been considering buying a E39 M5, then found E60/E61...

[PatAllen]

I was realy lurking for a E39 M5 for the past few years, then found up some 545i E60 for cheaper...even a E60 530i seems to be a nice car.

One of my friend owned a late E39 540i and i inspected the car...it looked like it was made ala E36, which i didnt realy liked much. The E60 seems much more advanced...

A 2004 545i fully loaded recently sold here for 12k$, which is quite cheap imho for what it is...

Any thoughts ?

[Guest]

First, all my opinions are from never haven driven or sat in either, just lusting over them. I'm also 23.

Either will be difficult to work on, E60 will definitely feel more modern. A lot of people seem to hate the E60's because of Bangle, I love them, especially the M5(or any with the Msport package).

Personally I'd absolutely love an 520d E60. How many times would you meet a 23yr old car addict who wants a small diesel motor in a luxury car? IDK, I seriously considered an E39 540i for a while, but the maintenance turned me off from it. After some major considerations I realized not every one of my cars needs to hit 60 in <5sec. Though on the flip side I'm now planning on boosting an E34 in a few years.

I'd vote E60 545i over E39 M5, less to worry about while you drive it, I can't speak for you, but I'd feel worse about my M5 getting wrecked vs a Non-M car.

I don't know how you feel about all of your modern cars, I'm guessing a small motor 5 series isn't what you're looking for if you already have a 323i and VW TDI. They both look good, if I had the space and money I'd buy one of each and drive them around for a year, then sell the one I drive less.

[PatAllen]

the car i drive now is the Automatic 02, i prefer it way OVER the 323i and the TDi...

the 323i is for sale, i prefer the Tdi (so cheap on fuel !!)

the Turbo 02 received some offer from one of my friend since i rarely use it so i may sell it, with the 323i AND potentialy the TDi too if i sell the 2 other, that will give me plenty of money to buy a 530i or a 545i.

I have plenty of toys, so i would like a very nice and modern DD when i dont use the Automatic 02.v The E39 dont feel very modern at all compared to a E60, and yes, i consider the Bangle design which looks like an old Grand-Am imho...have you seen the technology amount in the E60 ?

some dont like the iDrive but i think i will get used to that very quick ( i am electronic designer guru for automotive market)...

but CRAP the gawd damned 323i just dont want to sell !!! i ask 1000$ less than current selling price...

[tjones02]

From my 15+ year BMW tech experience I like the late (2001 to 2003) E39 525i or 530i over an E60 unless you know a REALLY good independent shop that can handle the electronics. I do not see the E60's being long term cars. ... If you get an E60 though make sure it's a BMW CPO car.

As for my daily, I drive an '86 528e 5spd that has over 400K on the chassis. I've got a 100 mile round trip commute and average 27 to 30 mpg. For what I've got into it, how comfortable it is to drive..... and how cheap it is to maintain, I can't beat it.

To bother replacing it I'd have to get something that gets 50+ mpg....

That's fun enough to drive

That I feel like being seen in

That I will actually work on myself

That's not so new and complicated that it's beyond my budget to replace a major component or two or three as the miles rack up

That will pay for itself in the first two to three years of ownership

That I like enough to take it to 1/2 a million miles

VW TDIs they cost to much for me. :b...

Had a '90 CRX HF for a while but that particular one was such a POS I had to dump it.

[PatAllen]

what is a BMW CPO car ?

i think i can handle all electronics, i own all kind of scanners you can think of, and get regular updates on the snap-on one from one of my friend who own such a shop. He recently bought another one specificaly for all euro cars with all the updates for 2011+ cars. He also owns a Hunter GPS9000 road force machine and i got the latest tech brief from his local rep.

once my Automatic 02 will get its 4 speed trany and its souped up motor it will be such a nice DD. It already is.

[tjones02]

Certified Pre Owned...

http://www.bmw.ca/ca/en/usedvehicles/overview.html

[PatAllen]

Certified Pre Owned...

http://www.bmw.ca/ca/en/usedvehicles/overview.html

what else could it be if not a cpo ? a salvaged title ?

[tjones02]

Private sale or used car lot.....