[x3Oreo]

Hey Guys!

So my journey with BMW seems like it's approaching a short life. I purchased my 2024 BMW X3 M40I on 12/28/24 and I was presented a great opportunity to purchase a Boost Blue 2024 Honda Civic Type R. I quickly accumulated 6,300 miles on the x3 due to a huge increase in driving. This has lead to many additional stops at the gas station and a fear of maintenance that would soon be approaching.

I financed this car for $67.8k OTD. I am getting a trade in value of $56.1k which is not a huge loss for a German vehicle. Type R would have $100 less per month in payment + $70 less/month insurance + marginally more economical. I anticipate after a year that $11k loss would slowly go 'wipe clean' and by year 2-3 I would have recovered my losses. I would also have essentially a collectors car that does not appear to depreciate. As you can see, I've done some research, but I am impulsive.

Can someone talk me out of trading in? Or is my thinking ok?

Cheers,
Justin

[IAmSpeed]

If you're focused on being economical, considering type R, and counting those $100 and $70 per month, then BMW, especially M40i, isn't the ride for you right now. Just my two cents.

[x3Oreo]

Yeah i figured. I went from 8k miles/year to on the path of 20k+.

Aside from what was mentioned, what is the cost of ownership of a bmw and the m40i? I’m really weighing options right now.

[alex2364]

A collector car that doesn’t depreciate only happens when you don’t put any miles on it. Driving 20k a year will make the value drop no matter what you’re driving.

[BMWbiker]

Cross shopping an X3 and a Type R is a bit odd.

You mentioned being impulsive. You may want to sit down and unimpulsively make a list of what characteristics you want in a vehicle.

How important to you are:

• Ultimate handling?
• Ultimate acceleration?
• Comfort?
• Gas mileage?
• AWD?
• Winter driving capability?
• Repair costs?
• Front passenger comfort?
• Rear passengers comfort?
• Baby seat accessibility?
• Cargo capacity?
• Towing (if your X3 is so equipped)?
• Manual vs. automatic transmission?
• Predicted reliability?
• Etc.

I don’t know what kind of driving you do, but I’m getting 30+ MPG on the highway in my M40i (in Comfort or Eco Pro modes), which is higher than I expected. Even my city driving mileage isn’t too bad.

If you’re worried about repair or maintenance costs, you can buy plans from BMW.

If you want better fuel economy, there are better choices than a Type R.

I’m also trying to picture a Type R as a daily driver.

If you really just want another shiny toy, then do what you want to do.

Don’t forget to factor taxes into your calculations.

Re collectibility: I wonder what will happen to ICE collectible car prices when EV (or whatever comes next) eventually supplants ICE. But I also agree with the commenter that if you really want a Type R to be a collectible, don’t drive it.

[bocabimmer]

No mass production passenger cars today are likely to be collector cars. And especially not if they have miles on them. Which car would you rather be sitting in for all those miles?

[gphin]

Agree with above. Any car you drive 20k plus per year will have a substantial drop in value after 4-5 years, no matter what the vehicle. Really depends how you use the vehicle outside of work and what features are most important. Either one is a fun experience!

[5LEEPR_G01]

There was 3,000 units produced for the 2023 Type R alone. While this number may appear “limited”, it’s objectively still readily available for most new and used buyers. The likelihood of this vehicle appreciating at all is very slim imho and coupled with the high mileage you are likely to have, even doubly so.

Comparatively the Lexus GSF which is truly a limited production (only 2,500 units from 2016-2020) and has the greatest Japanese engine of all time would likely be a better candidate to appreciate. As soon as I pay off this X3, it’ll be my next vehicle in the garage lol

[COM40]

Type R would be fun for canyon drives, but all other use cases I'd rather have the X3. If you're trying to save money but want to maintain performance I'd trade in for a model 3 personally (assuming you can charge at home or work).

[alex2364]

Originally Posted by 5LEEPR_G01

There was 3,000 units produced for the 2023 Type R alone. While this number may appear “limited”, it’s objectively still readily available for most new and used buyers. The likelihood of this vehicle appreciating at all is very slim imho and coupled with the high mileage you are likely to have, even doubly so.

Comparatively the Lexus GSF which is truly a limited production (only 2,500 units from 2016-2020) and has the greatest Japanese engine of all time would likely be a better candidate to appreciate. As soon as I pay off this X3, it’ll be my next vehicle in the garage lol

3000 units is nothing compared to some modern popular collector cars.

1. BMW 1M: 6,300 units
2. Honda S2000: 110,000 units
3. 1st gen Acura NSX: 18,600 units

A mint Civic Type-R has much better chance of appreciating 20 years from now than a Lexus GS F. No enthusiast wants a 20 year old car with a slush box.

[5LEEPR_G01]

Originally Posted by alex2364

3000 units is nothing compared to some modern popular collector cars.

1. BMW 1M: 6,300 units
2. Honda S2000: 110,000 units
3. 1st gen Acura NSX: 18,600 units

A mint Civic Type-R has much better chance of appreciating 20 years from now than a Lexus GS F. No enthusiast wants a 20 year old car with a slush box.

3,000 units for the US market in 2023 alone. 48,000 produced globally. So more likely to be inline with S2000 depreciation/appreciation curve vs an NSX.

Slush box lol it shifts .02 seconds slower than a ZF. The GSF is already being considered the E39 of its time and I’m looking forward to seeing who’s right in another 10-15 years

[Plimmie]

You said you financed the car for nearly $68K and that your trade-in value is about $56K.
What have you actually paid off on that loan? Probably you’ve been paying a lot of interest and some of the principal. You’re losing more that 11K…
Additionally for the Type R you only discuss the monthly payment being lower than what you pay now. Assuming the Type R cost MSRP of 46K, you still need to pay taxes and registration etc. (I am guessing if the Type R is indeed so special, you have to pay a dealer markup, or ‘market adjustment’). All of this to say: without the entire story it is difficult to say whether or not this is financially as sound as you make it seem. I suspect you will lose much more than $11K
Do the entire maths before you make an impulse buy.

[dmicah]

Originally Posted by bocabimmer

No mass production passenger cars today are likely to be collector cars.

I'd say any nice manual transmission car has a shot at being collectible, and not too far into the future. My choice would be the 2025 Z4 M40i 6MT, but an M2 or M3/M4 with an MT might have even a better shot.

[Plimmie]

What happened to the OP ?

[Rottweiler]

Originally Posted by Plimmie

What happened to the OP ?

He changed his mind and bought a low mileage Yugo