Choose Your Used M Car Weapon: BMW 1M Vs M2 Competition

BMW - Choose Your Used M Car Weapon: BMW 1M Vs M2 Competition - Used Cars

Not so long ago, the BMW 1M seemed like it’d never be remotely attainable. It was as though prices were on a relentless march north, and it looked to be only a matter of time before the car was the preserve only of well-heeled collectors.

However, the market for these small but muscular coupes seems to have levelled off, and we’re even starting to see leggier models go for just under £30,000. This is in line with the general slow down of the modern classic market, and the fact that BMW didn’t limit production of the M2, the 1M’s successor, is surely a factor.

BMW - Choose Your Used M Car Weapon: BMW 1M Vs M2 Competition - Used Cars

Speaking of, the M2 Competition has now been around long enough for the earliest cars to cost about the same as a decent 1M. This 2018 M2 Comp with just 11,000 miles on the clock is £37,990, making it the same (well, five quid less) than a 2011 1M with 33k on the clock we’ve dug out of the classifieds. This provides an interesting quandary for anyone in the market for a small but powerful M car, and for any of us fantasizing about choosing between them.

I can imagine a decent chunk of you would go for the limited-run 1M without question – it’s arguably more special, it’s achieved a god-like reverence in the car community, and in the long run it will hold its value better. But not so fast.

BMW - Choose Your Used M Car Weapon: BMW 1M Vs M2 Competition - Used Cars

Unlike the 1M with its ‘N54’ twin-turbo inline-six found in all sorts of other less interesting BMWs, the M2 Comp has a proper M Division engine in the form of the S55. With 404bhp on tap it’s more powerful, and the M2 C is also a more polished car to drive – the 1M is a lairy thing, being awfully keen on wildly breaking traction when you hit the boosty bit in the middle of the rev range.

BMW - Choose Your Used M Car Weapon: BMW 1M Vs M2 Competition - Used Cars

The fact that the M2 is seven years the 1M’s junior is painfully obvious inside, and being less than a couple of years old, the newer vehicle is still within warranty. And finally, and rather subjectively, we reckon it’s the best-looking car BMW has made in years – a shining example amidst big-grilled monstrosities that prove Munich can still style something wicked.

BMW - Choose Your Used M Car Weapon: BMW 1M Vs M2 Competition - Used Cars

See? Not as clear cut as you might imagine, although we must admit the M2 is probably going to be a shorter-term ownership prospect rather than a long-term investment, since it still has a decent chunk of depreciation to do before values level off.

Regardless, it’s not the easiest choice to make. So which way would you go?

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