Any feedback from those with cloth seats?

[mdefalco25]

There is a really good thread on this already talking about the pros of cloth vs. leather. In summary: cloth doesn't get hot, won't wear as much as leather over time and some just prefer the look much more. Con: You can't get your dash wrapped in leather and you pay for leather seats if you click on the "Executive Package" option.

If you saw them and liked them and don't care about the dash, I say go for it!

[Gibson6594]

You said 6 years, so I assume you're financing. Resale may be tougher with cloth. I think the leather has shown to hold up very well and that those who prefer cloth, prefer it because of the grip while driving aggressively.

[3_Pedals]

In case it helps, I imagine post 2 is referring to one of these two threads:
http://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1000685
http://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1269947

[RACEM4TE]

Can cloth be ordered in non black i.e cloth red?

[RobC2]

I don't believe leather is forced on you with the Exec Pack on the '18s anymore. That was really what held me back from ordering it. Now that I have leather though, it does really make the car seem "nicer". The other build I was considering (and would likely go with if I had to do it again, especially with the changes to the option packages) was a more basic performance oriented build with a bright color. In that case, cloth seats all the way.

[brian30tw]

Originally Posted by Gibson6594

You said 6 years, so I assume you're financing. Resale may be tougher with cloth. I think the leather has shown to hold up very well and that those who prefer cloth, prefer it because of the grip while driving aggressively.

Not trying to pick on you here, but I see people say this about resale value all the time, and I'm just not convinced it's true. People seem to think that higher original MSRP = higher used prices, but I think in many cases, the rarity of certain options can lead to higher than expected used prices in the future. Just from an economic viewpoint, the "supply" side of the original MSRP is determined by how expensive the materials are, how much they cost to assemble, etc., which is why leather is an option that costs more than cloth (ignoring the "demand" side...). On the used market, the "supply" side is determined by how many examples there are of the pre-made product for sale (it's already been assembled, so the cost of assembly is irrelevant). There are significantly fewer cars with cloth out there, which means they are in low supply, and people will need to pay a premium for cloth on the used market if they want cloth.

In practice, I think we've seen this play out many times in past generations. Cloth seats on E36 M3s are insanely rare, and people pay a premium for them. Likewise, on the used market, not having the luxury package on the E36 is preferred, and used prices are higher for cars without the luxury package, even though that was an expensive option when new.

I could go on, but all I really mean to say is that I wouldn't let any judgments on future resale value be the determining factor here.

[KevinM]

If you are not sold on a particular leather color that is not black, the Carbon Structure is a great choice. I would have ordered it as well, but I fell in love with Golden Brown leather. That said, my experience with BMW leather is that it holds up very well if you take care of it and watch the bolster as you enter and exit the car.

Originally Posted by RACEM4TE

Can cloth be ordered in non black i.e cloth red?

No, it is black only. Of course, BMW Individual can do just about anything if they choose to (with enough time and money that is!).

[FC]

Originally Posted by 3_Pedals

In case it helps, I imagine post 2 is referring to one of these two threads:
http://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1000685
http://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1269947

Had not seen the 2nd thread. Thanks!

[FC]

Originally Posted by KevinM

If you are not sold on a particular leather color that is not black, the Carbon Structure is a great choice. I would have ordered it as well, but I fell in love with Golden Brown leather. That said, my experience with BMW leather is that it holds up very well if you take care of it and watch the bolster as you enter and exit the car.



No, it is black only. Of course, BMW Individual can do just about anything if they choose to (with enough time and money that is!).

Without going into too long a discussion, I agree with you, but we are set on a black interior regardless. Also the reason why it wasn't worth the argument for full leather for an all black interior. For a two-tone, I'd certainly go full leather.

[Gibson6594]

Originally Posted by brian30tw

Not trying to pick on you here, but I see people say this about resale value all the time, and I'm just not convinced it's true. People seem to think that higher original MSRP = higher used prices, but I think in many cases, the rarity of certain options can lead to higher than expected used prices in the future. Just from an economic viewpoint, the "supply" side of the original MSRP is determined by how expensive the materials are, how much they cost to assemble, etc., which is why leather is an option that costs more than cloth (ignoring the "demand" side...). On the used market, the "supply" side is determined by how many examples there are of the pre-made product for sale (it's already been assembled, so the cost of assembly is irrelevant). There are significantly fewer cars with cloth out there, which means they are in low supply, and people will need to pay a premium for cloth on the used market if they want cloth.

In practice, I think we've seen this play out many times in past generations. Cloth seats on E36 M3s are insanely rare, and people pay a premium for them. Likewise, on the used market, not having the luxury package on the E36 is preferred, and used prices are higher for cars without the luxury package, even though that was an expensive option when new.

I could go on, but all I really mean to say is that I wouldn't let any judgments on future resale value be the determining factor here.

I agree that higher msrp doesn't equate to higher resale. My point was that I believe that in this modern M car era, buyers are going to want leather. Look at it this way, if you were selling two M3s, both spec'd exactly the same, with the exception of one having leather and the other having cloth, which do you think you would have an easier time selling?

Note that I didn't claim one would sell for more than the other. You could argue either way, but I'd guess you'd find more people interested in the leather version.

[brian30tw]

Originally Posted by Gibson6594

I agree that higher msrp doesn't equate to higher resale. My point was that I believe that in this modern M car era, buyers are going to want leather. Look at it this way, if you were selling two M3s, both spec'd exactly the same, with the exception of one having leather and the other having cloth, which do you think you would have an easier time selling?

Note that I didn't claim one would sell for more than the other. You could argue either way, but I'd guess you'd find more people interested in the leather version.

Point taken, you did say resale would be tougher, not that it would be at a higher price. And I agree, it will probably take me longer to sell my cloth F80 than if it had leather.

[DS_BMW]

Get Carbon Structure, I love mine. Its awesome and feels very durable. Also not cold in the winter or hot in the summer.

[Hrmm]

My carbon structure interior looks brand new with no visible creases after 12k miles. I think it looks fantastic and I like the fact that's it's not cold in the winter and not as hot in the summer. The leather portion of the cloth seat isn't as soft as Merino leather, but I have no doubt it will hold up for a long time.

My thoughts are this - if you like leather, go for full leather if it's in your budget. If you prefer cloth, you won't be disappointed and maybe even save a little money. Ideally you would be able to buy cloth with a leather dash, but unfortunately that's not an option from the factory.

I wouldn't worry about resale as the other poster stated, the low supply should more than make up for the decreased demand over leather. It will likely be wash when it's all said and done.

[nicknaz]

I spoke with a consignment dealership and got feedback that cloth seats and lack of backup camera would make resale tough. I think it will need to be many years for the rarity of those options to yield resale benefit.

If I could go back In time and re configure my '15 instead of dct, cloth and no exec package I would strongly consider 6mt, ss leather and exec package since ended up using the car mostly for street

[FC]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

I spoke with a consignment dealership and got feedback that cloth seats and lack of backup camera would make resale tough. I think it will need to be many years for the rarity of those options to yield resale benefit.

If I could go back In time and re configure my '15 instead of dct, cloth and no exec package I would strongly consider 6mt, ss leather and exec package since ended up using the car mostly for street

Sure, but so would a MT nowadays. Those guys are trying to move cars quickly. I bet the wish all their cars were silver with black leather and automatic.

I'm sure they would have told me my RWD, MT, M-Sport wagon would never sell. And that's true - to the public at large. Had I kept it post lease (made no sense at the time), I bet it would be worth a pretty penny right now.

My car is penciled to be orange, with moonroof, cloth, and MT. I guess I'll never sell it.

[nachob]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

I spoke with a consignment dealership and got feedback that cloth seats and lack of backup camera would make resale tough. I think it will need to be many years for the rarity of those options to yield resale benefit.

If I could go back In time and re configure my '15 instead of dct, cloth and no exec package I would strongly consider 6mt, ss leather and exec package since ended up using the car mostly for street

Everone has different opinions. When I bought my 2004 325i MT with red with black interior the salesman said I was dumb for buying an MT and I would never be able to sell it in SoCal. Years later when I ordered by 1M, I drove to dealer to get a quote on trading in or selling to the same dealer. They used car guy comes to me and says, man this is car is amazingly clean but we arlready have too many 325i on the floor. Then he leans into my windows and looks around. He sees it's a manual and says, hang on, I didn't realize it was a stick. He gets on the phone and calls someone and says, hey man I got a super clean 325i manual here. He then tells me to wait for his manager. I wait and guy comes walking up to look at my car..it was the same douche bag that told me 7 years earlier that I was stupid for ordering a manual instead of the automatic with tiptronic. He looks at my car and says he wants to have it inspected to give me an offer. I told him to take a hike and left. Sold it on Craigslist within 2 hours of posting. I can tell you that if I was in the market, I would want the cloth and MT and would only settle for leather so there are a lot of opinions but few of these cool cloth cars especially in MT.

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by nachob

I can tell you that if I was in the market, I would want the cloth and MT and would only settle for leather so there are a lot of opinions but few of these cool cloth cars especially in MT.

I think its the combo of cloth and DCT and no back up camera that's the limiting factor for my particular car . The people who absolutely want cloth, probably also absolutely want 6MT, and those who would accept DCT, probably also really want parking cameras and leather.

In any case, there's some truth to the initial feedback. My understanding is that of thousands of page views of the car, there have been less than 10 test drives

I don't regret my choice by any means.. I ordered it exactly how I wanted it, and loved having it, but just wanted to give some feedback for those who are concerned about resale, is that for right now in 2017, trying to sell a model year 2015 car, it will make a difference.

[itrocks4u]

Originally Posted by FC

I'm still a ways off from ordering, but I happened to find a cloth M3 in the showroom and my wife and I liked it enough to make us pause.

The intent was to show full leather in person to my wife, which see saw and summarily dismissed as a waste of money (let's not open that can of worms, let's just say I am not fighting that battle). But then the subject moved to cloth or extended. Cloth looked mighty good.

My first new car was an early '03 ZHP E46, which I of course got with Imola Red and Alcantara/cloth interior. At the time I had no kids and the interior was unique and special (plus basic 3er leather was meh and a big premium).

I really liked the comfort, resistance to temperature extremes, and grip. Had it for 6 years and 60k miles and sold it with the interior looking pretty darn good - even after two years of driving with an infant/toddler.

I also had a '11 (LMB, RWD, 6MT) M-Sport E91 with black Dakota (or whatever leather that is) and that also held up fine for the 27 month lease I had it.

That toddler will be 10 when I get this car, and the younger brother 8.

Those who have had or have seen a cloth F8X car, how does it hold up?

I'm curious about the leather bolsters. The kids will be mostly out of boosters and I have a pretty strict no drinks/food policy but they are still children.

OTOH, merino leather is pretty nice, and I admit that $950 is a steal for the leather you get with extended, but while I take car of my cars, I wonder about the durability of Merino if I were to keep this car 6+ years.

Finally, as an overall spec (if it matters), I would likely go with:

- SO (or maybe SS), unless they introduce a proper blue or red
- cloth or black extended leather
- 6MT
- ZCP (unsure on what wheels or color)
- Moonroof (very likely)
- Apple carplay
- Perhaps other things like heated steering wheel depending on how MY2018 options pan out.

Mate I stopped at the part where you said your wife dismissed the full leather. Don't listen to her. Get it cause YOU want it. For her it's waste of money. For you it's being part of thess forum. You'll regret it later. Why am I saying this: I showed my wife full versus extended leather and she said it's a waste of money. I did listen to her. Bad bad call.

[bmrwrld]

The cloth are very cool looking, they look the best in my view.

[RobbyMack]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

I spoke with a consignment dealership and got feedback that cloth seats and lack of backup camera would make resale tough. I think it will need to be many years for the rarity of those options to yield resale benefit.

If I could go back In time and re configure my '15 instead of dct, cloth and no exec package I would strongly consider 6mt, ss leather and exec package since ended up using the car mostly for street

More or less curious how your attempt to sell the car are going? I've got the same set up just SO instead. Wouldn't change anything if I reordered other than maybe a custom color. I'm not looking to sell anytime soon but I can see it being tough to move $50k plus car minus leather and a back up camera. When used prices drop as the model years wear on it gets much easier as it's a different class of buyer. People looking for a 2-3 year old (essentially lease return) "luxury" car are looking for some creature comforts that I frankly don't need.

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by RobbyMack

More or less curious how your attempt to sell the car are going? I've got the same set up just SO instead. Wouldn't change anything if I reordered other than maybe a custom color. I'm not looking to sell anytime soon but I can see it being tough to move $50k plus car minus leather and a back up camera. When used prices drop as the model years wear on it gets much easier as it's a different class of buyer. People looking for a 2-3 year old (essentially lease return) "luxury" car are looking for some creature comforts that I frankly don't need.

It has been taking much much longer than anticipated for the car to sell. It is currently on consignment in LA area, which is probably the easiest market to sell m3 style car in the USA.

The lack of backup camera has been called out as a key reason for making the car hard to sell, more than the cloth seats

Agree with you that if it's 4-5yr old buyer will change but at 2 yrs it's still a lot of cost for most people to overlook the lack of a key feature (that $12k new cars have)

[katit]

You can install OEM camera or MMI camera. Is that still going to count as "lack of camera"?