BMW Resale Values - Questionable?

Greetings all,

Over the course of the past few months, I've read numerous posts concerning the purported poor resale value of BMW motorcycles...

I've not personally witnessed this, and quite frankly, I was/am surprised to learn of this. BMW automobiles have relatively high/strong resale values. Im a bit confused. Yeah, I know, apples and oranges, but given the brand name, there should be some similarities...

I find this somewhat perplexing, inasmuch that I was always under the impression that limited availability/unique design and engineering, drives the resale market. The last I checked, BMW motorcycles are not omnipresent...

I'd appreciate some input concerning this matter.

Is there some truth to this?

Tks/Best,

BB

Sometimes it is about the mileage on the bike.

When they came out with odometers that would go over 100,000 miles without going back to zero it made it hard to sell a low mileage BMW. :brow

Likely grousing from those who think a motorcycle is an investment, not a purchase to be enjoyed.
yeah, prices are down a bit on 10 year old oilheads. just like on everything else that is 10 years old.
and if you paid full retail at the dealer, and you want to trade it in 2 years later, yeah, you're gonna get hosed.
prices on used bikes in general have been down since the recession, and will likely stay down for some time to come. i do not see it as a BMW thing, but more as a general condition of the economy thing.

[QUOTE=BenDiem;748443]Greetings all,

Over the course of the past few months, I've read numerous posts concerning the purported poor resale value of BMW motorcycles...

I've not personally witnessed this, and quite frankly, I was/am surprised to learn of this. BMW automobiles have relatively high/strong resale values. Im a bit confused. Yeah, I know, apples and oranges, but given the brand name, there should be some similarities...

I find this somewhat perplexing, inasmuch that I was always under the impression that limited availability/unique design and engineering, drives the resale market. The last I checked, BMW motorcycles are not omnipresent...

I'd appreciate some input concerning this matter.

Is there some truth to this?

Tks/Best,

BB[/QUOTE]

My experience has been just the opposite. Exceptional resale value in my transactions.

If it is true, I would think competition makes a difference. There are many fine Japanese bikes out there for much less. You have to desire a BMW and that decreases your audience.

Also, things change more rapidly now. Oil head drops when hexhead comes out. Hexhead drops when the new shimmed valve hexhead comes out. But if prices have dropped on older models, then that means it is a good time to buy used!

Have to disagree on the CAR resell value being so good (or better). BMW cars really take a hit when the 4 year and/or 50,000 mile warrant ends. They are one of the most expensive vehicles to maintain (after those years and miles) and breakdown repairs can be crazy high. Those two items hurt resell as potential customers are fewer and further in between. They have costs concerns and rightfully so. If BMW didn't have their "free" maintenance and breakdown coverage for first four years or 50,000 miles, there'd be a lot fewer dealers and BMW cars on the road.

The bikes are some what the same, but any motorcycle can be an expensive toy, be it Japanese, European or domestic for that matter. They are much like a boat from that perspective. They take "luxury" money to maintain and repair. That's why we don't buy motorcycles and boats, we buy the "fun" they afford us. That's also how they are marketed.

Many would argue, especially on a motorcycle forum, but motorcycles are a luxury and certainly not a requirement. Luxury markets are smaller markets, with money yes, but with less demand.

All this said, "fun" cost money if you seek it on a motorcycle instead of playing stick ball in the backyard with the grandkids. All part of having fun.

Right now the economy sucks for lots of people, and even BMW riders are not immune. I have received several unsolicited queries as to whether I wanted to buy a bike from a person with economic distress. More sellers. And potential buyers who don't need to sell a bike but sure aren't about to buy another right now are not immune. Fewer buyers. That means lower transaction prices in most markets, like it or not.

It's not just BMWs. It is all brands of motorcycles. And many brands of cars. Recent data is heavily skewed by the great recession.

IMHO a bike is worth what you can get for it. In this day of uncertainty there are not as many buyers, therefor prices are down; unless you have something special to sell. Then all bets are off!

They for sure are not an investment and never have been.

The latest toy is not the latest toy for long.

You can tell yourself you're conservative and want to save fuel and want to keep a bike for ever and ever, but you're the minority and the market doesn't see BMW bikes like this. See previous one-sentence paragraph for that.

See also other threads here that note that BMW's 2011 best seller was the S1000RR.

:ha:ha:ha:ha:ha:ha[QUOTE=widebmw;748450]Sometimes it is about the mileage on the bike.

When they came out with odometers that would go over 100,000 miles without going back to zero it made it hard to sell a low mileage BMW. :brow[/QUOTE]

The first BMW I saw was in 1975 or there about. The odo read 240000+/- miles, so it's been a while since the rolling odo resulted in a "low-mileage " vehicle.

...a comparison between bmw, harley and triumph resale values. i'm guessing they are quite competitive.
..
[IMG]http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6202/6078178408_efe6a05f12_b.jpg[/IMG]

[QUOTE=lkchris;748564]They for sure are not an investment and never have been.
[/QUOTE]

oh, i don't know. I bought an R69S for 6K and sold it for over 12K just a few years ago, :thumb

Motodan is right on the money regarding BMW 4-wheelers. Once beyond warranty (4 years or 50K for new vehicles) it's a matter of luck, and planning or BMW maintenance has nothing to do with the costs. Here are a couple of examples from Mrs. ExGMan's 5-series: 1) New battery: $650, 2) Steering column replaced due to defective switch: $850; 3) transmission lever seal failure: $800. All of these occurred within six months of the end of the warranty.

I used to give cars we'd driven to our children. This BMW 530-xi is going to be traded, and probably not on a new BMW.

Regarding BMW motorcycles, my view is that we spend money on maintenance and enhancements because we hope for increased reliability and longevity. I think that the person who wants a used BMW motorcycle is frequently knowledgeable about this kind of thing, and is willing to pay extra for a well-maintained BMW. Unfortunately, as the bikes get more complex and more electronically-dependent, the costs of continued ownership are only going to rise.

[QUOTE]You can tell yourself you're conservative and want to save fuel and want to keep a bike for ever and ever, but you're the minority and the market doesn't see BMW bikes like this. [/QUOTE]

Well, that would be me. I haven't bought a motorcycle since 1974.

Even with the soft used motorcycle market, I have sold two bikes, a Honda and an RT in the last two years and both went for what I consider to be a fair market price.

A related note; if you gauge the BMW market by folks not getting what they want for their BMWs posted on this site, the market would feel even softer for I feel the ones here are often times priced higher than comparable ones to be found in other sale mediums.