Man

check the classified here on E60.net. Lots of people will sell the 18's off their 550 becasue they themselves are putting on 19" M or other BMW/3rd party wheels. you can find wheels & tires from 700-2000.

Or tirerack. I priced out Milli Miglia 18 with continentals for around 1500 bucks.

The car looks SO much better than with 17s. The 17s are way to small for the wheel opens. This car shape practically demands a large wheel IMHO.

originalsnuffy

I have a 525xi; which I suppose is somewhat slower due to the extra weight of the awd system.

In normal driving it feels peppy enough.

When you want to play, as mentioned above, put the vehicle in DS mode.

It does not take long to get to redline and you are going faster than planned.

When I test drove the vehicles the difference between the 525xi and the 530xi did not seem huge.

Next time I would consider the logic 7 stereo (I'd prefer a bit more bass). But the stock stereo for the US is certainly a good listen.

tomwid

It amazes me how some people jump at the opportunity to defend BMWs lack of power in their lower end engines. Fact is, that Accord V6 will spank any 525i, and fact is, BMW is capable of producing an engine that is as efficent and has more power just like the Accord V6.

Yes, we have speed limits, but as others have stated here, it's not the speed limit, it's how fast we get to the speed limit that counts. I've driven the 525i and the 530i and decided to get the V8. Saying that it lacks "something" is an understatement. But if you don't care about such things, then the V6ers are perfect for you. I'm willing to bet if BMW came out with a 4cylinder engine, some of you would buy it and claim it has enough "pep".

To me, the BMW is not complete w/o the power. It does not complete the "Ultimate Driving Experience" IMHO. Sure it's not an M5, but the M5 was not available when I bought my 5.

needforspeed

I loved (really loved) my old 325 coupe (silver - v reg).

For real world use a 2500cc bmw 6 cylinder engine is a lovely thing and if this is in your budget and feels right - go for it.

It doesn't lack power - it's not a bog standard car - but it isn't the quickest in the range and if that bothers you then it isn't going to be right for you.

I would want to have a manual gearbox though, part of the fun is to drive it - hard

jvjr9902

i dont think an accord v6 will spank the 525.....i dont think so...why do u think bmw makes a 525 ?why dont they just make a 530 and a 545?.......and why would u want to get to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds when a regular car can catch u up 2 miles down the road due to traffic?But i will say a 545 is really powerful if u r into racing or showing off your car's power to your buddies on weekends but hey a bmw is a bmw a lot of people wants to buy a bmw but couldnt......

omi7

I have a 2006 530i and I do feel the car is a little underpowered. Its not about racing other cars but rather the visceral experience. I must say the car is amazing when you get into the twisties and there it does not feel like the size of the car it actually is. BMWs are not made for its straight-line performance, but rather its neutral and willing handling.

On a side note, I did some informal tests on my 2006 530's 0-60, and can only average around 7 seconds, with traction off and a slight launch. I'm using the tiptronics so I was expecting it to be very near BMW's quoted 6.6 for the auto, since shifting-speed is out of the driver's hands... has anyone else tested their times?

e36er

i have 06 525iA with 3.0L engine.

I also used to have 97 328is 5spd.

IMO, 525i isn't bad at all. it does its job and u sure get what u paid for. peiod.

it's all matter of money and value of the vehicle right?

one thing i can tell u, BMW will not disappoint u. doesn't matter whichever choice u make

u pay a bit less and get 525i, a bit more for 530i badge and more 40hp. i didn't find it very different between those two models that's why i went for 525i.

I haven't owned any fast cars but have driven some. 525i isn't that bad for sure. for handling wise, i give big props to my 525i.

but sometimes i think extra hp might be helpful just like others think but no complaints. i'm quite satisfied what bmw has done on this car.

i would say get 525i if u are using a car mainly for city drive(very good fuel comsumption too, i'm surprised) and 530i for highway+city and when u have extra money to put in.

testdrive both. and think what u want. that's what i did and is the best way to make a decision.


best,

geneclark

It's a wonderful experience to drive any e60. To me it's the most beautifully balanced car PERIOD.

evil96

The most important thing is to determine your motives for buying the car - luxury, speed, comfort, ego, etc. - and go from there. If you wouldn't be caught dead in anything with less than ### horsepower or takes more than #.# seconds to get from 0 to 60, then there's your answer. No matter what you get, someone out there is going to have a better car than you. And regardless of which BMW model you get, there will be a whole lot of people out there who have "lesser" cars than yours. Just the fact that you're debating which type of new BMW to purchase means you must be doing pretty well for yourself.
My 525 did great on the autobahn, +130 mph. Now that I live in the Washington DC area, I haven't even had the opportunity to need fifth gear, much less sixth. (Heated seats ROCK, by the way. Just thought I'd throw that out.)
Sure, I would love a 550 or M5, but I'm happy with my car, especially when I think about the P.O.S. Honda Accord that was my first car... Practically had to have a tetanus shot to feel safe in that car...

Just my two cents.

mr_grinche

Thats true because the engines in the US all seem to be detuned and lack lustre any how until you go to the big V 8's where as in europe the performance seems to be much better. I say this because I too have had a no of 525I's 00. 02, 05, 06. However when I visit the states I usually rent an E60 with the 3 litre petrol engine and note that it is a completely fifferent car to my european model?