[BMW335iOn18s]

Originally Posted by nachob

I think that is the case now because of the scarcity. I have been told that by a few salesmen. The key though is that the configuration has to match the manual transmission. For example, the manual guy will tend to prefer sportier options over luxury/comfort options. I am looking at manual cars but to often they are loaded with NAV. NAV hump and iDrive kills it for me. I don't consider that an enthusiast option though a few do as i have actually read that on here. There is a blue M3 on the forum that looks perfect but it has iDrive which kills it for me. It's ironic because the seller posts it as an enthusiast option. Maybe for someone with amnesia that doesn't know how to get home or work? Anyway, I am on the manual call list from dealers and the sales people call me when they order a manual. I run down to the dealership and they are misconfigured. They order them with all sorts of weight-increasing luxury options and extended leather, then all sorts of crap. It's like asking for Bear Grylls survival knife and they have it customized with encrusted fake Rubys, glass handle in a holster made from the testicle sack of a holy LLama raised by Tibetan monks. Then they look at you quizically and say here is your $2000 Bear Grylls survival knife....what you don't want it? They can't unserstand, they ordered the knife...they will never order a Bear Grylls knife again because they don't sell!

So properly configured manuals, in order to appeal to a larger group of enthusiasts should be configured with sportiness and lightweight in mind.

Yes, there a few that want the loaded, NAV, folding mirror, extended leather, executive package manual with self parking manual but those are few and far between.

The fact is the future is full of automatic cars, they are and will be a dime a dozen. Manuals are special and you will see more want ads for manuals in the future. Even know, you see articles in Jalopnik about how the F430 will be a classic because it was last Ferrari offered in manual. When Ferrari rolled out F1 gearboxes, they were innovative and exciting....not anymore...Boring.

Another thing is resale value buying is a joke that people don't get. I saw this over and over again when buy the 1M. People were saying they would buy fully loaded 1Ms at 56 for resale value. I told them they would only get pennies on the dollar in return. A stripper 1M with identical history is selling for basically the same price as loaded one, yet the original buyer paid 8K more! Same thing with M3s. People bought fully loaded M3s for resale value and paid 73K and a few bought stripper manual ones for $53K. Guess what, the loaded 75K M3 wis selling for about $45K and the rare stripper, if you can find one, probably $43K with low miles.

So someone spent $20K more to get potentially $2k more 4 years later! That is my experience and opinion on resale value on M cars in a nutshell.

Yes, but honestly the non-NAV 2 series still has iDrive, except the screen looks ugly and awkward, where as the Navigation equipped cars look much nicer. You're getting iDrive either way, might as well get the non crippled version. Also, there's nothing wrong with wanting the latest tech and the best driving experience. But yes, back in the day when you could order a car with business radio/sunroof delete/cloth, I would have probably ordered that. Admittedly, mostly for the "scene points."

[scrape1]

Hard to say. Depends on what the buyer is looking for.

If I was looking to buy one of these used, and it had more than 50k miles, I would probably want to replace the dampers pretty soon after purchase. The OEM dampers are quite expensive, so I would go with good set of aftermarket monotubes. Therefore, I wouldn't pay a penny more for THP.

In a more pristine car, I don't know. If the dampers were still in good shape, I would probably pay a little more for a car with THP because I could still get some service life out of them. But also suspect guys looking for the best possible handling will be swapping out their dampers immediately, and so would prefer a non-THP car to start with.

[akuan99]

Track handling package also includes M-Sport brakes and variable ratio steering.
The only reason I got THP is for the upgrade brakes.
I prefer passive sport suspension and I'm not really sure about steering as it is not as good as the one on my former 128i IMHO.

[speeddeacon]

Would you consider leasing the car? To me, that would potentially address some of your concerns. You can order exactly what you want and have the residual value predetermined. If you decide to try to sell it for more than your residual you are free to do so but you have an out for time and depreciated value for your peace of mind.

If not, then I echo what others have said regarding the manual transmission. Buy what makes you happy not what preserves a few bucks down the line. There may be a high demand for MT in certain circles, such as this forum or other performance based groups, but not in the general market. If you plan to trade the car, then you will likely be sorely disappointed. Now that autos are standard instead of an up charged option, the trade situation on manuals is potentially worse because you'll get less of an allowance but didn't save any up front. The fact that autos are as quick, or quicker, and more efficient doesn't help either. Sure enthusiasts may still desire a manual, but they will also be more likely to order a car exactly like they want rather than settle for what is on the lot, new or used. You can never guess what the next potential buyer may want, i.e. packages, upgraded stereos, leather, or even color. However I would guess more is better than less when it comes to options and predicted desire, i.e. if a car had what a buyer wants and then some they are more likely to go ahead than if it doesn't have something they want.

When I went to trade my e39 M5 for a non-BMW in 2005, I had several dealerships that didn't want it because it was a manual transmission sedan, even though that was the only transmission offered in that car. New e39 M5's were selling for over MSRP just a year or two earlier but I couldn't trade it. The dealership that did take it on trade sent it straight to the auction. My 6MT 645 was a similar situation a few years later. At least with the 6, I saved almost 10 grand up front because it sat on the lot for almost a year because it had a manual.

Someone also mentioned service costs on xenons. That M5 had a headlight fail two month's before the warranty expired. The repair would have cost just shy of $1000. I like my HID and adaptive lighting, but I wouldn't order it on a 228, it is just too expensive for that car if I were purchasing it outright. On a lease I would make the term 4/48 or less and then I wouldn't worry about it.

Just my $0.02.

[Ramsen]

Definitely not into leasing, but my mind could be changed. I'm actually going to a BMW dealership this Sunday to see about ordering a base manual m-sport 228i in blue. Didn't realize xenon repairs were so expensive. Does installing aftermarket xenons void the warranty?

[krhodes1]

Originally Posted by Ramsen

Definitely not into leasing, but my mind could be changed. I'm actually going to a BMW dealership this Sunday to see about ordering a base manual m-sport 228i in blue. Didn't realize xenon repairs were so expensive. Does installing aftermarket xenons void the warranty?

It would void the warranty on the headlights. There is no such thing as "voiding the (entire) warranty" just for replacing parts. You can lose warranty coverage for failures directly attributable to those parts, and that is all. Replace the headlights and the transmission goes, no problem with the warranty.

Of course, the gray area is "what is cause and effect, what is coincedence". You install those aftermarket HIDs and the computer module that controls the lights fails a year later. BMW decides to say that it was caused by the aftermarket lights - claim denied. Maybe it was, maybe it was going to fail anyway. In theory the burden of proof is on them. In practice, good luck with that, your lawyer and day in court will cost you WAY more than the repair, and their lawyers are on salary - they get paid regardless.

[Merc for hire]

Best way is to get the 228i + manual + all sport related options + HID lights.
Skip the navigation and any tech packages.

Retrofit the back up camera for around $600-700
like this guy did in
http://www.2addicts.com/forums/showt...6#post17326016

This way you have all the sporty bits, manual transmission, the only tech that's useful: back up camera.

In the end, you will surely have the cheapest 228i and sportiest in the used market, and is a #1 pick for manual trans potential buyers.

[BMW335iOn18s]

Originally Posted by Merc for hire

Best way is to get the 228i + manual + all sport related options + HID lights.
Skip the navigation and any tech packages.

Retrofit the back up camera for around $600-700
like this guy did in
http://www.2addicts.com/forums/showt...6#post17326016

This way you have all the sporty bits, manual transmission, the only tech that's useful: back up camera.

In the end, you will surely have the cheapest 228i and sportiest in the used market, and is a #1 pick for manual trans potential buyers.

+1000000

[Ramsen]

Originally Posted by Merc for hire

Best way is to get the 228i + manual + all sport related options + HID lights.
Skip the navigation and any tech packages.

Retrofit the back up camera for around $600-700
like this guy did in
http://www.2addicts.com/forums/showt...6#post17326016

This way you have all the sporty bits, manual transmission, the only tech that's useful: back up camera.

In the end, you will surely have the cheapest 228i and sportiest in the used market, and is a #1 pick for manual trans potential buyers.

That would be ideal, but I don't think I can afford to get both the m-sport and track handling package. Thanks for the info everyone.

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by Ramsen

That would be ideal, but I don't think I can afford to get both the m-sport and track handling package. Thanks for the info everyone.

Of the two, THP has far more driving experience value. MSport is primarily cosmetic. Check the content detail.

[Ramsen]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

Of the two, THP has far more driving experience value. MSport is primarily cosmetic. Check the content detail.

From what I understand the m-sport comes with modified suspension as well, although it's different from the m-adaptive suspension. I was initially going to go with THP, but I don't care about variable steering all that much (should I?) and the brakes I can always get later. Plus I figure the m-sport package will increase resale more than THP.

Is the THP suspension that much better than the m-sport's?

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by Ramsen

From what I understand the m-sport comes with modified suspension as well, although it's different from the m-adaptive suspension. I was initially going to go with THP, but I don't care about variable steering all that much and the brakes I can always get later. Plus I figure the m-sport package will increase resale more than THP.

Modified, but not at the capability of the MAdaptive suspension. Getting the brakes later is the least economical approach if you are concerned about overall cost. Lastly, try with and without VSS if you haven't already...my feeling is that it sells itself with one drive. Even if you got MSport, if you are buying this car for the driving experience, THP is still the way to go, but if you can't do both, THP>MSport.

[david.orr]

Unwritten rule, if you're worried about resale value, don't buy new. It means you may have to wait longer for used car with your preferred options.

[speeddeacon]

Originally Posted by Ramsen

That would be ideal, but I don't think I can afford to get both the m-sport and track handling package. Thanks for the info everyone.

You could go with the Sportline plus THP and you are only $600 over M-sport alone. The only difference is cosmetic as was just mentioned and the steering wheel. The M-Sport's steering wheel is fantastic though! I loved it so much I replaced the sportline steering wheel with it on my 335i. But the cheapest way to go is definitely skip the lines and just go base with THP since you are replacing the base wheels/tires and suspension with THP anyway, which is what I would probably do for the $$.

Originally Posted by Merc for hire

Best way is to get the 228i + manual + all sport related options + HID lights.
Skip the navigation and any tech packages.

Retrofit the back up camera for around $600-700
like this guy did in
http://www.2addicts.com/forums/showt...6#post17326016

This way you have all the sporty bits, manual transmission, the only tech that's useful: back up camera.

In the end, you will surely have the cheapest 228i and sportiest in the used market, and is a #1 pick for manual trans potential buyers.

The Driver Assistance Package is only $950 and you get front and rear sensors and a warranty. That is not enough savings to DIY for me, but YMMV.

Originally Posted by jaffa12

Unwritten rule, if you're worried about resale value, don't buy new. It means you may have to wait longer for used car with your preferred options.

Absolutely spot on. If, and a big "if" it is, you can find or settle on someone else's build, that is the best way to minimize depreciation. My problem has always been that I wanted particular color combo, equipment, transmission, etc. which is more valuable to me than the depreciation hit. That is not a savvy financial move, but for the most part no modern car is. In the time that I own the car I have the satisfaction of knowing I'm driving exactly what I wanted which makes the ownership experience even better. This is particularly the case with european cars in my experience.

[Ramsen]

Thanks to you guys I just ordered an estoril blue 228i manual m-sport with track package and xenons

Ended up at 500 over invoice, should have it in a month or two. ~2,500 more than I wanted to spend, but it has everything I want.

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by Ramsen

Thanks to you guys I just ordered an estoril blue 228i manual m-sport with track package and xenons

Ended up at 500 over invoice, should have it in a month or two. ~2,500 more than I wanted to spend, but it has everything I want.

You're going to love it!!

[Merc for hire]

Originally Posted by Ramsen

Thanks to you guys I just ordered an estoril blue 228i manual m-sport with track package and xenons

Ended up at 500 over invoice, should have it in a month or two. ~2,500 more than I wanted to spend, but it has everything I want.

Awesome! I have the same car ha.
A word of warning though, don't drive any 6 cylinder BMW cars!

[Hemisedan]

Originally Posted by Ramsen

Thanks to you guys I just ordered an estoril blue 228i manual m-sport with track package and xenons

Ended up at 500 over invoice, should have it in a month or two. ~2,500 more than I wanted to spend, but it has everything I want.

That's what it's all about, getting what YOU want. As said previously, you're going to love it.

[SteveInfante]

Congrats on the car. Now the dreaded wait begins.

[Ramsen]

I've been imagining my honda is this car. Doesn't work for very long.

[SteveInfante]

Originally Posted by Ramsen

I've been imagining my honda is this car. Doesn't work for very long.

That's the funniest thing I have read in quite some time. Good luck with that though.

[Bimmer86]

Originally Posted by Ramsen

I've been imagining my honda is this car. Doesn't work for very long.

Maybe in eco-pro mode