I'm new to this board and would like to hear your thoughts on a decision I need to make. I'm currently on a list for 2006 M5 and the dealer says they cannot project when I can get into it. I have been reading the boards and discovered the 550i. I contacted BMW NA customer service and they confirmed that production will start September 2005 for the 550i.

Should I just order a 550i loaded or should I play the waiting game on the M5?

Could I do an ED on the 550i and get a better deal or do they not offer that right away?

I currently have a 2003 540i sport and love it, but the e60 body style is must.

Let me know.

Best,

 

Welcome,

If you are itching to get into an E60 now, maybe you could lease a 550i with ED and keep your name on the list for the M5.

I guess that is what I would do.

Good luck on your decision.

 

These are two different cars in two different levels of exclusivity and price.

The 550 will sell as the 545 has and is essentially the same car.

The M5 is clearly rarer and more desirable as the ultimate sports sedan. It will also cost you $40,000 more.

For me, living in Los Angeles, I feel my 545 is grossly under under utilized. This bahn burner is frankly stifled in the city and longs for the opportunity to stretch its legs. What would I do with 7 gears 29 shifting modes and 500HP?

The M5 will ride harder and have more road feel. I would consider it if I lived in Arizona after reading that post but in Los Angeles, I cannot justify an extra $40,000 for the M as sweet as it is.

 

I agree. The 545/550 is more than enough for LA.

 

The price differential between the 2 cars will be big. MSRP difference ($25K??), plus probably $25K+ premium for the M5 during the first +/- year. I personally find it insulting to pay over MSRP for any car. I guess that's a good excuse to stay on the sidelines for the first year and avoid the bleading edge teething problems, which are inevitable.

Another consideration is SMG only for the M5, at least initially. Lots of people on this board have/love it. I've driven the current E60 SMG and it wasn't my cup of tea (no offense intended to anybody). The M5 is supposed to have SMG III which will likely be more refined, but I've driven sequential manual gearboxes in a few cars and didn't like any of them. Personal preference.

I'd go for the 550i. Hopefully a year after intro (September?) the prices with normalize and there'll be a manual available.

 

Thanks for the feedback.

If you lease and do an ED, do you make payments during the peroid the car is being transported to the US?

 

Thanks for the feedback.

If you lease and do an ED, do you make payments during the peroid the car is being transported to the US?
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Just at the dealer talking about this today. The answer is "yes", you do make lease payments starting from before your trip. In the end, you'll only have the car for ~33 months post Europe, though you'll make 36 payments.

 

Thanks for the feedback.

If you lease and do an ED, do you make payments during the peroid the car is being transported to the US?
[/quote]

Just at the dealer talking about this today. The answer is "yes", you do make lease payments starting from before your trip. In the end, you'll only have the car for ~33 months post Europe, though you'll make 36 payments.
[/quote]

So if you save $4000 (est) on the MSRP of the car doing an ED, you loose a significant portion of savings in non-use, correct?

 

If you even considered an M5 knowing it's price$$$$$$$$$ you obviously can afford it. Get the M5. True the 550i is more than enough but so it the 530i, but enough is not what we are paying for. My 545i commutes everyday in traffic and always grumbles for open strecthes of road, but when you do get an open road the thrill or a purring V8 is pure joy. I can only imagine how the V10 M5 would be.

 

Honestly I cant even imagine what an M5 would be like. My 545i scares the crap out of me sometimes. I have had it for about a month now, and the power still suprises me. I would kill myself in the M5 on LA roads. Too much traffic, and too many idiots driving around with no insurance. If I lived in Germany, then I might consider it, but not here. The only reason to buy one in LA would be for the status, and if you have $40K to burn.