E36 M3/4 to an E60 545i.... thoughts?
03-03-2009, 04:04 PM
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My Ride: 2005 BMW 545i; Titanium Silver II; Sport Package; Cold Weather; Navigation; 3M Clear Bra; Alpine IPOD Interface; MOMO GTR Tech 19" Wheels; Heated Wheel; Smoked Hella Taillights
I made the same move and love every minute of it. There is no comparison between the cars when it comes to power and smoothness on the road. My car has sport suspension and it handles great. Lot more room for passengers and golf clubs in the trunk. You will not regret this decesion. Good luck
03-03-2009, 04:36 PM
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well cost/performance, i like the 535. i leased my 08 535 for sub $600 a month. for less then 800 bucks I could be at 400HP and have one quick highway cruiser that will put a hurting on pretty much all sedans and most sports cars and gets 25 MPG, plus there are two words that i get to use together that compliment eachother really nicely... "twin turbo".
03-03-2009, 04:43 PM
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...and i have had a 69 camaro RS with a 350, 86 firebird with a 350 and an 89 trans am. i have also owned a sub 12 second NA 93 mustang, which was killer to drive, but the E60 is for me. you get performance and style.
03-03-2009, 07:17 PM
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Originally Posted by Mike Hawk' post='805875' date='Mar 2 2009, 08:51 PM
Hey all,
Well to be honest I never even gave the 5 series a second glance. Mainly cause of 2 things... 1) PRICE! and 2) SIZE! Well I have a co-worker that is needing a replacement sedan, so after doing a few searches, I come upon the little hidden nugget in the BMW lineup.. the used 545i! I mean, how great is this car? 0-60 mile in 5.7sec... that's as fast as an LT1 F-Body... yet is still able to sip gas on the highway and get 28+ mpg.
When I saw that the 04 and 05s were going for low to mid $20k I about fainted. This seems really do-able with everyone dumping their lease 545i and whatever else because of the economy.
So anyway, I'm seriously considering a 545i. And here's where I'm coming from. Back in Dec 2004 I wanted to get something comfy, so I ended up getting a brand new '05 Accord Sedan EX V6 Auto. This was great as a cruiser, but holy god is she boring to drive. This car has NO soul!!!
April 2007 rolls around and I finally had had enough and got into a car I've been wanting for a long time... the E36 M3 Sedan 5-speed. Well fast forward another 2 years to 2009 and although my M3 has been a blast, she's getting pretty old and the creaks and parts starting to need replacement are starting to be a chore.
That's why I think the 545i is such a perfect match for me.. it's a blend of the Accord (nearly identical dimensions exterior/interior) for size/comfort, yet a bit of the M3 for power and "soul". I do about 90% highway 10% street, so the 28+ mpg will be a nice improvement from the 22mpg I'm getting now.
Has anyone done the unorthodox jump from an E36 to an E60? Thoughts?
Oh and here are the rides I'm talking about:
'05 Accord
'97 M3
Well to be honest I never even gave the 5 series a second glance. Mainly cause of 2 things... 1) PRICE! and 2) SIZE! Well I have a co-worker that is needing a replacement sedan, so after doing a few searches, I come upon the little hidden nugget in the BMW lineup.. the used 545i! I mean, how great is this car? 0-60 mile in 5.7sec... that's as fast as an LT1 F-Body... yet is still able to sip gas on the highway and get 28+ mpg.
When I saw that the 04 and 05s were going for low to mid $20k I about fainted. This seems really do-able with everyone dumping their lease 545i and whatever else because of the economy.
So anyway, I'm seriously considering a 545i. And here's where I'm coming from. Back in Dec 2004 I wanted to get something comfy, so I ended up getting a brand new '05 Accord Sedan EX V6 Auto. This was great as a cruiser, but holy god is she boring to drive. This car has NO soul!!!
April 2007 rolls around and I finally had had enough and got into a car I've been wanting for a long time... the E36 M3 Sedan 5-speed. Well fast forward another 2 years to 2009 and although my M3 has been a blast, she's getting pretty old and the creaks and parts starting to need replacement are starting to be a chore. That's why I think the 545i is such a perfect match for me.. it's a blend of the Accord (nearly identical dimensions exterior/interior) for size/comfort, yet a bit of the M3 for power and "soul". I do about 90% highway 10% street, so the 28+ mpg will be a nice improvement from the 22mpg I'm getting now.
Has anyone done the unorthodox jump from an E36 to an E60? Thoughts?
Oh and here are the rides I'm talking about:
'05 Accord
'97 M3
03-03-2009, 07:28 PM
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I have a 2002 M3 and a 2008 535xi. Both are great. The M3 rides harder and feels much more connected to the road, but I'm amazed with acceleration and smoothness of the 535 and while I have not raced the two against each other, the 535 feels almost as strong as the M3 - probably because I live at 6500 feet and the turbos are making up the lost air density. The doors feel more solid on the 535 and I actual like the i drive and nav system. I autocross the M3 once in a while and I know it will time much faster than the 535 could. I'm thinking of a chip for the 535, but I'm concerned over messing with my four years of warranty. Anyone have sugestions on the chip/other engine power mods? Thanks.
Richard
Richard
03-03-2009, 08:08 PM
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Originally Posted by durangoroadboss' post='806885' date='Mar 3 2009, 11:28 PM
I have a 2002 M3 and a 2008 535xi. Both are great. The M3 rides harder and feels much more connected to the road, but I'm amazed with acceleration and smoothness of the 535 and while I have not raced the two against each other, the 535 feels almost as strong as the M3 - probably because I live at 6500 feet and the turbos are making up the lost air density. The doors feel more solid on the 535 and I actual like the i drive and nav system. I autocross the M3 once in a while and I know it will time much faster than the 535 could. I'm thinking of a chip for the 535, but I'm concerned over messing with my four years of warranty. Anyone have sugestions on the chip/other engine power mods? Thanks.
Richard
Richard
i have raced an e36 M3 and the 535 was a little quicker, however, there were no turns
I have thought about doing the PnP JB3 for a good 100 hp and easy installation and removal for when you bring the car in for service and whatnot. I think there are warranty options for the Dinan chip too.
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