Time to spec 1m - help please.

[moss]

Hi there I need to give my spec in tomorrow.

I have pretty much decided as it is my every day drive to go for black - i'm thinking this will be the most discreet.

The two options I’m struggling with are:

1. Privacy glass - not sure whether the tint with a black car makes it look either a bit smaller - and whether it gives a bit of a dodgy appearance. I like privacy on white or orange, but not sure on the black.

2. Sat Nav - £2100 option - that’s a hell of a lot. I’m not sure I will really use it as I usually drive locally and also own a tomtom which I can stick in the glove box. My worry is that if I don’t option it the car will either be hard to sell or take a bigger hit come resale.

I'd also like people’s opinion of value come resale in 3 years - I’m thinking about £22k - but others may have a better judgement of this.

Thanks very much for any help or opinions.

Mark

[BrokenVert]

Don't do sat nav...

[kmpowell]

Originally Posted by BrokenVert

Don't do sat nav...

Agree. Waste of money, adds nothing to resale or GFV.

[moss]

Thanks guys - that was my thoughts really.

Any views on the privacy with black?

[moss]

KM - have you a 1m already?

[b33g33]

Not sure about UK spec but if you want BMW Apps in the US (which is definitely going to add to resale value down the road), you need Nav.

[moss]

hmmmm not sure we get that in the uk. Will it really harm resale - i mean doesnt everyone have an iphone now anyway - my experience of in car nav, is that it is soon outdated and superceeded by tech elsewhere. You may be right though!

[v1k0d3n]

Originally Posted by moss

hmmmm not sure we get that in the uk. Will it really harm resale - i mean doesnt everyone have an iphone now anyway - my experience of in car nav, is that it is soon outdated and superceeded by tech elsewhere. You may be right though!

I think that a slight tint on even a black car looks awesome! I would not go for a complete blackout though. The black interior already adds a lot to the look. Look here on my dark gray STi. I really want to come as close to this look as I can. I definitely don't want to do a complete black out though. Oh, and DEFINITELY skip out on the satellite radio. Waste esp if you have an iphone or other possible streaming device.

[kmpowell]

Originally Posted by moss

KM - have you a 1m already?

Yup -sure have. Picked her up on the 9th.

[as7920]

When I bought my E91 330D back in 2006 without NAV I regretted it big time and swore not to make the same mistake again.

Well its not the NAV per se but the screen and iDrive can be used to control the other car settings such as audio, apps etc.

Hard to say if NAV will make a difference on resale in the case of UK, less so influence than the fact that we will only have 450.

As for the Sun Protection Glass, I couldn't count the number of hours sleep I lost over colour choice and SPG. In the end I went for Black AND SPG and do not regret it in the slightest.

The BMW SPG tint isn't as high as some manufacturers so there is still some contrast. Photos make the glass lookdarker than it is but do search the Black colour thread as a number of owners have SPG, in fact I think more have it than not. Certainly in Europe at least as I don't think it is an option in the US or Canada.

[moss]

Yes a light tint looks great - i think bmw privacy is pretty black - maybe i should order clear and have it professionally fitted. Do after market tints last OK - many years ago i bought an m3 with aftermarket tint - it bubbled!

Love the sti - I've had a turbo 2000, an sti (bugeye with PPP) and a sti blob eye. All great cars

[nachob]

Originally Posted by moss

Hi there I need to give my spec in tomorrow.

I have pretty much decided as it is my every day drive to go for black - i'm thinking this will be the most discreet.

The two options I’m struggling with are:

1. Privacy glass - not sure whether the tint with a black car makes it look either a bit smaller - and whether it gives a bit of a dodgy appearance. I like privacy on white or orange, but not sure on the black.

2. Sat Nav - £2100 option - that’s a hell of a lot. I’m not sure I will really use it as I usually drive locally and also own a tomtom which I can stick in the glove box. My worry is that if I don’t option it the car will either be hard to sell or take a bigger hit come resale.

I'd also like people’s opinion of value come resale in 3 years - I’m thinking about £22k - but others may have a better judgement of this.

Thanks very much for any help or opinions.

Mark

Mate, SAT NAV for a 1M? You don't know your way to work after driving it every day? Don't you something else you can spend that money on?

It will also force you to get the other package (at least in US it does) so it's actually double that money with heavier power seats that sit 1 1/2 " higher so if you're tall will give you less headroom.

Also, you like the PDC holes in your rear bumper that you will be forced to scrape the white wax out every time you wax your black beauty!

Then you get all the extra controls and the big Knob where the good cupholder goes and get some horrible looking afterthought cupholder.

You asked for help. You don't need any of that stuff! Tint's nice but anything else///// Maybe a nice HK stereo and IPod adapter, if it gets cold maybe heated seats..that's IT IMO.

Save the money, you are getting return to what a M as in ///Man car was supposed to be.

Good luck!

[b33g33]

Originally Posted by moss

hmmmm not sure we get that in the uk. Will it really harm resale - i mean doesnt everyone have an iphone now anyway - my experience of in car nav, is that it is soon outdated and superceeded by tech elsewhere. You may be right though!

I don't have a crystal ball.

However, I have been working in the mobile software arena for the last 3-4 years so I do have quite a bit of insight into where the mobile market is headed and how important smart-phone driven services are going to be.

BMW Apps is only available on iOS at the moment, but I suspect that an Android version is right around the corner. Between these two ecosystems, they cover about 40% of the smartphone market and I suspect that in 3-4 years it will be closer to 60% with MS-Nokia, HP WebOS and RIM BB bringing up the rear. Your average consumer-model Ford/Toyota/Renault will be offering some type of smartphone integration by that time (in fact, Ford and Toyota already have some of the most advanced systems in the market)

All that said, the 1M is a very specialized car and it is quite likely that potential buyers will not give a hoot about anything except how it goes sideways on a track!

[h-manuk]

hi there,

I think the options are very much a personal choice however I think any future buyer would not be put off if it didnt have sat nav or electric seats as its a limited production run model.

however I specced my BSM with the minimum options which I think was at the time essential, which are as follows:

bmw professional + loudspeaker (in hindsight hk would of been wasted as you will want to hear the engine noise)
heated seats (essential for leather seats i think)
standard bluetooth
usb audio

now that i have my 1M i dont regret not having any other options. BMW's SPG was too dark for me personally and the sat nav and electric seat options were too luxurious for what I think is proper drivers car!!

[bogeyman]

Who are you buying the car for? Yourself? Or the next owner? Spec it with what you need and enjoy it. I'm not choosing Sat/Nav because a TomTom does the job a lot better and that's from experience in a BMW with complete Comms Pack. In 3 years time, I'm sure the buyer of your car will be more interested in it's colour and condition than whether it's got the USB interface or heated seats! (or Sat/Nav (sorry nearly missed it off))

My opinion on price would be around 22-25k in 3 years time. Btw, good choice of colour and I've gone for the Sun Protection Glass too.

[nachob]

Originally Posted by h-manuk

hi there,

I think the options are very much a personal choice however I think any future buyer would not be put off if it didnt have sat nav or electric seats as its a limited production run model.

however I specced my BSM with the minimum options which I think was at the time essential, which are as follows:

bmw professional + loudspeaker (in hindsight hk would of been wasted as you will want to hear the engine noise)
heated seats (essential for leather seats i think)
standard bluetooth
usb audio

now that i have my 1M i dont regret not having any other options. BMW's SPG was too dark for me personally and the sat nav and electric seat options were too luxurious for what I think is proper drivers car!!

I agree with everything but I misread the part of about the NAV..sorry. An outdated SAT Nav screen in the middle of the dash after several years IS and will be a turnoff. Even Jeremy on TOP GEAR already said it's a bit far away. You will be locked in to this hump on the dash that no one will like the down the road. If you look at the E46 M3 market, people are looking for lightweight used versions without sunroof etc. When a guy wants to buy a used M3 for racing down the road he will be looking for the lightest version possible. If the 1M was targeted at soft techies, then it might make sense to have all the gadgets but this car is clearly targeted at enthusiasts and the SAT NAV can and will become a liabilty. Yes, it will still sell but I can tell you that personally, I would not buy with what will be useless out of date hump in the dashboard and none of my close friends would. I know because we lurk the M3 forums looking for clean examples and you can regularly hear us say...oh dang it has SMG or Navigation, etc.

In the old days people loved being able to find a chinese restaurant nearby, etc but back then there weren't as many smart phones around. They are better at it than the cars. So unless you can't navigate, there is almost no reason anymore for it except for storing your music. There are better ways for that too with iPod. My crystal ball says that the big, too far away hump, in a car for enthusiast will turn many people off at time to sell.

[nachob]

Originally Posted by bogeyman

Who are you buying the car for? Yourself? Or the next owner? Spec it with what you need and enjoy it. I'm not choosing Sat/Nav because a TomTom does the job a lot better and that's from experience in a BMW with complete Comms Pack. In 3 years time, I'm sure the buyer of your car will be more interested in it's colour and condition than whether it's got the USB interface or heated seats!

My opinion on price would be around 22-25k in 3 years time. Btw, good choice of colour

+1,000,000,000 !

Sorry, if I would've seen this before my post, I would've saved the typing!

SPOT ON!

[ESC OFF]

Can the nav be viewed with polarized sunglasses?

[BrokenVert]

Originally Posted by ESC OFF

Can the nav be viewed with polarized sunglasses?

lmao

[Norfolk Boy]

I agree with h-man uk.

I'm going exactly the same as him plus high beam assist - cheap and useful though by no means essential and DAB - listen to 5 live and talk sport a lot.

Haven't ordered SPG but 50/50 still.

[M3 Adjuster]

i would agree on building the car as you want.. but I really think if you want to build it for resale.. i think that the majority of buyers in the future would be looking to buy it as a track car, and minimal/no options would be best. The absence of a sunroof in the 1M, giving it far more headroom than most 128/135s with a sunroof, (in which drivers of average height can bump their heads on the headliner with a helmet on) will make it very desirable.

regarding Sat NAV in particular... I have a basic entry level Tom Tom.. I'll take it's quarterly updated maps over a device in the vehicle... and I can move it from car to car... or.. as I will be doing next month... load it with maps for my Euro Delivery and take it with me for ED.

I also have an iphone... and half the time I feel my iphone is even better than the Tom Tom as I ALWAYS have it with me... With bluetooth or ipod/usb... or even an aux input.. the directions from a map program on an iphone/droid should be able to come through the speakers along with any music being broadcast from the phone...

for a person buying a vehicle used... Sat Nav may be a nice included feature.. but I certainly wouldn't pay MORE for sat Nav that has 3 or more year old maps... as a matter of fact... I would probably negotiate DOWNWARD, by factoring in the fact that I would have to UPDATE the SAT/NAV

As far as the value... I expect the 1M to be worth around 50% of MSRP in FIVE years, and probably more than 60% of the MSRP in three years.

[silvs]

I think as many have said, do you plan to keep this car until the wheels fall off, or do you plan to resell quickly?

The answer if you want to keep the car is obvious, get what you want and be happy. If my production gets confirmed, I am going to load mine up as it will be my daily driver, and I am curious about BMW Apps. (I do mobile app development at work, and thus are very curious.)

If you plan to resell, I agree with most the common use will be tracking the car. Thus you are not likely to find any value in options, and may in fact turn some buyers off.