Oh, I must disagree – 54% want the Porsche. For me, that V-12 is too special to pass up. This week, I’m going to switch it up a bit by calling out some of the worst price gouging I’ve seen in the BMW market to date: The Enthusiast Auto Group, or EAG.
They offer cream puffs for sale at prices that are so far beyond reasonable, it amazes me that they are still in business. I’ll give you an example of a car that might be worth it, and many that are not.
The 2012 BMW E90 M3 CRT vs the 2013 BMW M3 6-Speed Lime Rock Park Edition Coupe
See the Lime Rock listing here
What makes a special BMW? Is it an Individual color? A CS? A manual transmission? That’s a rhetorical question, because BMW often devalues cars themselves.
CSL taillights on a 430i? Sure, why not.
Enthusiast Auto Group has a ton of things listed that certainly are unique – there are no “bad” cars there, to be clear. But exotic? Maybe one – this 2012 BMW M3 CRT.
The CRT was sold only in Europe, so right off the bat know that you can’t drive this thing more than 2,500 miles a year. It’s essentially an E92 M3 GTS in sedan version (and all the creature comforts left in), and to me it’s definitely a very special M3. You never see them, and it was hard to get more horsepower from that V-8 without forced induction. It’s built using large amounts of carbon fiber and is about 60 pounds lighter than a stock M3 sedan. Unique seats in the front and rear evoke M5 CS vibes, and Frozen Polar Silver Metallic was never available here. Just 67 were made.
Price new: $299,950. To federalize it adds $40,000 on top of the sticker. EAG is listing it at $174,990 – acceptable, considering the cost of bringing it here and the mileage limit.
And that about sums up outrageously-priced BMWs that I think are worth it.
The 2013 BMW M3 6-Speed Lime Rock Park Edition Coupe
As I said in my review, the E92 is a great car, but not one that provides a $100,000 driving experience. So how about one for $129,990?!
- 10,000 miles
- Six-speed manual (they have a DCT version that’s just $5,000 less)
- The Lime Rock Park, or LRP Edition, was painted Individual Fire Orange, and had a plaque and window sticker noting the special edition.
- There are a few other goodies I’d call on par with typical M Performance offerings. You could easily make your E9X mimic this look.
Now here comes my favorite part. Allow me to show you one that needs a little love for $38,000, nearly $100,000 less. Another in better shape for $42,000. See all the pricing for yourself on Classic.com.
You get the hint. Between this LRP and that E90 CRT, it’s an easy decision.
Other Enthusiast Auto Group offerings
Here’s an M2 CS six-speed for $114,000. Go to a regular dealer, and it’s $97k all day long.
Older? How about this E46 at $94,900. Compare that to this one, which is SMG with 50,000 miles, but is clean and sold for $17,250. Swap a manual for $10,000.
$77,000 is the difference between the two. Silly, isn’t it?
Enthusiast Auto Group will inspect and fix the cars. So what?
Any car you’re thinking of getting used should have a PPI done. Maybe all EAG cars would come back clean, but can’t I just take that E46 to TySpeed and have a “Master BMW Tech” fix any lingering issues for a lot less? Hell, I could take it to J&B and have them respray the car, and I’d still be well under that $97k mark.
Besides, how much work does a 2020 M2 CS with less than 2,000 miles need?
I assume people purchase these cars as an investment, but with EAG taking such a large chunk of money from you, there’s no profit to be made. And aren’t these cars meant to be driven?
At the end of the day, every dealer is in business to make money, and every non-exotic car purchase costs you more than you’ll ever get back financially. I can’t fault them for reading the landscape and taking advantage of the situation. Fools are born every minute.
Please don’t be one of them.
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