SocalM5Lover

2008 M5

The M5 step sister


The notes

http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?se...article_id=6963


What I find incredible is that the caddy is 60K...

I love Bimmers, but their technology doesn't compare to this model....

one could argue that if you get the same performance, for 30K less with better technology/electronics, it would be a steal...


Anyway food for thought...

EBMCS03

Wait that articled was in the latest road and track magazine? I must have missed it. haha

I like the CTS-V a lot but the fact that its a GM car and how BAD they're doing and I'm helping to bail them out... Oh boy. Let me have the M5.

EBMCS03

Holy crap! How many accords did you have? Why did you give up on accords and goto BMW?

OH and how much is your insurance for totaling so many accords? Must tell you something... they handle like crap and lose control too easily and causes you to crash right?

corgidog

Or one could say that since he survived 3 crashes that resulted in totalling the car, the Accord really saved his life.

IceyTys

I like the new Caddy's for styling and features for sure...before I bought my 5'er I test drove a few CTS (v6) and STS with performance packages. The only real problem I had with them was the steering and body roll felt a little mushy especially in the front compared to the BMW. Not having driven a CTS-V it would be interesting to see how they upgraded the suspension from the FE-3 suspesion used in the top of the line CTS.

The current E60 is a little dated compared to all the gizmos and features of the new Caddy, and I think the styling of the V is right up their with our cars. I also think the Caddy would be less expensive to maintain over time. I think the only main issues would be the hanlding aspect and investment value of the cadillac from both a re-sale standpoint and the overall shakiness of GM. However if you are saving $30K off the top and the performance is close, definitely worth considerations.

One other thing to note, I dont know if you've been in a new CTS, but the interior space is way smaller.

my .02

ObD

IMHO, the CTS is the best American car ever made. It's 90% of BMW and very European in its handling. Gripes are no integrated bluetooth, lack of a decent manual transmission, the key fob is huge, and the V6 is a tad noisy at high revs. The E60 still beats it in handling, engine smoothness, buttery manual, and electronics integration. If I was intent on having an automatic transmission, the CTS is a very good bang for the buck, and would deserve a very hard look. The E60 is still king with a manual and the Sport Package handling. IMHO, if you don't buy a BMW with a manual and the SP, then buy the CTS or a Lexus.

EBMCS03

Yup I agree... if I HAD to pick the best American made brand car it would be Caddy

tex_phil

I personally really like the CTS also.

skylolow

Newest CTS's are excellent.

But with many I guess what you would call American built cars they tend to loosen up over time and become sloppy in there fit and finish and handling. German cars just seem to be solid at 5K as they do at 100k in alot of cases. Should be interesting to see how they hold up over time.

studavis

An important point missing from the equation is comparing the total acquisition costs of the caddy, and then look at the depreciation of the car over just a two year period compared to the E-60. If you assume a 550i and a CTS purchased in 2007, with roughly the same specs, the Caddy?s average trade in value with 24,000 miles on the clock is around $20,000. The acquisition costs of the Caddy in 2007 was around 44k, so in two years, the car lost more than 55% of the initial value. The 550i in 2007 with the same equipment was around 52k. The current vale of the 2007 BMW is close to $31,000 and change. The BMW retains more than 60% of the initial value after 2 years. The picture gets a lot worse if you amortize the two cars over 5 years. Granted, there will be a slight difference in depreciation when the CTS-V has a longer data range is used for the car, but if your buying the Caddy, and making payments at 5%, your going to have a coronary event when you look at the costs of the debt service for the nasty depreciation. I would wager that most off the CTS-V?s will be leased, and not bought, so the true difference between the two in terms of just price is much closer when you look at the big picture.