roocrew99

Hello all,

I'm REALLY struggling with "practicallity" versus desire. I really want to purchase a 2007 M5 but in all reality I do not need what the M5 brings to the table. I think that the 550 will probably be sufficient however i'm really craving a sports car/family mobile. It will be my daily driver and baby hauler, and because i'm lazy i'm looking at the SMG transmission.

Advice?

I've been reading the forums at other similar posts but really want to get some other thoughts, so I appologize in advance

EDIT: I dont care about MPG...never owned a vehicle that got over 18MPG let alone 20MPG.

Thank you

Aaron

1600

550

rctmthouse

I would have to agree with 1600; 550 would be the way to go when the terms sport car/family mobile, daily driver and baby hauler are involved. Went through the same thing several years back and decided to get the 550 but down the line, will definitely join the M club.

AngelSlayer

What year on the 550? If you're talking about an F10 550 then I think a few people went from E60 M5 to F10 550 and have been happy.

roocrew99

Not an F10. It'd be 2008 more than likely, maybe a 2009. I've been watching autotrader and what not but there are not a lot of 550i's for sale in my area. There are more M5's than 550's. I'm also contemplating an ebay purchase but that scares the bejeezus out of me.

-AI

John Morgan Evans

If gas isn't an issue then M5,
by 2007 they worked out a good amount of kinks that the 2006s had. It can still be comfortable and sporty, and classy all at the same time. You will not be disappointed

Gene

have you test driven both? especially the m5 with SMG?

roocrew99

Not yet. Planning on tomorrow for the M5. Is SMG a bad thing?

NavarroOne

The LCI automatic is fast, especially when you have the sportsautomatic option. 200 ms shifts makes it an acceptable replacement for a manual transmission.

Despite a lower purchase price, the dealer advised me against the M5 and pushed me toward a 535D instead, which I know is sadly not available in your parts. The arguments were jerky shifting, too hard suspension for long family trips and fuel mileage (why don't you care about mileage, by the way? It isn't just about $$ at the gas station you know.. )

Since then, when I see an M5 which was the same price, I regret that I didn't take it as I love the engine sound and it has cool design features as well. Whenever the M5 is out of sight, I feel I'm driving the king of the road and when I make my infrequent stop at a gas station, thanks to the 600 mile range, I always have a smile on my face

usmabmass

i have an 08 550i, and i love it. i was also looking at an 06 m5, but decided against it for the following reasons:

- SMG transmission shifts are jerky around town/slower speeds - makes it less comfortable for family members, but it shifts well at high speeds, when your wife probably isn't around to make you slow down...

- gas mileage. you don't care about gas mileage, and neither do it (same boat - my last car averaged 17 mpg), and i average about 14-15 mpg in my 550. But people on the board have mentioned their M5's getting as low as 6-7 mpg. That is significant. You can expect to pay 3-400 a week on gas based on how you drive (just an estimate)

- maintenance costs. you had better get an extended warranty (not cheap) with the m5, because that is stratospherically more expensive than the 550i (expensive too) when something breaks. i would not want to own an M5 out of warranty

- fun to drive. it depends on where you live. where i live, driving is an absolute blast in my 08 550i sport with the sport auto. on the highway, they are still crazy fast - the M5 is of course faster, but, being in the states, you won't REALLY get to enjoy it like you could in germany.

Now, the M5 is a great car (sound itself is pure sex), but i'd recommend getting one as the "fun car" and not the family/daily duty car. just my 2 cents! in the end, get what you love.