BMW 230i / 240i Coupe

[Mark23GT]

Looking at possible future alternatives to Mustangs since not crazy about the S650 yet, and wanted to see if anybody on here has any experience with the BMW 230i or 240i. researching them is mostly positive reviews, looks pretty cool i think. even the 4 cylinder 230i looks like it is quick and is $10k less than the 6 cylinder 240i. can get them in all wheel drive also. not sure if i would want the all wheel drive, would be nice for winter i suppose. If anyone has any experience with them or owns one , what do you think of them? thanks

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[The Demon]

I bought my wife a 2020 BMW M240i convertible. It’s a great summer car for Cali although there is no winter as far as I’m concerned. It has been reliable but I did get the extended warranty just in case. It is quick too. Mine is 335hp but I hadn’t looked in a while and it looks to be 382hp now? That’s great. I think you would really enjoy it. Burger Motorsports makes a mod called the JB4. Works great and is CARB cert.

 

[junits15]

The 2 series is one of the best cars BMW has made in years. I've loved every single one I've driven or been in.

The modern 2 embodies what the 3 used to be back before they all got bloated and huge.

 

[The Demon]

Looking at possible future alternatives to Mustangs since not crazy about the S650 yet, and wanted to see if anybody on here has any experience with the BMW 230i or 240i. researching them is mostly positive reviews, looks pretty cool i think. even the 4 cylinder 230i looks like it is quick and is $10k less than the 6 cylinder 240i. can get them in all wheel drive also. not sure if i would want the all wheel drive, would be nice for winter i suppose. If anyone has any experience with them or owns one , what do you think of them? thanks

 

[Mark23GT]

Did little more research & looks like M240i is better choice, B58 engine is supposed to be good, better resale value also. I priced them out on website and 230i is about $40k and m240i about $50k with only couple options such as color or wheels. AWD cost an extra $2k

 

[The Demon]

Did little more research & looks like M240i is better choice, B58 engine is supposed to be good, better resale value also. I priced them out on website and 230i is about $40k and m240i about $50k with only couple options such as color or wheels. AWD cost an extra $2k

Yep. And as mentioned by @junits15 it is fun to drive. He’s right that the 2 is what the 3 used to be. I am actually blown away and excited about the horsepower they have in it now. Have you driven one yet?

 

[Mark23GT]

I have not driven one, going to keep an eye out for any that may be traded in near me, nearest BMW dealer is about 90 miles away. looks like they could be a nice upgrade from Ford. will have to research a few youtube videos later on . does BMW have a good reliability reputation currently?

 

[Bman5150]

I considered an m2 or m240i before deciding on the mustang GT I recently purchased. Car availability was a contributing factor as m240 and m2s were next to impossible to locate and a test drive was out of the question. Then I finally test drove a 2023 230i. The interior was awful. Not even close to as nice as the interior of the 2018+ Mustang GT Premium. The 230i was not slow but not fast either. Im sure the m240i would be a rocket though and almost certainly faster than the stang GT. I thought the 230i’s steering was really poor as well especially compared to my old e90 340i sedan. The m240i would have been $10-13k more than what I paid for my Mustang GT premium so it became an easy decision for me to go with the stang.

regarding the interior on the 230 and 240…I asked the bmw salesmen if the m240i had the same interior as the 230i. Answer was yes but for the steering wheel and seats. I am surprised how poor quality that some new bmws have for their interiors.

 

[The Demon]

If you ask around on some of the other forums as well as people who have owned them on here I would say it’s hit or miss. I do believe that they do have some problems which is why I did buy the full extended warranty. Mine has been great except for one small issue. It was a misdiagnosed right rear tail light and the general manager stepped in and made sure it was taken care of and at the same time give me an M850i convertible as my loaner. Now that was fun.

 

[Moe@Lethal]

If anyone has any experience with them or owns one , what do you think of them?

They're really fun, 4 cylinder and the straight 6. xDrive (AWD) would be great for winter too, BMW offers one of the best AWD systems (I still think Audi's Quattro beats all), so you shouldn't struggle there. For a daily I use the 4 cylinder, 400 miles per tank (50L/~13.2gal tank) and tops out at about 160, gets to 60 at about 5 seconds. Not bad for a 4cyl in my opinion, M240 does it in about 3.6-3.7 in real conditions. If you don't go with the M240, you'll definitely want the M-Sport package on the 230i, it gets you nicer suspension, bumpers, bucket seats, a nicer steering wheel, nicer wheels, and some other goodies.

If you do go with the M240 (G42 chassis code), you'll get the 382hp Gen 3 B58 motor, which has proven to be one of the most reliable BMW motors ever made. Toyota also used this motor (and transmission, almost the entire interior, suspension, and many other parts) in their new Supra as well. Definitely drive both the 230 and M240 and see how you like them, neither should disappoint.

does BMW have a good reliability reputation currently?

As said above, the B48 (4cyl) in the 230 and the B58 (6cyl) have done great over the past few years since their release. Many have gone far with them if you're interested in modding them, turbo upgrades, port injection, E85, downpipe and a tune can put you over 700hp+ without building the motor (LPFP and HPFP as well). But let me know if you have any questions.

 

[Hack]

I have not driven one, going to keep an eye out for any that may be traded in near me, nearest BMW dealer is about 90 miles away. looks like they could be a nice upgrade from Ford. will have to research a few youtube videos later on . does BMW have a good reliability reputation currently?

I've never owned a BMW, but I've heard many times on here people saying don't own one out of warranty. Other people say they are great and never had a problem. This video is probably more about older BMWs, but I think it gives an idea of what you might be getting into.

 

[Prodigal]

I had a 335d that was a beast when it was working well. Loved the car but the reliability and gremlins exacerbated by the regeneration shit required on the diesel made owning it outside of the warranty period like playing Russian Roulette with your bank account. BNWUSA was nice enough to cover my intake cleaning ($4500+) just outside of the 60k coverage. Once fixed I took her for one last full throttle pull up the Florida Beachline way north of 120 and I traded it in.

 

[Bman5150]

My 2011 BMW 340xi was a great car…when it didn’t have a problem. Electrical gremlins and 5 yes 5 recalls kept me at the dealer way more than any other car I’ve owned. Spooked me a bit from BMW but not enough to completely rule one out in the future.

 

[Balr14]

Buy an M240i. You won't regret it. The B58 engine is the most reliable engine BMW has ever made. The horsepower rating is a joke. Mine dyno'ed 402whp, 100% stock, 442 with a JB+ plug-in, both on 93 octane. Translate that to crank horsepower and it's over 500. The B48 engine is nice for a 4 banger, but there's no comparison.

I could bore you for hours with discussion about BMW reliability and maintenance costs, but I doubt you will run into serious problems in the current lower sized models. It's just a matter of knowing what to avoid. If I am still driving in 3 years, I will buy a BMW M3 competition. I test drove a used one and I'm in love!

FYI: 2011 was one of the worst years for BMW.

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