He is located in Australia

It depends, some people really love them BMW bikes hahaha. But personally, I can't ride one so I don't know much about them

How much were you quoted for the M performance suspension? I know that each piece is around the RM800-RM900 range. A lot cheaper than aftermarket suspension such as KW V2 and KW V3.

Ah those suspension, for Euro 1,200 it is quite cheap because a similar aftermarket like the KW V3 would be around RM11k.

Ouch, bulge, its because of the RFT tyres. That's the reason because the sidewalls are stiffer and the moment a hard impact, it tends to bulge out. A lot of the BMW drivers swap out to non-RFT tyres for a smoother and comfortable ride. They carry a can of tyre sealant in the trunk or you can be as kiasu as me, carry a spare tyre and a can of sealant.

Yeah thats why a lot of BMW owners swap over to cheaper tyres. Especially for F30, you don't need to get really expensive tyres and at the same time your setup is not staggered. Hence the tyre costs are cheaper

GT Radial are one of the brands currently used, feels a lot more comfy and also good grip during rempit runs and 300 threadwear

Around the RM500-RM600 per piece if I am not mistaken

Yeah but tyre honestly also hard to claim, because frankly our roads here in Malaysia is riddled with potholes. Have to always manouvre around. Somemore I am running on 19", it is really shocking!

Its actually a sorta like a sequential manual where it has a clutch but no clutch pedals. Quite prone to breakdowns. Just do a google search and you can find number of cases. My friend had his replaced as well (under warranty at the time) but it took a long time to get the parts in from Germany.

You should definitely bring it for a test drive, seriously, that is the only way you can convince yourself of the power difference. Make sure you choose a branch where the test drive route allow you for a nice long stretch to test power.

If comfort is your priority, go for stock suspension (not even the M-Sport ones) and make sure you get it from a BMW stockist (not the dealer). Its cheaper that way

You can't service original BMW shock absorbers according to the ZF. They recommend replacing them. Usually for coilovers you can service them, replace the gas/oil. But for the stock BMW ones, best to swap them.

For the price, get a recon Q5 which is a better buy and you get more stuff loaded compared to an X3. A friend got a Q5 for around 290k recently.

When looking at recon
1) Bring it for a check at your mechanic
2) Make sure the dealer you get from also offer a 1 year warranty. A lot of dealers have that nowadays

If I am not mistaken there is a BMW stockist at SS2, same row as Computer War.

Otherwise places like Obermaier, Motorsport Division, Eurotuner has BMW parts.

Buy Motortrader and look at the pages at the back. Plenty of BMW E60 bodykits available there.

Saw a lot of the 1 series when I was in Johor (mostly SG plates). Didn't like the new design that much. Maybe it needs to grow on me. Really feel quite chunky because it looks like the X1 design especially the front. Doesn't have the sleek feeling such as the F30.

If possible, go for the 328i M Sport instead. You won't regret it!

M sport or diesel? THere is the diesel M-sport and there is also a 328i m-sport. If you want fun, go for the 328i M-sport.

Honestly, in terms of maintenance, if you are buying both the cars new (I assume you mean the F30 316i), the BMW comes with BSRI which gives you free maintenance of up to 60,000km. That means whenever it is time for service all you need is to bring your car in and collect it back for free. No payment. Within the 60,000km, on average the usual F30 owner might get around 3 services. So technically the BMW wins over the MB because of the BSRI package.

Now after the BSRI package, maintenance is relatively similar because at the end of the day, you only mention maintenance and changing the engine oil, fluids, fuel filter is relatively cheap outside for both marques. Both marques have plenty of stockists so maintenance wise, if you do it outside of the service center, it is quite similar.

When it comes to repairs, then the topic is relatively subjective.

Just saw your thread, hope the responses are still relevant for you.

1) All BMW cars only have 2 years warranty. No idea why it is only kept at 2 years. I guess they do offset it with the so called BSRI.
2) No way unless you specifically go to all of the dealers and ask which RFT tyres they provide with the new car
3) The interest rate would be quite competitive especially with BMW Credit. I am not too sure if they offer a 9 year loan though.
4) Heard that the 320i has a long waiting list, not much discounts offered. Probably better at the end of the year.