waynedog

I am ready to upgrade my 2007 LS to either a newer one or something else. There are several like new (<10k miles) CPO 2013 5 series (528 or 535) BMW's at local BMW dealers for around $40k which is in my price range. For the same price I would be looking at a 3 or 4 year old LS with 40k miles or so. With the CPO extended warranty, is the 5 series worth looking at? I have owned an LS (400, 430, 460) for 10 years now and wouldn't mind having something more fun to drive. But I don't want a car that will have a lot of problems, even if covered under warranty. Anyone have any experience/knowledge with the current model 5 series regarding reliability and how it compares to an LS?

slimjimtel

Two completely different cars. You need to drive the 5 series and see if you like the harsher ride and plain Jane interior. it's going to all come down to your driving style and comfort level that you are looking for. If you've had a 400, 430 and 460, chances are you may not like the 5 series ride. It's a drivers car and has a stiffer suspension, firmer seats and some what lacks the refinements of a Lexus.

Tee

You might want to hit up the BMW forums and get idea of ownership experience etc as well.

greg3852

If that is the case, why not consider a GSF or an ISF?

williakz

Good advice, all.

If you're still intent on looking into the 5 Series, you want the 2013 535i M-Sport which is really the sweet spot of the series, IMO. You don't need the AWD in SC, which means you will get the upgraded M Suspension on the 535 RWD when you get one optioned with the M-Sport package (AWD M-Sports don't have the M Suspension). This suspension is to die for - it really is THAT good! Also, with the RWD you'll get staggered tires which seems to really benefit this car. Of course you will immediately pull the factory/dealer runflats and replace them with some good Michelins (AS3s or Super Sports). You can also go up a size to fill out the wheelwells and bring the speedo to true. The 528 is somewhat underpowered with its 4-cyl and the 550 is similarly somewhat overpowered with its 8-cyl. The twin-scroll turbo inline six in the 535 is just right. Have fun, Goldilocks!

sktn77a

iTrader: (2)

If you decide on the 5 series, DO NOT get the 4 cylinder model. I really can't believe BMW would sacrifice their engine reputation with these 4 cylinder engines, just to meet CAFE standards....... There must be a better way.

lexgolf

I owned a 2006 BMW 535i and a 2009 BMW 750i. BMWs are a different kind of car, totally different from Lexus. I still own a 2006 BMW 330 CI convertible.

BMWs handle differently, and are a pleasure to drive. The only negative is the high maintenance costs, and a few technical decisions BMW made that made me move away from the brand: Run flat tires, No dipstick, poor battery life, turbo nightmares, ... The list goes on.

If you have the stomach for visiting your dealership every so often, by all means get a BMW.

Otherwise, be happy with boring old Lexus. Nothing much goes wrong with it, but there is nothing to excite you wither.

Just my humble opinion.

FrankyBoy

Keep the LS and get a sports car like I did! :-) Switch it up when you want to ride slow! LOL

GXAlan

I had a 2014 535i. Excellent fuel economy, superb infotainment system and a great ride that wasn't too harsh. LED headlights were amazing as well.

Engine failed at 2000 miles. took the dealer 21 days to fix it. At 3000 miles it broke again. Took another week to fix. I lemon law'd the car and went to the LS460 Sport....

Lextrician

I wanted a 5 before I got a 460 but no regrets, minus I was looking at a 550 or m5. I think frankyboy is right keep the lex and get a sports car... sooo many horror stories yet its sooo 50/50 hit and miss on bimmas

GXAlan

It'll be a long time before I buy another BMW. They are nice cars but they are not supercars where I am willing to put up with those issues. BMW was courteous with the whole process and I know they were trying their best. BUT if you look on bimmerfest.com, catastrophic problems with the N55 and N63 engines (535i and 550i) aren't uncommon.

The 535i gets 34mpg on the highway. I think the crazy bleeding edge fuel economy is what makes them fragile. Lexus is a lot more conservative with their engines (port+direct injection for example) and their fuel economy but that probably brings reliability.

What I wish is that Lexus put 24-bit FLAC and USB MKV/MP4 video support onto the infotainment (which BMW can do). The remote locking and apps are nice too.

I wasn't disappointed when my BMW broke. Stuff happens. I was disappointed that BMW couldn't fix the problem after saying it was fixed. It's the problem of an inability to diagnose the car.

Look at this forum. Complaints are rattles and wind noise. Look at Bimmerfest. A lot more drivetrain compliants.

When I bought my 2014 BMW 535i, I planned to keep it until the engine died. I even had the car detailed by Jeff at "immaculate reflections"

http://www.immaculate-reflections.com

... and I did keep my promise to stick with the car until the engine died!

williakz

Hmm, BMWs falling apart left and right? Must be a whole lot of stupid people around the world then. Except for the Africans who seem to have figured things out...

http://www.bmwgroup.com/e/0_0_www_bm...nuar_2014.html

GXAlan

No, it all depends on what you want. BMW always had a loaner car for me (328i) and the customer service was pretty solid. When the car worked, it was great. When the car spent more than a month at the dealer in the first 3 months of ownership, BMW didn't give me any hassles when I complained (compared that to Porsche where a guy has to go on YouTube to get the company to deal with a defective car)

Many people think the BMW experience is worth the hassles. Enough that they're number one. It was exactly $0 for all my repairs since it was done under warranty. BMW service is open 7am to 7pm, which for many people is plenty.

For others, having a luxury car is about not having to deal with that of stuff... For me, the joy of driving the 5-series wasn't enough to deal with the headaches. I actually prefer driving the LS 460 Sport. The BMW just had spectacular infotainment and surround view and LED headlights.

https://www.google.com/search?q=f10+lemon+site:www.bimmerfest.com&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari#hl=en&q=f10+lemon+site:www.bimmerfest.com&start=20

https://www.google.com/search?q=ls+460+lemon+site:www.clublexus.com&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari

williakz

I have owned and will continue to purchase both makes. Each company produces excellent products, engineered to the highest standards, that exhibit near-perfect levels of reliability with minimal maintenance and/or owner inconvenience. Your BMW experience, though regrettable, is uncharacteristic of the brand - certainly in its current iteration. The "headaches" of which you speak are not those of the 5-series; they are the nightmarish experience of ONE owner and his specific car. My BMW experience is 180 degrees from yours and is much more in line with the experience MOST (not all) such owners have with their BMW vehicles. Similarly, I have had numerous problems with my LS460s, but I realize the vast majority of Lexus owners have a much better relationship with their "babies" than I have had. And my/our ES350 and GS450h were (and are) just about perfect cars in every respect. So it goes...

Nospinzone

I have always put a lot of weight on Consumer Reports ratings because they are based on so many users. The ratings for most BMW models are not particularly good. There are many vehicles rated worse or average reliability. However currently the 5 Series 4 cyl and the 535i rwd are rated better and much better respectively than average.

On the other hand, all Lexus models are rated better to much better than average reliability.