ragsdale

I posted much of this elsewhere a few days ago, but it was on a pretty stale thread ... apologies to those who saw the first one. I was the guy asking for advice on the economics of paying more now for a 2006 550 vs. 2004 545, to which the response was essentially "two different financial animals, not comparable." I concluded that I wanted dealer/CPO and the ability to sell/trade in a couple of years with "warranty" as a selling point, thus 550. Found that dealers were asking far too much for 2006s and 2007s, but I was reasonably patient, and it worked out. Picked it up last night. No daylight plus rain so no pics just yet. You guys have seen 'em all before anyway!

Cut the deal with my local dealer in NY (White Plains). By no means a steal, but I like the equipment and color, plus the comfort of CPO, and it will be nice to have a relationship with a local guy who "owes" me something. Some of the dealers are finally facing the fact that the new 535 has devalued used 550s/545s, and they are willing to deal, so I did get quite a bit off the asking price. That will make my economics much more palatable when I have to have the next cool thing (555?) in 2-3 years .... As I followed CPOs on bmwusa.com for two full months, I saw only one 550 move, and it was a well-priced 2006 (20K miles, better-than-average equipped, green/black, asking $48K, bet it went for $46K). There are many more 545s listed, harder to follow accurately over the two months, but I don't think many of those sold either. Folks looking at used 545/550s should be able to do pretty well right now.

My specs:
- 2007 550i
- 5K miles
- silver grey/beige
- manual
- sport
- other nice stuff: nav, comfort access, heads-up, sat radio, etc.

I found a much better deal in Alabama, through a dealer who is incredibly motivated. Also 2007 550i, manual/sport, very nicely equipped (nav/heads up, etc.). Black over beige. 10K miles. You can see the details on the bmwusa.com web site; it will be obvious which car it is. Trust me, that car is a STEAL; ignore the asking price. I grew up 60 miles from this dealer, and a 962-mile road trip with one of my kids would have been a lot of fun. But given work demands at the moment, the local car makes my life much easier. Have to admit that I paid sort of a ridiculous premium for that convenience. But I'm nearly at peace with it! Really. Almost. Sorta.

Thanks very much for the advice, folks.

Went for a quick ride at 5:30 AM this morning ... ahhhhhhh.

Terry

Blackonblackonblack

Congrats Terry, and welcome to the Ultimate Driving Experience!

sleeper

Congratulations on your new BMW. By the sound of it you have done an excelent job in sourcing your car.

The E-60 is a fantastic car you will grow to love and appreciate day by day. The information you will learn from the guys on this site will amaze you.

Enjoy, and keep us posted.