Quote:
Originally Posted by DrtyJrze
Could you do us a favor and plug the price of a new M3 for each generation into an inflation calculator. Has the price of an M3 increased or decreased since its inception?
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Welp, I don't have MSRP data for those cars, but I can tell you my 2006 330xi had a sticker of about $36,000 with modest packaging: Premium, Cold Weather, Metallic Paint. I plugged that into the Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI Inflation calculator, converting 2006 dollars into 2014 dollars.
The result was $42,505. I think we all know that a 2014 335xi, which occupies the same place in the lineup, cannot be had for such a paltry sum. Even with no options on the car, you're out the door for $46,700. So, I would say that there has definitely been inflation of BMW's cost (read: profit margin) which has out-paced the Consumer Price Index. The cost increase, paired with the cheapening of the car's interior and driving experience, has eroded the BMW value proposition.
Try it yourselves! Does anybody have the MSRP Sticker Price of a loaded (or un-loaded) 2007 335xi sedan we could punch into this thing? Edit: It will look even worse if we take E46 MSRP data and compare it to now. Anyone with an older car, who still has the sticker? Chime in!
http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl