(I know....this isn't an M5, but read on, and you'll see how things changed): 05/08/08

I did a little car shopping today and picked this little gem up! For all of you who saw my thread about the M6 vs M5 vs 550i, this is my decision. And for those who helped point me in the right direction...thanks! However, most of you SOB's tried to tie me down to a $1500 M6 payment!!!

It's dirty in these pics...sitting on dealer lot. Did anyone see a sign on the lot in the pics that said, "Rudy was here!"? I don't pick it up till Friday and can't wait to see it all cleaned up!

And I already closed the intital leasetrader, transfer process on my current 530xi. I was able to dump my old ride in 1 day!!! I didn't even have to change my springs. I threw in my 19" CSL's, however, to sweeten the deal. It would have been nice to sell them to someone on here, but I doubt the car would have sold so quickly without them being a part of the deal.

Mods? First one is to black out the grille. And rear wheel spacers are needed. My CSL's on my xi stick out more than the 172's on the 550i do. Since I am no longer going to be an xi owner, I have no clue about the offsets of these wheels, but I know I will find it all easily on here using the good old search function...a lost art!

 

Congratulations!

 

tell us how you came down to the 550

 

has to be a price issue....

 

Good choice. You wont be disappointed at all. Enjoy it.

 

Combo of price and practicality, insurance costs, gasoline costs and did I say PRICE!? Actually, I drove the white 6-sp manual 550i Sport on Thursday...not real impressed compared to the M6, duh!

I then took a drive to Rudy's dealership since I knew they had this more loaded Carbon black one, the color I wanted...with Sport Auto, Logic7, USB/ipod, Active steering and more. It drove like a different car for whatever reason. Even the seats in the black one seemed more comfy....same Comfort seats though.

I didn't even get a chance to really "drive-drive" it due to not wanting to rev the engine too high, but it was obvious how much power was under the hood, regardless. I basically took it for a few mile drive around some nice, twisty roads....NICE! And this was my first Active Steering BMW drive. I like, I like!

I want the first 1200 miles to be a tease.....then I'm flooring it!

 

C NGRATS on your new car...you have chosen wisely

 

what color is that e60 on the passenger side? looks purplish, by the wheels I would say a 528i, no shadow line so non-sport....

 

Barbera Red, most likely. It was kind of dull out today, and the cars were covered in dust....maybe strange lighting? Here's another of that one.

 

Why? There are many people here, including myself, who chose the 545/550 with sport package over the M5 not based on price but based on an unwillingness to put up with some of the M5 issues for performance gains that can really only be exploited on the track.