lawguy

You hit the nail on the head - 550 is good (very good, even), but the E38 740iL sport was great. I still miss mine too.

I wish the E60 was a touch bigger. I know its a midsize and all, but I miss the size of the 7. I also wish it handled just a bit tighter in the turns.

On the positives, the acceleration of this 550 just cant be beat, the ride is really amazing - especially at 100 mph.

tprenaldo

Well I think I've mvoed from the lowest common denominator to the ultimate driving experience. I've had 3 Hyndai's and 2 Jeeps.
I believe I got my money's worth out of the Hyndai's, as I take care of my vehicles very well. The 1st Jeep didn't do well, the 2nd I still have and plan on stepping up to an X5 soon.
I entertained several vehicle's before pulling the trigger on my current 5. You know the usual list: Audi, Volvo, Mercedes, Infinity, Lexus, and even Cadillac. However, the BMW outweighed them all.
You can really appreciate a vehicle like the 5, when you've come from a Hyundai. All of which got over 200K miles. I figured if I can keep a Hyundai for that mileage, imagine what I could do with a Beemer.

swajames

They do, DRP - the US 2008 550 Sport Pack is the M-Sport...

Rock14

1986 - Jeep Commanche 4 banger truck, don't even see them out there anymore (Highschool)

1998 - Dodge RAM V-8 318, still have the truck and it's got 140,000 miles runs great. You always need a truck around for something to haul or pull. (College)

2002 - Lexus GS 300, got tired of the rough ride in the Dodge RAM, currently has 130,000 miles and still own it great car very dependable.

2006 - 325i BMW, the wifes car she loves it

2008 - 550i BMW, finally got the 8 in the car I always wanted! Great car picked it up last Saturday and can't say enough about it. More sporty then the Lexus and obviously much more faster! Seats are alot more comfortable, but again the Lexus is an 02'.

Service comparison - Lexus has the best service that I've seen in the car industry. BMW has probably the shittiest service you will find for the amount you pay for the car. Don't know why that is, and Corporate should be ashamed of the reputation that is being built on their brand here in California. Debated on whether or not to buy a BMW because of the service, but hopefully they can change it some day!

Next car - TBD probably something to kill myself in with 500+HP

amigo525

First car: 1998 mazda 626 -- still remember her like love at first sight !
second 323i 2000 e46
third 525i 2002 e39
fourth 525i 2004 e60
fifth 525i 2006 e60
sixth 525i 2008 e60

DynaSpy

I just posted a new album in my profile of my first car - 1994 Mazda MX6

TwiBlueG35

The 530i doesn't belong to me, its my parents, so I should write out the cars they have owned instead.

1988 Mazda 626 sedan -> 1995 Toyota Camry LE V6 sedan -> 2001 Acura 3.2CL coupe -> 2004 Lexus RX330 LUV(still owning) -> 2007 BMW 530i sedan.

This is by far the best car my parents have ever owned. It is the fastest, quiestest(well a bit quieter than the Camry I guess), has the best handling, has the most features, and arguably the best looking car among the ones they have owned.

550isport

I spent way too much time on this question...The M sport suspension doesn't use active roll stabilization like all U.S. 550 sports do. All "M" suspensions use old fashioned thick, stiff anti-roll bars. I don't know if there are other differences in the suspension geometry between a euro spec 550 M sport and an U.S. LCI 550 sport, but I wouldn't be surprised if an M sport had a bit more negative camber up front to increase grip or more positive caster to aid turn in. My 740 was 4255 lbs. and it was noticeably more eager to turn into a corner than the 550 is.

I think the moral of all this is, BMW is making more 'comfortable' cars to appeal to a broader base. Traditionalists in the U.S. who love BMW's race track-to-road car connection (which is probably a smaller percentage of BMW owners than you'd think) from now on are basically forced to go M to get that same primal feeling from the car...? With one fantastic exception. The 3 series seems to have been spared from the blanket of gadretry-induced-comfort that was cast over the 7 series in 2002, the 5 series when it became the E60, the X5 when it became the E70 and so on. I hope the 1 series is a raw driving experience.

DRP

ipp

Are you getting the M Door entry sill trims and the M Sport steering wheel?

rstiles

I came out of 1998 528i. I love the power and handling of the 535i.