Thursday 1 December 2016

Double or Nothing? Some BMW Dealers Are Marking Up the M2 Big Time

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This year, 10Best again proved that there are some nice cars to choose from if you’ve budgeted $40,000 to $50,000, but few are as entertaining as BMW’s top 2-series models, with their combination of humble size; pouncing, liquid thrust from the optional six-pots; and piano-­wire tension to the controls. You can see why we picked the M235i last year, but the world keeps turning. The 2-series lineup gets new monikers: The 230i replaces the 228i as the base four-cylinder; the M235i becomes the M240i; and now there’s the juiced M2, basically an M240i with flares, chairs, tires, brakes, and a suspension tune, plus another 30 horsepower (though it can only match the M240i’s torque with a time-limited overboost function). READ MORE >>

Everyone who drove the BMW M2 during our 10Best Cars competition became hostage to this little coupe’s many charms: the ease with which one could exploit its tremendous capabilities on public roads, its reserved yet racy appearance, and its fairly reasonable as-tested price of $54,495. The M2, with its balance of performance and practicality, knocked out the $100,585 Mercedes-AMG C63 S coupe during that evaluation. But what if the M2 had cost just as much?

Unfortunately for anyone trying to buy an M2, that’s not totally far-fetched. BMW dealers across the country are marking up M2 coupes, including lightly used examples, from a couple percent over MSRP to double the $52,695 base price. One dealer in the Los Angeles area, Century West BMW, advertises “UNOBTAINIUM!” in case anyone questions its $105,435 asking price (this car includes several BMW M Performance parts, like carbon fiber exterior trim, but even if you bought every factory accessory, the total wouldn’t be more than $12,000). A manual M2 on their lot is listed at $86,675. Browsing more listings on Autotrader and Cars.com—many of them on the West Coast—we found plenty of M2s listed in the $60,000 range, including those from private sellers. That’s M4 money.

2017 BMW M2

All in, a fully loaded 2017 M2 is $60,601. That’s with the dual-clutch transmission ($2900); $2500 M Driver’s package (top speed raised to 168 mph, plus a day of track schooling); $1400 Executive package (backup camera, heated seats and steering wheel, plus other driver assists); premium paint ($700); Apple CarPlay ($300); and floor mats ($106). There are only four colors and no other options aside from scheduled maintenance plans. The 19-inch wheels, black interior, and everything else come only one way. That’s it. That’s the simple beauty of the M2.

2017 BMW M2

We’ll admit to being at least partially responsible, since the automotive press has stoked this blue devil’s fire since BMW was first spotted testing the car two years ago. For BMW enthusiasts, the M2 is the hottest thing from Munich in a long time, a purist throwback that reminds them of M3s from decades ago. With BMW limiting worldwide production (it doesn’t disclose sales of individual M models), dealers have taken it upon themselves to find the outer limits of this car’s value.

2017 BMW M240i

As for BMW’s response to the price gouging, you can probably predict it: “BMW NA sets the manufacturer’s suggested retail price, but dealers are independent businesses and are free to set their own retail price,” said Kenn Sparks, a BMW spokesman, in an email. “We hope dealers would always consider the BMW brand image and the loyalty of their customers in making their pricing decisions.” Uh-huh.

Yes, the M2 is a great car, but it’s not extreme or luxurious enough to demand the sort of markup that places it at the M4’s level or even higher. We’d recommend finding a dealer committed to selling at MSRP, checking out the also excellent M240i, or waiting until next year for the M2’s fire to cool down.

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