1st post. I'm in the market for a used 5 series and I'm looking at either 2007/2008 550i cars. I also have looked at some 2008 535i cars. Which car would you guys buy staying under $34,000?

I'm going to test drive a 2007 550i with the SMG transmission later this week. It has 32,000 miles for $34,000.

Your thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks

 

i say 550
im not a fan of turbocharged cars...
v8's feel amazing imo

 

If the 550i comes with a CPO or you can get a CPO then the 550i, otherwise I'd say get the 535i just because its under warranty still. I'm always sketchy about buying a car this pricey with no type of warranty to back me up knowing that the transmission or engine could screw up a month or two down the road. I also prefer the 550i's v8 engine over the TT v6 535i, it's just a better engine if you need to know why look it up. Only other thing that would dissuade me from getting the 550i over the 535i is that the 535i 08 is gonna be an LCI so if that matters over an non LCI. 550i vs 535i is pretty easy choice in general, the 550i being better... but when the year '07 & '08 come into play, the warranty issue and the LCI factor should be something to think about also.

 

if both have similar warranty, I'll definitely go with the 550, always prefer a 8 cylinders over a turbo charge 6 cylinders when it comes to long term usage and reliability.

But if you're into modding, you will definitely have more option with the turbo charge, a bit expensive though.

 

I would keep it stock. Just not sure if the 535 is worth dealing the hpfp issues.

 

Both posters were also correcting when the factor of modding comes into play the 535i hands down has more options because of the turbos. Also as far as the N54 engine on the 535i yes there's a widely known HPFP problem that most yes most drivers will eventually get. BMW has tried to react to the problem by extending the HPFP warranty to 100k miles, although this helps correct any issues you may eventually get with the engine theres always the hassle of having to take it in to get the problem fixed and the time wasted.