if i remember correctly, a new 118i is around 185k. Did you check for discount on new units, 2018 un-reg or pre-reg units with the BMW dealers?
The current 118i sold is M-sport variant and is quite well specced.
Not sure about the 2017 model.

For 2015 unit, check if there's still warranty. I can't remember when they transitioned from 2 years to 5 years warranty

I got the 120i (same year).

Loving it lol. if the 40 horses and 30 additional torque didn't make a difference i would've gotten the 118i. but great handling needs to match the power .

about the 120i ride being harsher than 118i, i call that loads of bull. My friend bought his 118i brand new last year during the tax break, the ride is equally as harsh, if not even harsher due to it being new. after a while according to him only it started getting better.

If you can't stand the harsh ride, stay away from the F20 m sports. the suspension are not adaptive ones like the 3 series equivalent. they are harsh. find the sport version. the ride should be less harsh than the msport.

Ppl will say that you can get the same power by race chipping the 118i, but at the expense of potentially voiding the warranty, something i would like to avoid while the car is still under warranty

If you don't really care about horsepower, just get the 118i. But if you're getting 118i, why not try and see if you can find a 2018 model since that's the LCI2 version (most notable change is the instrument cluster and updated idrive)

And yes, like others are saying, the bloody rear tires, 245/35/r18 is a pain since not many shops selling (in fact i'm still looking). SC will screw you over with their price.