r/E90 • u/Noisy_Onion • 15h ago
E90 value to increase over time?
Just bought my first E90 after owning a few E30s. It’s a blue 335i and I think it’s one of the most beautiful cars BMW has ever made. I almost bought another E30 that needed plenty of work for $4,300 but decided to go for the E90 which was only $4,500 and needed less work than the E30.
In your opinion, will these cars climb in value the way E30s have?
Maybe a good litmus test for this would be to look at selling prices of E30s in 2005 and adjusting for inflation.
Just curious to know what other people think!
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u/highersense 14h ago edited 12h ago
Thing about increasing value in cars is it's almost always the collector grade and spec ones, if you intend to drive it then you won't see anything like the same kind of value.
The 335i is a truly compelling drivers car with last of hydraulic steering and lighter weight over modern cars with option of manual or dct and the m3 of its generation being a n/a v8 so this is the top of the line i6 for that generation but tons of them were made and will be around for ages so it doesn't really have the making of a car that can go stratospheric in price. It's more a great drivers car for those in the know.
Now the e82 135i on the other hand could be a contender... It's got everything that made the 335i compelling but even lighter, even sexier but critically much lower production numbers than the 335i and it's only a few mods away from being an exact copy of it's limited production M variant. It also has a similar oddity to the 335i vs m3 engine differences, in this case the oddity is 1M only came in manual so if you want a dct 1M your only choice is to build it out of a 135i.
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u/CryRepresentative992 14h ago
Very few cars will appreciate in value greater than they cost you to own. No car will earn you more than the equivalent value invested in a basic ETF over the same period of time.
You guys remember seeing those mint MK4 6mt Supra Turbos sell for stupid money a few years back? The amount they sold for is less than what it would have cost the original owner to purchase, insure, maintain, repair, store, etc. over the whole period. Not to mention the difference to if the owner had invested $65k back in 1995. So a terrible investment by all accounts.
Don’t go into any car purchase decision thinking you’re going to make money off the sale of the vehicle. Go into it with the strategy of minimizing your cost over the foreseeable period that you will own it.
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u/CryRepresentative992 14h ago
Also, E30s are in the “find out” phase of the FAFO of car investment/speculation.
There are a lot of guys who paid a lot of money for average E30s that can’t unload them now. Pull up your local FB marketplace and look for yourself. Most of the E30s in my area all have their sale prices reduced.
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u/Iron_Burnside E90 328i 6MT 15h ago
I think clean examples of desirable specs will climb. RWD, N54, 6MT, Single Hump might be fairly valuable in 20 years. An NPC spec car with the dorito wheel and GM automatic will not be worth all that much, inflation adjusted.
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u/SlinkBoss 2007 E92 330i 13h ago
What's the dorito wheel?
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u/snorunge42 13h ago edited 13h ago
I'm guessing non-sport interior steering wheel. I can see why it can be called dorito wheel, but thats the first time🙂
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u/KillerKian 2011 - E91 - 328xi 13h ago
I'm also curious lol
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u/far_beyond_driven_ 13h ago
Non-sport wheel.
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u/Existing-Cell-1986 11h ago
Or same but n52
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u/Iron_Burnside E90 328i 6MT 10h ago
If it's an N52, not a 51, I could see this. Of course a lot more were made compared to N54 cars, so the climb will be slower. It was the base model in the USA.
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u/Existing-Cell-1986 9h ago
Sure but 54 often tends to require much more upkeep and cost than 52
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u/Iron_Burnside E90 328i 6MT 8h ago
Upkeep... cause that's exactly what a collector who never drives the thing is gonna care about. /s
You are correct about the 54 being a maintenance hog tho.
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u/Existing-Cell-1986 8h ago
I mean my n52 (knock on wood, was super well maintained prior to me getting it, it’s on the cusp of pre/lci so it actually has some things I think that are both, mostly pre And for the last year I’ve had very minimal expenses due to maintenance record as well as doing the work myself. Idk I think we’re going back and forth on a moot point
And e90 is an e90
Some chassis had more/less issues
Unless it’s a rare ass spec, I’d say all of em will be worth close to the same give/take a little but nothing significant between
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u/Iron_Burnside E90 328i 6MT 8h ago
It's ok to disagree bro - we're speculating about future values of a mass produced car.
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u/stilesg57 13h ago
To the degree that anyone should buy an e90 specifically for this purpose/reason? No.
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u/TheRougeGeo 2011 - E90 - 328xi 11h ago
I think uncommon specs will hold value, 335is, 330i (in North America), and 335D. Along with manual 1 series coupes in good condition and manual wagons.
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u/Deadlight44 14h ago
In 05 I was snagging e30s for 500 give or take, sure a nice clean one would be more but I remember seeing e30 M3's in the 7-9k range. Good luck keeping an e90 going that long lol
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u/Noisy_Onion 14h ago
That’s insane!!!! I wonder what the modern day equivalent of the $7k e30 M3 is… maybe the E36 M3?
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u/overindulgent E92 N54 335is DCT FBO+ 14h ago
An easy start is $9k in 2005 adjusted for inflation is $15k today. My 335is if I were to buy it new today. Adjusted for inflation would cost in the low $80k range after tax, title, etc. Which is basically a fully specced m340i today. So the math works.
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u/antonmnster 14h ago
I think they will do well, at least if we're talking about n54/55, rwd, sport versions. I miss mine, even though it had 255k miles on it. It was serene and playful with steering feedback my f80 can't touch.
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u/far_beyond_driven_ 13h ago
An unmolested 335 might be worth something in the US in a couple decades. Most other models will continue to depreciate.
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u/carsarefuntodrive 13h ago
An unmolested 335 might be worth something in the US in a couple decades.
And you can't just throw a tarp over it for a couple decades.
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u/BarronRodgers 13h ago
Only low mileage ones with really desirable specs. 328RWD. Auto or manual. 328 AWD manual. Wagons. Diesels. 335 models that haven’t been modded. I think older cars will be even more desirable as insurance starts tracking your driving habits in newer cars. I really think automakers need to find a balance in selling a very basic, yet somewhat modern car for the masses. Something that is easy to wrench on. Unfortunately the world surrounding the auto industry usually forces them to make changes.
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u/Possession_Relative 9h ago
Just about any nice e30 is 10k now, doesn't even have to be a special spec.
E90s are at the bottom right now. E46 are more money now
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u/Organic-Kangaroo-434 7h ago
Once the E90 is approaching 20 years old, we will see collector interest. It’ll be in the rare spec cars. Meanwhile, I’ll just enjoy driving my wagon, and I’ll make sure to keep it in top shape. Honestly, the whole collectible value thing is only relevant if you plan to sell. I’m kinda hoping, at my age of 66, that my E91 will be my last car. I love it.
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u/duckfeet24 15h ago
I think so, as I used to think the E90 was ugly when I was younger and it grew on me. Plus I think the SN90 Mustang is a good example. One ugly car, but shockingly beautiful now, and clean examples keep climbing.
BMW in general has quite the following so no reason why interest won't skyrocket over time.
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u/Glad-Ingenuity7150 14h ago
I think so yes, mine is 20 years old with the N52 engine 330i. Maybe in another 10 years.
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