The First-Gen BMW M2 Is Becoming a Modern Classic — and a Bargain

The M2 is one in all BMW’s most beloved nameplates. However the automobile’s a surprisingly latest addition to the model’s steady. Previous to the automobile’s launch in 2015, we solely had transient glimpses at what a sports activities coupe smaller than the M3 might be — due to the short-lived and now impossible-to-depreciate 1M in 2011. Fortunately, BMW noticed the potential and introduced one thing a bit extra accessible to market in brief order. However the oldest M2s at the moment are creeping as much as the age of ten — often when M vehicles begin feeling the brunt of their depreciation. Fortunately, the first-generation M2 appears to be depreciating someplace in between the place a conventional BMW would and the 1M. Which implies the time to purchase is likely to be before you assume.

Used F87 BMW M2 Pricing in 2025

If you happen to’re in search of an actual efficiency cut price, the primary few mannequin years of the F87 M2 are your greatest guess. Common costs for a 2016-2018 BMW M2 at the moment sit round $36,800 in accordance with Basic.com. That determine is per bought listings on websites like Carry a Trailer and Automobiles & Bids. That locations early F87 M2 — vehicles with an N55 engine underneath the hood — pricing within the ballpark of a brand new Subaru BRZ. It represents a $25,000 financial savings relative to the brand new G87 M2. It additionally undercuts maybe probably the most reasonable comparability, the Porsche 981 Cayman. Basic claims a mean worth of $65,894, though that’s doubtless a tad skewed by GT4 fashions.

In fact, you’ll be able to simply pay extra for an F87 M2. S55-powered Competitors fashions — which drive considerably totally different from the N55-powered vehicles — are virtually completely on the higher finish of the price spectrum. However, it’s additionally a byproduct of Competitors vehicles being just a few mannequin years newer. The oldest Competitors fashions, mannequin 12 months 2019, are dipping into the mid-$40,000s, though almost all of them are DCT fashions with excessive mileage. Those that aren’t sometimes have accidents or a branded title (or each). Basic.com’s common worth for a Competitors mannequin sits at $48,754. We expect that can fall over the subsequent couple of years to reflect the trajectory non-Competitors fashions have seen.

You May Spend Much less, or Extra, Too

Pardon the paradox, however we’ll make clear. It’s simple to spend so much extra or lots much less on an F87 M2. All of it depends upon what you’re after. Let’s begin with the excellent news: on Autotrader, right now, there are almost two dozen M2s listed for lower than $35,000. Whereas a few of these vehicles will doubtless want some elbow grease to get ‘em good, the N55 engine is fairly simple to work on and, most significantly, elements are plentiful. In spite of everything, the N55 made its approach underneath the hood of automobiles as pedestrian because the X5.

Spending far more than $50,000 is simple, too. Predictably, the M2 CS sits on the prime of the lineup and appears to have inherited a lot of the 1M’s “depreciation-proof” popularity. Because of extraordinarily restricted manufacturing and a excessive preliminary MSRP, these vehicles are prone to all the time be price considerably greater than even the Competitors fashions they’re primarily based on. Equally, particular fashions just like the M2 Performance Edition appear to have held worth a bit bit higher. Although that might be as a result of mileage and situation are sometimes a bit higher general.

Why the Unique M2 is Value It

The plain worth purchase right here is the N55-powered M2. Regardless of being down on some energy relative to the opposite M2 fashions and dropping the 1M’s wonderful steering really feel, the unique F87 provides the identical necessary virtues these vehicles do. To make clear: rear-wheel drive, a six-speed handbook if you would like it, and marvelous turbocharged inline-six energy. With 365 horsepower to play with, you’re down a bit in comparison with modern M vehicles. However the outdated M2 can be considerably lighter than modern M vehicles, weighing round 3,450 kilos. That’s round 350 kilos lower than the model’s present “light-weight,” the G87 M2, which weighs round 3,800 kilos.

In the end, I believe it’s a good time to purchase a used M2, however there is likely to be a 12 months or two to go till costs actually backside out. Most likely extra for those who’re lifeless set on shopping for an M2 Competitors on the backside of its depreciation curve. In fact, values are considerably tied to the financial system, and since our crystal ball is all out of juice, there’s nonetheless a little bit of the unknown we will’t account for. But it surely hardly issues — we don’t assume there’s a greater trendy fanatic automobile you should buy for round $40,000.

Sources: Classic.com, Autotrader, Bring a Trailer