boerboel

I think the guide you posted Lotus was a USA one, I am 99% sure there was a Msport pack available for Canada for multiple years. I have been watching the autotrader.ca and just too many come up that are Msport 2008 or 2009 for it to be guys changing bumpers and side skirts all the time.... just my .02 cents.
I remember getting confused by that when I started looking. I did consider buying 2008Msports car.


Oh yeah, when I initially started looking to replace my 2000 E39T, I looked at a lot of cars, and ended up driving eight 328xiT and three 535xiT and three Audi A6 wagons. In the end I really wanted a flat roof wagon, the slope on the E91 always looked weird to me, and the ride quality sealed the deal. The 5 is better obviously, and the A6 ride was tops. My E38 spoiled me for a smooth ride. I even suspect it was designed by someone with a sore back. You don't have to reach for any controls to drive it, and the ride is second to none. I noticed it after a particularly tough leg/lower back workout - I couldn't bring myself to drive the 535 that day, and I was like, hey my back doesn't hurt at all in here!
In the end I missed out on a couple Lemans blue 328xiTs and I said screw it, 535xiT in deep sea blue is close enough.

Lotus99

Hmmm... Could be that there's a US/Cdn difference. You're right in that the guide is most likely a US one. I found the Cdn guide for 2009 (attached it below), and it does list the M package.

If you go into that VIN link though, it will tell you if you have it or not. My car says it comes with:

P337A - M Sports package

Before I got this car, I looked at all the nice wagons possible, and I didn't even consider the 3/A4 because I actually need more room than that for 2 kids and a dog. If the 5 wagon was hard to find, the A6 Avant was ridiculously hard to find. None At the time in all of Canada, and like 3 for sale in all of US!

The 5 wagons were pretty hard to find too (only a few here and there would show up in Canada), and I found this beauty in San Fran instead, and had her brought up.
.

boerboel

wow that is interesting. lot of detail there. I guess I don't have the technology pack, and maybe the wagons can't get the rear sunshade, but I would like the back doors to have them.
Msport $5200 pricey!
I did consider the A4/S4 for a bit, even drove an S4 wagon stick. A4's and I mean all A4's consume oil at a disgusting rate. A guy here at work with a B8 puts in a liter per 2 tanks of gas! used to be 1 L per 1 tank! No thanks.
V8s have the timing chain issue which is at the back of the engine, and burn/leak oil. whole other set of headaches. The A6 3.0T no peach either. the 3.2 L v6 is the only one without a terrifying record, as far as my research goes. Another issue was air suspension, my mechanic said stay away.

stormhammer

Curious - how many of you guys bought your E61 out of state, and if so, how did you go about it?

I can find tons of these in California!

oclvframe

I drove from Atlanta, Georgia to Albuquerque for mine. Then again, it was a pristine 07 with just shy of 30Kmi on the clock. Owned by an engineer like myself, it had been meticulously cared for and 7 years in a dry climate made the 1400mi/each way drive a no-brainer! Most of the wagons I see are either in California, Washington State, or all up north in snow country.

-r

boerboel

Lotus there is another '08 in the trader today with a Msport pack
2008 BMW 5 Series || WINTER SALE ON NOW!!! || for $19,777 in Pickering | autoTRADER.ca




Stormhammer - I bought mine in Boston and drove it back to Ontario, but first I went to go and see it in person. Put a deposit down on it after seeing 4 pics the first day it was in the autotrader. Dealer said there was a lineup behind me.

stormhammer

Oh wow, that MSport is surprisingly affordable.

My issue is, there's an 09 one state over that looks like it may have not been taken care of. The next closest 535 w/comfort seats is ~500 miles, in Ohio. The rest are Texas, Utah, California and Washington -_- Might have to just make it a long road trip.

Although I have been turned onto the idea of a 530xiT - there's a beautiful bronze one within 150 miles.

Lotus99

And if you factor in a 1.2 exchange, it's like $16,500 US!

If the car's at a dealer, perhaps you can buy it sight unseen, as crazy as it sounds, and have it shipped to you. That's what I did, though my car only had 12,000 miles on it, and two years left on warranty, so I was crossing my fingers it was ok and that worst case, I had two years under warranty to flush things out. So perhaps get a CPO for sure if you go that route.