Well, had to break the ice. Would like to buy a 5 door one series. In fact, I am now clutching my checkbook in anticipation of BMW NA announcing that the 1er 5 and 3 door models will be coming to the U S of A Real Soon Now? Any chance of that happening or am I just whistling in the dark?
I don't think it's going to happen within a few years. If it does, maybe for the next-gen 1 series? I don't think the 1-series is so popular just yet. Other than a dealership, I still haven't seen a single 1 series on the road and where I live in the northeast, there are lots of really cool cars here. I've even seen three Maserati's in the last year! So why no 1 series yet? Bah. I think the 123d 5-door would be a great addition to the lineup, but that's just me. And that's assuming the price is much lower than the 128i... But if you want to offload your 330i ZHP for a 1'er-5, I'll be glad to take care of it for you.
It's starting to look that way for me....A3 TDI very tempting but no manual. How many years until a 1 diesel gets here???
I have seen a lot of 1-series around Raleigh here over the past couple of years. However, we just spent two weeks in Germany (Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Stuttgart, Dinkelsbühl, Munich), and 1-series 5-door cars are EVERYWHERE. Especially in the big cities, every time you turn around you see another 1-series 5-door. The highest performance engine you can get in any 1-series except the coupe in Germany is the 130i with 272hp. Only the coupe comes in 135 flavor for whatever reason. Audis were everywhere even more so, in all kinds of iterations. We rented a 2010 A4 Avant 1.8turbo (gas) with a 6spd manual, and it was a great car for our trip as we were 4 and 5-up during our stay there. I sure came to love the "end of limits" signs on the Autobahn too...driver's heaven in Germany as you actually share the road with people who: (1) know the rules of the road, and (2) FOLLOW the rules of the road. Amazing concept to many here apparently. I'll take a new 1-series 5-door M version when the M version comes out next year. Of course they won't ever build the thing, and if they did, they would NEVER allow it to come to the US.
ANYTHING is possible with enough cash and determination I should point out that the 2002 turbo and six-cylinder versions of the E21 (1st generation 3-series) were never approved for US sale either, yet those appear for sale from time to time in various locations here in the USA. 5-door 1-series cars have been seen in Mexico. Once you locate one, you're going to next have to locate a grey market importer. The grey market importer then modifies the lighting, emissions, and possibly the bumper systems to meet US specifications, as well as any other vehicle details that have to be federalized. The grey market importer then makes the necessary arrangements with Customs and the EPA and arranges delivery. The two main disadvantages to this are cost (this could easily double the price paid for the car, and it could be even higher than that) and time (wait times of six months to two years are not uncommon). It's probably not likely that BMW will release a 5-door 1-series this late in the product's lifecycle (the e8x 1-series was introduced in the USA as a 2007 model, and is expected to be replaced with a new model within the next two years, probably as a 2011 or 2012 model). It's also possible that BMW might change their mind about the 1-series M being released in this generation's bodystyle. BMW has pulled the plug at the last minute on potentially groundbreaking products before -- BMW was going to release a 1989 E34 M5 2-door convertible before deciding it would poach sales of their very profitable E30 3-series convertible. BMW only recently revealed the existence of the very complete prototype, as tooling had already been approved to produce it before BMW's sudden change of heart.
5 door 1 from Mexico So a 5 door 1 series from Mexico would be considered an illegal alien?: rolleyes: Sorry, I guess I spent to much time in the southwest.
Elfhearse: I just got it! Whah! Did I ever mention that Chris Bangle said they drew the M coupe-the real M coupe, the dork car, the clown shoe-as an homage to the E-Type hearse in Harold and Maude? They even had T-shirts printed: "Harold lives!"
You'd probably be very lucky to even get that far Even if you showed up at a Mexican BMW dealership with the cash to buy one, you'd still have to register and title it, and you'd probably hit a snag if you attempted to register and title it with a US address. Then there would be the financing hurdles, which would also assume a Mexican mailing address to send you your payment book as well as official papers to a Mexican residence. The Mexican plate and tags are what would probably stop you at the border checkpoint, not the car itself. Presumably, the American customs agents have seen a BMW 1-series before (but probably not the hatchback body). They would also likely ask to see your license and registration (which would have to be American, not Mexican, registration papers). You're probably not the first person (or the last) to try to slip a non-US compliant vehicle past Customs. Just to make sure I was certain of my facts (that the 5-door 1-series was indeed available in Mexico), I checked BMW of Mexico's website. Sure enough, there it is. See for yourself. http://www.bmw.com.mx/mx/es/newvehicles/1series/5door/2007/introduction.html On the other hand, I understand that the NHTSA exempts vehicles 25 years old or older from Customs requirements. So maybe in another 22 years, your plan to drive across the border would work.
We had a nice chat with him at the Z Homecoming in Spartanburg (2004?) He sat with all the Z3 Coupe people at one of the evening dinners, explaining the design process and drew out a little sketch on a napkin (which was promptly snatched up by a roadster driver)... pretty cool guy actually.
Let me think, where did I first hear that bit of trivia? Oh yeah, it came out of my suggestion to a BMW designer who actually worked on that project, shortly after the M-coupe appeared, at a dinner at the New York Auto Show, and he confirmed it. Sitting around the FIZ one day discussing favorite movies was his telling of the tale.
So are you saying that the USA doesn't allow Mexican vehicles across the border? How ironic. They let THOUSANDS of illegal immigrants cross the border, but if you drive up in ONE BMW with Mexican tags, they won't let you in?
