M Buyers Guide
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BMW M6 E63

BMW M6 E63

2006 to 2010CoupeM car

Guide Score 67Good$4,999 a year to ownAbout 33rd of 69
Best year
2010
Example asking
$12k to $38k
Prices near you
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Photo: OWS Photography, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The short answer

The E63 M6 is the E60 M5's two-door sibling: the same 500 hp S85 V10, which revs past 8,000 rpm, in the 6 Series coupe (sold here from 2006 to 2010, with a carbon fiber roof) and convertible (2007 to 2010).

The score, part by part

67Guide Score for 2009Goodabout $4,999 a year to own
Place among the 69 generations
About 33rd of 69, likely 16th to 51st
Likely score range
58 to 83
Confidence
Medium
Acclaim
51 of 100
Chance of a bill over $10,000 in five years
56%

The seven parts and acclaim, 2009 model year

Heritage counts 15 of 100
1424% of it not measured
Engine counts 15 of 100
90
Drive feel counts 20 of 100
79
Analog connection counts 10 of 100
80
Weight counts 10 of 100
70
Long-term value not scored
not measured
Ownership counts 16 of 100
9
Acclaim counts 15 of 100
51

Each part is scored from 0 to 100 on a fixed outside scale. Acclaim comes from published expert lists, launch reviews and awards; the more acclaimed a car, the less its ownership cost counts in this all-time score (its dollars below are unchanged). A part marked not measured carries no weight for this car, and the others share its weight.

Long-term value, shown and not scored

7 prices from sources that allow this use (classiccars.com, enthusiastauto.com), read October 27, 2026: the middle one is $42,999, about 43% of the price new (27% once the price new is put in today's dollars). Asking prices sit above what cars sell for.

Long-term value starts to count in the score once 75% of the 69 generations have permitted prices. Today 43 do.

The cost to own

About $4,999 a year to own ($3,545 to $7,013), about $24,995 over five years, bought at five years old or its own age if older, kept five years.

  1. Rod bearing wear (S85): about $5,460 over five years, expected (source)
  2. Throttle actuator failure (S85): about $1,505 over five years, expected (source)
  3. VANOS pump and solenoids (S85): about $1,400 over five years, common (source)

Expect about $3,500 to $7,000 a year; the bills that decide it are rod bearing wear, throttle actuator failure and VANOS pump and solenoids. Bought without receipts, about a 11 in 20 chance of more than $10,000 in repairs in five years. Ownership risk: costly.

Other bodies, scored on their own

  • BMW E64 M6 Convertible, best year 2010 · About 41st among the 69, likely 19th to 57thGuide Score 64, about $4,999 a year to own

Guide Score method v5-final.14, an editorial score built only from permitted, sourced data. How it works.

S85500 hpRWD7-speed SMG or 6-speed manual11 city, 17 hwy mpg

Colors it came in, most wanted first. Pick one to see the page in it.

Routine service a year, estimate
$700 to $1,400

Best year to buy

2010The best year to buy, reading 67 of 100, about $4,999 a year to own.

No logged change between model years sets it apart; every year reads within 2 points of it, so buy on condition and records.

No year to think twice about: none reads 3 or more points below the 2010, and no logged fault separates them.

  1. 200667$4,999 a year
  2. 200766$4,999 a year
  3. 200867$4,999 a year
  4. 200967$4,999 a year
  5. 201067best year

From our log of the changes between model years, each with its source. Only changes the score reads count as reasons; recalls BMW fixes for free, options and tuning notes do not. The cost a year is for a car bought at five years old, or its own age if older, kept five years. How the score works.

The longer answer

Most have the seven-speed SMG automated manual; in 2007 BMW added a six-speed manual for North America only, and about 700 were built.

For 2007, BMW sold 50 BMW Individual convertibles in Ruby Black through the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book. The V10 is one of the great M engines and one of the most expensive to keep: rod bearings, throttle actuators, the VANOS pump and the SMG pump are known costs.

What to look for
  • Receipts for rod bearings with the date and mileage, rebuilt or replaced throttle actuators, VANOS pump and solenoid work, and on SMG cars the pump and clutch wear
  • A cold start with no knock or rattle
  • A complete service history
  • A VIN check that the 2012 battery cable recall on 2007 to 2010 cars (12V-126) was done
  • With an adult in the passenger seat, no restraint system or air bag warning
  • M6 owners report the passenger seat occupancy mat failing as it does on the E60 M5, which switches that air bag off, and BMW told one owner that its recall for the mat did not cover the car

Holds value

  • The six-speed manual
  • Low documented mileage
  • The 2007 Neiman Marcus convertible
  • Interlagos Blue
  • Sepang Bronze
  • Indianapolis Red and Monaco Blue paint
  • Full Merino leather
  • Bearings done with receipts
  • Original, unmodified cars

Hurts resale

  • SMG cars with slow or jerky shifts
  • High mileage with no bearing records
  • Deferred maintenance
  • Accident history
  • Modification

What to do next

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