The INSANE prices of new performance cars

[Dylanaledhall]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to start this thread just to see if anyone agrees with me on this subject

So BMW have just launched the new M3 Touring. I was originally quite excited and then I found out that the starting price is over 88k. 88 grand!? For a 3 series estate? Let's be honest with any options the car is going to be touching £95,000 which is quite frankly, insane in my opinion. I know the normal M3 is around £75,000 so it's not a huge price increase but even the normal M3 is very overpriced for what it is, and it's not like people's salaries have caught up with inflation yet. The YouTuber Seen through Glass thinks the M3 Touring is amazing value and is suprised it didn't cost more. Am I missing something here?

This isn't me just launching an attack on BMW, it seems all car manufacturers are at it like Audi with the new RS3 what an absolute piss take.

Now this may be me just having a groan and let's be honest I'll never be in a position to purchase a 80-90k car but I think for what you get, it's just not worth it. I mean, you can get a half-decent McLaren for that money.

Anyone else feel the same way or is it just me?

Cheers guys

[Court_S]

Modern cars, even none-performance ones are sodding expensive.

Until covid hit, the list price was largely irrelevant given the discounts that were available and largely it was the monthly cost that was imported rather than the outright cost. However the seams are now nowhere near as good but the prices are still super high.

[Paul671]

How many will they sell outright, majority will probably be leased.

[samoht]

There are a couple of factors here.

First, the new M3 Touring is as powerful, and nearly as big, as the old E61 M5 Touring. It also adds 4WD and a load of other features unknown on the older car.

Second, although inflation hasn't been that high, it adds up over time, if the E61 listed around £65k in 2006, that would be over £90k today.


So another way of looking at it is that today BMW will sell you a 500hp M Performance estate car for less money, in real terms, than its last one cost 15 years ago.

[av185]

Minis recent price hike by up to £7k around 30% effectively on some models meaning some cooking average models are pushing £30k new.

M3s have always been overpriced especially the latest front end gopper.

Interestingly Lotus has only the other day just confirmed remarkably they will hold their introductory prices with the FE Emira dct at a bargain £72k despite rapidly rising componentry prices.

Makes the price of the BMW subject of this thread a total joke.

[D4rez]

Don't forget these cars have to pay for their emissions fines which also all get priced in

[Alexandra]

Dylanaledhall said:

Hi everyone,

I wanted to start this thread just to see if anyone agrees with me on this subject

So BMW have just launched the new M3 Touring. I was originally quite excited and then I found out that the starting price is over 88k.

I appreciate you may not want to hear this but it sounds pretty good value. My 812 GTS recently cost around $500k so if you're getting most of the performance, more comfort and load space, smaller bills etc. for roughly one-fifth of the cost isn't that a relatively good deal?

[Olivera]

Dylanaledhall said:

The YouTuber Seen through Glass The Windows Of Daddies Stately Home thinks the M3 Touring is amazing value and is suprised it didn't cost more. Am I missing something here?

Fixed to give some context to that individual.

[Mr E]

Paul671 said:

How many will they sell outright, majority will probably be leased.

This. As long as the monthly cost is manageable, they’ll sell.

[Tagteam]

Funky finance makes it easy to buy a car , and no one knows what the actually cost is . Also if you went back to the 80s - cars are still a lot cheaper. People seem to think they should be able to buy anything and it shouldn’t be like that . High earners afford expensive cars.

[anonymous-user]

Alexandra said:

I appreciate you may not want to hear this but it sounds pretty good value. My 812 GTS recently cost around $500k so if you're getting most of the performance, more comfort and load space, smaller bills etc. for roughly one-fifth of the cost isn't that a relatively good deal?

eh? Is this the same advice as suggesting that getting hit in the face with a hammer is better than being run over by a truck? Whilst possibly true, i'm not sure it's really that relevant.

The main problem i have with modern expensive sports cars is simply that you can't actually use what you've spent all you hard earned cash on. A M3 touring is literally no quicker from A to B in the Uk than a basic mini, let alone something like a GR yaris.

[mrmichaelsankey]

Wife and I bought new cars around 18 months ago, ordered around 2 years ago. Macan and 911. We got a decent discount and good service.

Since then we have been offered buy back so many times, above list.

Performance cars are in high demand, short supply and dealers know discounts are not needed any more. Look at the US market, dealer markups are 5/10/15% on top of retail…. Craziness!

[the-norseman]

Its not just performance cars its all cars.

[Caddyshack]

Max_Torque said:

Alexandra said:

I appreciate you may not want to hear this but it sounds pretty good value. My 812 GTS recently cost around $500k so if you're getting most of the performance, more comfort and load space, smaller bills etc. for roughly one-fifth of the cost isn't that a relatively good deal?

eh? Is this the same advice as suggesting that getting hit in the face with a hammer is better than being run over by a truck? Whilst possibly true, i'm not sure it's really that relevant.

The main problem i have with modern expensive sports cars is simply that you can't actually use what you've spent all you hard earned cash on. A M3 touring is literally no quicker from A to B in the Uk than a basic mini, let alone something like a GR yaris.

That very much depends which A to B you are doing, a 4wd M3 with 500 hp has greater performance than the mini.

[Mr E]

Max_Torque said:

The main problem i have with modern expensive sports cars is simply that you can't actually use what you've spent all you hard earned cash on.

Which is why I’ve spent 10+ years with a moderately powered elise. A hot hatch is “faster” but I’m having a lot more fun.

[Dylanaledhall]

Olivera said:

Fixed to give some context to that individual.

[Dylanaledhall]

Alexandra said:

I appreciate you may not want to hear this but it sounds pretty good value. My 812 GTS recently cost around $500k so if you're getting most of the performance, more comfort and load space, smaller bills etc. for roughly one-fifth of the cost isn't that a relatively good deal?

Fair enough , I suppose you may have a point. You don't have to answer this as it's just me being nosey, but what job do you have in order to afford an 812? I'm genuinely interested. Thanks

[Mikebentley]

Ferrari salesman?

[FA57REN]

samoht said:

ar.

Second, although inflation hasn't been that high, it adds up over time, if the E61 listed around £65k in 2006, that would be over £90k today.


So another way of looking at it is that today BMW will sell you a 500hp M Performance estate car for less money, in real terms, than its last one cost 15 years ago.

The problem with quoting inflation is that salaries, and therefore purchasing power, haven't kept up with inflation since the early 1970s.

So in real terms the newer car is still more expensive than the old one.

[samoht]

FA57REN said:

The problem with quoting inflation is that salaries, and therefore purchasing power, haven't kept up with inflation since the early 1970s.

So in real terms the newer car is still more expensive than the old one.

https://news.sky.com/story/real-wages-effectively-...

Note this is real wages, so inflation-adjusted. This tells us that purchasing power grew between 2000 and 2008, and then flatlined at about the same level (and note the axis doesn't start from zero, so the proportional change is exaggerated).

This suggests that wages and inflation have grown at almost exactly the same rate since 2006, which is when I took my E61 M5 Touring example.


(You may be thinking of the fact that salaries haven't kept up with productivity, raising the question of who's stealing the fruits of our labour, but that's different from not keeping up with inflation).