I have an early 07 550 and love the car, but I may have to trade her a little early due to milage, just wondering if anyone has personal experience with owning an 07 and an 08?

 

I owned an 06 and now 08 550i, other than having a 6 speed and sport package plus LCI changes on the 08 all the rest is the same. Of course, I am so happy I got the 6 speed MT.

 

I don't know about all the detail changes since I didn't have an '07 550i (or any previous E60, only an '06 650i) but I believe one big styling change is the automatic inclusion of the M front bumper with the sport package. I recall it was available before but only dealer installed??? Another big change is the sport automatic. The paddles plus the fast smooth manual mode shifts make it stand out compared to the normal steptronic. I do like the LCI interior upgrades over older models. The iDrive controller allows faster scrolling and combined with the newer software is a big improvement over older models. A small but nice feature is better iPod integration.

 

the 08 has the new 5series facelift... (headlight n new tail lights) and comes with aero package and new rims and new features like soft close and.. other new features.. for 08 7 and 5 series

 

One other BIG difference in the LCI models is the enhanced climate control shortcuts to iDrive. In the e39 M5, I frequently adjusted the center vent temp, especially in spring and fall, to warm in the morning, and to cool in the afternoon. In the '06 650i I had to go into iDrive, select climate, click up if necessary, scroll to center vent, select, click down twice, over once, and finally spin the dial. In LCI models, you simply press a climate control button to go straight into the proper menu and spin the iDrive control. Same with adjusting vent distrution.

Don't forget the other iDrive shortcut buttons which I use for destinations and common phone numbers. Also Real Time Traffic is cool (and is now compatible with HD radio). I always program navigation (with an iDrive shortcut button) going to work and back home. The RTT immediately indicates if there is a traffic issue and it will automatically reroute if necessary. The first time it rerouted me, I wondered what's wrong with navigation but it saved me from getting stuck in a big traffic jam.

 

What do you mean "due to mileage"? Are you leasing, and going to lease another one early, or did you buy it, and going to sell/trade it before your mileage gets above a certain number?

 

I have a pre-LCI and have put a lot of money into it to improve the items that BMW improved with the LCI update. I bought the body kit, 19 inch M5 wheels and tires, the LCI sport exhaust and just recently LCI M suspension. I have $8,000.00 into my lease car! Never again. IMHO the 08' is a significant upgrade. I had my 550 not 4 weeks and I told me dealer the wheels are weak for this caliber of car, the suspension is too soft and the exhaust is too quiet. Apparently, I wasn't the only one with these complaints because they were all addressed with the LCI model.

With the LCI update, the 550 is now the true successor to the 540i sport 6 speed. The 545i and pre LCI 550i were never as hard edged as the old E39 maestro. I think the top brass ordered the engineers to go a little too far in the comfort direction to boost sales, and were met with a wave of objections from die hards (like yours truly). I just hope the next 5er doesn't start off where the 545i did in terms of comfort, looks and handling.

DRP

 

I lease, so I'll beg out early and get into another car, I don't believe in paying for additional miles.

 

I like the best of both worlds, if you don't mind

 

Good luck with that...LOL.