From a car you'll probably never see much less drive to one you much more affordable than I imagined. I'm surprised there wasn't a bigger fuss out of Detroit, perhaps because everyone knew the specs for the BMW 1 Series M but the price announced is quite as aggressive as the car. $47000 base is not cheap but it's quite a good chunk of car for the money in my opinion.
What do you think? To me it seems like the best bargain since BMW stuffed the S54 in the Z3 coupe ten years ago!
Don't miss an interview with the new BMW US M Brand Freep over at Bimmerfile.com. You'll find out a lot of information about the philosophy behind the 1M.
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Definitely a bargain. I believe they will probably sell out fast, honestly at that price point I'm surprised BMW isn't going to produce more.
ReplyDeleteI think it is a great MSRP, especially when you compare it to a loaded 135 or 335. A ton of people are going to say that it is done for them because it's in Corvette territory, but I think they aren't in the same market.
ReplyDeleteMy concern is that dealer markup will have these selling out the door for near M3 money.
I find that to be a reasonable price, to be honest.
ReplyDeleteHowever, if you look at prices in Europe, i highly HIGHLY doubt that it will be a good seller here. You can expecte upwards of 60k Euros for one here, which is absolutely ridiculous if you ask me.
So yes, 47k USD is quite a nice price :D
I think that you have to consider that this is the last model made on that basis, so people that buy this car will have an "old car" in just some months.
ReplyDeleteSo, considering this, I feel that the US price tag is correct. Meanwhile I expect the European one to be ridicolous...
I think you are all correct, this car is aimed at the US market with the idea of being a bit of a halo car. The new 1 series is just around the corner and the car is made up of "part bin" components,. However some fantastic cars have been made taking good bits from here and there!
ReplyDeleteAs for the price in Europe, one Dutch site was putting It at 80kEuro, that's $103000!!!! I can't believe that is correct but I do know for example that a $60k X5 will set one back over 80k euro in Italy! Cars are cheap in the USA
Next year they will be $55k MSRP and after the markup nobody will ever get one for less than $60k, knowing BMW dealers. Nissan did it with the GTR, Chevy did it with every trim grade of the C6, etc. Volkswagen did it with the reintroduced Rabbit and is doing it again with the new Jetta and Passat. Dealers made $500 on a $15,000 Rabbit in 2007... that's as much as the dealer made on a 1970 Datsun pickup at $2,000 msrp. Just a loss leader price they can put on commercials to make people think their cars aren't grossly overpriced. I'm with Sniff Petrol on this one... "God, you must REALLY want a BMW!"
ReplyDelete@Ben, but BMW can't control what their dealer charge, If your local dealer is over the top I'll be happy to recommend one who will give you a great deal.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Sniffers, Yeah because what other 300HP+ rwd car are you going to want for under 50 grand? A Hyundai? everything else is for FWD or AWD stuff a self respecting tracktard would not go near! :)
@AC how about a base corvette? Sure, interior is still crap and seats really suck but the vette can probably hold its own against the 1M at the track.
ReplyDeletei'd want a certified z4mc for the money -- with change left over! but i know a used car is not for everybody...
ReplyDeletethat may be a fun comparo test : "battle of the just under $50000 coupes"
ReplyDeleteOf course I'm not sure the two demographics (or better, psychographics) intersect..
I hate to mention the MT Mustang vs M3 comparison since it just seems so obvious here...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/coupes/1010_2011_2011_ford_mustang_gt_vs_2011_bmw_m3_comparison/result.html
Would I rather drive a BMW? Yes (well, if it wasn't as hideous as the 1). Would I rather drive a BMW than a Mustang that handles just as well and have $17,000? No.
Looks like TTAC was busy thinking the same thing, but with more numbers:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2011/01/that-dont-1mpress-me-much/
I forgot to mention the Boxster, Corvette, 370z, etc.
I always forget about Mustangs... I guess I'll have to actually drive one of the new ones before I can take them seriously.... the last one I tried was a the first GT 500 and that thing was a pig on the track....fast pig but still an oinker :)
ReplyDeleteplayed out meme, but some of you may find it amusing.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtenM2hFTgE
@Ben, I think many ofthose writing on that TTAC thread would be complaining the car was weak sauce if it came with a four pot. And if it came with a 300 hp 2liter 4 they would complain that it's too high strung and fragile.
ReplyDeleteI'm not contending it's the best car ever, but there's more to a car than lease payments, if someone buys a 3 series simply because the lease payment is similar to the 1m, well.... They should definitively get the 3 series.
@MCB...lol!
ReplyDeleteIMHO, the Mustang GT remains the deal of the year (and last year). I like the 1M though, even though the proportions are odd (reminds me of an SLK 230 actually). I don't think it's a particularly good deal though. I'm sure the driving dynamics are above reproach, but for $47K I would have expected more power. If you really want a proper 1-series M I think the thing to do is buy a 135i (~$40K MSRP optioned to my liking), then add some Dinian upgrades (stage 1 perf./uprated oil cooler/cold air intake/free flow exhaust). Even with all that you would still be below the base price for the 1M and it should give you about 40 more HP (@380).
ReplyDeleteI agree with most comments here. A buddy of mine put a deposit on a 1M about a month ago and told me he heard the price would be "over 45" which I couldn't believe. I went online and was able to configure a 135i M Sport for close to 50k!
ReplyDelete$47k seems like a good deal.. at least in terms of what you pay for new car performance.
The only thing that was curious to me was why use the twin-turbo engine instead of the new variable-geometry single setup? Surely there's a reason...
On the dealer-gouging point: Didn't I read something in the Roundel a few years ago about BMW punishing dealers for big markup? Reducing their allotment for the next hot model, for example. I'm not sure, but hopefully there are some honest souls out there.