Allen

I am one who has a '08 535i and have had no HPFP issues at all...and I absolutely love my car. I really don't care which car people recommend. Chances are pretty good that those who have had a bad experience, will suggest against the 535i...those who have had a good experience, will recommend for the 535i. That's the whole point...to get different perspectives. My experience with my 535i has been great...so I say get one if you can find a nice one. Regardless of which one you get...you're gonna love it!

tuffluck

this post or not, i read many posts from 535i owners that recommend the 535i, knowing full well the potential risk they pose. if your car runs great, awesome. you're probably not going to go out and suggest to the OP to date a prostitute with no worries just because the one you are dating happens to be clean. the risk i just don't think it worth it, and even though your purchase may say otherwise, it doesn't mean that is the outcome every time. that's what i mean by "offended," though after consideration, that may not be the most applicable word. again, i'll just reiterate what i said earlier:

i am not sure what my 530i has to do with this post, but in part i think you've made me realize it is at least somewhat relevant. i test drove a 2010 535i immediately after i test drove my current 2007 530i and i did not notice a difference in acceleration, nor did my girlfriend. not that she would have, but i came from a 360-hp sport's car so acceleration levels are something i am pretty sensitive to. yet another reason why i would recommend the 550i over the 535i, if those were my two options. i feel like that perspective is a minor consideration over the former HPFP issues mentioned, however.

Mephistopheles

What made you choose the 07 530i over the 2010 535? Just curious...

tuffluck

oh, the 2010 535i was never an option for me. i think the MSRP on it was like 60k+, it had the M package and every possible option. i was originally looking for the 255hp 530i since i felt it was the most practical of cars in my given price range with decent power and good gas mileage (ha). any 535i or 550i that was comparable in my price seemed like a sketchy purchase (problems, ugly color, etc). the salesman who i worked with had a 535i and claimed they were so much faster than the 530i. he actually didn't really know what he was talking about though, because he said the 530i had only 225hp, which was true prior to 2006 models, but we were in a 2007 model...

anyway, he didn't want me to test drive a 2007 version of the 535i and fear that i might not want the 530i that i liked so much (and he knew my budget and that i was pretty stern about sticking to it, so i don't think he thought logically i would spend more), but i really wanted to drive a 535i so he suggested a 2010 that was loaded and completely out of my price range. at least then i could see the difference but obviously not have any compelling urge to get that particular 535i over the 530i that's well under half the price of what the asking price on the 535i is.

and that's what happened. i test drove it with my girlfriend in the car, we went down the same course i did with my 530i only minutes before, and i did the same 0-90mph WOT and i literally felt no difference from the 530i. if there was a difference, it was marginal at best. after that i pretty much figured if a 2010 535i didn't impress me there was no way i was going to spend another 6-7k on a 2007-2008 535i and expect it to wow me either. pretty much end of story.

funny thing was, the salesman said he can virtually tell no difference between a 535i and a 550i, except that there is a bit more torque down low on the 550i, but marginal, and that the 550i feels like it has a harder time stopping due to its weight. therefore i had no interest in test driving the 550i after that. i've done a notorious analysis before that shows the true performance:weight ratio in the 3 cars is not as significant as bmw advertises, and between his real world view of the 535i vs the 550i and my view of the 530i vs the 535i, it sounded pretty accurate. they are still incrementally quicker than their predecessor, i just think it's a bit overstated by the manufacturer. to each his own i guess

tex_phil

I would personally chose a 550 over 535. I want another car but instead of going to one of those I think I'm gonna hold out and just go from my 525 to a m5. Because if I get a 550 I'll always think of, what if I would have got the m5.

Allen

I just spent a long day in my car yesterday ('08 535i)...and a particular thought kept coming up in my head. These E60s...all the different flavors of them...sure are nice cars. They all seem to have issues of one sort or another...but almost ALL cars do...especially when you go and look at the online forums. But when these E60s are running right...omg...they are such SWEET rides. So while I really do appreciate all the back and forth "debate" between owners of the different flavors of E60s...I definitely feel lucky to own one...regardless of which flavor.

RMcoolX

Naw, I could never get offended about anyone making mention of the HPFP problems. I actually used that knowledge to my advantage when it came time to shop for another one, getting another grand off the sticker ($9k total) when I threatened to walk. I went into my second one knowing full damn well that I could have some issues, but the enjoyment that I get from the additional power makes it well worth the gamble. Worst case scenario is that I turn mine in and get to drive me a free loaner around until I get my baby back. No big deal to me, especially since my dealer is so near to my job.

(...and I'm probabbly jinxing the hell out of myself right now!!! )

But to say that a 2007 530i accelerates like a 2010 535i is somewhat surprising. My bro-n-law has one and it never felt to me as if he could hang off the line, although it did feel just as able above 80. Perhaps a brand new unbroken in 535i would feel about as quick as a fully broken in 2007...that would make more sense to me.

girmis

[quote name='tuffluck' timestamp='1287091731' post='1254799']
oh, the 2010 535i was never an option for me. i think the MSRP on it was like 60k+, it had the M package and every possible option. i was originally looking for the 255hp 530i since i felt it was the most practical of cars in my given price range with decent power and good gas mileage (ha).

I do not want to bash you, but it looks like you are trying to justify your 530i purchase just because you could not afford 535i or 550i. How often do you WOT a car from 0-90 in real life? If you want to compare, compare like you would drive everyday traffic - speed up from 30mph at low rpm. And if you don't feel the difference between 530i and 535i at the lower end, I am sorry, something is wrong with your "sensors"

545IblupasdU

Im sick of reading about this 530i bs......I came in to see what the OP chose and here we are again with more 530i comparisons, when will it end

Gene

just as soon as someone brings up the I6 FI-TT vs NA V8 debate