jadedj

Hello!

Joe here from Seattle, WA USA. I was introduced to this forum by the guys over at Bimmerfest/forum as I'm shopping for a 2008 (E61) 5-Series Wagon.

My love of wagons, and European wagons specifically, came when my Dad took me car shopping right before my freshman year in college. After the free 84 Honda Accord sedan mysteriously ran over a few "large stones" when I was still in high school, he reluctantly took me to see this 1997 Saab 9000 Turbo which was sitting in a garage in Queens, NY. Some little old lady purchased this MT 9000 new and barely drove it - I think it had around 65K miles - and my wily father quickly snatched this up and sent me off to school. Being "smart," I decided after my junior year to purchase a large German Shepherd - who fit remarkably well with the seats down in the hatchback of the Saab. But as she grew and I matured (ya, know graduated), I realized that the 9000 wasn't the best fit for my life. That, plus a few trips up to Lake Tahoe in a FWD car meant the dreaded installation of chains/cables. If anyone has ever had to put chains on a car with a tiny wheel well in the dumping slush, while getting drenched by 18-wheelers speeding past you at 50mph, you know it's a miserable experience. After another brutal Northern California winter, I decided that I would never again drive a non-AWD car.

Enter my first foray into the German luxury car: my MT 1995 Audi CS Quattro sedan. Lovely ride, pretty fast, great handling but a sedan. My dog now was over 90lbs - not the smartest idea.

Move onto a 2004 MT 2.8 Avant Quattro - finally, a wagon! Great car, fast as hell, plowed through the "Sierra Cement" like no other. After driving this car to the ground, I opted for a shift from Deutchland to get a more Nordic feel with the finest (and only?) cars the Swedes make - a 2004 MT, AWD, Turbocharged V70R, Volvo.

If anyone here has ever driven an 'R' from Volvo (not R-style, but a true R, last V70R was 2007) - you know how much fun it is to drive. The 0-60 isn't sub 6 and while it won't outhandle most Audi's, this car was so fun to drive - and big! Fit the new dog (90lbs again, what can I say, I love big dogs), kidseat, groceries, xmas trees, you name it. And it would keep up with the M3's of the world, easy. The AWD, tied to the 6-speed MT and turbochargers convinced me that I would only ever drive a MT, AWD wagon. In comes my current whip: a 2008 A4 Avant 2.0T, MT, Stage 2+ (AWE Tuning, Koni FSD/Eibach).

Wow. I drove some S4 Wagons and thankfully this little gem creeped into my notices a few months into my search (nothing wrong with the Volvo, just wanted something new). My quick love of the 4.2L V8 (which was already in my wife's car, a 2004 VW Touareg), ended when hearing about the horror stories maintaining the engine as well as spending $$ repairing the aforementioned Touareg.

So if you've read this far, you're asking, "Why is he on a 5-Series BMW site?!?" Well, after almost a year in the Audi and an expanding family - I realized I need a 5-Series wagon. I've waited all my life to buy a BMW so this new search is special for me.

Since driving all these cars (and a few in between), my criteria for the new ride is extremely specific.
- it needs to be a wagon: kid, +1 on the way, large dog and I love being low to the ground; someday I'll own a M5 but that's not pragmatic for my life right now.
- needs to be MT. Won't drive an automatic. We have one in the family and that's enough.
- needs to be AWD. *See Tahoe story above.
- needs to be the E61. Drove the E90 - this is the same size as my A4, not gonna work.
Fact is, if you're looking for a European MT, AWD wagon, you don't have many choices. I know the MT's are unicorns but I'm holing hope. Please think of my if anyone you know is selling a 08+ MT wagon.

Thanks!
Joe

KyleB

hi jade.

E61 535iX

JayArras

to the forum, Joe, and thanks for telling us your life story! But seriously, we like hearing about how people came about discovering the Bimmer and wish more people would share their stories with us. It's helps us to know you better and where you're coming from.

I've seen a few MT E61s cross the classifieds section of the forum in the past few months, so they're out there. I believe they stopped making the MT version in 2008 (correct me on this) and wagon production is ending very soon on top of that, so the E61 6-speed is going to be even more of a unicorn in the days to come. So good luck in your quest!

EDIT: There are 8 listings on AutoTrader.com

jadedj

Thanks and yes, there are a few on AutoTrader and Cars.com but unfortunately, they are either mislabeled a MT when the pics clearly show an AT, or they're the 07 530iX - which, coming from an S4 and VR, I was told would not be nearly fast enough. Any disagreements with this? How much faster is the 535 wagon vs the 530?

Oh and my understanding is that the last of the MT E61's were shipped in 2010.

JayArras

Moving this thread to the E61 forum where you are more likely to receive an answer to your question.

nelsdvn

You're looking for one of 328 imported if the 535xiT 6MT is your goal.

https://5series.net/forums/e61-touri...l-e61s-142515/

2008-2010. Well one of 327 as I have one. . . Good luck, they are out there. The 2010 M-Sport 6MT would be the best but you'd be searching for a single digit car.

oclvframe

I don't know how fast you need this family wagon to roll but I can get people to puke in the back seat (true story...it happened) in my 07 530xit....and that's with an auto. Unless you gun for just the 09-10 years which narrows your choices even further...I'd open it up to the possibility of getting an 07 530 with the m/t.

-r

jadedj

Well, coming from a V70R and a S4 Avant, I believe the 530 is going to feel like a slug. Not to say that I couldn't make someone puke in the backseat but all my research says that the 530 can't hold a candle to a tuned 535 or the aforementioned 2 wagons. I don't need a rocketship - just something that's bigger and faster than my current S4.

Lotus99

The 2008 year also had the 535 engine

nelsdvn

As mentioned above, 328 LCI E61's were imported to the US. The LCI is the 535xi N54 engined wagon from model years 2008, 09, and 10. There was a change within this range from the CCC iDrive to the CIC iDrive. I believe it was during the 09 run as all 08's are CCC and all 10's are CIC.