Bimmer4life23

I recently picked up an 08 550 sport and I love coming from a 545 i just couldn't do a V6 the v8 made a big difference, I had a choice of a e60 535 or the new F10 and an 08 M5 (insurance would have kick my butt) the deal I got for the 550 was just too much to pass up on. The 535 are great it all depends on your budget. Which ever you pick I'm sure you are going to enjoy it.

nonford

Ditto this individuals comments. Had a 335 and the darn thing was in the shop more than on the the road due to injectors and the fuel pump. After 7 months of not trusting this car, I wised up and dumped it. Got the 550 and the PURE V8 power is amazing, not to mention the reliability factor!!!!

If BMW better engineered the technology on the X35's, the car would be an awesome car. Such a shame..

shumaki

If it's just a matter of spending a few grand extra, go for it. You won't regret it. I know I didn't. But if the 535 suits you better, then it's a win win situation.

white535xi

everyone talks about the fuel pump issue and its really not as serious as ppl make it to be, yea BMW had a recall on it and they know its an issue, but they are taking care of everything, they even extended the warranty on the fuel pump for 10years. In the long run you will get tired of your car and wanna do some modding, the 535 has way more availability when it comes to mods than the 550. Dont get me wrong the 550 is a nice car, I've personally driven both and I like the 535, any option the 550 comes with you can get in the 535, its just the motor difference.

ah1120

I went through the same dilemma. In the end, my own requirements made my decision. I wanted a car with the M-Sport package and manual. Plus, I didn't want to modify the car for performance. I've gone through that with almost all of my previous cars, and to be honest, a little tired of it and it gets expensive. So, for me, manual, M-Sport body package, and no future mods. The answer was simple - 550i. I got it about 3 weeks ago and love it. So much torque coming from that car. It can be as tame as you want it, or it can become a brutal beast.

All that being said, if I were planning on modifying my car, I would have gone with the 535i with M-Sport body. First mod would have been ECU then exhaust then short shift then wheels...the list goes on. Too much money for me at this time in my life.

Good Luck. You will enjoy either of them.

Bad Debt

Just got a 335i loaner. Still had HPFP problems, half the time I drove it the CEL was on and a few times the car is went into limp mode. It felt like it had 50 hp and was unsafe to drive. I am not convinced the HPFP is fully corrected.

tuffluck

i saw an article yesterday that rated the 535i the worst car (amongst about 20 others) to buy used. even before knowing that information, i would opt for the 550i.

Rivelino30

I would go for the 550i to..

Chief009

I have had the experience of owning a 335i, a 535i and now drive a 550i. My 335i was a total beast! It was FAST! Agile and just plain fun to drive (as a matter of fact, I took the car in for some repair,, and got a call from my SA asking me if my car was modded, because the tech working on it thought that it was just "too" fast, lol). However, this car was in the shop too often! If it was not one thing, it was another! At 51k miles and out of warranty, the car starts acting up and I take it in, the six injectors had to be replaced! two weeks later, another issue! I loved the car, but had to get rid of it.

So I went for a 535i! Got it from a dealer in NJ and while driving home that night, the Check Engine light comes on! Took it to the dealer here in NY and they replaced a fuel sensor, then it spent 17 days in the shop because it the CEL came back on and they could not determine what the cause was. They eventually replaced the Catalytic Converters. All in all, the 535i spent 24 days in the shop and I had finally had enough of the awesome turbos. However, this is a beatifully balanced car. Not as fast or agile as the 335i, but it was more comfortable and stable at higher speeds. Everything was cocvered under warranty, but I just did not have the time or the patience to be returning to the dealership so often.

I traded the 535i for my current 550i and I could not be any happier! I have been to the shop once in seven months for a loose stabilizer bar. The 550i and 535i perhaps have the same design, but they go about their business in different ways. First off, the power. The 550i is slightly faster from a dig, but where it really shines is above 70+mph! The 335i and 535i have fantastic mid-range power, but after 120 they start to slow just a little bit, where as the 550i just keeps pulling! If you look at the power dyno on the 550i (somewhere in the Information section of this website) the turbos give you max power almost from the get go, wheras the 550i gets to its maximum power at higher RPMs). Modded, I am sure that a 535i should make way more power than the 550i, but for those who may not be into modding or risking their warranties, the 550i has more than enough power to get you where you need to go.

In the handling department, I would say that the 535i is more balanced. The 550i is a bit more nose-heavy. The 535i is more tossable than the 550i and responds better when driven aggressively.

The exhaust note on the 535i is not great at all, it is too quiet in my opinion. On the 550i it is just right! A nice, deep tone, even when under light acceleration. The 550i comes standard with a sport tuned exhaust and for me, this makes a big difference in the driving experience.

In terms of gas usage, I normally get 16 mpg on my 550i and got about 19 mpg on the 535i, with 65-70% city driving.

In conclusion, both cars have their strentghs and weaknesses, but for me, the 550i has been solid in terms of realiability and thats important for me. also, despite it being an out of production design, the E60 is still looks darn good! I plan to keep this one for a long time!

So my recommendation is to get the 550i! Make sure you get car reports as well as maintenance records of the car that you select(550i or 535i), as this could save you time, money and aggravation.

Best,

Tony

ProMed

I went back and forth between the 535 and 550. In my test drives the 535 felt noticeably "quicker" and more alive in the low and mid ranges where I typically drive, the 550 felt more powerful up top above highway speeds. They are almost identical performance wise stock w/ the 550 ahead by a tenth or two, but a simple jb3/jb4 tuner and the 535 will smoke the 550. I decided to roll the dice on the hpfp recall and go for the higher performance and better gas mileage which is an odd combination of benefits when comparing two cars built on the same platform. I drive a lot w/ my company and am averaging 25-27mpg mixed. My last 3 vehicles were V8's so the performance and much higher mileage out of the inline-6 twin turbo has been refreshing. Personally can't wait to see what the new bi-turbo V8 550 is capable of with a tuner.

Good luck with your choice.