BMW 1M – 2011 – 6 Speed Manual – 56K Miles – Seattle
This is the first of what will likely be many BMWs on this list, in particular 1-series (E82) BMW’s. Even though I don’t consider myself a BMW fanboy, I probably meet the criteria of the definition. I think the 1-series is going to be a future classic and is nearing the bottom of it’s depreciation curve. It’s just a 10-year old used car, and not yet seen as the modern successor to the BMW 2002. The argument is for the same money you can buy a 335i, which is a great car. But the reason you can get a 335’s so cheap is because they made so many of them, they will never be rare or appreciated. They made 1,572,622 E82s worldwide over 8 years in 4 body styles as compared to 2,238,306 335i sedans only during the same period(1).
I have a 1-Series myself. This is my 2011 128i M-Sport 6-speed manual. I picked it up in Seattle in 2019 and drove it down the coast to Los Angeles via PCH.
I love the car, it’s surprisingly roomy and easy to live with. I chose a 128i because it is likely going to be the last naturally aspirated 6-cylinder motor BMW ever makes. However, the car is a bit underpowered and I often wonder if I shouldn’t get a 135i instead.
Brings me back to the purpose of this post, this 1M, which is anyone’s ultimate 1-series. I’m pretty sure this particular one was rebuilt by The Back Yard Boyz YouTube channel. I’m happy to give them a shout-out and I hope they find a buyer for their project. However, at $45K I think it’s a little too expensive for a 1M with a rebuilt title when you can occasionally find one with a clean title for about the same money (like this one), or spend another $10K and you have a choice from many options.
That’s the thing about modifying cars of this age. To most people they’re just used cars that might, maybe, someday become more valuable than they are. So there’s little risk of losing value by adding body kits, bigger turbos, and a carbon fiber hood . Except, I think those things rarely add value to the car either.
Sources:
(1) https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=960354