[Shxyann]

Hi Everyone!

First time post here. Been looking to get myself seated in my first BMW for a number of years now. With used prices skyrocketing since COVID, that's only made things more difficult but I did find a deal that is interesting.

I'm looking at a 2016 BMW M2 DCT with a little over 80k miles. Might be one of the more high mileage M2's in the country. I reckon I can get a pretty good deal on it, but I need to know from the experts, what are some major watch outs/concerns for a high mileage N55? Fortunately, the owner is a friend of a friend and I can confirm they're highway miles and it's never been tracked. Will selling this vehicle in 2 years be difficult with 100k+ miles? Any insight would be immensely helpful.

[///M TOWN]

Originally Posted by Shxyann

Hi Everyone!

First time post here. Been looking to get myself seated in my first BMW for a number of years now. With used prices skyrocketing since COVID, that's only made things more difficult but I did find a deal that is interesting.

I'm looking at a 2016 BMW M2 DCT with a little over 80k miles. Might be one of the more high mileage M2's in the country. I reckon I can get a pretty good deal on it, but I need to know from the experts, what are some major watch outs/concerns for a high mileage N55? Fortunately, the owner is a friend of a friend and I can confirm they're highway miles and it's never been tracked. Will selling this vehicle in 2 years be difficult with 100k+ miles? Any insight would be immensely helpful.

Needs water pump and thermostat minimum

I'd have the car checked out by an independent mechanic

[DanG]

BMWs with over 100K take a major hit on value. Water pump, thermostat, brakes, rotors, vanos, maybe even turbos.

As stated above, have a prepurchase inspection done.

[Shxyann]

Originally Posted by DanG

BMWs with over 100K take a major hit on value. Water pump, thermostat, brakes, rotors, vanos, maybe even turbos.

As stated above, have a prepurchase inspection done.

How could I better estimate the future value?

[DanG]

Originally Posted by Shxyann

How could I better estimate the future value?

I think in two years with 100K+ miles it will be worth approximately $15,000 in good condition.

[Fined]

If you're scraping the bottom of the barrel right now to buy a high mileage M2 it doesn't make a lot of sense to go then selling it in 2 years. I can't think of another good reason to buy an M2 with 80k miles besides wanting to get one with a low price. So it would be good to take advantage of having such a car that you didn't pay a lot for.

If you're buying with 80k miles it make sense to really enjoy the car and rack up miles on it because it won't be worth selling later on anyways. Sell a running M2 for $15 or $20k? Nah.. that's a keeper so long as it isn't making you poor with repairs.

[KevinC]

Originally Posted by DanG

I think in two years with 100K+ miles it will be worth approximately $15,000 in good condition.

NFW it depreciates THAT far, assuming good condition other than the mileage.

There's no free lunch here. Buy a low-mileage car, pay an appropriate price. Buy a high-mileage car, and suffer the lesser resale value, and whatever maintenance headaches occur during ownership. Warranty gone obviously.

I think planned ownership timeline matters here. If I'm only planning on keeping a year or two, then an 80k-mile car might be a good option. But if I'm thinking of keeping the car longer - then I want a newer (or new) example.

[Dasnub]

Yeah, I don’t think there’s any chance in hell it drops to $15k. I’d say it’s probably worth around $30-32k at the moment and depreciation slows down dramatically after the first 3 years. I traded in an M235i at 65k with two minor accidents on its record for $19k when I bought my M2, and it is a much less desirable/rare car.

I always worry for people buying high mileage BMWs though, I must say. Generally they do so because they can’t afford a newer one, but the older ones end up costing just as much if not more on the backend. I’d you’re trying to save money, a BMW is not for you- new or used- unless you can do all of the work on it yourself.

[6speed_M2]

High mileage N55 could be fine if it's been maintained well. Other maintenance as previously stated should be done if they haven't been already.

Imo I'd save up a bit more & get something with half the mileage. Best of luck

[AlpsRider]

I wouldn't buy a high mileage performance car unless it was an old classic. The exception would be if I knew the owner and the history of the car.

[///MPhatic]

As others have stated, #1 is probably the water pump.

Also check the oil pan seal for leakage, as it's an inexpensive gasket, but expensive to replace.

Make sure to look at the brake calipers closely, if they are green(ish) the car has been tracked.

But in general, the N55 M2 is going to go down in history as one of the easiest, least-expensive performance BMW's to maintain.

[Shxyann]

Originally Posted by AlpsRider

I wouldn't buy a high mileage performance car unless it was an old classic. The exception would be if I knew the owner and the history of the car.

Ironically enough, I do know the owner which does change some things. The miles are almost all freeway, and the car has never been tuned or tracked.

[Shxyann]

Originally Posted by Dasnub

Yeah, I don’t think there’s any chance in hell it drops to $15k. I’d say it’s probably worth around $30-32k at the moment and depreciation slows down dramatically after the first 3 years. I traded in an M235i at 65k with two minor accidents on its record for $19k when I bought my M2, and it is a much less desirable/rare car.

I always worry for people buying high mileage BMWs though, I must say. Generally they do so because they can’t afford a newer one, but the older ones end up costing just as much if not more on the backend. I’d you’re trying to save money, a BMW is not for you- new or used- unless you can do all of the work on it yourself.

I personally don't think a functioning F8X car will sell for less than 20k unless there's something notably wrong, or the mileage is extremely high. This has been in no accidents, owner is a friend, all freeway miles, never been tracked, and just in overall quite good condition. I am getting it for quite a bit cheaper than the price you mentioned as well. I can afford to buy something more expensive - absolutely and I agree with most people who say I should, but I also see this car satisfying my M desire for 2ish years before I upgrade again. As long as this car doesn't drop below 20k and everything under the hood continues to check out, I don't see a better deal nationwide. Maintenance has been on point its whole life. Just got new tires, brakes, and rotors and will have spark plugs + oil replaced before I buy. If a PPI comes back clean, seems like the smarter move to do. I also won't feel as guilty taking the long way home considering it's already up there in mileage

[Djphonics]

Selling the car in 2 years with 100k will be easy. It will just become more difficult depending on the more value you want to get out of it. As someone else said above, if you're only going to look for 15k, give me a shout, I'll take it! If you're expecting $45k, that may be a (slight) stretch. Desirability, in my opinion, will be once the car hits that mileage/age, where it becomes someone's hobby.

The N55 is offered in much of BMW's lineup, although with different specs. It is one of the reasons why I jumped on the car.

The question you really should be asking yourself is, is the experience worth the money? If you get caught with a repair bill, will you be reaching in to your credit or wallet?

[BimmerMan33]

I've had a BMW with N55 in the past, it's been trouble free all along, sold it at 97K mi.
I personally would not change water pump & thermostat until 100K mi, unless the thermostat goes out (mostly gets stuck in open position, so car would take longer to warm up & it will throw a code).
Just change DCT fluid immediately since BMW calls it lifetime fill which in my opinion is nonsense.

You could consider selling at 95K mi so the resale is better than if its over 100K mi. Check Kelly blue book calculator for approx resale value..

If the owner is a friend, consider asking him to let you test drive the car for a full day, cars in good condition feel solid regardless of mileage.

[koastal]

I have a 2016 that has 105K Mi- I have owned it from new. It has been tracked on average 6 x a year and has had std interval oil changes.

I recently changed the fuel pump (Dorch) and was suprised at the near spotless intake valves.

Car still drives like new and hope to set a PB at the track this weekend. I am still on the std water pump and DCT fluid.

IMO high a mileage car that that gets driven (lubricated) can provide less trouble than a low mileage car that is quietly corroding.

Yes high miles means big depreciation thats just a fact of life.

[Sundinisagod]

Originally Posted by koastal

I have a 2016 that has 105K Mi- I have owned it from new. It has been tracked on average 6 x a year and has had std interval oil changes.

I recently changed the fuel pump (Dorch) and was suprised at the near spotless intake valves.

Car still drives like new and hope to set a PB at the track this weekend. I am still on the std water pump and DCT fluid.

IMO high a mileage car that that gets driven (lubricated) can provide less trouble than a low mileage car that is quietly corroding.

Yes high miles means big depreciation thats just a fact of life.

Love to hear this, thanks for sharing.

[M2_Purist]

Originally Posted by koastal

I have a 2016 that has 105K Mi- I have owned it from new. It has been tracked on average 6 x a year and has had std interval oil changes.

I recently changed the fuel pump (Dorch) and was suprised at the near spotless intake valves.

Car still drives like new and hope to set a PB at the track this weekend. I am still on the std water pump and DCT fluid.

IMO high a mileage car that that gets driven (lubricated) can provide less trouble than a low mileage car that is quietly corroding.

Yes high miles means big depreciation thats just a fact of life.

Very interesting indeed! Thanks for posting this

[switzerr]

High mileage E46 and E92 M3s sell quickly, and don’t seem to suffer massive price hits. I would expect M2s will follow a similar trend.