[TotalPower]

I'm having a terribly hard time overcoming the devaluation of my 2011 335is vert.

Bought it new for $78,000, with options/tax/etc.

Now, in near perfect condition and 50K on the clock, it's worth $20,000 according to KBB...WTF!

How is it possible that a well built car with such low miles is worth nothing?!

[Texus]

Yep, depreciation is not your friend.

[Frost17]

Did you expect to have a good ROI?

[TotalPower]

No in no way did I expect to have an ROI- I have owned many cars/trucks makes/models before and never have I seen such a good car turn into a valueless toy. Don't get me wrong- I love the car, the looks, the power, etc....

I paid $1,200/month for the car for 5 yrs (on top of the depreciation). After it's paid off, the car is still costing $750/month in depreciation + maintenance....it's beyond absurd!

[WatchWolf34]

Sorry to hear friend. Unfortunately, that's simply how it is with this industry. That's why you should enjoy driving it, maintain it well, and in the future, buy used.

But for now, you probably have some solid equity in the car. So, as I said before, keep it well maintained and use the heck out of it so that you get as close to the real value as you paid for.

[TotalPower]

Originally Posted by WatchWolf34

use the heck out of it so that you get as close to the real value as you paid for.

Good point

[C1Boston]

Unfortunately this is the reality of it. Hobbies are expensive hehe.

[ThugzZ BunnY]

the investment is for the joy of driving, not what you can sell it for. anything over 40k and under 200k will depreciate a huge amount.

[rick100]

Thats why u buy slighty used still under warranty

[Frost17]

Originally Posted by TotalPower

No in no way did I expect to have an ROI- I have owned many cars/trucks makes/models before and never have I seen such a good car turn into a valueless toy. Don't get me wrong- I love the car, the looks, the power, etc....

I paid $1,200/month for the car for 5 yrs (on top of the depreciation). After it's paid off, the car is still costing $750/month in depreciation + maintenance....it's beyond absurd!

Yeah I hear ya. We're all in the same boat, it sucks. I will be switching to a lease from now on I think. Not worth it.

[PR3CI5N]

I feel your pain. 5 years ago I paid $41k for my used 2010 E90 M sport 335i, dropped another $15k into it on mods and only sold the car for $17k. I knew I wouldn't get most of my money back. It is what it is. I have many great memories in that car and I made a lot of good friends. Either take the $20k and move on, or drive that car into the ground until it's worth nothing.

[blackhawkk22]

I was talking to my friend about it - there are some 4 ish year old Audi A8Ls that have depreciation of 70k over 4 years. Thats insane! But then I realized its not the depreciation that the problem, its the fact that people are willing to pay way more for German/Luxury cars than their true value which is the reason behind the steep decline in value right after purchase.

[PTinVT]

My personal opinion is that because these cars are complicated and crazy expensive to repair out of warranty (for the non-DIYer), their future maintenance liability is reflected in lower prices.

[JacobT]

Due to the poor liability and high repair cost, most people do not want to touch any BMW that is out of factory warranty. This is the major reason for the bad resale value

[jarsdad1]

Seven series are even worse for depreciation.

[AWSB328iM]

Should have bought a 911 at that original price! Resale would have been 50% better too lol!

[Jarrod]

It's phenomenally bad, isn't it? The market for these seems to be completely absurd. I was able to capitalize on it by buying one that was 5 years old with relatively low miles (33k). For me it's the only way to buy these cars, unless you need to be in the latest model and have the money to blow. I, unfortunately, do not have the money to blow.

[jt335i]

Do you plan on keeping it till it dies? If so, then forget worrying about its value and enjoy driving it.
If you plan to sell it sometime in the future, well it is what it is and that's how it's going to be and always has been with every car and not just BMWs. It's the nature of the beast. Just accept it and drive on.

Maybe if you add gold plating or diamond bling in it, then it's value would sky rocket.

[Jarrod]

Originally Posted by Frost17

Yeah I hear ya. We're all in the same boat, it sucks. I will be switching to a lease from now on I think. Not worth it.

That right there is a huge part of the driving force. The used market prices are always competing with what it costs to lease a new one. Do the math on what it costs to lease a new $70k car with no maintenance worries, and that sets a ceiling on the used older ones (i.e. the used older one CANNOT cost more - nobody in their right mind would buy it vs leasing a new one).

[anjuna]

Yeeeeeppppp

I bought a 328 and a x3 both for around 6k a piece. (2008 and 2007 respectively).

buy used.

[Bimmer 808]

well to begin with, i think you got ripped off paying $78K for a 3 series convertible. my car was $48K brand new.

[philtr]

For probably a few different reasons BMW's (and some other German luxury cars) really depreciate more than many other vehicles. A funny example: I own both an '07 335 and an '07 Dodge Ram diesel with similar mileage although the truck, being a truck, is a little more beat up. When new the BMW was ~$15k maybe $20k more than the truck and now after 10 years the BMW is worth about half of what the truck is.

This is great for DIYer's picking up a nice car on the cheap but terrible for those buying new BMW's and keeping them a while.