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BMW Resale Values - Questionable?

Buying new

I ordered my RT from the dealer while home on leave from a deployment to Iraq and picked it up when I got home. I paid full price but I got exactly what I want and intend to keep it for a loooong time.

Look in any Motorcycle Trader magazine. It's definitely a buyers market.
 
I bought a almost new R100rs euro mdl. in 1980. Cost was $5000. I bought a '78 R100rs in 2011. Cost was $4650. Seems they hold their price pretty well.

Let's see, factor in inflation over 31 years - sure, holds the $ amount but not the value of that same $...:doh
 
Okay, since no one else dares mention it: Harley's hold their value way better than BMW's.

As mentioned previously, one reason is BMW keeps improving their models, making the older ones less desirable.

And apparently chrome holds its value more than better brakes and handling.

Harry
 
resale

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


Word is filtering out all over about the concerns of the failing final drives. That hurts the resale to knowledgeable riders. It's not all the rare for someone to joke about BMW final drive failures over at the MTForum, a group of IBA riders/Long distance and knowledgeable folks. No doubt, they have many to ask them about which bikes to purchase.

BMW riders have lots to say about FD failures. It's just a matter of time until the word gets back/has gotten back, to motorcycle buyers.

IMHO
 
:ha:ha:ha:ha:ha:ha

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.

no odometers on bmws, prior to the K series beginning in 1985, had a hundred thousand counter. we had to add a "label maker" digit to the side of the odo to indicate that the odo had been "rolled over".
 
Okay, since no one else dares mention it: Harley's hold their value way better than BMW's.

As mentioned previously, one reason is BMW keeps improving their models, making the older ones less desirable.

And apparently chrome holds its value more than better brakes and handling.

Harry

that used to be the case, but not so since 2003 or so. prior to that time, H-D kept quantities available artificially low, increasing demand. with the release of the 100th Anniversary editions, H-D began cranking out increasing numbers of bikes, dropping the resale value. in fact, many buyers grabbed up those 100th Anniv editions, thinking that tehy would become great collector models. but since they flooded the market with them, their resale has not been the stuff of dreams envisioned by "the faithful."
the reason that helps H-Ds maintain greater value is that the vast majority of them are garage (and trailer) queens, with very low mileage, whereas most BMWs get ridden. and ridden. and ridden.
 
I've been tracking BMWs in the NE on Ebay for the last few months. This might be the norm, but it seems like most bids end without the reserve price being met. Maybe it's just the time of year, but as someone posted earlier, it's only worth as much as someone will pay for it.
 
I shop for motorcycles on Craigslist every day of my life and I read every listing for every make within 200 miles of my house. If anything, my experience has been that BMW prices don't drop nearly as much as other manufacturers...certainly not as much as I would like. If you compare apples to apples...bikes of similar condition, mileage, and age...and then look at percentage of depreciation from the original sticker price...BMW comes way out on top in my opinion. Not to mention that most folks won't go near a Japanese bike with 50,000 miles on the clock while BMWs still command a premium. I've been shopping for an R1100S for a year and can't find a clean, low mileage example for under $7000. Of course, I've never bought a bike with any thought for resale value. I buy them to ride them and freely accept that there's a cost associated with the joy they bring. I actually wish the cost of admission was lower...I'd have 10 of them.:thumb
 
I think it depends more on the local situation than anything else. Where I live, it's difficult to sell anything European. The closest European car dealer is 75 miles away and the closest European motorcycle dealer is 150 miles away. The market here is Chevrolet, Ford, Harley, Honda and Toyota. The only farm or lawn equipment that is valuable and easy to sell is painted green. European vehicles are highly regarded but the folks around here fear the expense and availability of repairs.
 
BMWs are specialty bikes: buying one is a lot of work, and selling one is a lot of work.

It's even more work if the model is a sub-specialty item, such as a sport tourer.
 
Interesting thread.

BMW values is a complicated question. The range is huge, and offers anything from investment/speculation in the /2 range, to simple transportation economics in the later bikes to downright steals in the middle.

/2's are hideously expensive, and I suspect those values will get even higher.

A /6 or /7 can be had for a song and they are arguably, no almost certainly the best deal in motorcycling today.

A good oilhead/hex head is still "transportation" and will depend more on mileage, service records, condition, etc.

So, take your pick, a BMW for any taste or pocketbook!!:dance
 
This is an interesting thread. When I was looking for a bike in 2009 to replace an 82 RS I sold in 1993 (boy, was that a mistake!), I kept coming back to the RS model. I looked at ducatis, triumphs, yamahas, and hondas, but it was the BMW sport tourer that I still wanted. The styling of the 2005 and later BMW bikes didn't move me.

I eventually decided on finding the newest twin RS I could get, and found a 2004 1150 RS in Wisconsin that I bought for $7500 and rode home to NYC. In the 3 years I've had it, it hasn't given me a bit of trouble and I love the bike. The honda and yamaha sport tourers were maybe a little cheaper to buy, but they didn't feel as good in the saddle as the BMW. Although my current bike is quite expensive to service at the dealer, so was my 82 RS. While the 82 RS was the sexiest, most beatiful motorcycle I ever owned, the 04 looks pretty damn good too. And it does everything, I mean everything, better. Especially the handling!

So my point is this. I believe there will always be a demand for most types of BMW motorcycles. Once the necessary repairs are made, these bikes will go for many tens of thousands of miles without much drama. I have no doubt that my $7500 04 RS would sell for about that in 10 years from now as long as it well maintained. Heck, a brand new bike also needs to be well maintained too. I don't know of any other brand of motorcycle where there is such a large market for 20 to 30 year old bikes as there are for BMWs.
 
From the OP's post ÔÇ£Over the course of the past few months, I've read numerous posts concerning the purported poor resale value of BMW motorcycles... ÔÇ£

I too have read 'numerous posts' complaining about the resale value of BMW motorcycles but they were posts involving complaints about dealer offers as a trade in. People have always complained about what dealers offer. When did you last, or ever, hear a dealer offering more than what somebody was expecting? The market may be improving for dealers yet the economics are still very tight for them.

My observations of private sales is the value of a BMW varies by region and sales venue, with BMW along with H-D holding their values well.
 
As many have posted, it does, indeed, boil down to supply and demand. Yes, the supply of BMWs is small compared to the supply of Japanese rides and HDs. However, the demand is also small... possibly smaller than the supply, hence the diminished resale values. As we know, those preferring Beemers are an exclusive minority ;-) Add a crummy economy to that and it makes sense that values drop.

In the case of Harleys, there seems to be a glut of the things on the market in this area (Northeast) at least. So, prices on them are also quite low, especially compared to the (ridiculous) high pricing on new ones.

All great if one is looking to buy!
 
The most interesting "resale value" comparison is between a 1984 Airhead and a 1985 K-bike. Can you say twice?
 
Harley and BMW is a good comparison, in many ways, The new prices are similar, they are able to be ridden for many miles, and most owners do not. BOth of them are upgrading displacement and other things every few years. BMW is 1200 CC HD is 105 CI or something. The trend on resale for BMW is well known and pretty stable. You lose 1/2 the value about every 3 to 4 years, mileage also hurts. I figure when I am ready to sell my RS, I will be best off to part it and sell on ebay or maybe take to the scrap yard. That will be a few more years.

HD the resale trend is falling and no one knows where it will end up. The 07 touring models are very nice for what they do. They can be had now for 1/2 new, if you can get into a real bike auction, not ebay, the dealer only auction. They are still above BMW but I do not think it will be much longer. I really kind of want a good touring HD, and I am looking. The faster I go on my R1150RS the better it feels. A HD does not beg you to speed. You actually can sightsee.

Humm.

Rod
 
I too have read 'numerous posts' complaining about the resale value of BMW motorcycles but they were posts involving complaints about dealer offers as a trade in. People have always complained about what dealers offer. When did you last, or ever, hear a dealer offering more than what somebody was expecting? The market may be improving for dealers yet the economics are still very tight for them.

Exactly- same old story. We get impressions from all the negatives.

Further thoughts on the FD issue- how many owners post when their final drive DOESN'T fail?
 
Complex question

Many factors influence resale value both in the short and long terms.
Right now, the economy is soft (euphemism for "in the crapper") for many, so demand is lower. That's a short term influence (hopefully).
Long term, demand for Harleys is high, so used prices stay high because everyone wants the real thing. That's why metric cruisers lose value a lot faster.
BMW does not enjoy the mass poplularity of H-D, but there are enough people willing to pay a premium to enjoy them so that if supply remains limited, prices hold up.
Having figured out what model of Beemer I wanted, I had to wait for over a year for one to come along at the right price. It had 65,000km on the clock, but more importantly, the gearbox and final drive issues had all been fixed recently. Here in southern Ontario, that kind of mileage would scare off a lot of people - it certainly did when I had to sell the 'Strom I used to ride.
Based on a lot of ad perusing I would say BMW values hold up nicely compared to the Japanese and Triumph, but still lag behind H-D.
And yes, dealers will offer you nothing for your trade in, car or bike.
Cheers,
Tony
 
I wonder if Harleys are really holding their value or sellers just imagine they're worth some inflated amount...I have a 2005 Springer Softail Nostalgia with 3000 miles on it...I'm the original owner and the bike is as clean as the day it rolled off the assembly line...annual service records...official Motor Company farkles...however, I don't imagine that it's worth half as much as I paid for it. I see guys asking $12K for for a 10 year old FatBoy, but I have my doubts if they're really getting it...isn't the poser cycle craze over yet?
 

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