Mother is looking to surprise father with a car for their 40th anniversary. He traded his 10 year old G37 for a new NX for my mother this fall, and is driving her older RDX.
My dad is not a car guy, but wants a fun comfortable coupe. Target price is in the neighborhood of 55k. I’ve been doing some research, and from what I’ve read this car checks all the boxes. AWD, fun, comfortable, decent enough gas mileage. From what I understand the B38 and ZF8 are about as reliable as you can get. My father owns cars for 10+ years.
Are owners happy with these? Would we be well served by looking at anything else? My folks have traditionally owned Japanese cars, but there frankly isn’t anything in that price bracket that seems to compare to the M240i.
Thanks
I’m in my 60s and have owned and driven a lot of cars. My 2021 M240i Xdrive is the best car I’ve ever owned or driven.
I’ve had my m240i for just under 3 years. Absolutely love it.
It’s a great daily driver that I can feel comfortable driving in all four seasons, but it’s also a lot of fun.
Imho the M440i is a more grown-up car. If you can consider a lightly used one you should be able to find in your price bracket.
Go full grown up and get the 840i.
Grown-up is not always desirable. Sometimes you want the wild child car.
I went from an M235 to an M340 and now own an M240. I can’t say enough good things about the 2 series. The M240 is VERY quick, especially with xDrive. It’s not the cheapest car to buy if you want all the fun options but it has very good gas milage, especially on the freeway. The engine in a B58 and I don’t think you’ll find many people claiming the engine or gearbox are anything but reliable.
*B58 engine
Had a 2019 M240 for 2 years or so. Absolutely loved every minute of it.
I got my 2023 M240i over the summer and absolutely love it. First time BMW owner, and this car has amazed me in every way. I do agree with some of the others however in saying that “comfortable” is not the strongest suit of this car, however I have had no issues with comfort. I would just keep that in mind depending on your father’s age. Other than that I can not think of a single downside to the M240i. Get one and he is gonna love it.
You should get him a M2 comp if you can squeeze an extra 5k out.
Xdrive is a requirement unfortunately. It’s going to be driving through New England winters and they live on a dead-end hill. Before awd/4wd became the norm we spent my childhood helping push cars up the hill, or watching tow trucks have to come grab them.
I’d go all in on the M240i then, if you order from factory try to see if he can get an individual color to make it more special.
kind of a weird question. if your dad isn’t a car guy, why does he want $55k coupe?
m240i is a great car and very practical for what it is. but if you don’t have your heart set on a rwd (biased) coupe, there are a lot of other options in the price range. I would look hard at an s3, possibly an s4, and whatever sedans Mercedes has in that price range.
He wants a coupe. He is coming from a g37x sedan, and was eying some coupes.
it really is the sweet spot in bmw lineup and ive owned my m235i for 9 years now. its fun, comfortable, fast, reliable, practical, and it looks incredible.
I’ve had a M235 for almost 7 years and while not as reliable as a Honda, it’s has been good after some initial electronic gremlins were solved.
It is very quick and the best handling series BMW makes today.
However, it may not be the best car for someone over 60 looking for comfort, both in terms of getting in & out or a ‘comfortable’ (soft ride).
You said your dad is not a car guy. That and his past car history & desire for 10+ year reliability might steer you towards a Lexus SUV or similar.
He wants a coupe — he’s coming from a 2011 Infiniti
235 ≠ 240
M240i has the B58, which is reliable sans the PCV, but will be/already is an iconic engine for BMW. Don’t forget about the Supra as well, which also has the B58.
Why a coupe? I’m biased, but I’d rather have an m340i
Coupe looks much, much better than the M340i shape imo… more of a classic sporty car proportions vs. a basic sedan.
Nobody will do a double take on a M340i and only enthusiasts will tell it apart from basic 3 series they see every day. I’ve only see 3 of the new 2 series in Chicago, much rarer as they are more impractical.
OP said they wanted a coupe, so they shouldn’t spend $7K more for 2 more doors and a few extra inches of unneeded legroom.
I’m on my sixth year with a M240. I can’t imagine driving anything else except maybe an M2 or a Boxster/Cayman. It is fun while relatively comfortable and relatively practical. The back seats are too small for full size adults for more than a few minutes, but for kids, dogs or small adults it works just fine.
I’m late 50s and test drive a manual 2 series back in 2019 or so. Found the ride a bit too rough tbh. Got a 340 instead.