What are the benefits of modding a leased M car?

[Oreganoflow]

I don't understand it I'm hoping there's something good I'm missing out on?

Leasing (renting) the car is one thing, but throwing money at it in modifications only to take it all back off again and lose even more money makes zero sense to me. I've talked to a few people in the last few months and it's beginning to make me wonder.

The summary of conversations have gone kinda like this... "I lease my cars and pay only the depreciation instead of being stuck with it and eventually move on to another new car. (I get that part) Then the rub is to buy the parts at the best price possible and put them on my credit card. I sell them at the end of the lease for hopefully 60% of what I paid for them then it's like leasing the parts as well. All in all, I walk away with just paying for time for the parts and car."

I'd be curious to know the percentage of heads in here that do the same thing.

Can someone please explain this to me? Perhaps I'm doing it wrong in putting down a decent down payment to make my 60 financed payments affordable. I then pay with my Amex for points for any new mods and cash for any good used transactions.

Enlighten me...

[BEM-S4]

I don't heavily mod lease cars I don't get the logic. Some minor cosmetic stuff but that's it.

We did go Dinan Stage 1 on a wagon I leased for my father. He needs to lease for work and there wasn't a 335 wagon at the time so we got a 328 then threw $2k at performance gains knowing we'd never see the money again. But he's happy, thinks it cost me $250 bc he has no idea and doesn't miss his Macan so much. All that is to say in very limited circumstances it can sort of make sense.

[roastbeef]

there are a lot of people who know they aren't going to keep the car for a long time, so leasing is a good option, especially if you're going to beat the piss out of it and track it.
i'm leasing a smart electric car and i drive it like its a rental.

[BEM-S4]

It really doesn't matter lease vs buy. If you mod a cAr you own you 1. Won't get any money back or pennies on the dollar at best if you part it out and 2. Resale value of the car takes a hit as used buyers generally prefer unmolested examples. So modding is $ gone no matter what.

[NorCal f80]

whats the difference if you own the car and decide to sell ? you aren't going to get your money back selling the car modded either .

your question sounds like it should read ~~~ What are the benefits of modding a car?

[David70]

I know of no financial benefits to modding any car and once you figure this out you are just debating which car and mods make the least amount of financial sense.

You also get the luxury car using similar logic, none of them make good financial sense, you get them because you want them.

[gtron]

Originally Posted by Oreganoflow

I don't understand it I'm hoping there's something good I'm missing out on?

Leasing (renting) the car is one thing, but throwing money at it in modifications only to take it all back off again and lose even more money makes zero sense to me. I've talked to a few people in the last few months and it's beginning to make me wonder.

The summary of conversations have gone kinda like this... "I lease my cars and pay only the depreciation instead of being stuck with it and eventually move on to another new car. (I get that part) Then the rub is to buy the parts at the best price possible and put them on my credit card. I sell them at the end of the lease for hopefully 60% of what I paid for them then it's like leasing the parts as well. All in all, I walk away with just paying for time for the parts and car."

I'd be curious to know the percentage of heads in here that do the same thing.

Can someone please explain this to me? Perhaps I'm doing it wrong in putting down a decent down payment to make my 60 financed payments affordable. I then pay with my Amex for points for any new mods and cash for any good used transactions.

Enlighten me...

I've leased a lot of cars and modded them all. Then again, I've only returned one lease and it was my wife's. The rest I got a pay off quote and sold the car on craigslist for more than the payoff amount.

Yes, craigslist. I've paid for Autotrader and alike but they always seem to sell on CL. I thought it was weird too.

I normally sell them before the lease is up because I get bored easily and want to switch it up a lot. I also just enjoy modding like a hoby. I don't go crazy, just subtle mods that I can do on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.

[Brennan ///M4]

Originally Posted by Oreganoflow

Can someone please explain this to me? Perhaps I'm doing it wrong in putting down a decent down payment to make my 60 financed payments affordable. I then pay with my Amex for points for any new mods and cash for any good used transactions.

Enlighten me...

You should absolutely avoid putting money down on a leased vehicle. Front loading your lease payments is never going to work out in your favor financially, and in the case of a write off, that money is gone forever.

In regards to the mods, you may as well ask why lease an M3/4 at all? Why not just lease a Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla and save yourself even more money? As others have said, modding a car almost never makes financial sense ... you do it to increase your enjoyment of the car, and only you can place a dollar value on that.

[gtron]

Shit. I missed the part that said "M car" in the title. Please retract my reply.

I screwed up. I screwed up big time.

[Alfisti]

Originally Posted by BEM-S4

It really doesn't matter lease vs buy. If you mod a cAr you own you 1. Won't get any money back or pennies on the dollar at best if you part it out and 2. Resale value of the car takes a hit as used buyers generally prefer unmolested examples. So modding is $ gone no matter what.

This, double the price of every mod as your resale with fall to the floor.

[Delta0311]

It has the benefit of weight reduction as in making your wallet lighter.

[MadZarBMR]

I think most of us here mod a car (leased or not) because we are enthusiasts and love doing it. No matter how you slice it, putting money towards a car is never going to make financial sense.

With that said, I want to point out that we are in a unique situation with M cars and BMWs in general. BMW actually makes good M Performance parts that allow you to mod your car without all the aftermarket risk. I modified my F30 post lease and paid good money to do so, but I stuck with all BMW M Performance parts (except for wheels) and was very happy with the results and retained full warranty. I was full on ready to part it out before lease return, but guess what? Because of enthusiast like us, I found somebody to purchase it as is. I obviously didn't make back what I put into it, but I believe the money I lost in the car I more than got back in enjoyment and isn't that why we own these cars? (ok, maybe not all of us).

With my F80, I learned that you can include most (if not all) M Performance parts on your build to be installed at port and have it residualized on your lease. I did exactly this and reaped the benefit of only having to pay for the depreciation on the parts or 38% of list (before discounts). Not a bad deal if you like what BMW offers. And yes, I did the math and doing this was absolutely cheaper than having to purchase the same parts at a discount (at most 25% off) and then having to pay labor to have them installed. Of course this only works if you don't plan to keep your car at lease end which I have yet to do.

[HawaiiG80Green]

Originally Posted by gtron

I've leased a lot of cars and modded them all. Then again, I've only returned one lease and it was my wife's. The rest I got a pay off quote and sold the car on craigslist for more than the payoff amount.

Yes, craigslist. I've paid for Autotrader and alike but they always seem to sell on CL. I thought it was weird too.

I normally sell them before the lease is up because I get bored easily and want to switch it up a lot. I also just enjoy modding like a hoby. I don't go crazy, just subtle mods that I can do on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.

I do this a lot! I never returned a leased car. Always sell outright.

[Never_Enough]

Originally Posted by Oreganoflow

Leasing (renting) the car is one thing, but throwing money at it in modifications only to take it all back off again and lose even more money makes zero sense to me. I've talked to a few people in the last few months and it's beginning to make me wonder.

Renting, huh? LOL! Financing a car = bank still owns it too.

Anyway, if the mods are things you can take off without issue who cars? Modding any car is a waste & just a money pit that you never get out of anyway.

I have leased 2 cars in my life & modded both. One just bolt ons & wheels. Took the stuff off & turned it in & sold said mods. The other was CAI, wheels & nitrous. I didn't keep it to lease end, but the juice & CAI were yanked off easy enough prior to sale.

Different strokes for different folks. Modding a leased car is no biggie if you can yank said mods off. I'm sure mods won't help when you return the car.

[R N M]

I modded several lease cars but nothing crazy like engine swap, new paint etc.

Mostly just tint, wheels, suspension, cosmetic (lip spoiler, painted reflectors, black grill etc), exhaust.
Easy to put on and take off when you sell.

3years is a LONG time to own a car.

[n55jb4]

Originally Posted by Oreganoflow

I don't understand it I'm hoping there's something good I'm missing out on?

Leasing (renting) the car is one thing, but throwing money at it in modifications only to take it all back off again and lose even more money makes zero sense to me. I've talked to a few people in the last few months and it's beginning to make me wonder.

The summary of conversations have gone kinda like this... "I lease my cars and pay only the depreciation instead of being stuck with it and eventually move on to another new car. (I get that part) Then the rub is to buy the parts at the best price possible and put them on my credit card. I sell them at the end of the lease for hopefully 60% of what I paid for them then it's like leasing the parts as well. All in all, I walk away with just paying for time for the parts and car."

I'd be curious to know the percentage of heads in here that do the same thing.

Can someone please explain this to me? Perhaps I'm doing it wrong in putting down a decent down payment to make my 60 financed payments affordable. I then pay with my Amex for points for any new mods and cash for any good used transactions.

Enlighten me...

As much as many want to believe they make the only right decisions and are smart with money - reality is 99% aren't. I bet majority of those who mod leased cars don't think of consequences and do it impulsively hoping for the best, but of course they will tell you otherwise and will never admit it lol

[NorCal f80]

Originally Posted by n55jb4

As much as many want to believe they make the only right decisions and are smart with money - reality is 99% aren't. I bet majority of those who mod leased cars don't think of consequences and do it impulsively hoping for the best, but of course they will tell you otherwise and will never admit it lol

i still don't get it. whats the difference with modding a lease vs a bank owned or shieet how about even paid for ?? you going to lose on parts anyways .?

[gtron]

Originally Posted by n55jb4

As much as many want to believe they make the only right decisions and are smart with money - reality is 99% aren't. I bet majority of those who mod leased cars don't think of consequences and do it impulsively hoping for the best, but of course they will tell you otherwise and will never admit it lol

I"m not smart with money. I live by "I throw it in the gutter and go buy another".

BTW, there's no financial advantage to moding any car leased or not unless you profit by winning races or something awesome. Some people do it because they're car people and enjoy it. No other reason is needed.

[n55jb4]

Originally Posted by 0-100 ninja real quick

i still don't get it. whats the difference with modding a lease vs a bank owned or shieet how about even paid for ?? you going to lose on parts anyways .?

You are right. In the big picture any modding is a loss eventually. If it's your car that you own already, you can keep mods for 8 years before you sell the car and mods or even keep the car and drive it to the ground within 15 years. For leased car you will have to do something a lot earlier - like in 1-3 years.
For example there are folks who bought 335xi back in 2007 and modded it with jb4 and nice rims and are still driving it for 10 years already. Compare it to the guy who leased an M3 for 1 year, modded it with supercharger and had to take sc off the car and sell it for half-price (+ labor work) essentially losing at least $3-4K in a year, not to mention lease charges/fine for restricted modding. Let's imagine he does that every year for same 10 years - that will add to a $30-40K difference between first guy and him only in modding losses alone. I know it's not a best example, but you get an idea

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by gtron

Shit. I missed the part that said "M car" in the title. Please retract my reply.

I screwed up. I screwed up big time.

He changed the title after the fact and added the "M" part.

But I guess I don't get it, and furthermore I don't understand your reply. How does the fact it is an M vehicle change anything? So the dynamics of the situation are different if, just for example, I lease an M6 GC vs. if I lease an Alpina B6 GC?

[Haywood]

I lease and this is reason I don't buy new parts. I always buy used. I plan to buy the car at the end of the lease though and either keep her or sell for a profit.

[G35POPPEDMYCHERRY]

what ive close to a year on the fourm, is that people do not do much financially responsible things on this fourm, this is a god damn m3 fourm lmao. and everyone trying to justify their spending is hilarious. people blow money simple as that. just like when u buy LVMH BMW TNF MPERFORMANCE STARBUCKS blah blah