I’m always looking out for the next car.
I want it to be RWD and basically the ULEZ and high prices has destroyed the idea of JDM cars, so it seems if you want some good power in a modern car you have to go German. . .
I will be looking at BMW cars that have the 35i engine, it’s a 3.0L turbo charged engine. Z4 35i, 135i and 235i
Just wondering if anyone has any experiences driving them and if they are fun or just another hatch.
I drove a few 135i’s when working at a BMW dealership… Great engine, manual and RWD… unlike most hot hatches…! Just less room inside as a result…
Rob
Do you feel that a 135i could be just as much fun as a MX5 on the road?
I know it depends on the person and your definition of fun, I just don’t really like revving the NC so much to get it to go anywhere and wanted something with a big more torque.
Do you remember if they felt heavy? The 135i is a fatty at 1500kg!
I could live with one alongside my ND, but not as a replacement for it.
6 cylinder engine is great though in a small car, though some have said they drive better with aftermarket suspension upgrades… and Bird’s Limited Slip Diff.
I’d recommend you drive one and see what you think… 
Rob
Thank you.
Sounds promising and seems a like a good option for someone wanting to stay RWD and have a bit of fun. I see a lot of CAT S, I guess some people underestimated the power.
I guess almost fifty years old is too old for you, but there’s a very rare pale blue BMW 2002 turbo in the village, a collectors item. I see it quite often being driven with spirit, and it sounds great.
I assume it’s not on the original engine. My sister had a 1972 2000 Touring of the same vintage and the camshaft bearings were the head metal and wore rapidly, affecting oil pressure, etc. Expensive fix.
I bought a new M140 in June ‘19 as a keeper, (now gone thanks to a DPD courier inflicting £10k’s worth of damage when reversing) and imo the 140 (b58) engine is just superb, and is easily tweaked to a reliable 400hp/450 lbs ft, from the 360/400 they usually make as standard. The ZF8 auto is also the best and most well programmed box I’ve ever come across, with multi gear shifts, Rev matching etc. Hard to fault.
However, the chassis cannot really deal with the power, and quickly gets tied up in knots, especially on bumpy undulating roads.
In general it’s reckoned the front of the 135 is too soft, and the rear of the 140 is far too hard, in fact I fitted rear 135 springs in my 140 to stop it hopping around.
The dampers, front and rear, adaptive (which I had) and passive, 135 and 140 are woefully poor quality.
The electronic ediff is also rubbish, slow and dim witted. I regularly used to unexpectedly get one wheel spinning at 60+ on damp roads, and you could count the seconds before the electronics stopped it. It needs an Mperformance LSD
So, great powertrain (135 and 140), serious levels of performance (0-60 in 4.5, standing qtr in 12) but a built to a budget chassis which is easily sorted by spending c£2k on Bilstein, and another £2k on an LSD.
Lots thrashed and crashed by the maccy D brigade, but also many cherished cars bought for the same reasons as me - there will never be another RWD 6 cylinder (fairly) small and light hatchback.
Enjoy.
I have the N55 dual-scroll turbo engine in my E93 335i. Great engine - none of the problems that the N54 had - and the car is as quick in real world driving as my previous E93 M3.
To echo many of the other comments, I owned an M135 for a while and whilst the engine was brilliant and the soundtrack with the MSport exhaust was excellent, I found that it wasn’t very engaging.
That opinion probably wasn’t helped by the fact that my previous car was the new Civic Type R. However I would say, in a straight line and with the ZF gearbox, the M135 was probably faster.
So if its a fast daily you want, then its great - unfortunately at the time, it was my only car and I was hoping it would be a fast daily and something more but ultimately it felt a bit flat for me and I sold it on after only 6 months and bought my 5th (and 6th!) mx5! 
What a complete nightmare.
That’s good to hear, I did look at the 335i but was worried about the reliability and thought maybe a newer car would have had most of the problems ironed out.
I did look at the N20 engined cars but that engine seems to have timing chain issues so thought I would go for the bigger lump hoping it would have been more robust.
I have only used the ZF8 in my friends 420i, heard it was quite a slow gear box but I think that just to full on car reviewers who can tell it’s 0.025 seconds slower than an VAG DCT.
It’s avoiding the “maccy D brigade” specials that worries me, guess I have to be fussy.
I feel like that with the NC, I have it at 182hp but it’s like a 600cc 4 cylinder bike, you have to abuse that engine to get it to wake up and I have too much mechanical sympathy to thrash it. It’s a good car but doesn’t really excite me. I think the 135i has electronic steering, sadly seems everything is going that way.
Are you buying new? If so, IIRC the 1-series are now FWD
It will be used, 2011-2015 
The idea to go FWD puts the 1 series in the same group as all the other cars, I feel it’s RWD aspect was a strong selling point as all the other hatches were FWD or 4WD. It’s a budgeting move.
dont have experience of that vintage of engine - but had the ZF box in my old 335d and is also in my X3M. It is a truly fantastic box.
my mate has a '16 140i and has same box. He got his 'box mapped - until then i didnt even know that was a thing!
as a daily - that box is a game changer IMO.
that said, i think you will find the car a “lovely” place to be more than a “fun” place to be. If i had to have only 1car…BMW over MX5 any day.
Just sold my 140.
It was an awesome car, fitted with Bilsteins, Mpower LSD, underbody brace. Brilliant daily driver/track car, way way better than the mx5 in both environments.
I intended keeping mine for ever, but the high current second hand values, and the fact that I drive the mx5 in preference everytime, despite it not being half the car the 140 is. My 140 was not being used, and I needed a 4x4 for other reasons, so I sold.
If you have the space (and time) I reckon a good 135/140 will be a good investment. In 10 years, or longer they will be a classic as everyone pines after the petrol engines of yesteryear.
If you want one, buy one. It is awesome, that said , I have never driven the 135 with the n55 engine, and the 140 b58 is said to be much better on everything except sound.
I loved that car… but the mx5 delivers fun at speeds you won’t lose your licence at. The 140 was ballistic, a giant slayer.
That’s the thing I can only have one car. Limited on funds and space. I have never never had an automatic car, always thought it was a reliability issue but I know the zf8 seems good I’m that respect.
I enjoy rev matching the NC 6 speed box but it’s a bit of a pig in the city. Slowing down for a junction it doesn’t want 1st gear but then it’s sluggish to pick up speed on 2nd, just doesn’t seem well geared to me but maybe it’s my driving style at fault
This is what I worry about. I looked a vx220 and lotus Elise for this reason, expecting them to feel fast even when you’re not going fast.
It seems that everyone that has used them has good things to say about them.
I agree it would be a good investment, a nice used one won’t lose much value.
I did think to turbo the NC but it’s 5k, then would need the Meister’s r, better brakes etc and buy the end of it all you’re to decent 135i money.
I would agree if only one car, the MX5 would not be for me. The Mlite is a superb all rounder, a 125i is almost as good, and you will rarely miss the extra 150 horses.
The 140 never begged to be driven fast, very enjoyable as a daily (if you have upgraded the suspension) so don’t think it will be boring unless at warp speed, it is just that wringing the neck of an mx5 is fun and relatively legal, whereas in a 140, it is very easy to be in triple figures on every straight. 0-60 in about 4 seconds, and keeps pulling to speed limiter cutting in at 155.
If looking at one, check and ask about oil consumption, some drink it, mine didn’t use a drop. I think (maybe wrongly) that my running in and mechanical sympathy meant my car was a good one. Many are leased and get launched controlled off the dealers forecourt from new. Probably a bag of nails by 50k.
135 also suffered oil starvation on high g corners, and broke/blew off charge pipes; issues fixed on the 140.
140s have been known to eat turbos, first symptom often low cooling water which gets drawn into the turbo. Check both tanks. Also undoing the caps will tell you if therevious owner knew about gently lubing the o rings, or not. Unlubed ones tend to leak. Just know the history of any car you look at, plenty available so pick wisely.
Plenty good advice on the babybmw.net forum.
I never thought about the 125i, could be a good compromise. 4 cylinder turbo but remaps to around 250hp, so more cash left over for suspension goodies which is probably where the fun can be had legally, in the bends.
I do like the NC but I’m in the same boat (no pun intended, nc looks like a boat and handles like one!) where I think I could get more than I paid for it (£4800 last OCT, 07 52K FSH PRHT 2.0 Sport) I Spent quite a bit with underseal and then getting it to 180hp but I feel I won’t lose out too much and could put that money to a new experience.
Babybmw says the 125i is the 130i engine with a detune. . .interesting.
I recently traded a 2016 F21 manual BMW M135i (it was one of the last and the M140i was becoming available to order when I got it) for a 2018 F56 manual Mini JCW. I had the BMW from new and did just under 20k miles in it. It was a very nice place to be and good for longer journeys.
I don’t think that you can compare it to an MX-5 as it’s too different. An M135i is incredibly quick from the factory but, in my opinion, to really enjoy it you find yourself going far faster than is responsible on the road. At acceptable speeds it wasn’t as fun or engaging as my Z4 or ND MX-5. The Mini, on the other hand, is a riot at any speed and still a fairly quick car. I am having some tracking issues with it, though, which was never a thing in my M135i. I expect that I’ll be going back to Lohen at least once more to iron that out.
I don’t think that the M135i or M140i will be classics soon, if ever. BMW made a lot and they’re not true M cars. I would have the engine again if I started doing the mileage to warrant it and required the space. I would get the M235i or M240i, though, as they’re rarer and, in my opinion, look nicer.
They are very common, I thought this would be good for aftermarket parts.
What engine did you have in your Z4? I did look at the Z4 23i and 35i but I think the Z4 has even less storage than my MK3 MX5 which is pretty much my lower limit. I need to be able to carry at least a bicycle frame or set of mountain bike rims.