rhnorb

Agreed, the $62.50 is about what I give Starbucks each month for drinking Ice Venti Americanos.
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I think you guys are wrong on the numbers. If gas prices continue to go up, the future value of V8s will be much lower relative to past experience. The worst case scenario would be the imposition of government price controls, thereby causing a gas shortage and long lines just to fill up. An 18 gallon gas tank is small when its feeding a high performance V8. Thats means you could be stuck in gas lines that much more often.

mihusky

Hi newbie. We do get this question often. I personally can't imagine rationalizing why I want the slower car exception for the money factor. I once owned a slower 323i but that was because it was after my first job and I could not afford more (i dreamt about the e39 540I though!). I like speed, I can afford to pay the premium so it's a no brainer. If I can afford a 545i I don't car about the incremental gas payment, the insurance payment ect because I'm passionate about performance and I'll pay for it. It's not driven by my head or my foot but by my heart (um, or something else ). Why not buy the M5 then, well I can but I'll wait for my next promotion to justify that to my wife. I would not buy the ultimate driving machine if I let my head make the decision - I'd buy the new Mustang GT since its a lot of HP for not a lot of a money. But that would not be the ultimate driving machine, now would it. Good luck in your decision.

swajames

Must be the first time I've seen a 545 described as "middle of the road"..... !

DR.Z

I thought the older 225 HP 530 was a bit weak, seemed weaker then my 330Ci , and 2003 530i.

But the newer 256 HP 530 does very well.
Sports Package and a 6 speed and I don't think you will regret the purchase.

Now this is from a 545 owner, who loves his car, nothing like pulling out into a busy street wheels chirping from the V8 power, that rush from 80 to 100 MPH on the freeway, oh my.


DR.Z

yogibear458

arthurk

Prioritize your wants ...

To maximize your driving pleasure (aka grin on the face) , get the 545

To minimize costs of ownership, get the 525

So da 530 could well be a good compromise.

I decided on the 545 because its power over the 530... and it put a big grin on my face after the test drive. Resale value and gas prices was not a factor for me.

530iii

545i! Wanna buy mine?

550i all the way man.........The new M45, GS430, E500 couldn't touch a 545i let alone a future 550i.

znod

Go with your heart unless the extra money is just too much. If you lease, for example, you'll never notice the extra money, but you'll enjoy the extra performance every day. I did not drive a 530 knowing I would not be happy without a pretty powerful V-8. My wife chose between comparably equipped 6 cyl. and 8 cyl. X5s. She is not a performance enthusiast, although she likes a car that handles well. She chose the V-8--a 4.4i--325 HP. Happy choosing.

kryptokat

I have a 545i ( for another week or so) and when I was looking to buy I made a fatal error. I test drove the 545i. I didn't even have to think about all the other similar cars I had driven to realize this was one awesome car.

And that was my downfall, plunged down the money and bought one with all the options I wanted and was very happy with the car for 3 months during the breakin and for about a month after breakin.

Then once I got over the honeymoon I started to drive every day to work and back (100% stop and go city traffic).

It may just be my driving style but the 545i was entirely unsuited for my commute. I could not harness the power ( which by the way really kicks in at 60mph )

The drive by wire program in the car monitors how you fast you press down the gas pedal. In city traffic I have to get of the line slowly and coast with a slightly depressed gas pedal. I guess this causes the programming to pick a very mushy gear shift program and I rarely have any power when I want to punch the gas pedal to get into a gap in traffic, unless I downshift myself in the manual mode.

When driving in non stop and go traffic it is a dream. Where the engine will feel smooth and the rpms and gear changes are pure bliss. But in traffic the sport mode will often hang on to a lower gear if you back off the gas pedal too soon and the resulting grind from the engine when it gets into the 6000 rpms in low gears is not very soothing. If you shift yourself it won't be long before you yell obsenities at the traffic, not to mention the sport seats are not comfortable for heel toe action of your right foot.

If you drive highway you may realize that the 545 will give you just as good if not better mpg numbers as the 530.

I have to admit I may be the only guy here that actually is thinking of stepping down to a 525 with the M sport pkg at a later date. I still like the driveablity and looks of the car but the lower rpm tourque and horsepower is lacking unless you shift yourself and hold on to the sweet gears. I actually like the automatic in my Honda in city traffic but ofcourse if you try to leadfoot the gas pedal and fly past 4000 rpm you will hear it complain, while the 545 will respond with no restrain.

I don't know if the 530 is better suited for city driving.

If only I commuted on highways, I would have loved the 545i so much more. To me the empty roads I took the 545 for a test drive were misleading but I will have had my car for 10 months before I trade it in and it was a good 10 months.

RAI

It's more than just power- the V-8 feels smoother, more refined, and has a better sound to it than does the I-6. I haven't driven the new 3.0L engine, but I've heard good things about it. I think I could be happy with it if I wanted to save some $. It's still and E60! So, for me I'd take the 550i for sure. There's a very noticeable difference. But, I'd still rather have a sport package 530i than damn near anything else out there. Don't scrimp on the sport package, though- it transforms a very nice 4 door sedan into something truly special.

arthurk

Thanks for all your great responses. That definitely helps in my decision making.

To summarize,

1. 545/550 is no doubt a smooth and refined engine for car enthusiasts
2. 530 will do just fine for regular commute
3. Don't test drive the 545/550 unless I am ready to spend the $$
4. If I were to lease, the rates between the two are very similar
5. Surging gas prices will set back the resale value of V8 engines.

I guess it all depends on my requirements. I drive a maximum of 15000km a year mostly city commute (I have an Infiniti FX for winter). While I occasionally go on long trips, that still does not seem to justify spending the extra $$ on a 545/550. Leasing, however, is a different story since resale value will not be a concern anymore. Nonetheless, I still need to visit my local dealers to confirm if the lease rates between 530 and 545 are really similar. All in all, I enjoy the feeling of prestige driving the top model (excluding M5) within the 5 series with the extra ponies .

Thanks again