Buy An Old BMW M135i For Half The Price Of The New One

The new BMW 1-series is a funny one, isn’t it? For a start, it’s not actually new – more of a facelift that Beemer has decreed is significant enough for it to get a whole new chassis code. The range has been trimmed significantly, too, and while the hot M135 remains with the same basic formula (now without the ‘i’ at the end of its name), it’s actually less powerful than before, with the bhp figure dropping from 302 to 295.

It’s not clear why this is – emissions, presumably – but it leads to the 0-62mph time dropping a tenth from 4.8 to 4.9 seconds, and is inevitably disappointing for anyone who was hoping for something from BMW that could nudge closer to the likes of the Mercedes-AMG A45 and Audi RS3.

It’s not something to get too upset about, though, because the old M135i now looks like quite a tempting used buy. The fundamentals are the same as in the new car – 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder, four-wheel drive, eight-speed automatic – and the ‘old’ 1-series only launched in 2019, so it really doesn’t feel that dated inside.

Not only that, but you get more power than the new one, and some proper physical climate controls, which will inevitably make it less frustrating to use.

Here’s one we found, a late 2019 car that’s covered just over 48,000 miles. That’s some reasonably heavy use which may have slightly dented the power advantage, but everything looks tidy and well maintained. It also benefits from the optional Tech Pack 1, which throws in adaptive LED lights, wireless charging and a backup camera.

There is one slight discrepancy that may be worth checking out with the dealer selling it: a quick look at MOT history shows it’s passed all its tests so far with no advisories, but also reckons it passed its first MOT in August 2022 and was then tested again… in September 2022.

Nevertheless, at an asking price of £21,399, it’s basically half the cost of the new M135’s £41,000 starting price. The old M135i was never the most exciting thing to drive, especially after the lairy, rear-drive M140i, and this is something the new one aims to correct, but if you’re just after something rapid, practical and luxurious, it starts to look like a very good deal indeed.