[dradernh]

Originally Posted by grocerylist

While true, I bought my M235i for ~$27k in 2018. It's not that much money. Anyone that buys cars other than Pcars and exotics isn't buying for an investment. I mod however I please while the car is mine, then take the mods off and sell them separately when I sell the car.

Agreed.

I think the word 'investment' when used by owners indicates some confusion on their part. There are no 'investments' when modifying a BMW; there are only 'expenses'.

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I believe the same goes for buying new and used OEM parts and mods. Arrived at over years of buying and selling new and used parts, my general rule of thumb is this:

1) New Aftermarket and BMW Parts - max value 60% of retail, more if you've just got to have it, can't/won't pay full retail, and are willing to accept the issues that frequently come up when buying from private parties (e.g., (three weeks after paying the seller) "oh, yeah, sorry, I forgot all about it; I had to travel for work" and...blah-blah-blah); and,

2) Used Aftermarket Parts - max value 60% of retail if the part is very specialized, hard to otherwise acquire, and can be confirmed ahead of time to be in the condition advertised by the seller (no, wheels advertised as having no marks, blemishes, scrapes, nicks, gouges, et al. do not count - sorry, been there, done that, it's a losing proposition every time absent laying eyes on the wheels before paying for them); realistically, for used BMW and aftermarket parts 40% is more like the max price to pay for a part that's been used - and that is, again, after confirming its condition (to the extent that you can - and, if you can't, give serious consideration to moving on to something else or offering much less).

Re: shipping; unless the seller is willing to cover it, or the price is especially attractive, split it. Period. Remember, you're not doing the seller a favor by buying his part from him, and he's well aware of that or doesn't understand what's going on.

An earlier rule of thumb for the effect of mods on a car's value was to take the car's unmodified market value and subtract from it the current retail cost of the mods to arrive at the car's modified market value. That calculation generally applied to cars with poor-quality mods that didn't improve the car in any meaningful way except to the owner and anyone inclined to mod the car in exactly the same way. Think: cheap wheels, cheap tires, cheap coilovers, individualistic exterior cosmetic changes, interior mods that many potential owners wouldn't want, etc., etc. If you see the word "tasteful" in an ad, it's likely that a car like that is what's on offer. In that context, "tasteful" = I paid a lot for my car's mods, and now I want you to reimburse me for my expenses, even though that doesn't really make any sense for you.

Long rant, I know; just my 2.3¢-worth.

[Nickies]

Originally Posted by dradernh

Agreed.

I think the word 'investment' when used by owners indicates some confusion on their part. There are no 'investments' when modifying a BMW; there are only 'expenses'.

----------------------------------------------

I believe the same goes for buying new and used OEM parts and mods. Arrived at over years of buying and selling new and used parts, my general rule of thumb is this:

1) New Aftermarket and BMW Parts - max value 60% of retail, more if you've just got to have it, can't/won't pay full retail, and are willing to accept the issues that frequently come up when buying from private parties (e.g., (three weeks after paying the seller) "oh, yeah, sorry, I forgot all about it; I had to travel for work" and...blah-blah-blah); and,

2) Used Aftermarket Parts - max value 60% of retail if the part is very specialized, hard to otherwise acquire, and can be confirmed ahead of time to be in the condition advertised by the seller (no, wheels advertised as having no marks, blemishes, scrapes, nicks, gouges, et al. do not count - sorry, been there, done that, it's a losing proposition every time absent laying eyes on the wheels before paying for them); realistically, for used BMW and aftermarket parts 40% is more like the max price to pay for a part that's been used - and that is, again, after confirming its condition (to the extent that you can - and, if you can't, give serious consideration to moving on to something else or offering much less).

Re: shipping; unless the seller is willing to cover it, or the price is especially attractive, split it. Period. Remember, you're not doing the seller a favor by buying his part from him, and he's well aware of that or doesn't understand what's going on.

An earlier rule of thumb for the effect of mods on a car's value was to take the car's unmodified market value and subtract from it the current retail cost of the mods to arrive at the car's modified market value. That calculation generally applied to cars with poor-quality mods that didn't improve the car in any meaningful way except to the owner and anyone inclined to mod the car in exactly the same way. Think: cheap wheels, cheap tires, cheap coilovers, individualistic exterior cosmetic changes, interior mods that many potential owners wouldn't want, etc., etc. If you see the word "tasteful" in an ad, it's likely that a car like that is what's on offer. In that context, "tasteful" = I paid a lot for my car's mods, and now I want you to reimburse me for my expenses, even though that doesn't really make any sense for you.

Long rant, I know; just my 2.3¢-worth.

Very well said ......... mods are shit, period. Used parts value is just what the seller thinks they are worth.

Bottomline, a fully stock and serviced with OEM parts BMW is a far better proposal on the market value. In my book, mods mean abuse and I would never touch one of these.

[morphomeman]

My comment had nothing to do with fun or enjoyment, which can't be monetized. It was a simple economic observation.
And right, us 2-folks did not buy our cars with money in mind. Otherwise, I would have bought another Honda Fit, which gave me much more value for the price. It was also tons of fun, especially the manual, but it accelerated about as quickly as the Farmall tractor I drove as a child on the family farm. My daughter still drives it, over a dozen years after I bought it, and it has never had a major unscheduled repair.

[Neverlost99]

Originally Posted by bcwalks2

Damn, I am near you but no stock CAT. I have a VRSF 200 cell high flow downpipe that throws intermittent codes… Luckily I was able to clear them, drive enough, rescanned and then took it in and passed. I was told you can have two of the sensors reading “not ready” and still pass.

What downpipe do you have?

Great climate change is the greatest challenge we face and people trying to cheat.

[bcwalks2]

Originally Posted by Neverlost99

Great climate change is the greatest challenge we face and people trying to cheat.

Lol eat shit. You’re a moron if you think that running a high flow CAT is changing the climate….. Go after the diesel vehicles that you can strip all the emission systems out….or go after industry around the world like China, India, etc.

You definitely watch too much of the idiot box flipping through channels. Go sell your car and get a Nissan Leaf, you aren’t doing your part. Better yet, go ride your bike. Do better!

[XutvJet]

Originally Posted by Nickies

Good....... put it back to OEM. This is the price to own a BMW. Keep it stock otherwise you can't afford to own one. Any mods are waste unless they are OEM Certified.

Anything else is garbage that downgrade value, even aftermarket wheels. Good luck.

Says the guy running a JB+