Quote:
Originally Posted by jc05e46m3
I think this is really stupid. I doubt I'll be affected, but it's the principle of it all.
Also, for those thinking it's going to SIGNIFICANTLY affect resale, I wouldn't worry. People will still buy them. If you can't afford an oil change (and I've done mine more frequently than recommended) or brake job - you shouldn't be buying these cars anyway. Most people forget that you can't just "afford the car". You need to be able to afford to maintain it. My .02
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I disagree......depending on your definition of "significant."
This will affect many people who buy a BMW new going forward ESPECIALLY an M car and those who want to sell/turn in their cars in the 1-3 year range.
My last car was a lightly used 2008 M5 which I never would have bought had free maintenance not been transferrable. Oil changes alone in my M5 would have been $200 each. I would have had to shell out about $2500 more in the first year of ownership in my scenario (brakes needed replacing too). I could have afforded it but I was already on the fence about other options. This would have changed my mind.
Even if people can still afford M cars, it doesn't mean people will still buy them as frequently vs. an alternative. Why would someone want to buy a lightly used M-car that is going to have a $2000 brake replacement needed in 6-12 months versus a comparable car they were strongly considering that covers it under maintenance?
Your opinion on whether or not people should or shouldn't buy an M car if they can't afford it is irrelevant. They do anyway, and those that couldn't really afford it to begin with or those who were borderline being able to afford it now may bail knowing that their cost of ownership in their first 2 years might be up to $2000-$3000+ or more (oil, brakes, etc.).
All of the above is going to drive down demand, which in turn will drive down the price people are willing to pay for used BMWs. This in turn will hurt every new BMW owner's pocket books if they're selling their car after 1-3 years, or have to turn in a lease after 3 years (residual drops).
This really sucks for new BMW owners who like to sell their cars early/often, those who prefer to buy their cars used (like myself) so we don't take the big depreciation hits in the early years, and those who were barely able to get into the BMW brand/car type they wanted to begin with who might have to look elsewhere now.