[phelpsy]

Hello everyone,

I'm looking to purchase my first BMW. I'm coming from an '09 370z and I have done hours and hours of research and decided that for the money, a 440i xdrive is the best car I can buy. I wanted to get some opinions from the bimmer professionals. I originally wanted to keep the mileage under 45k, but I have found this 2018 with 65k miles for $25,000. Although no m-sport, I think I found a decent deal. That high of mileage is a little scary to me but I am only considering it because carfax shows regular oil changes/maintenance all done by the same BMW dealership. From my own research, 65k miles shouldn't be much of an issue if all maintenance was done, if there's one thing I learned from reading it's maintenance maintenance maintenance.

Heres the link to the listing: https://www.powermotorsnyc.com/inven...j7c51jbb98608/

[MidtownMike]

You mention "although no M-sport".
If an M Sport is really what you want, my advice is to keep looking for one, as you will regret buying the non-M every single day.
Of course if you don't care, you don't care, but throughout the years I learned that settling for less doesn't bring real happiness.
Converting a non M Sport to an M Sport is wayyy too expensive, and usually not complete.
Those are my 2 cents.

[Samuaw]

If you are coming from a 370z, and I assume you're looking for a "sporty-ish" car for spirited drive, M sport might be important as there is the option of the M Sport Brakes, which are just a little better (but not quite the same performance as M performance brakes)

Of course you can change all that stuff with aftermarket upgrades- but body studying between the standard and M sport is more than likely more work than it is worth.

If you're looking for a cruiser in stock form, and like the look of a non m sport- seems like a good deal you have.

My 440 is just shy of 60k miles- of which i had a ZF gearbox oil change- apart from that- hasn't skipped a beat- (even on track)
I would also suggest a 10k / yearly oil change as opposed to the 2 year interval that BMW suggests.

[tturedraider]

Coming from a Z car, are you aware that with xDrive you will not get a sport suspension no matter what and that, in fact, the suspension is slightly raised? RWD with a dedicated set of winter wheels and tires will perform better than xDrive with all season tires.

[Cytoplasm0671]

I'm a big believer in patiently imagining the *exact* car of your ultimate hopes and dreams and then taking the months and even years of waiting it takes to find that exact car on sale. And then buy it, hard. If it's an auction then bid high. If it's being sold by a dealer then call them incessantly until you get it reserved. If someone else has it reserved offer the dealer $2k above the sale price. Offer to hand them this bonus in cash down the street at an Arbys.

"It is better to be silent than make a noise. It is better to strike dead than to strike often. It is better not to strike." Robinson Jeffers

[RobotDoctor]

Originally Posted by MidtownMike

You mention "although no M-sport".
If an M Sport is really what you want, my advice is to keep looking for one, as you will regret buying the non-M every single day.
Of course if you don't care, you don't care, but throughout the years I learned that settling for less doesn't bring real happiness.
Converting a non M Sport to an M Sport is wayyy too expensive, and usually not complete.
Those are my 2 cents.

I am not sure living in regret every single day. I do agree with MidtownMike as I would have preferred an M Sport package. I have a Sport Line 440i and it is a fabulous car. I care more about the performance and not having M Sport suspension isn't that important to me. My car performs just fine so no regret there. I do prefer the look of the M Sport and the rims that come with this package. I have some bumper damage I never caught during purchase and may replace the front bumper with an M Sport bumper kit. Of course if I do that I would replace the side skirts with M Sport side skirts but would probably keep the rear bumper (for now). Then comes rims .... yeah, I would eventually replace those as well. Then again, I could have the bumper damage repaired, source a Sport Line front lip, have it painted and install it myself, keep everything else as it is.

That said, if you really want an M Sport then take MidtownMike's advice as there are several M Sport 440i cars available around the nation. Problem then becomes logistics. Then again I bought mine over 3,000 miles from my house (about as far as one could go in the US) and drove it home. Of course I was on a business trip the week following my being totaled with a hit and run accident.

[phelpsy]

Originally Posted by tturedraider

Coming from a Z car, are you aware that with xDrive you will not get a sport suspension no matter what and that, in fact, the suspension is slightly raised? RWD with a dedicated set of winter wheels and tires will perform better than xDrive with all season tires.

I actually didn’t know that. Interesting. I will probably stick with the AWD. From what I seen I think the suspension will be good enough for me, I don’t plan on tracking the car or anything. Hopefully the test drive will confirm that but I’m from the northeast where we get heavy snow so I think AWD is my best option.

[phelpsy]

Originally Posted by RobotDoctor

I am not sure living in regret every single day. I do agree with MidtownMike as I would have preferred an M Sport package. I have a Sport Line 440i and it is a fabulous car. I care more about the performance and not having M Sport suspension isn't that important to me. My car performs just fine so no regret there. I do prefer the look of the M Sport and the rims that come with this package. I have some bumper damage I never caught during purchase and may replace the front bumper with an M Sport bumper kit. Of course if I do that I would replace the side skirts with M Sport side skirts but would probably keep the rear bumper (for now). Then comes rims .... yeah, I would eventually replace those as well. Then again, I could have the bumper damage repaired, source a Sport Line front lip, have it painted and install it myself, keep everything else as it is.

That said, if you really want an M Sport then take MidtownMike's advice as there are several M Sport 440i cars available around the nation. Problem then becomes logistics. Then again I bought mine over 3,000 miles from my house (about as far as one could go in the US) and drove it home. Of course I was on a business trip the week following my being totaled with a hit and run accident.

I don’t think I NEED M sport. Obviously I would prefer it but I think the base will be good for me, especially for a good price. It’s not like the car is going to feel like a boat without it right? Coming from the Z I will sacrifice some handling for a luxurious and refined driving experience that also packs some serious power. Getting older I’m kind of over the raw feeling I get from my Z, hearing and feeling everything. I really like the way the base exterior looks, honestly the biggest reason I wanted M Sport was for the steering wheel so I don’t think I would be too regretful in buying a car I really think I’d love. MidtownMike The only reason I said “although no M Sport” is because I’m scared I’ll get talked down on for not having an M Sport 😭. But at the end of the day I’m buying the car to make myself happy, not others.

[f5alcon]

I wanted an m-sport but bought one without it and I don't regret it. The adaptive sport suspension is the only thing that is hard to replicate, but most of the ones that were available at the time with that were 5-10k more, and just the sport suspension might as well just do coilovers. The tune from the MPPSK can be done with aftermarket tuning or better than MPPSK. Exhaust has plenty of aftermarket options. Cosmetic parts can be done with replica parts, but the longer I have it the less I care because most of my time with it is in the car.

[keithyo88]

You are coming from a Z which I can assume has nice level cornering. The 440i without M Sport or other mods might be too soft for you. Also, 65k maintained by a dealer may not mean much. I bought a 3 owner car and saw what they did under warranty, and it was not much. But if this is a one owner that is a plus. Best of Luck.

[tturedraider]

Originally Posted by phelpsy

I actually didn’t know that. Interesting. I will probably stick with the AWD. From what I seen I think the suspension will be good enough for me, I don’t plan on tracking the car or anything. Hopefully the test drive will confirm that but I’m from the northeast where we get heavy snow so I think AWD is my best option.

just fyi - I have lived in Chicago for almost twelve years with RWD and a dedicated set of winter wheels and tires and I have never had an issue. I recently bought a 2020 M340i with xDrive (not planned. A total fluke. I only bought it because BMW started including the sport suspension with xDrive on the G20). The guy I bought it from and I were talking about winter tires. He never used them. He said, yeah, you might slide a little on all seasons with xDrive, but if you’re careful you’ll be fine. I’m like, why would I do that when with winter tires I can be secure and not have to poke down the street.

I’m actually very close to selling the M340i xDrive and going back to a 2018 F30 340i M Sport RWD.

[RobotDoctor]

Originally Posted by phelpsy

I don’t think I NEED M sport. Obviously I would prefer it but I think the base will be good for me, especially for a good price. It’s not like the car is going to feel like a boat without it right? Coming from the Z I will sacrifice some handling for a luxurious and refined driving experience that also packs some serious power. Getting older I’m kind of over the raw feeling I get from my Z, hearing and feeling everything. I really like the way the base exterior looks, honestly the biggest reason I wanted M Sport was for the steering wheel so I don’t think I would be too regretful in buying a car I really think I’d love. MidtownMike The only reason I said “although no M Sport” is because I’m scared I’ll get talked down on for not having an M Sport 😭. But at the end of the day I’m buying the car to make myself happy, not others.

I definitely prefer the M Sport steering wheel!

[eff32fl]

Do yourself a favor and get one with M Sport. You'll thank yourself later.

[Cytoplasm0671]

Originally Posted by phelpsy

The only reason I said “although no M Sport” is because I’m scared I’ll get talked down on for not having an M Sport 😭. But at the end of the day I’m buying the car to make myself happy, not others.

Amen. If you have tried M Sport and don't think all that much about it, then shrug it off. This is about you, baby.

[Fizz_daz]

it took me two years to find the car I recently bought. I spend ages trying to find the spec I wanted and flitted between a 440 and 435 Xdrive. I went with the 435D xdrive in the end but I have had FWD and 4WD in the past and not RWD so I went that route. It is a personal preference but try as many cars as you can. Sometimes you will miss out or not find it is quite right but the right one will come eventually :-)

[phelpsy]

I decided to contain my excitement and wait for the right car. I’m going to keep searching for an M Sport. Thanks everyone

[tturedraider]

Originally Posted by phelpsy

I decided to contain my excitement and wait for the right car. I’m going to keep searching for an M Sport. Thanks everyone

I think you made the right decision. Are you going to keep looking for an xDrive? In my long time BMW owner opinion you get the full BMW experience with RWD and the sport suspension and coming from a Z car that would be my choice. If you stick with xDrive try to find one with the adaptive suspension.

[fe7565]

I have (had) a basic of basics F30 without nav, 6.5" screen, etc. Not much for M Sport at my "advanced" age...prefer a sporty but comfortable quiet drive with great cornering.

But I regret not researching more about the various entertainment and sensor options in order to save 2-3K on a used car. I ended up retrofitting NBT, 10" screen, prof nav, touch remote, etc and now lane change warning next...which are all fun but very time consuming. Even with bottom feeding on Ebay, etc or parts, I think it's better to spend the extra money for the options you want.

Also consider if you want to mod the engine etc or not. The F30 N26 I have cannot really me modded much (again, not interested at my age)....but some engines can be modded +20-30% HP.

By all means buying a used car makes more sense...you get about 30% off sticker price after just two years. 60K miles is not that bad for a well maintained BMW. And like you said: maintenance, maintenance, maintenance and should last for many many miles.

[f5alcon]

Originally Posted by fe7565

Also consider if you want to mod the engine etc or not. The F30 N26 I have cannot really me modded much (again, not interested at my age)....but some engines can be modded +20-30% HP.

way more than 20-30% on the B58, going from 320 to 500+ HP is possible with stock turbo.

[Cytoplasm0671]

I'd say about 500whp is the max w/stock turbo and E30, and most will land below that

[BrianMigs]

Originally Posted by Cytoplasm0671

I'm a big believer in patiently imagining the *exact* car of your ultimate hopes and dreams and then taking the months and even years of waiting it takes to find that exact car on sale. And then buy it, hard. If it's an auction then bid high. If it's being sold by a dealer then call them incessantly until you get it reserved. If someone else has it reserved offer the dealer $2k above the sale price. Offer to hand them this bonus in cash down the street at an Arbys.

"It is better to be silent than make a noise. It is better to strike dead than to strike often. It is better not to strike." Robinson Jeffers

This is what I tell all my friends who are thinking about looking for their next car. Start early, do your research, know exactly what you want, learn the market, and when the car pops up, be ready to pounce.

I'm glad it looks like the OP is going to wait and get exactly what he wants.