DGS49
Diamond Member
The subject line reflects the conventional wisdom about BMW's. The bigger models depreciate a lot, but the resale value of the 3-series is pretty good.
Well...
30 months ago, my wife purchased - with my encouragement - a "certified used" 2017 BMW 330GT X-drive sedan. Without getting into serious high-performance models, this is about the nicest 3-series sedan they offer. It is a 4-door hatch, with the wheelbase and body stretched by 5 inches or so to increase rear seat legroom, and it's a great car.
The car was a current model year car in April of 2017, it had 5,000 miles on it, and the "Certified" warranty was actually much better than the new car warranty would have been. It runs to 75,000 miles vs 50k miles for new.
Sticker price on the car was $56k and we paid $46k. We put $16 thousand down and financed $30,000 over 60 months, at zero percent APR (which is why we didn't just buy it outright).
Now, 30 months later, the trade-in value is about $22,500, according to various sources. So it has depreciated almost $24 thousand dollars in 30 months.
Had we chosen to get a new 2017 Honda Accord EX-L for $30k, we would now have a car worth about $21,500. For all practical purposes, the two cars are about the same. The BMW's hatch gives us a little more utility, but not enough to make a difference, practically speaking.
Do the math.
Of course, there is no quantifying the joy of driving a BMW. But I don't think we will ever buy a "premium" car again. It is pointless.
Well...
30 months ago, my wife purchased - with my encouragement - a "certified used" 2017 BMW 330GT X-drive sedan. Without getting into serious high-performance models, this is about the nicest 3-series sedan they offer. It is a 4-door hatch, with the wheelbase and body stretched by 5 inches or so to increase rear seat legroom, and it's a great car.
The car was a current model year car in April of 2017, it had 5,000 miles on it, and the "Certified" warranty was actually much better than the new car warranty would have been. It runs to 75,000 miles vs 50k miles for new.
Sticker price on the car was $56k and we paid $46k. We put $16 thousand down and financed $30,000 over 60 months, at zero percent APR (which is why we didn't just buy it outright).
Now, 30 months later, the trade-in value is about $22,500, according to various sources. So it has depreciated almost $24 thousand dollars in 30 months.
Had we chosen to get a new 2017 Honda Accord EX-L for $30k, we would now have a car worth about $21,500. For all practical purposes, the two cars are about the same. The BMW's hatch gives us a little more utility, but not enough to make a difference, practically speaking.
Do the math.
Of course, there is no quantifying the joy of driving a BMW. But I don't think we will ever buy a "premium" car again. It is pointless.
.
