[10"]

find a late 2013 128i, 135i or 135is.

the 1ers back seat is perfect for small children....and in terms of BMWs it's the last great series of BMWs that actually drove well and were enjoyable to drive like a classic BMW. Smaller than the E93 and more tossable......and easily found in manual. The F-series BMWs totally lost the plot.

The problem is finding a good one with low miles. the 135is prices have stopped falling and piggybacking on the 1M they might be creeping up. 128s and 135s are pretty easy to find in that budget though.

Even if they are 5 years old...if you can find one with less than 30k miles they should be reasonably reliable for some years...particularly the 128.

[Yes2m3cs]

GTI all day long...still love mine! My M4 sits and GTI gets the nod everyday

Good luck

[Darth One]

the 135i is a good recommendation as well for an enthusiast. the reason i didn't recommend it is that if they feel their E93 is 'long in the tooth', i'm loath to recommend an even older BMW.

i had a love-hate relationship with my 2008 135i...well, it was all love except that it was the only BMW i've ever owned that stranded me multiple times on a faraway highway. it was the dreaded HPFP, and it eventually qualified to be lemoned. but ironically enough, i would still say the thing is reliable...it was just that one design flaw.

[whyzee125]

Is-f?

[Red Bread]

Originally Posted by usshelena725

True, but this is for a 110lb woman who regularly drives alone through the mountains.

I want to minimize the breakdown risk as much as possible.

I know it's only available in an auto, but thoughts on the A3 2.0T. The ecu tuning to 300hp?

APR stage 1 is easy. The DSG is actually better for tuning than the standard manual in the GTI or Golf R. Didn't sway me, I'll buy an upgraded clutch later.

But the quattro A3 is a good unit, and not much slower than an S3, just with a softer suspension and a few less options.

[stevenvillatoro]

Too bad the need for a tiny back seat; otherwise an ND Miata would be the ticket.

[Viffermike]

I would take a second look at Mini -- specifically the John Cooper Works version of the Cooper S. (The GP is veritable unobtanium -- kudos, Darth One , for scoring one).

Saying that a Mini has gotten 'bigger' over the years is like saying that Kelly Ripa has gotten bigger over the years. She's still relatively small, nimble, energetic and a looker.

Beyond that in the European car space (if she's so dead-set against anything American or Asian), the best options have been discussed, IMHO. In addition to a Mini, I'd personally target the Golf R or a BMW 1 or 2 Series -- but if either of the latter are out of warranty, beware of maintenance costs.

[BEM-S4]

Were it not for the back seat stipulation I'd say Z4 3.0si coupe. Yes you might have a little maintenance to worry about, but you could get a warranty. And they've pretty much bottomed out you could drive an excellent car for 5 years and basically get your money out of it. That's a hell of a lot of car for $15K. But in the realm of things that you'd actually look at - the GTI is my stock answer for pretty much every car question when a budget is involved.

[Red Bread]

Originally Posted by usshelena725

Yeah, we have a 4yo daughter, so some sort of a semi back seat is a requirement.

I really wish the A3 came in a manual. That would be the winner right there. Or the ability to find a CPO BMW 328i. Things are rare ducks, man. There are like maybe 10 or 12 in the whole United States right now that are under $25k.

You don't want an F30. Or said another way, I drive my GTI every time over my wife's F30.

[bucketfoot]

Originally Posted by usshelena725

Or the ability to find a CPO BMW 328i. Things are rare ducks, man. There are like maybe 10 or 12 in the whole United States right now that are under $25k.

Don't know if you are excluding xDrive, but at our local dealerships alone there are 2 non x-drive CPOs under $25K and another at $25.5K. If you add in xDrive there are another 3.

[10"]

Originally Posted by Red Bread

You don't want an F30. Or said another way, I drive my GTI every time over my wife's F30.

I'd rather take a Lyft than drive an F30...

[Run Silent]

Originally Posted by 10"

I'd rather take a Lyft than drive an F30...

What makes you feel that way?

I've had F30's as loaner vehicles several times whilst my E93 was in for service. While certainly not as visceral of a driving experience as my E93 is, the F30 is quite a nice car in my opinion.

I would compare the road manners of the F30 to a VW Jetta/Passat or Audi A3/A4. Slightly firm, but not sporty. My wife would be fine with that. She just doesn't want the floaty style of the Toyota or the 'firm just to be firm' style of the Hyundai Genesis.

[ISSA335]

Thought about A c63? They're getting cheaper for like a 2010-2012, not sure if she wants something that "old" but interiors are very nice and would be fast, fun, reliable and has a back seat

[10"]

Originally Posted by usshelena725

What makes you feel that way?

I've had F30's as loaner vehicles several times whilst my E93 was in for service. While certainly not as visceral of a driving experience as my E93 is, the F30 is quite a nice car in my opinion.

I would compare the road manners of the F30 to a VW Jetta/Passat or Audi A3/A4. Slightly firm, but not sporty. My wife would be fine with that. She just doesn't want the floaty style of the Toyota or the 'firm just to be firm' style of the Hyundai Genesis.

There's literally nothing I like about the way the F30 drives. I much prefer to be in a Golf or Civic or Focus or whatever...something suitable to its own genre.

The F30 feels like a Camry that's been put in heavy makeup and a glittery dress to come across as 'european'. Hate the steering, hate the aesthetics, the braking, the suspension, the disconnection. If anything it just angers me how far BMW reduced the dynamics of their base model line. It used to be that you could walk into a BMW dealership and drive the cheapest, most basic BMW and get a fantastic driving experience! Underpowered maybe but dynamically sound and special. These ethos simply don't apply anymore.

[Alfisti]

More i think about it the more Mini starts to make sense.

[Red Bread]

Man, drive the Mini. Both motors run out of the will to live at about 4K rpm. It's hard to believe anyone who buys a Mini test drove a GTI. I tried to convince myself I liked the handling too, but it's just harsh for the sake of being harsh, the limits are pretty low.

I'll echo 10's take in the F30, it's just hard to parse that it's a BMW. If you take the time to jam the right buttons, it's almost fun. It if you just get in and drive, it's a bland, anonymous experience that could be a Hyundai, a Lexus or any rental car. The only hope is adding 50 to the chassis code, as the F80 is great aside from the obvious size.

[Darth One]

Chicks dig the Countryman. If you want to talk her into a Mini, that would be my play.

I agree with 10" on the F30. Super disappointing. And such an insult to the legacy of cars like the E30 325i and E46 323i

[See5]

I have an F56 now and previously had a MkVII GTI. Even though they have some overlap in price and configuration, they occupy different spaces IMO.

Compared to a Cooper S Hardtop, the GTI is bigger, quicker, and a better value. However, I do find them to be kind of boring. The F56 is pretty fun to toss around and works better as a point and shoot city car. It really has an interesting feel to it.

Both are very competent on the highway and in corners but neither car(especially the MINI) has a ride quality to write home about.

Overall, just drive both. Either one can be loaded up with all of the things you'd see in a nice 3-series.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by 10"

There's literally nothing I like about the way the F30 drives. I much prefer to be in a Golf or Civic or Focus or whatever...something suitable to its own genre.

The F30 feels like a Camry that's been put in heavy makeup and a glittery dress to come across as 'european'. Hate the steering, hate the aesthetics, the braking, the suspension, the disconnection. If anything it just angers me how far BMW reduced the dynamics of their base model line. It used to be that you could walk into a BMW dealership and drive the cheapest, most basic BMW and get a fantastic driving experience! Underpowered maybe but dynamically sound and special. These ethos simply don't apply anymore.

I was just in a brand new F30 320i on Tuesday this week; I had my Z4 in for the PCV recall and got a shuttle ride to work. The car jockey driving me had literally just pulled the car off the lot (it was going into the dealer's loaner fleet), so the window sticker was still in the car. $43,600 for that POS. The Jockey was complaining the car had a "weird vibration". The car had 32 miles on it. The F30 still sucks from the passenger seat perch and I could tell it drove no better than the several I've had as loaners and test drives over the past few years.

One of the Mods moved my Thread on this subject to the F30 Forum (I originally posted it here in this section), man you shoulda seen the shit storm that started. They closed the Thread ASAP

[dgoldenz]

Probably a little over budget but check out the JL Wrangler. I just leased one for $368/mo including tax with $0 paid up front for 36 months/10k miles. My other car is an E92 M3 and they are totally different rides but the Wrangler is amazing. Driving with the top off is awesome, gives you that king of the road kind of feel, has Carplay/Android Auto (if you get the 7" screen option), and the V6 engine actually has some power while most of the SUVs in that price range have a turbo 4 cylinder instead. The manual trans is pretty great, though I got the auto.

[trouterdog]

Originally Posted by xG35guy

GTI all day long...still love mine! My M4 sits and GTI gets the nod everyday

Good luck

I've been driving a mk7 GTI for the past 3 years. I strongly agree that it checks most of the boxes - manual transmission, practicality, fun to drive.