heezy545i

From driving perspective, I'd get the 545. The 7 series is nice and great buys can be had with used or CPO'd cars, but I'd probably get an A8 instead.

JBOO

Definitely test it out with the car seats before making any decisions. My wife and I have made that mistake more than once when buying a new car. Seems like we wouldn't notice until we had the car for some time and then we started to be unhappy with the room. Especially with leg room in the rear for the kids. I'm about 6'1" and it's been difficult to find a car that allows a full child seat behind me without having to adjust my seat forward. This can make long trips difficult. (At least for me)

We have tested the 5er' with one full child seat and a booster and found it adequate enough. I can't imagine adding a 3rd child though at least not for any distance.

In regards to buying a used 7 series, I prefer buying new myself. However, if the deal was right, I might consider it. I think the 7 series is typically and older person's car, but seems to have become popular in the US with younger celebrities and such.

Tuga

There is a big difference between the 5 and the 7.
At home we have a 730d and a 530d.
The 7 is much more classic style than the 5.
The comfort is different too, the 7 is much more softer than the 5, but that doesn't means the 5 isn't a comfortable car. They are quite different on the road. The 5 is much more sport and younger. More space in the 7 but enough space in the 5. The middle place in the back it's terrible in the 7. Much difficult to travel there more than half an hour. If you want to use your 7 in highway driving most of the time with the family it's a wonderfull car. But if you drive a lot in secondary roads and want a little more sport driving then go for the 5.

alohalc

7 is nice but 5 is much nicer ! style is always my first priority . when you are ready, get the 545 instead. i was checking the bmw website the other day and comparing the '05 530 and 545. i added some options and both cars are quite identical except the engine. price is "only" about $5.5k diff. when i ordered my 530 few months ago, the price was $10k diff . that's the reason why i sticked w/530.
a newer used car isn't always a bad thing. as long as the record is clean and under warranty. my friend is planning to get rid his subaru sti. only has 3k miles and less than 5 months old. most likely he'll lose at least $6k . so my point is if the price is right and the car is good, why not?

my530i

According to my understanding, 5-series is the most reliable breed of BMW. It compensates between comfort and sport handling. I like 7 series very much but I won't get it until I grow older a bit. I don't want some other people think that I am borrowing my dad's car for a spin. Also, 7 has quite an issue with reliability. If you read 3 and 7 boards, you'll find out how reliable 5-series is.
Anyhew, 545 SMG is way to go. When you buy it new, you can drive 4yr/50K miles without worry about high cost to maintain/repair.

alohalc

oh, one thing i forgot to say, 7 depreciates faster than 5. that's not something you'll like.

realtyman

FWIW my father has owned a 1990 750iL and a 1996 750iL. Both of which were great cars, however, unless you plan on owning it for 10+ years, I don't think the depreciation hit makes sense. Also, DON'T (yes, I'm shouting) even consider it unless it has an extended warranty. If anything breaks (and it will) it costs big $$. I can't remember my father having anything done for under $1500 :'( (and actually there was nothing engine related - so same should apply for V8's).
(suspension work, transmisson work, electical stuff, etc).
I do agree that they have more space than most sport utility rides and is much more fun to drive (but not as much fun as a 5).

Aaron

Thanks for all of the replies.

my530i, I never thought about the "driving my dad's car" scenario. As hard as I work, I wouldn't want someone to think that, and with the way I dress when I am not at work, I could see someone thinking that. Hell, they may think it with the 5 too, but I'll be too busy turning corners at 35mph to notice.

Thanks for the depreciation info as well, and I would like to own a car for a while and not have to pay for anything. The maintenance plan is a big plus for BMW right now. Also, I am 6'4", and with the E39, the space was cramped almost to a point where the seat behind me was useless. I have very long arms and legs, so to get comfortable with a manual, I need the space. Maybe not so much with SMG, but the new 5 is bigger and I have sat in the back of a demo with the drivers seat in a position I configured during the test drive, and the space seemed comfortable, so we'll see. After all of this input, I am definitely going to focus my attention on the 5. No matter what other cars I look at and test drive, I keep coming back to the 5 and saying to myself, "There is just nothing else like it."

Thanks again. I will join the E60 owner ranks soon enough!