Quick Hit – Old School BMW 650i Makes Me Rue The M6 That Got Away

Surprised to see a 2010 BMW 650i unicorn pop up at CarMax this week. This is a second generation E63 as BMW folks know, and the last year for this model. This 11 year old offering gives me hope that maybe, just maybe, there’s a chance coming to score a CarMax E63 M6 of fabled V-10 fame, aka the one who got away from me when I was looking to replace Guenther. It was this 2007 BMW M6 selling for $23,998 and only 44,000 miles. Still kicking myself.

I never liked the lines of the trunk, but could get over it for the right car. Car and Driver called it “semi-demented”.

I’ve test driven a couple of these big (4,400lb) coupes and they fit me like a glove – better than a 3-series by far. Cup holders suck. If you really REALLY want to see an in depth review of this car here’s a NewCarTest review from 2010. The 2010 BMW 650i sold new for upwards of $80,000. This one is just over $20,000 and eligible for MaxCare until it’s 16 years old. Still amazes me. Suspect CarMax will go to a 125,000 miles cap but that’s still plenty of driving miles left. The 650i has a 360hp V-8 that will only get you into the five second 0-60 mph zone, not terribly quick. Find this four owner, accident free beauty here in Athens, Georgia.

Beauty and the Beast – BMW 650i Unicorns

The second generation BMW 650i (E63), along with the 750 of the same era, were bubble butt BMW’s that were hard to like.  Perhaps if the equipment, price, and miles were right, I could.  They certainly were for the 2007 BMW M6 I regret passing on last year ($24k, 44,000 miles – wrote about it here).  CarMax doesn’t carry a lot of E63’s, except for an occasional and dwindling supply of M6’s, but I found one and share it below.

At the same time, the third generation BMW 650i (F06) – a far more beautiful car from the rear – has been dropping in price to unicorn territory.   I’m surprised how affordable these far more stylish, and better performing 650i’s are.  When Car and Driver reviewed the 2012 BMW 650i…..back in 2012, they whined that big coupes – “two door luxury” were nearly dead.  I’m not so sure – Mercedes morphed the CL550 to become an enormous S-Coupe, Lexus has the RC500, and I’m thinking a two door Panamera is coming.  Anyway, thought it would be fun to post these cars at the same time.  (Came close to adding a 2008 39,000 mile M6 that keeps showing up and vanishing daily that is oh so close to the one I passed on in NJ, and happens to be close to me – but as of tonight it’s off the net.  But stay tuned.)

This 2010 BMW 650i V-8 produces “only” 360hp but is still good for a mid-five second 0-60 mph sprint.  Car and Driver called it “lumpy and semi-demented-looking” – harsh, but funny and from the rear accurate – but if you can get past it’s rear, it’s still a big luxurious GT coupe.  Here’s a ho-hum review from 2010 – perhaps at $80,000 the car should have delivered more, but for $25k it’s a better deal?  Only 3,050 of these coupes were sold in 2010 – you won’t see a whole lot of them on the road.  I very much recommend the MaxCare warranty to drive almost repair free for another 100,000 miles.  This one is a three-owner California/Nevada car available here in Sacramento.  If the link is dead the car is sold, on hold, or being transferred.

2010 BMW 650 $24,998 52k Sacramento


The 2012 BMW 650i is a twin turbo V-8 boosted to 400hp, nailing 0-60 mph in the mid-four second range.  You also won’t wince when eyeballing from behind.  In fact, I found the feuerwehrfahrzeug red coupe with the semi-blacked out wheels to be quite striking.  With options it topped out closer to $100,000 just seven years ago.  Here’s the Car and Driver review from 2012 that’s also ambivalent on the car – the most impressive point for me was the Bang and Olufsen audio system on this car was a $3700 upgrade!  BMW sold four times as many of these third generation coupes than they did second generation.  Perhaps Car and Driver’s death knell was premature?  This 2012 BMW 650i is a four owner, one accident car found here in Las Vegas – same deal on the link.

2012 BMW 650i $32,998 39k Las Vegas


BONUS CAR!!!!

Just in case there are blog readers who slog through to the bitter end, here’s maybe the best value of all…..a beautiful 2012 BMW 650i also with 400hp, not as well equipped as the red one above and with 17,000 miles more, but at $5,000 less!  That savings will likely pay for the MaxCare warranty.  It’s a three owner accident free car that ironically spent some time in Leesburg, Virginia, where I live, before moving to California this summer.

2012 BMW 650i $27,998 52k Irvine CA