doug_999

Mike, I think we are all poseurs

Seriously, I looked hard at a 330 with stick and the 550 with auto. Had I gotten the 330, manual was the only way I was going. But the 5 is just too big of a car for a stick for me.

LexFather

LMAO, your a funny dude

chiawei

1 automatic- 01 530i
2 SMG- 03 M3, 06 M5 (which I will sell and replace with a manual version when 07 arrives)
1 manual E39 M5

Bought M3 with SMG to try out the SMG and see if i can live with it when M5 arrives.

Hameed

Wow you are one big baller! I can't imagine buying an M3 just so that I can try out the SMG to know if I can have it on an M5 which I am purchasing next......................

Fern

There is a reason I am on this forum.

Granted I'm also a member of various BMW forums and have to comment on the reliability issue:

I agree with a previous post that bmw cars are not unreliable as previous posts would indicate. However, if you are not a DIY kind of person, then you'll find yourself going to the dealer for rediculous obnoxious things like
-(bulb out incator on) when actually they aren't- corrosion at bulb bases
-the radiators bursting shortly after 10000 km due to plastic necks cracking on the V8 cars
-leaking power steering pumps/ hoses
-leaking trani gaskets
-leaking engine valve cover gaskets on v8 cars
-MAF sensors which cost the price of your first born child .
-arrogant dealer attitude, as if to say" what do you mean $250.00 is too much for a $2 part and 10 minutes labour to replace the elbow on the upper radiator".

At the end of the day, if your adventerous and want to have fun and feel the "soul" a car might have, setting aside the leaks and electrical gremlins, then get a BMW

If your daughter or wife is going to be driving and you want a dripless car which you will not be stranded on the road with, get a LEXUS

And for thos who are wondering- Yes,I drive the BMW 540 and my wife drives the LEXUS Rx300

My $.02
Cheers,
Fern

INHOCJP

Glad you have your wife's well being in mind

In all seriousness though, reliability issues aside, BMW's are a blast to drive.

Rockville

at least you get what you pay for. Nice car Tony. For your wife the RX350 will be out in March and will have updated goodies. Enjoy your Bimmer, it's a beaut...

Rock

Tony

Here is the official thread of my 550.

http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=20949

I have to admit I already have an electronics problem, my Nav is already screwing up and showing south as north and that I drive through Lake Mead. I have scheduled an appointment for repair work and guess what? No loaners avaliable.

Ok besides that problem the car is an amazing drive. I mean I have not ever driven a more balanced chasis. Active roll stops any nose diving and body lean and makes you want to go faster and faster around turns. BMW has mastered the black art of comfortable suspension and a suspension that talks to you without getting rough. My wife noticed the difference between the handling and comfort of the 550 and GS430 commenting that she likes the 550 suspension better. Active steering is amazing its kind of like the GS speed variable steering but gives you more precision. Driving position is perfect you feel like a fighter pilot every time you sit in the driver's seat. The 550 engine with 360+hp is perfect. It gets up and goes without any hesitation and does not make me want more power through any of the 6 gears. In fact acceleration from 30 mph to 100 mph is so quick its scary. I see other cars cruising at 80mph get dropped in a matter of split seconds and small dots in the rear view mirror.

As far as luxury this car feels like a tank and luxurious at the same time. The comfort seats are the best car seats I have ever had. They adjust 20 ways electronically and squeeze your ribs as well as support your thigh, neck and head. Electronic goodies include. Sattelite radio, MP3 play back, I pod hook up, bluetooth, HUD with nav info on the windshield and six CD changer in the dash, high defintion radio, DVD A play back. Headlights that go around the corners and adjust up and down automatically, sun shades in rear windows with power rear sunshade. Thats a lot of goodies for a sport luxury sedan. My favorite feature is the puddle lights on the side view mirrors at night.

I-drive controller can be mastered in one day and now I believe it is just as good as touch screen although a touch screen user would beat a I drive user in a race. You can see why other companies are adapting this user interface. All most commonly used ***** are present and not done through I drive anymore with most in the steering wheel. Once you set up I drive you dont use it that much until you enter data or change radio stations.

LexFather

I'll link pics for u

Tony

I didnt know how to do that.

LexFather

No problem, u gonna mod it?

foofighter

pics dont allow for external linking

Tony

I will probably put the M aerokit on it to make it look like a M5. Engine and suspension mods are not necessary since the car is perfect now. Rims might be a possibility.

Tony

Ok guys I have driven this car for a week and now can give you a honest answer between the GS430 and 550. Its one thing to test drive it and another to own it.

550 so far has been really hard to stop smoothly. The brakes are extremely sensitive and grabby. This is a common complaint among 5 series owners. Slowing down to a stop is also jerky due to the tranny down shifting to aggressively. Acceleration is always fast and sudden hard to modulate. The worst thing about the 550 is the dam runflat tires. They make the ride rough not punishingly so but rough enough to notice. I will be replacing them with Michelin Pilots soon. I also have to upgrade my software to a new version, Apparently this occurs two times a year, that takes two days to program and you get a loaner car.

Power and handling are flawless, there is enough power and acceleration to spare and you never wonder what it would be like to get more power. You run out of space or road fast if you press on the pedal.

Gas mileage is 16 miles in the city so far but I only have 350 miles on the car. Highway is about 23 mpg due to the fact I like to cruise in the upper 90s to low 100mph range. This car makes high speeds feel like 30 mph. The faster you go the more comfortable the car gets.

Electronics with I-drive is very simple and I am starting to like it alot. Comfort access with keyless doors and ignition is a must. Quality of the materials inside are very nice and feel luxurous. Comfort seats are better than the seats in the GS for thigh support, rib, lumbar and upper back support. HUD system is still the best thing since sliced bread, I never look down at my gauges any more.

What I miss about the GS430 is the smoother ride and ease of the touch screen. I also miss the rear view camera. My wife likes the ride of the GS better as a passenger due lack of road feel. There are days where I would like the GS smoothness on the road and then there are days where I need to have the acceleration and handling of the 550.

I like the trunk of the 550 its huge with a ski bag and folding seats I can put two of my road bikes in the trunk with no problems. Steering on the 550 is like a car on rails, razor blade handling, definition of precision, spot on, etc..... My Porsche has prescision steering and awesome feed back but its almost to much feed back. The 550 has perfected the feel of the road more so then the Porsche. Although in track situations the Porsche would be better because you need more feel on the track to react faster to the changing road conditions. The 550 continues to amaze me due to how flat the body stays no matter how hard you corner. Nose diving is not present, the car squats instead of diving, but it can throw you and the passengers forward.

I will let you know when I get rid of the runflats for more comfortable sport tires. This should change the ride quality of the 550 alot.

So as of right now there is no clear winner in the GS430 vs 550 debate. The GS430 is the smoother of the two and the 550 is the sporty of the two. Both equal each other in luxury and amenities. If you have lots of passengers get the GS. If you drive by yourself 90 percent of the time get the 550. The 550 can carry five in comfort but the ride is not as smooth and impressive to the passegers as the GS, my wife's mom commented on how the car likes to take off and stop to suddenly and as passengers they felt the bumps more then my GX470. Now if you are behind the wheel of the 550 you will enjoy it more than the GS because its built for the driver with the perks of carrying cargo and passengers occasionally. I do believe that the trunk space and passenger volume is bigger in the 550 than GS by mere inch or half inches. The trunk is definitely bigger than the GS. The 550 has fulfilled my needs for a sporty daily driver to supplement the use of the 911 which was to sporty and rough. I still like the smooth ride of the GS better on rough pavement. The GS460 should solve the power deficiency between the 550 and 430. So from there its just whether you like a car built for the driver or a car built for the passenger and then the driver.

I hope this helps anyone shopping between the two brands.

arunp

Thanks a lot for the writeup Tony. This really helps. I think i will just keep my 545i for another 6 months and wait for the gs460.
The original RFT's on my car were not the best tires. They were hard and you would feel every little bump. BMW replaced them under warranty due to uneven wear and noise last month and the new ones are much better. They are a bit softer and the car rides much smoother.
Enjoy the 550. Silver with black int? i saw it on e60.net.

Arun