This Like-New 2011 BMW 1M Is for Sale. Too Bad It Costs $200K
Even though it has just 153 miles on the odometer, that’s a whole lot of scratch.
If you missed your chance at buying a brand new BMW 1M from the factory 12 years ago and have been kicking yourself since, the time to redeem yourself has come. A like-new 2011 BMW 1M has surfaced for sale at Enthusiast Auto Group recently, showing just 153 miles on the odometer. It probably doesn't get any more collector-grade than this one, but is that enough to justify its $199,990 asking price?
Yes, really. EAG says that this car has spent its life in a climate-controlled facility, never spending a single night outside. It's painted in all-original Alpine White with zero apparent imperfections and has a perfectly preserved interior.
Before we get into things, let's talk a little bit about the BMW 1M. In the single model year that it was built, there were 983 cars allocated to the North American market, which covers everything from vehicles delivered to customers, press cars, and special units designated for marketing purposes. Of those, 740 were delivered to the U.S., but only 739 went to customers (a single 1M in Valencia Orange was allocated as a pace car for the 24 Hours of Daytona)
Essentially, the 1M was an enhanced version of the venerable 135i. It featured the same twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six but with a power bump from 300 to 335 horsepower. At the time when the 1M was produced, BMW had already switched the 2011 model year 135i over to its newer, single-turbo N55 engine; however, the 1M retained the N54 which is often considered to be one of BMW's most tunable turbocharged motors of the era. It also shared most of the major suspension components with the BMW M3. All this was tied together with some rather sporty visuals on the outside.
BMW also sparked a good deal of controversy with the 1M. It was the first M-car to be built with a turbocharged engine, which effectively ended the notion that anything with an M badge needed to feature a naturally-aspirated, high-revving power plant. Still, the 1M is looked back on as one of BMW's best modern drivers cars. The extremely capable chassis coupled with responsive steering and a powerful engine made it a blast to drive. It also didn't hurt that the car weighed in at around 400 pounds less than the same-year BMW M3 while still featuring a number of the same suspension components.
Now comes the elephant in the room: the price. $199,990 is a lot of money to put on the table for a BMW with "1" and "M" in the model and isn't an M1. Yes, it's a great car, but so is the 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 (which actually costs less). It would seem that auto enthusiasts watching from the sidelines might also agree.
"It’s stupid," wrote one Reddit commenter. "Collectors can collect much better and more special cars than a parts bin 1 series for $200k."
When the 1M debuted, it cost $47,010—nearly $10,000 more than the 135i. But with this particular one being a perfect example of survivorship, EAG's asking price for the car has skyrocketed more than four times its original MSRP. For reference, the most expensive 2011 BMW 1M on Bring a Trailer sold for $116,000 in February 2022, and that car had just 2,500 miles on it. The most recent sold for $57,000 (albeit with 52,000 miles) in February 2023.
For those of us without $199,990, there are more reasonable options that still offer the quirks of the 1M without the six-figure price tag. One potential option is the pre-2011 BMW 135i which houses the same twin-turbocharged N54 motor. There are a few reliability issues to consider, so perhaps buy a 128i instead—just leaves more room in the budget for go-fast mods, right?
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