The 5 Best Ways to Specify Your New BMW

Maximise resale value of your new BMW with these specs

Specify you factory ordered car properly with a BMW configurator.

• The bigger the sunroof, the better it holds its value
• Metallic paint doesn't add much value compared to non-metallic paint. Colour matters more.
• Gran Coupes and Saloons hold value better than Coupes

BMW 318d

When buying anything, it feels great to make it your own. But when it comes to your new BMW, the decisions you make when ordering can affect the price later.

1. Only add options that you really want

Sadly, no options hold their original value when resold, although many will make your car more desirable. So, upgrade as much as you want, but be aware that it’s mainly for you.

2. Choose options that hold their value

We have reviewed many of the popular options added by customers to see if BMW give you increased guaranteed repurchase values. Generally, a panoramic sunroof is one of the strongest options (see detail below).

3. Don’t buy in your favourite colour if you have unusual taste.

A vibrant orange or yellow will not appeal to as many buyers later so expect a lower resale value.

4. Buy higher specification trims, such as Luxury or M-Sport.

The  trims will hold the same proportion of value, if not better, which means they significantly outperform buying a lower specification car and adding lots of options.

5. Add options as packs

The huge numbers of options available means that option packs are more likely to be recognised by buyers. Some leasing companies will also recognise packs, but rarely individual options, making some combinations very expensive

The detail

Trim & Sunroofs

As the trim chosen becomes more expensive, second hand buyers expect more of the optional extras included. Buyers after basic models tend not to want them, meaning Premium models with optional extras retain their value better. So, luxurious extras in high-end models might not work out to be as costly as they first seem.

For example, on the BMW 318d M Sport Saloon, the standard sunroof option costs £895 brand new, but increases over all value by around £130 when the car is re-sold after three years (with approx. 30,000 miles on the clock). This means that the effective cost is actually £765 over three years.

Larger panoramic sunroofs hold their value even better still. Adding a panoramic sunroof to the brand new BMW 318d M Sport Touring costs £1,180. It holds 24% of its value over the same three years which is over 9% more than the regular sunroof.

BMW 318d

For the BMW 330d Luxury Touring, the panoramic sunroof still costs £1,180, but retains 28% of its value over the three years (4% more than the Sport). So, the effective cost is £847, which is actually around £80 cheaper than the same panoramic sunroof on the 3 Series (which also has a smaller engine).

Panoramic sunroofs cost more for larger models such as the BMW X5. However, increased size means higher residual values when it is re-sold. The cost to install a panoramic sunroof on a brand new BMW X5 is £110 more than for the 3 Series Touring, but with a residual value higher than 40% after three years, it's actually cheaper for you to own!

BMW X5

Assisted Parking

We looked at the resale values of BMWs with and without parking-related options such as sensors and cameras. The optional extras made a small difference to the resale value of four year-old cars, which was less than one quarter of their initial cost in most cases. Therefore we wouldn't advise adding lots of parking-related optional extras in the hopes of getting a better sale price.

Convertible Vs. Coupe

We found that a two-year old 430i M Sport Convertible sells for about £3,900 more than the 430i M Sport Coupe, but costs around £4,200 more than the coupe when brand new. So while you won't 'recoup' all the extra money, it can be argued the greater experience that a convertible provides on a sunny day may be well worth £300 over all.

Transmission

It might be surprising to learn that transmission isn't an important factor in terms of car depreciation. The automatic 520i SE Saloon holds only 1.2% more of its value over four years when compared to the manual. The automatic version with gearshift paddles costs an extra £135 than the regular automatic, but had a negligible effect on resale values. So the good news is, you can happily choose your BMW's transmission based on personal preference.

Colours

There was a negligible difference between metallic and non-metallic colours on a used BMW 1 Series. This means the cheaper standard paints should not effect the final value. As we mentioned in our top tips, colour makes a much bigger difference.

Doors

We also varied the number of doors on two otherwise identical BMW 6 Series cars. The 2-door Coupe and 4-door Gran Coupe cost the same brand new, but the Gran Coupe can sell for nearly £600 more (after four years).

BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe 4-door

This is something to bear in mind when choosing the number of doors you would like on your new BMW.

All in all . . .

To maximise resale values, we recommend that your chosen BMW is in a conservative colour, have 4 doors rather than 2, and a panoramic sunroof rather than a regular one if you feel you'll reap the benefits.

Use the AutoeBid configurators on your chosen BMW model to create your perfect specification, for every manufacturer and model sold in the UK.