[Johnfr]

Funny. I just went through this. I bought a 2008 135i in 2008 and just traded it 4 months ago for a 2008 M3 with 6200K miles on it. The car had Eisenmann race and HRE's. I liked the 135i, but, I love the M3. The good news: I got great trade in value for the 135i with 45k miles on it. The M3 was absolutely perfect as in like new with very expensive mods on it that I didn't have to pay for. My insurance went up $3 per year. The M3 is larger in size and a totally different experience. I like the technology in the 135i with twin turbo's (N54). Since the 135i was paid for I only had to come up with about $23K. I would do it again in a heartbeat. The M3 is classy, more comfortable, and looks better - even though I like the looks of the 135i. The 135i is an around town accelerant. The M3 is more of a open road cruiser that performs best at a higher (illegal) speed. Finally, the 135i is only 7/8 size of a car if you are over 5'10".