[WillisW555]

I'd say you have to drive them. German cars tend to have a different driving experience than Japanese cars IMO.

The BMW is a very tempting piece, but I probably wouldn't trade my Sube on one.

[onelove]

speaking of moddinng... in a local meet i met this guy who has an 335i coupe ended up paying almost 5k for a header...which gave him 15-20 more hp

Modding German cars can get expensive really quickly. Especially hard parts.

Thank god Shiv is keeping things affordable for the turbo BMWs.

[06AspenWhiteSTi]

wow, thats way too heavy for a little sports car. 3500 pounds is pigish. I never thought i'd see the day when OUR cars were considered light.

[glamcem]

^^ well they are put an AWD system on that and you're 3700-3800 lbs.just like audi quattros

[Jaws]

A lot of you are speculating that the 135i will be more expensive, when in fact the car mags are saying it is going to be right there with the STI in the low 30's. That is the whole reason BMW is making this line. They want an entry level car. If it was 40+, it would defeat the entire purpose.

I also read that BMW really underrated that 3.0 TT engine, and that it is closer to 350 horsepower. This makes sense, considering it is direct injected.

I also disagree comparing these two cars is like "apples to oranges". Aside from the Evo, you couldn't find two cars more alike, or at least competing in the same bracket. Same cost, young professional male buyer base, turbo, similar horsepower.

[onelove]

I predict most will go out the door for between $36-41K.

[bluebaru02]

Originally Posted by D1SMember

If you bought the subaru for the looks alone than you made a mistake. I have the same year as you and color and I love my car it may not be the best looking car out there but makes up for it in every other category. I actually really like the way it looks(better at some angles than others)it looks very functional. That BMW 135 looks like an old persons saggy skin. Like it's going to droop off the side of the car. SUBBIE FOR THE WIN!!! Look at my SIG picture try doing that in a BMW.

You completely misunderstood my post. I am comparing the '08 STi/WRXto a BMW not my '06 or any other year STi.

Nobody in here bought there STi with performance alone in mind. The STi has a unique look along with performance. The '08 is neither unique nor interesting, it's common looking and boring.

I love my '06 Suby, always will. I don't love the '08 because it doesn't look like a Suby, it looks like a bad copy of a Mazda. I'm disappointed with Subaru because they took the easy way out and copied the present fad poorly. I expected more from Subaru and in my opinion they failed miserably.

[bluebaru02]

Originally Posted by onelove

Does your arm get tired painting with that broad brush? LOL.

*snip*

I like ALL high performance cars. The purposefulness of the engineering is what appeals to me, not just swoopy bodywork.

Just my .02.

My post was in reference to the '08 STi vs the BMW 135.

You imply that you bought your STi with NO interest in the styling, I don't buy that. You bought your STi for the same reason I did, because it's a street legal race car with a unique look.

If you're comparing two performance cars with similar price tags and performance stats then the variable that will decide your choice will come down to intangible things like styling. The '08 STi/WRX is a blatant copy of the Mazda speed, given a choice, it should be obvious.

[SilverSurfer]

Originally Posted by Jaws

A lot of you are speculating that the 135i will be more expensive, when in fact the car mags are saying it is going to be right there with the STI in the low 30's. That is the whole reason BMW is making this line. They want an entry level car. If it was 40+, it would defeat the entire purpose.

I also read that BMW really underrated that 3.0 TT engine, and that it is closer to 350 horsepower. This makes sense, considering it is direct injected.

I also disagree comparing these two cars is like "apples to oranges". Aside from the Evo, you couldn't find two cars more alike, or at least competing in the same bracket. Same cost, young professional male buyer base, turbo, similar horsepower.

The parts I bolded are speculation too. You can't believe everything you read in a car mag even with models that have been released. The 135i isn't even out yet. You are reading pure speculation.

The 135i is actually very different than the STI even though they will possibly be competing in similar price bracket (I'm willing to bet large sums of money with you right now that a reasonably equipped 135i will be at least a couple grand more than the the new STI MSRP). The BMW is a road car. It is built to be a sports car in good conditions. It is not that practical (two doors and RWD). The STI is a very practical car sports car that is built to excel in any type of road condition - snow, ice, dirt, mud, and also tarmac. Yes, they are both sports cars. Yes, they may be somewhat similarly priced. The similarities end there.

I'm about as unbiased as it gets. I look at it like this. What are you going to do with the car? A warranty is worth alot of money. If you aren't going to mod your 135i then maybe it's the car for you; that warranty sure would be nice after all, but not if you void it with mods. If you live in Florida and never see ice, maybe the 135i is for you. If you don't have to put kid seats in your car and get kids in and out of your car, maybe the 135i is for you.

I have one 20 month old boy. I have another kid on the way. I live in Illinois - it gets cold here... bitter cold. And icey and rainy and it snows sometimes too. And we have gravel roads that get muddy sometimes. I had a MY04 STi that I modded the heck out of. Even though I spent way too much modding that MY04, I shudder to think what all those mods would have cost if it would have been a BMW I was altering.... I also know I could break and replace parts for probably half the cost (very conservative estimate there, probably much less than half the cost in many cases) on that STi I modded the heck out of compared to if I was modding and breaking stuff on an Bimmer. The 135i looks pretty good. I love the way an STi/STI looks. It might not be as mature of a look as a Bimmer, but it's almost like tweaking the nose of other sports cars as to say, "bring it *****...". I kinda like that look and I'm not a boy racer (I'm 33). In short, for what I'm going to do with my car, what I use it for, where I live, and sheer driving enjoyment... I prefer the STI.

[karr1008]

You know why an STi is currently in my driveway and on my shopping list?

Because it is versatile, fast, reliable and unique.

The fact that this innocuous little sedan (soon to be hatch) can hang with the big boys, carry lots of stuff and go in the snow, while keeping my maintenance & fuel costs down has earned it my consideration.

Well said! To add to the fuel: At least Subaru wins in some of their many Rally races, something that BMW doesn't do on their F1 arena. This is Beauty vs Perfomance thread...being the STI, the performer of course. Lock this thread!
http://www.allf1.info/teams/bmw.php
http://www.wrc.com/page/TeamsDetail/...605287,00.html

[hjc455]

After driving to Luxembourg in the STI yesterday the wife has decided that we need a car that travels long distances better. She decided that she wants a BMW. We did some surfing last night and built a car and such. We saw the 1 series on their site. So today we went down to the dealer and test drove the 328i and the 335i. The 328i was alright. It handled alright pretty good for its size. Now mind you. I was already biased going in cuz of the STI. The we drive the 335i. Let me tell you thats impressive. It has alot of low end torque for being a bigger coupe. And on the autobahn it was just as impressive, we were cruising at about 130 mph. It doesnt have the same suspension as the STI and I understood that but the power it has is really impressive. We decided that the 335i was just too big for the two of us. So we put a deposit on a 135i. The german dealers should have one in about a month. They couldnt really tell us much about them. They weren't sure on colors or price. But from driving the 335i, the little 135i is gonna fly. Both of the cars were US spec. I'll keep you guys updated once I test drive one.

[old blue]

This is a bit of a tough one for me. The very first car I bought was a BMW -- in 1969. There were virtually no BMW's on the road then, and I got a lot of wild headlight flashing when another BMW driver would come by. BMW bikes were something special then too.

Later, I had a BMW coupe, probably the prettiest BMW made until the current coupes. Belonged to BMWCCA, with a lot of fine members, too.

Later on followed Mercedes, and a 911.

But the best driving car I ever had, bar none, was my STI, one of the first off the boats. Also incredible in bad winter weather when I equipped it with snows. I put 89000 plus miles on that car. But, being no longer young, it did put a bit of a hurt on my arthritis, especially with my daily drive of lots of hilly, curvy back roads. And, no longer being enamored of making the acquaintance of the uniformed, flashing lights militia, I took fewer opportunities for post youthful exuberance. (I'm sure you know what I mean. For instance, some character would feel his oats and want to be on my bumper through the curves. I'd wait until the tightest, most tight, awful curves, then ACCELERATE leaving the fool to reasess his masculinity.)

But the boss didn't like the exhaust sound, didn't like the ride. You know the story. So I have a very nice legacy gt wagon now. And am giving the new STI.

But then comes along the 135, whose looks remind me of my old sweetheart BMW coupe, and which won't offend the boss. Still, the STI calls me. I'm not put off by the looks. And I know that Subaru has to stay in business (sell cars, and not just to enthusiasts like us) if we are going to expect more STI's in the future.

So, I am waiting. I guess I'll see how I like each one is in person. And if I hold on to new Legacy GT wagon, the boss won't have much to complain about.

mike

[AARONH]

Whats funny to me is that BMW added a trunk to the european 1-series hatch to create a coupe, which they believe will be more popular in the U.S. market(I think they were right ). And Subaru does the opposite. BRILLIANT!

[JRBKarter]

135i FTW. Hands down.

Vishnu PROceed with exhaust...380 HP and 380 Torque (detuned from over 400 from the Beta). Yes the parts are more expensive up front but bang for the buck? Add in downpipes (nothing out official yet but soon enough) and you do the math.

Price wise? 128i starting at 27k, 135i at 33K. 135i ONLY comes with sport package (Brakes-6 piston fronts, 2 piston rears, suspension tune, aero parts, yadda yadda). Other options, leather instead of leatherette, luxury package (wood trim, different seats, blah blah, why bother?) convenience package (moonroof, rain sensing wipers, other extra bs) and the big one that no one is official about yet, LSD? Either way, skip the BS, leather moonroof, LSD if possible, metallic paint. 38K.

Weight wise- seen everywhere between 3200-3400 from different sources. Probably closer to the 3400.

Originally Posted by glamcem

http://www.rsportscars.com/eng/cars/bmw_135i.asp
it says 3438 lbs but i 'd expect to see it 3500ish ,b/c of the added weights are plenty of bimmers.. for
instance you can look at this website.

UK tests require weight to be with a 160lb driver and either 90% fuel or 90 Kilos....can't quite remember which. That accounts for the weight gain...


Ownership costs? 4 year full maintenance FTW (yea throw some new wipers on there for me too) You pay car payment, insurance, gas.

Styling wise- 335i is a better looking car no doubt, but its also heavier, and wayyy more expensive. 135i is plenty nice enough thanks. Interior wise and driving impression? I don't think thats even a debate over who wins that one BMW or Subaru...

But really it boils down to, what are you going to do with it? Year round daily driver in inclimate weather? I've run 2 M3's thru New England weather with snow's, its fun and can be done. It's a helluva lot more fun and less stressful with the STi. Rally cross or any pseudo off roading? Again its a given, STi. Baby seats/ 4 doors....obvious. Unfortunately...thats just about where the STi stops winning. If you're looking for bang for the buck on-road, autox, street performance....BMW just threw a serious smack down to all of the Japanese pocket rockets...STi included...

[suby OCD]

Originally Posted by bluebaru02

My post was in reference to the '08 STi vs the BMW 135.

You imply that you bought your STi with NO interest in the styling, I don't buy that. You bought your STi for the same reason I did, because it's a street legal race car with a unique look.

If you're comparing two performance cars with similar price tags and performance stats then the variable that will decide your choice will come down to intangible things like styling. The '08 STi/WRX is a blatant copy of the Mazda speed, given a choice, it should be obvious.

I know this quote was not directed at me but I have to respond.

I DID NOT buy my 04 STi for the looks (absolutely, positively, 100%, no ifs ands or buts)....and I dont see why anyone would...ts not a pretty car!! Its got a face only I mother could love!!

I bought it because its fast, handles great, very reliable, AWD, affordable and you can work on it yourself.