Would like your advice. I would like a 545i but want nav and satellite. Is it worth it to order for an '04 and take delivery next May or June, or wait for the '05 model in the fall/winter. I am wary of the software glitches I am reading about, and it may make sense to get the kinks out for a later production model. It kills me to wait so long.

 

In retrospect go 05, i got my 530 had it for one day and gave it back for a week to fix software problems....theres no sports packages around for 2 months (NY), no navs, no reflective inserts in the rear bumpers, mix and match colors in the interior like they didnt have enough parts in some cars.......in my opinion BMW rushed this out half assed. I mean dont get me wrong, the car looks great and all....but you can get more bang for your buck, and all the things they coundnt get done in time in 04 and less glitches of course. What 55k car doesnt give u nav???? so dumb.

 

That is exactly the situation I find myself in. Normally if I'm ready to buy a car that is available in the form that I want I can't make myself wait any longer that I have to. So initially I thought I would wait for March/April production which means as late as a May/June delivery so that I can get NAV and HUD. But then I decided that I would also want Bluetooth which won't be available until September or October production, which would be a 2005 model year. So I decided if I'm going to wait till May/June I might as well wait till September and get the added benefit of a 2005 model year. This would also make it the second year production which would hopefully mean that some of the problems would have been solved. I'm also thinking that there may be some changes for the 2005 MY like added standard equipment or more options available, more interior/exterior color choices. Of coarse there could also be negative changes like another price hike.

In a way I'm glad that all of the options would not be available until MY2005 production, otherwise I would not have the patience to make the "smart" choice and not buy the first year production E60.

rodybmw

 

What about the rumour that the 545 will be replaced by a 550 with nearly 400 hp in next model year or 2? So many unknowns are making me go nutz

 

Probably both the 3.0L I6 and the 4.4L V8 will be reploaced in the next year or two, but for me personally I can't wait much longer than Oct 2004. I don't think any of the new engines would be available by then.

rodybmw