E60 Purchase
12-15-2012, 10:44 AM
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E60 Purchase
I have a purchase decision to make. Option A is a 2008 M5, 53,000 miles.manual, Dinan tune, no CPO. Option B is a 2010 535i, 40,000 miles, manual, M Sport package, CPO. Amenities are the same on both, care and maintenance to date excellent on both. This one will be a daily driver, set aside in winter. If I go with the 535i, I will add the JB4 tune PDQ.
I'm torn, going back and forth. So what counsel would all of you have on this one?
I'm torn, going back and forth. So what counsel would all of you have on this one?
Last edited by JWMich; 12-15-2012 at 10:49 AM.
12-15-2012, 11:37 AM
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Good point - let's make an assumption that the fuel cost differences aren't a big factor in the decision.
Price is probably relevant info, too - I expect I'll be able to get the M5 for $37,000 and the 535i for $34,000.
Price is probably relevant info, too - I expect I'll be able to get the M5 for $37,000 and the 535i for $34,000.
Last edited by JWMich; 12-15-2012 at 12:15 PM.
12-15-2012, 11:38 AM
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I also was torn between the two. In the end, I purchased a low mileage 535iX wagon. You can get it to 400 hp pretty easily, and I averaged 19.8 mpg on a trip to Vegas.
You may want to look into what it would cost for an extended warranty for the M5 and make your decision that way. I purchased a warranty with mine and it ran @$900/year for the platinum coverage, no deductible.
I can tell you the M5 is thirsty! My friend has one, and he gets 11mpg average.
You may want to look into what it would cost for an extended warranty for the M5 and make your decision that way. I purchased a warranty with mine and it ran @$900/year for the platinum coverage, no deductible.
I can tell you the M5 is thirsty! My friend has one, and he gets 11mpg average.
12-15-2012, 12:16 PM
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My Ride: 2006 BMW 550i
12-15-2012, 09:35 PM
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I'm in a unique position to comment since I've owned both. Let's start with the M5. It's amazing. Seriously, it is just an insanely awesome car with tons of horsepower, an exotic engine and a transmission that shifts so fast it's silly. It's essentially a 4 door super car. And that's it's undoing. It's cost of ownership is through the roof. There's the Embarrassingly bad gas mileage, the $500 rotors, the SMG issues, VANOS issues, etc.
The M5 is attractive because the cost to get into the door is similar to other, slower E60's. Unfortunately when you have to live with one the bills add up and fast. Plus let's be honest, in daily driving do the huge brakes do any better than the large brakes on the 535/ 550s? The lack of torque means the car isn't exactly quick from stoplight to stoplight either. As far as street cars go, the M5 is awesome but you're not going to be taking full advantage of it's potential.
And then there's the 535. Before I go off on the 535 let me explain my history. I wanted an M5 bad. I test drove them a bunch, did months of research, knew about the shortcomings, the cost of ownership, etc and knew I could afford it. I also bought a warranty for $5000 which had a 1000 mile grace period. Long story short, the SMG pump failed on my car within 300 miles of me purchasing it. Not covered by the warranty at all and $6000 to fix plus you may as well do the clutch when you're in there. Lucky for me the dealer took the car back.
So from there I bought a 2006 550i Sport with the manual transmission. I loved the car but the 360hp V8 wasn't enough for me and so I started pining for an M5 again but now I wasn't so sure I wanted to take on the additional cost of ownership. I knew I could afford it; I just wasn't so sure I wanted to. And then somewhere in my travels I discovered the 535 and the various tunes available for it and ultimately ended up buying a 2010 CPO car with the SAT trans. In stock form it's about as fast as the 550i but I bought it knowing that you can easily (and reliably) pull a lot more power out of it. A JB4 piggyback module and a dual cone intake will add about 100 horsepower without much fuss. Add E85 and you can bump that up by another 25 - 45 horsepower. It's easily removed as well.
The beauty of this setup is that you have a lot more torque than the M5 and you have peak torque from about 1500rpm through 5500rpm. Whereas the M5 is peaky and needs to be wound up to make it's power, the N54 is a freight train. And when you consider the environment you'll be driving the car most (the street) the extra torque is a huge benefit. The M5 will still be the faster car overall but the 535 will feel significantly faster where it matters (assuming you tune it) and it wouldn't be bested by the M5 unless you were doing a highway run.
The rest all pretty much goes without saying... The brakes are cheaper to replace, the suspension less complex though still plenty competent, no SMG issues, much better gas mileage and your 2010 will have the newer CIC navigation setup (assuming it's equipped with nav). Slap a set of M5 or M6 wheels on it and you have a car that basically looks like an M5 but that's also a lot more civil.
My vote is for the 535. I've had it for 4 months now and I still can't just take it across the street to the store. If I take it out I always end up hopping up and down the expressway just to stretch it's legs. I don't think the honeymoon will end.
That said, the M5 is amazing. You just have to ignore the cost of entry and figure out what both are going to cost you long term and determine if the higher cost of ownership is worth it for you. For me it ultimately wasn't and my failed SMG pump turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
I'll leave you with this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGNX8SD_rUE
The M5 is attractive because the cost to get into the door is similar to other, slower E60's. Unfortunately when you have to live with one the bills add up and fast. Plus let's be honest, in daily driving do the huge brakes do any better than the large brakes on the 535/ 550s? The lack of torque means the car isn't exactly quick from stoplight to stoplight either. As far as street cars go, the M5 is awesome but you're not going to be taking full advantage of it's potential.
And then there's the 535. Before I go off on the 535 let me explain my history. I wanted an M5 bad. I test drove them a bunch, did months of research, knew about the shortcomings, the cost of ownership, etc and knew I could afford it. I also bought a warranty for $5000 which had a 1000 mile grace period. Long story short, the SMG pump failed on my car within 300 miles of me purchasing it. Not covered by the warranty at all and $6000 to fix plus you may as well do the clutch when you're in there. Lucky for me the dealer took the car back.
So from there I bought a 2006 550i Sport with the manual transmission. I loved the car but the 360hp V8 wasn't enough for me and so I started pining for an M5 again but now I wasn't so sure I wanted to take on the additional cost of ownership. I knew I could afford it; I just wasn't so sure I wanted to. And then somewhere in my travels I discovered the 535 and the various tunes available for it and ultimately ended up buying a 2010 CPO car with the SAT trans. In stock form it's about as fast as the 550i but I bought it knowing that you can easily (and reliably) pull a lot more power out of it. A JB4 piggyback module and a dual cone intake will add about 100 horsepower without much fuss. Add E85 and you can bump that up by another 25 - 45 horsepower. It's easily removed as well.
The beauty of this setup is that you have a lot more torque than the M5 and you have peak torque from about 1500rpm through 5500rpm. Whereas the M5 is peaky and needs to be wound up to make it's power, the N54 is a freight train. And when you consider the environment you'll be driving the car most (the street) the extra torque is a huge benefit. The M5 will still be the faster car overall but the 535 will feel significantly faster where it matters (assuming you tune it) and it wouldn't be bested by the M5 unless you were doing a highway run.
The rest all pretty much goes without saying... The brakes are cheaper to replace, the suspension less complex though still plenty competent, no SMG issues, much better gas mileage and your 2010 will have the newer CIC navigation setup (assuming it's equipped with nav). Slap a set of M5 or M6 wheels on it and you have a car that basically looks like an M5 but that's also a lot more civil.
My vote is for the 535. I've had it for 4 months now and I still can't just take it across the street to the store. If I take it out I always end up hopping up and down the expressway just to stretch it's legs. I don't think the honeymoon will end.
That said, the M5 is amazing. You just have to ignore the cost of entry and figure out what both are going to cost you long term and determine if the higher cost of ownership is worth it for you. For me it ultimately wasn't and my failed SMG pump turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
I'll leave you with this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGNX8SD_rUE
Last edited by Mike_K; 12-15-2012 at 09:39 PM.
12-16-2012, 05:37 AM
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My Ride: 2008 535i LCI with sports/premium package, Sports trans with paddle shifters, CF emblems, JB4 Software, Dinan Exhaust, Navigation, M5Tech body kit, Carbon wrap interrior trim and CIC Controller.
Wow, you must have a heavy foot... I have a 535 with the JB4 and get 28-29 on the highway and average 25 all around with 75% highway and the rest in town.
12-16-2012, 05:53 AM
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My Ride: 2008 535i LCI with sports/premium package, Sports trans with paddle shifters, CF emblems, JB4 Software, Dinan Exhaust, Navigation, M5Tech body kit, Carbon wrap interrior trim and CIC Controller.
I too love the M5, but you will need lots of money to throw at it. Not that its a problem child, but when it get in trouble, it's in trouble. The cost of repairs and parts are just crazy!
