ipse dixit

I was just spec'ing an M5 on the BMW website and it came out to about $89K USD. Besides the metallic paint, I also added some goodies like Comfort Access, M Seats, HUD, and the MSRP came out to just a hair under $90K USD.

Now a similarly configured 650Ci would be about $10K less.

Given the standard features that are available on the M5 vis-a-vis the 650i, I think the 10k difference is almost comical.

Consider:

*You get the V10 with the M5 (and only a V8 on the 650)
*You get EDC and HPS (both of which are not offered on the 650)
*LSD (or M Variable Differential)
*SMG III with the M5 (versus the "regular" SMG for the 650)
*Bigger brakes and beefier suspension setup

Heck, I think just the V10 alone would justify the 10k difference.

Thoughts?

rodybmw

Just out of curiosity, why are you comparing the M5 with the 650 and not the 550?

m5lover

I think that the m5 bought at mrsp is a steal!!Unfortunatelly i bought it above mrsp but i think its still worth every single penny

Centurion

Hell, I agree.
I think this car is actually a bargain if you can get it at MSRP.

When you compare the e60 to the e63 (non M), I really don't see why the 6 series costs more than a 5 when both vehicles are similarly equipped. Is it because you are paying for the coupe image? Is it because the coupe handles/performs better than a sedan, thus, warranting a higher price?

I think the M5 is a steal at that price, but don't tell the folks in Bavaria that.

wolverine

For the 6 series, you are paying about $10,000 more than the 5 series just for style. That's it, just style. If you really look at what you're paying extra for on the 6 series, it's styling. I thought about going for the M6 vs the M5, but decided against it, just because I couldn't justify losing three seats for a minor performance gain.

Yes, the center of gravity is about one inch lower, and the car weighs 180 lbs less, but that sums up the performance differences. BMW quotes about a 10 second difference in 'ring time for the M6 over the M5, but 7 seconds is due to the 'track' tires the M6 is wearing. Bottom line is there is a slight performance difference, but it equates to the difference between driving alone, and driving with one person in the car.

EBMCS03

M5 all the way!

Stealthblue

You might want to consider the $3700 Gas Guzzler tax too...

ipse dixit

For the 6 series, you are paying about $10,000 more than the 5 series just for style. That's it, just style. If you really look at what you're paying extra for on the 6 series, it's styling. I thought about going for the M6 vs the M5, but decided against it, just because I couldn't justify losing three seats for a minor performance gain.

Yes, the center of gravity is about one inch lower, and the car weighs 180 lbs less, but that sums up the performance differences. BMW quotes about a 10 second difference in 'ring time for the M6 over the M5, but 7 seconds is due to the 'track' tires the M6 is wearing. Bottom line is there is a slight performance difference, but it equates to the difference between driving alone, and driving with one person in the car.
[/quote]

Yeah, I've never really understood the price difference between the E60 and E63.

If the 10k difference is only about styling (i.e. premium for a coupe) then the E63 is a really poor example. I've always felt that the E63 looked like a mutant Toyota Solara .... Not a good thing. :thumbsdown:

Toyotal Solara




Mutated ...




<span style='font-size:8pt;line-height:100%'>
*images courtesy of Edmunds.com</span>

znod

I did what you did--went to BMW NA and priced the 3 cars below the way I would order them. I wouldn't consider the M6 for the reasons mentioned by others--except that I like the 6-Series styling, in general, a great deal--maybe slightly more than the 5-Series styling in general. I came up with:

550i--$69,730 (including the aero kit);
650i--$77,940; and
M5--$85,865 + Gas guzzler tax of $3,700 = $89,565 (Ignored the extended leather--not sure if I would really like it better).

When I think about cars, I don't get overly specific about "small" differences--things that would make little difference in my day-to-day driving experience. The sorts of things that ipse dixit mentions are the sorts of things I would be concerned about. In sum, I would think primarily about performance (including the things ipse dixit mentions), looks, and relative pricing.

In the performance category, I would sacrifice some excellent handling for additional straight-line performance--since I would have, and would care to have, few occassions to seriously explore the M5's handling abilities. In the looks category, I would sacrifice some looks for some convenience. And, then I'd somehow work in price.

I agree with wolverine's idea that one pays about $10,000 for styling/coupeness when buying a 650i. I would quickly eliminate the 650i (as I did the 645i) because I don't think it looks much, if any, better than the sexy 550i (or, in my case, 545i) and lacks the convenience of the latter. Without much thought, I would consider the the M5 to be a bargain compared to the 650i.

So, I am faced with a $16,135 price difference for the M5 and the 550i. The M5 wins on looks, but only slightly since I compensated with the aero kit. The M5 wins decidely on performance--straight-line and curves--no matter how good its performance turns out to be. In this regard, its straight-line performance is more important to me.

Now comes the main issue for me. Is the M5 a bargain compared to the 550i? Given my preferences, it is only a bargain if its straight-line performance is sufficiently faster than a modestly modded 550i. Let's say the 550'i stock performance is 5.2 (60) and 13.4 (quarter)--which is .2 faster to 60 than the 545i in 2 of 3 "big-3" US mag tests and which is 3 faster in the quarter than the 545i in all 3 mags. Now, let's say I spend the same amount of a 550i that I have spent to date on my 545i--about $3,000 that I don't expect to recoup. Then, the 550i might do 5.0 and 13.1, and the incremental cost of the M5 becomes about $13,135--with no incremental warranty issues. To me, that difference makes the M5 sound like a bargain compared to the 550i.

Bargain or not, I am not sure that I would buy the M5. For one thing, I don't find cars that perform straight-line as well as the M5 probably will to be that much fun. First, one gets used to their acceleration very quickly. And, second, where is the fun in having a car that obviously is much faster than any other car one probably would ever line up against in a fairly safe place? The most fun car I've ever had is my 1985 after-market turbo RX-7 GSL-SE. It beats so many cars it "shouldn't" it is a blast. Also, while I am not sure about the BMW driving schools, generally speaking, if one takes his/her car to the track, then its warranty is at risk. So, where does one get to fully experience an M5?--or my Z06?

The bottom line is that I would perfer to have a car that is faster than it "should be"--like my 545i. At least there is a chance that I will line up in a reasonably safe place with a car I shouldn't beat to 60, but can--say maybe an unmodded 550i or 650i. In this regard, I very seldomly will do streeties much in excess of 60 MPH.

I think I believe all that I said above. ~{;^) But, still, maybe I'll buy an M5 or a new Z06 when their prices come down to earth and when they are not first-year cars. I don't like buying first-year cars. And, what is a global bargain? Only the new Z06. It costs $75,000 including the gas-guzzler tax (if there is one), and it will badly beat virtually any car on earth that costs less than a much bigger bundle--whether going straight or through curves.

wolverine

I did what you did--went to BMW NA and priced the 3 cars below the way I would order them. I wouldn't consider the M6 for the reasons mentioned by others--except that I like the 6-Series styling, in general, a great deal--maybe slightly more than the 5-Series styling in general. I came up with:

550i--$69,730 (including the aero kit);
650i--$77,940; and
M5--$85,865 + Gas guzzler tax of $3,700 = $89,565 (Ignored the extended leather--not sure if I would really like it better).

When I think about cars, I don't get overly specific about "small" differences--things that would make little difference in my day-to-day driving experience. The sorts of things that ipse dixit mentions are the sorts of things I would be concerned about. In sum, I would think primarily about performance (including the things ipse dixit mentions), looks, and relative pricing.

In the performance category, I would sacrifice some excellent handling for additional straight-line performance--since I would have, and would care to have, few occassions to seriously explore the M5's handling abilities. In the looks category, I would sacrifice some looks for some convenience. And, then I'd somehow work in price.

I agree with the idea that one pays about $10,000 for styling/coupeness when buying a 650i. I would quickly eliminate the 650i (as I did the 645i) because I don't think it looks much, if any, better than the sexy 550i (or, in my case, 545i) and lacks the convenience of the latter. Without much thought, I would consider the the M5 to be a bargain compared to the 650i.

So, I am faced with a $16,135 price difference for the M5 and the 550i. The M5 wins on looks, but only slightly since I compensated with the aero kit. The M5 wins decidely on performance--straight-line and curves--no matter how good its performance turns out to be. In this regard, its straight-line performance is more important to me.

Now comes the main issue for me. Is the M5 a bargain compared to the 550i? Given my preferences, it is only a bargain if its straight-line performance is sufficiently faster than a modestly modded 550i. Let's say the 550'i stock performance is 5.2 (60) and 13.4 (quarter)--which is .2 faster to 60 than the 545i in 2 of 3 "big-3" US mag tests and which is 3 faster in the quarter than the 545i in all 3 mags. Now, let's say I spend the same amount of a 550i that I have spent to date on my 545i--about $3,000 that I don't expect to recoup. Then, the 550i might do 5.0 and 13.1, and the incremental cost of the M5 becomes about $15,135--with no incremental warranty issues. To me, that difference makes the M5 sound like a bargain compared to the 550i.

Bargain or not, I am not sure that I would buy the M5. For one thing, I don't find cars that perform straight-line as well as the M5 probably will to be that much fun. First, one gets used to their acceleration very quickly. And, second, where is the fun in having a car that obviously is much faster than any other car one probably would ever line up against in a fairly safe place? The most fun car I've ever had is my 1985 after-market turbo RX-7 GSL-SE. It beats so many cars it "shouldn't" it is a blast. Also, while I am not sure about the BMW driving schools, generally speaking, if one takes his/her car to the track, then its warranty is at risk. So, where does one get to fully experience an M5?--or my Z06?

The bottom line is that I would perfer to have a car that is faster than it "should be"--like my 545i. At least there is a chance that I will line up in a reasonably safe place with a car I shouldn't beat to 60, but can--say maybe an unmodded 550i or 650i. In this regard, I very seldomly will do streeties much in excess of 60 MPH.

I think I believe all that I said above. ~{;^) But, still, maybe I'll buy an M5 or a new Z06 when their prices come down to earth and when they are not first-year cars. I don't like buying first-year cars.
[/quote]

I do think part of the kick of having an M5 (for me anyways) instead of an M6 is the idea of a 4 door sedan just blowing the doors off cars like the Porsche 911S.Imagine a kid looking out the back window of an M5 and sticking his tounge out at the 911S driver as the M5 blows by him on the highway.