the motorways I'm going to be very careful indeed. Having said that I will most likely find it irresistible toying with the VAG/BMW 3.0TDI crowd

I'm the first person to admit that at 24 I'm a very young, inexperienced driver and I fully respect older drivers who say this time and time again to be ignored until they have the last word.

Del Lardo · 17 Apr 2013 at 23:43

scott212 said:
I've had enough scares in the Mini. Even a 1.6 Mini Cooper can get up to 110mph (indicated) without much effort. I won't lie, around town I will use the paddles to enjoy the engine but on the motorways I'm going to be very careful indeed. Having said that I will most likely find it irresistible toying with the VAG/BMW 3.0TDI crowd

I'm the first person to admit that at 24 I'm a very young, inexperienced driver and I fully respect older drivers who say this time and time again to be ignored until they have the last word.

At 24 I was driving an Elise which whilst not as powerful as an M135 was more than capable of going very quickly and is the more challenging drive. Everyone told me I would crash it and despite this I sold it 3 years and 35k later without sticking it in a ditch (though I'll admit a couple of times it was more by luck than judgement).

The best thing I did in that car was a proper driver training day in my car, not just from what it taught me about how to handle the car which made me far faster on the track, but from what it taught me about how bad I was at fixing it when it went all wrong which made me far slower on the road.

Barks · 17 Apr 2013 at 23:49

Del Lardo said:
At 24 I was driving an Elise which whilst not as powerful as an M135 was more than capable of going very quickly and is the more challenging drive. Everyone told me I would crash it and despite this I sold it 3 years and 35k later without sticking it in a ditch (though I'll admit a couple of times it was more by luck than judgement).

The best thing I did in that car was a proper driver training day in my car, not just from what it taught me about how to handle the car which made me far faster on the track, but from what it taught me about how bad I was at fixing it when it went all wrong which made me far slower on the road.

My best friend at Uni @20 had an Elise for 10 days before writing it off

Worse, it was his dad's* and he was using Bell's DOC policy (which has since been changed so you have to be 25) and they had nightmares claiming. *On paper

I realise that I will have to be sensible, it might be ok in something like an S3 but a RWD car with 320bhp is frightening. Suggesting, however, that I take driving classes seems extreme. If I was tracking, sure, but I'm not going to drive like a tool on British roads, the most I will do is give somebody the middle finger on the M6 toll.

That said, some recommendations on how to drive my car properly on a track would be welcomed

Barks · 18 Apr 2013 at 00:08

Del Lardo said:
At 24 I was driving an Elise which whilst not as powerful as an M135 was more than capable of going very quickly and is the more challenging drive. Everyone told me I would crash it and despite this I sold it 3 years and 35k later without sticking it in a ditch (though I'll admit a couple of times it was more by luck than judgement).

I do have a lot of respect for that but what was particularly funny in my case and my friend's is that both of us had exactly 120bhp. I remember accelerating out of the Dartford tunnel (bridge way) and the noise from that Lotus was insane. He was always faster! Having said that, by the time we arrived from London to Newcastle, I was the one laughing in the Mini

SS-89 · 18 Apr 2013 at 07:12

scott212 said:
I do have a lot of respect for that but what was particularly funny in my case and my friend's is that both of us had exactly 120bhp. I remember accelerating out of the Dartford tunnel (bridge way) and the noise from that Lotus was insane. He was always faster! Having said that, by the time we arrived from London to Newcastle, I was the one laughing in the Mini

I had a 335i at 22 with my only previous cars being puntos. As long as you don't drive like an idiot and respect the power under the hood you'll be fine. Enjoy!

AndrewNR · 18 Apr 2013 at 10:56

Are you going to use the m135i on track?

NathWraith · 18 Apr 2013 at 11:17

M6 is fat and heavy.

M135i is balanced.

M6 looks better.

M135i is less than half the price.

Ben Cole · 18 Apr 2013 at 11:48

scott212 said:
It will annihilate a Porsche Boxster whilst carrying 5 people in (reasonable) comfort.

Annihilate is a bit strong when carrying 250 to 300kg extra isnt it?

Have you actually had this experience?

I reckon with 4 extra people in BMW the power to weight ratio would be about even.

Or am I missing something?

The biggest problem with buying this car if you're young is where to go after. It is so good, when you inevitably look to improve you'll find things very very expensive.

Not a bad problem to have though

pioneer2000 · 18 Apr 2013 at 12:16

Yeah, don't really understand that... a boxster S is just as quick but has a little something called agility and handling that the BMW lacks. Plus it actually looks like a sports car unlike the BMW which looks like a normal everyday supermarket run hatchback

Housey · 18 Apr 2013 at 12:41

I like the M135, but it's not Boxster good.