what would you take?

i think it depends on age~ i'l take 545. young people wit 750 wil look like driving their parent's car~

i ask because i have the 545, and have had nothing but problems with it, i test drove 745 and it didnt do it for me, i was hoping that extra 30 would make it better, I'm 30

why not a '06 550 o:)?

I really havent been that impressed with 545, i think all my problems have made me not another one.

well, if that's the case, you said you didn't like the 745. why would you think a 750 will do the trick o:)? i'm not trying to challenge you or starting another heated discussion but just curious ;).

Depends what you want really. If you're more after comfort/luxury and more inclined to just cruise around, I'd sway towards the 750.

With your age, i'll get the 750 for sure.. :thumbsup:

Definitely go for the 750i, there is so much class in this car!
I m trying myself to decide whether to go for the 535d (272hp) or a facelifted 730d with the new engine (231hp).They cost pretty much the same here!
Good luck choosing

In my opinion, another point to consider is occupation. I had an E66 735LI a couple of years ago. Loved the car, but did not like the unwanted stares ancomfortable inner feeling. Therefore switched to a 545I.

Personally I still prefer the 7 series to the 5. May decide to switch to the 7 again when the next model is introduced.

You're right...then at 31 he goes for a 760i V12? :blink: :lol: :lol:

I think it's how you feel personally. I know people who are more than 50 and have
an M3. They feel young and want to have fun. ( just an example )......

You're right...then at 31 he goes for a 760i V12? :blink: :lol: :lol:

I think it's how you feel personally. I know people who are more than 50 and have
an M3. They feel young and want to have fun. ( just an example )......
[/quote] Let's be clear about what "old" means." Old means older than I am, and I am over 55. Currently I am driving an e46 M3, though I must admit the comfort and power of the soon to be 550i is very tempting.

the reason i didnt like the 745, is because it was the same engine as the 545, but with mire weight, iw as thing the 750 with the extra horsepower might sway me.

How about listing what you're looking for in a car instead of what you don't like? Here's a list of items, in order of my priority. Maybe you have some to add. What's your priority?

1. Driving enjoyment
2. Performance/Handling
3. Comfort
4. Utility
5. Reliability
6. Styling
7. Cost

1. Reliability
2. Power
3. Performance/Handling
4. Driving enjoyment
5. Styling
6. Comfort
7. Utility
8. Cost

Interesting punch list. I assume you are in unimpressed with the 545i because of "reliability" problems, since it is still likely to be slightly better than the 750i in factors 2, 3 and 4. Styling is a matter of taste (the trunk on the 7s is just ugly to me), and the 7 is likely to offer greater comfort and utility (if that means transporting adults in the back seat comfortably), whereas the cost favors the 5 series.

As you may know, this generation of 7 series has had a very poor quality and reliability record (in the initial 2 years or so of production), although one would hope that most of these issues have been solved in what will be its 4th full year of production (2006). Because the 7 is larger and heavier than the 5, it does not handle as well as the 5 (in my view having driven one over a long distance and in the twisties over a mountain).

I would get the 545, and buy a set of 19" aftermarket rims and Max Performance tires. First of all, the reliability of the 545 is better than the 750. No question of this, although the 7 series has gotten better, there are still more problems - more things to go wrong. In terms of power, the 545 and 750 will be about equal because of the 545's lower weight.

Since cost is lowest priority, spend $5,000 for a top-notch set of wheels and Max performance tires. This combo will transform the 545 into a nearly M3-like driving experience with all the luxury of the 5 series. Performance/Handling and Driving Dnjoyment will far surpass the 750. Styling is your own opinion. Comfort and Utility the 750 wins out. Cost is obviously in the 545's favor, even with $5,000 into wheels and tires.

Good luck!

thanks wolverine, yeah im not impresed with all the issues im having with the bmw, and i didnt put it on my list, but space is important(family) and image is a big deal to me(ego :-) ) looking at the forums it doesnt look like my problems are getting resolved with the never 545i I'm even looking at the
2005 MB E55 AMG
http://www.mbusa.com/brand/models/E55.jsp

Sorry to hear you've had problems with your 545. Sounds like that experience is affecting your decision. If reliability really is your no. 1 criteria, stay away from Mercedes. They are by far the worst German car manufacturer in this category. In a recent survey done in Germany, all the major brands (US, Japanese included) were rated in terms of their status, then in terms of owner satisfaction. Mercedes was no. 1 in terms of status, and almost last in terms of owner satisfaction (out of some 25 brands)! BMW was no. 2 in Status, and no. 6 in owner satisfaction.

the what would you suggest to get knowing what my taste is with mb and bmw?

I have owned both a 745 and a 545. The software issues in the 745 were not worked out during the term of my ownership resulting in a less than reliable car--mostly software related. While I have had some issues with the 545, most seem to be worked out. With comfort seats, the car offers the comfort of the 745 with the added sport feel. If you are willing to spend on a 750, is the M5 an option? That would give the best of all worlds imo.

ideally i would like more space then the 545i or the m5 would be an option, if i could find one.

If reliability is your No. 1 criterion, then you definitely do not want any MB car. MB is no longer among the top 25 auto manufacturers in quality or reliability -- and this includes the MB S, SL and AMG models (all low volume production cars). Most people I know who have owned a MB have quickly sold them due to the quality and reliability problems.

It is not clear what kinds of problems you are having with your 545, but for some unknown reason you are still interested in buying a BMW (or worse yet MB). From your response above, it sounds like space and image are really more important to you than reliability. If this is true, then you should get a 750i as opposed to any MB.

priority is as follows
1. reliability
2. performance
3. image
4. space
5. price

I have numerous issues with my current 545, i have had for less than 6 months\7000 miles and its been in 3 times(going in tommorow for the 4th time) I cant except that this is just something bmw drivers have to deal with, if it is than they should have loaner cars that are the same quality as the car you drive and pickup your car and take you a loaner whenever you have a problem. just do a search on cjindustry and you will see all the problems i have had and continue to have.

Sorry to hear about your problems with the 545i. With the priorities above, it appears that you might want to consider buying a Lexus LS430 (which has unparalleled reliability among luxury cars). Also, there is no doubt that the Lexus dealership service experience will be better than that at any German manufacturer.

i find it weird how some E60's are full of problems and others arent...not too consistant huh

no there not consitent, and what i dont get is why the issues cant be resolved after 3 times in the shop, that alone makes it not woorth rolling the dice and getting another one.

how about maserati quattroporte or m5? both are hot.

I wouldn't touch a 7 series with a 10 foot pole. Too stodgy and limo like. I also wouldn't want more MB cars since they really are an image car more than a driving fun car.

You cannot deny that BMW make cars that push the status quo on technology and other issues, and for that one has to accept that the cars are somewhat a "Beta" vehicle that is in production.

Why not consider the 550 once again. It gets better with each car built and each year of production. When it works (which is most of the time), it is an absolute blast to drive.

Think about it some more before you decide.

Sorry to hear about your problems with the 545i. With the priorities above, it appears that you might want to consider buying a Lexus LS430 (which has unparalleled reliability among luxury cars). Also, there is no doubt that the Lexus dealership service experience will be better than that at any German manufacturer.
[/quote]

I have read all of your posts, and you seem to really dislike your experience with BMW, so why are you even considering getting another one?

I agree with the above post; get a Lexus. You'll be pampered.

I had a Lexus coupe when they first came out over 10 years ago; best car I ever had, literally not one problem - and I hated it! Got rid of it after a year and bought a 911 convertible - lousy dealer, no loaner car, periodic service issues - and I loved it! The pleasure I got from driving that car far outweighed the relatively minor annoyances I occassionally endured.

It does not really seem that complicated to me; if you love the driving characteristics of the BMW enough, you will accept the downside, which is inferior reliability and less dealer coddling compared to Japanese competitors. If you are more into reliability, comfort, and a perfect dealer experience, go Japanese.

Getting another "one" -- does this mean another BMW or just another e60?? With the new technology being adopted by auto manufacturers worldwide, you can expect that every dealer's service department will increasingly encounter issues that it has not been trained for or otherwise does not have the expertise to fix and therefore cannot resolve all problems quickly. It would be helpful if these dealers just admitted up front that they have no clue as to how to fix your particular problem, instead of raising your expectations only to later frustrate you.

My experience with BMW dealers has been essentially the same as yours -- they overcommit and the underperform, with inconsistent loaner policies from dealer to dealer and the SAs don't seem to know enough about the cars to give you any real feedback as to what needs to be fixed (i.e., they rely heavily on the techs to troubleshoot, and if unsuccessful, you end up having to bring the car in again). The biggest problem has been with the software on the e60 (all software upgrades seem to take 4-5 days, instead of 4-5 hours).

I also have a Lexus, which has been recalled once. Although the service experience was superior to BMW, I still had to take the car in for service (in the best circumstance, a car is so well designed and tested that you never have to take it in); the Lexus dealer undercommitted and overperformed (told me it would take days to fix, but actually fixed it in one day), so I left happy. However, as with BMW, the SA had no clue as to what the problem was, but the technician actually fixed it.

It will be interesting to see how Lexus deals with problems on the upcoming RX400h. Although I expect the hybrid electrical system to have been well designed and tested, the inevitable problems in the field will have to be solved by the same technicians who fix the petrol engines....