[UrbanExtant]

A few years back, BMW changed the buyout process at lease end. I had an Individual Manufaktur 2016 M4 I spent 19 months designing and having built. It came to just shy of $110,000. I leased it, due to an incredible lease option at the time. When I tried to buy at lease end, September 2019, it was a shitshow. BMWFS wouldn't sell the car to the dealer for the market value, so dealer couldn't offer me anything near market value. I'd have had to pay nearly $20k over market value to keep it. This is now how buyouts work. The dealer can't get a market value purchase from BMWFS to pass on to the client. It's incredibly stupid, if you ask me. So, don't expect a discount, closer to market value, from what your contracted residual is. I handed BMW my M4 keys and walked. That car sat on their lot for 4+ months before someone was stupid enough to pay way over market value for it. The dealer lost thousands dropping the price to less than they paid for it, and someone still overpaid for it. Stupid stupid stupid system they adopted now.

I'm a 25+ year BMW customer, and owned an $116,000 2015 X5M when I tried to buy the M4. Made no difference. Whomever is making these changes is an idiot. We leased two 2021 i3s cars this spring when the orders came in, because we like the cars, but they may be our last BMWs with their new policies with buyouts and maintenance, etc..