This rare BMW from 2011 is worth more than it was when new - Roadshow

BMW's least expensive M-badged offering from 2011 has reached a small but significant milestone: It's now worth more than all of the other far costlier like-badged models it once shared showrooms with. Despite being more than $10,000 less expensive than its next-cheapest M sibling, the 2011 1 Series M Coupe commands more on the used market than all other BMW M offerings of its year, including the legendary M3 sports coupe and the much more expensive X5 M and X6 M SUVs.

Among Roundel fans, the 1 Series M Coupe was a model rumored for years: a BMW M-fettled version of the Bavarian automaker's cheapest offering, the 1 Series. Yet when it showed up for the 2011 model year, the upright, broad-shouldered coupe didn't wear a coveted M _[Insert Number Here]_ designation. Produced for just one year, it wore the one-off appellation, "1 Series M Coupe."

Cumbersome nomenclature aside, the 335-horsepower 1M Coupe was widely regarded as the most driver-focused BMW of its day, more entertaining than the larger and more powerful M3. Seemingly in order to stave off any pecking-order arguments within the M lineup, BMW limited the 1 Series M Coupe to just 2,700 units globally, with just 740 of them coming to the US.

2011 BMW 1 Series M Coupe (photos) See full gallery

1 - 5 of 11

Next Prev

That tight initial supply has done more than prop up 1M values. Today, NADA Guides lists clean retail pricing as $49,250 for an example with 60,000 miles (an average of 12K per year), and cursory searches of used-car retailing websites confirm NADA's pricing estimate. Remarkably, that value slightly exceeds the $47,010 base price of the model when new.

Compare that with the 2011 BMW X6 M sport utility vehicle with the same condition parameters, which is now estimated to be worth $43,200 -- just under 49 percent of its original $89,200 MSRP. Today, an M3 Coupe is estimated at $38,400, about 58 percent of its $58,900 base price in 2011.