We've all heard about how a cheap German car is the most expensive purchase of your life. While that might be an exaggeration, used German luxury cars are certainly not cheap to own and maintain once their warranties run out. That doesn't just mean it's expensive to repair — insurance costs, fuel economy, and more add up to turn what seemed like a reasonable purchase within your budget into a nightmare. That's not to say all aspects of owning one are hellish, though.The BMW M5 sedan has been around in America since the 1986 model year; some years make for great used purchases that leave you more satisfied with the driving experience than frustrated with broken parts and high repair bills. The fifth-generation (F10) M5 comes with a balance. It weighs equal parts fun and expensive for the ultimate BMW experience; owners can attest that the F10 isn't cheap to own, but it might just be worthwhile.That said, there are more affordable, more reliable alternatives on the used market. The Toyota Camry TRD was available for a few model years, and comes with enough power to carve a canyon, but it's far less expensive to own. Is the F10 M5 worth buying over such an enticing alternative? Current F10 BMW M5 Values BMWThe fifth-gen M5 market has been holding steady over the last year. According to data held on the CarBuzz Marketplace, the average price of a 2016 BMW M5 Sedan today sits right around $28,000. That figure is an average, with highs sitting right around the mid-$40,000 mark, namely for very high specification and low mileage examples. Ongoing projects and just generally rough examples can trade for as low as half the quoted average figure.Other valuation sites online provide similar values, with the low-$30,000 range also being touted as an average for the F10 model as a whole, rather than for a particular model year. Again, industry lows sit right around $12,000, while top examples fetch well into the $40,000s, or even slightly north of $50,000. Pricey for a 10-year-old BMW, but still roughly 50% of the model's original MSRP.Great deals can be had at the moment, with one 2015 M5 Competition with 52,000 miles selling recently via an online auction for only $34,000. That's a whole lot of car for the money. The Best F10 M5 Model Years And Packages BMW Studying the data reveals that, of the F10 generation, it's those Competition package-equipped examples that retain their value the best. Sure, we gave an example of one that sold at about the average price, but there are far more examples of M5 Competition models from 2013 through 2016 that sell for $40k or more. For example, a 2016 M5 Comp with 73k miles sold for $43k in Pennsylvania last year, another '16 Comp with 40k miles sold for $46k in North Carolina last September, and a 2015 M5 Comp with 48k miles in Texas sold for $51,500 in January. 2024 Toyota Camry TRD Values Toyota Being a far more recent model, the TRD Camry hasn't had to depreciate quite so far. Online resources show the 2024 Camry TRD trim's current value to sit just north of $34,000. That's remarkably high, considering its original MSRP of $33,485. The 2024 model year might only be a couple of years old today, but a resale value of $34k today means it actually gained value over the last two years. Such estimates are fairly in line with CarBuzz' price trends data, which shows the 2024 Camry TRD to be worth about $36,400 today.Looking back to the first Camry TRD, the 2020 model year, other sources show this earlier model to fetch around $25,500 on average. CarBuzz' price trends data for the 2021 model year comes out to an average of $30,268 across 36 listings. As the car ages, a larger gulf between high and low values will appear, but either way, the Camry TRD lost a smaller percentage of its value when compared to the M5, even if it's technically worth less money. Hardly a surprise, given Toyota's impeccable reputation for value retention in recent years. The BMW M5 Loses Value Quickly BMWSo you know how much the F10 is worth these days, but let's put that into perspective by comparing it to the M5 in general. CarEdge finds that the BMW M5 sedan loses about 46% of its value after its first five years on the road. That means an M5 bought for $122k today would be worth about $66,300 in five years.Depreciation doesn't stop there, though; the natural curve slows down as time goes on, but luxury sports cars tend to keep losing value over time. The 2016 M5 had an original MSRP of $94,100, which means it has lost about 65% of its value in the last 10 years. Real-World Ownership Costs: Maintenance, Repairs 2013–2016 BMW M5 Sedan Costs BMWIt's no surprise that the M5 loses value to depreciation, but why? Well, every car follows a depreciation curve — the M5 drops more quickly than the Camry TRD, since it's more expensive to maintain and repair. RepairPal's data shows that a 2013 BMW M5 costs an average of $1,246 per year to maintain and repair. That includes common problems like a bad water pump, bad suspension control arm bushings, and replacing the transmission oil cooler assembly.CarEdge found that the BMW M5 in general costs an average of $15,628 to maintain and repair in its first 10 years on the road, which is $5,938 more than the industry average for luxury sedans. That figure accounts for the model's earliest years, which should be less prone to problems. Once your M5 reaches the F10's age, more parts are prone to break. Some of the most expensive repairs, according to RepairPal, include: Brake Vacuum Pump Replacement: $1,041–$1,185 Steering Knuckle Replacement: $1,147–$1,307 Alternator Replacement: $1,825–$2,723 Backup Warning System Sensor Replacement: $1,237–$1,372 Seat Heater Replacement: $1,234–$1,341 2020–2024 Toyota Camry TRD Costs ToyotaThe Toyota Camry TRD is powered by the brand's 3.5-liter naturally-aspirated V6. It's a far simpler, smaller, more efficient engine than the F10 M5's 4.4L twin-turbo V8, therefore it costs far less to maintain. CarEdge finds that it costs about $4,581 to maintain and repair a Camry for its first 10 years of service, which is less than the industry average for popular sedan models by $1,165.The first Camry TRD is only six years old at the time of writing, which means it could have problems when it's the F10 M5's age, but it's unlikely to be as expensive. While these repairs may not be specific to the TRD model, RepairPal lists these as the five most expensive Camry repairs from 2020 to 2024: Rack and Pinion Replacement: $2,013–$2,614 Radiator Fan Assembly: $2,447–$2,687 Power Steering Control Module Replacement: $1,642–$1,696 ABS Control Module Replacement: $1,176–$1,210 Radiator Fan Motor Replacement: $1,051–$1,167 2016 BMW M5 Specs VS Camry TRD BMWNo matter how expensive the M5 is to own, its performance statistics might just make up for it. It's not really fair to compare it to the Camry TRD from this perspective — obviously, the M5 is faster and more powerful than a Camry TRD. That said, the Toyota isn't boring. It's still tuned for 301 horsepower, which can launch it to 60 mph from a standstill in just under six seconds.It's a great daily driver, since it doesn't consume as much fuel, it comes with an eight-speed automatic transmission, and it has enough power to comfortably get up to speed on highways. For about the same price on the used market, you could enjoy everything the F10 M5 has to offer in the table above. The F10 M5 Is Cheap For A Reason — Is It Worth The Risk? BMWWe'll never question how fun and engaging any BMW M5 can be, but we will worry about how it'll age. The F10 lost more than enough value over the last decade or so to make it an appealing purchase. That said, it's affordable for a reason: it's not a reliable car, and repairs are expensive. Not to mention the cost to insure an M5 reaches around $5,170 per year, which could break your decision to buy one over a Camry, which costs about $2,039 per year on average. Buyers could have a lot more fun and style in an old M5, but the Camry TRD comes with more security and confidence.
+15 others
