Tony

Hi guys, I have been on the GX forums for a while and now want to get into a sports sedan.

I have driven the BMW 06 M5 and the 550 and about crapped my pants. Both cars were so strong and smooth with no body roll due to active roll stabiiization and no nose dive under hard braking. I got a chance to drive the GS430 for the first time on the same course and felt more body lean and got squirly on some of the same fast turns as the 550 took with ease.

My only beef with BMW 550 is reliability, crappy dealership network, crappy service and unreasonable pricing and lease rates. Man these cars are sure fun to drive though.

My main question is, under hard braking does your GS430 nose dive alot? Is there excessive body lean? Can it corner? Its hard to feel all these things unless you drive the car for a week. Have any of you guys regreted getting the GS430 vs all the other brands like E500 and BMW550. I dont like infiniti M45 so thats out of question.

When will the GS460 come out? Should I wait for that model instead?

Thanks to all

Tony

Looking at your sig you must have a 5 series. Which one do you have and have you had any problems requiring lots of dealership visits?

I live in Las Vegas and the BMW dealerships here are the worst in the nation. I am very afraid of going in for service. Usually you have to book 2-3 weeks ahead and no loaners.

Lexus dealership here is the best I have had for service although my GX was so reliable I only saw them two times a year and they always give me a loaner.

arunp

Hi Tony,

I currently have a 2005 545i with only 8200 miles on it. I love the car but i have had quite a few issues with it including trans slipping, active steering off center, rattels, rough idle etc etc a total of 16 days in the shop in the last 7 months (some of the issues have still not been fixed). You are correct about BMW service, there is none. After my last visit to the dealer last month i decided to sell the 545i ( did not give me a loner car although i had made the appt over 3 weeks in advance, poor customer service, rude service advisors etc etc) and buy a Lexus GS430. Many of my friends own Lexus cars and they have had no issues with them. I just dont understand why BMW does not make more reliable cars. Are the parts they use cheaply made or they do not do enough testing on the cars. It does not make sence to pay over 60k for a car which has so many issues. You can go on the BMW board (e60.net or roadfly.com) and see how many people had to either trade in their cars or BMW had to replace the under Lemon Law. As for the GS 430, yes there is a bit of body roll, it does not have the BMW steering feel and it is a bit slower; in other words it is not a BMW 550/545I, but i think it is the best compromise between reliablity, luxary and a bit of performance (0-60 in 5.7sec is not too bad). If I want a performance car i will buy a M3 or a Boxter as my weekend fun car and will not care how many time it has to be in the shop. But for a daily commuter/fun to drive/reliable i do not want one which has constant issues. Another thing about the Bimmers is that they are very expensive to repair after the warranty expires (had to pay $285 just to replace the front turn signal bulb on my 02 x5). I am picking up my GS430 in a week. I was also going to wait for the GS460 but it is almost 8 to 9 months away and when they come out i am sure the dealers will ask sticker for it. Hope this helps.

spwolf

3k, they are holding up quite nicely I see... 650i is nice.

Matt L

One word says it all: reliability. Lexus (Toyota) has the best consumer reports ratings for reliability. BMW cannot hold a candle to our cars when it comes to reliability. Maintenance costs on Bimmers is not cheap. BMW shines in handling. If you want handling, get a sports car (I have a sick Rx7 Turbo) or get suspension upgrades like L-Tuned coilovers. nuff said.
Matt

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

Matt, reminder that this is the third gen GS forum and there simply aren't many aftermarket suspension options out there yet . I have no doubt they will come but for now there are only one or two I've seen.

Couple of clarifications before folks get confused
L-tuned does not exist any longer, Lexus dropped it a couple of years ago.
L-tuned never made coilovers.... they offered a simple lowering spring/shock combo O***d by Eibach and KYB. These were only for the the 2nd gen gs, not the 1st or 3rd.

Gojirra99

I would take a M5 if budget allows, but would take a GS460 over 550i,
Both the exterior & interior of the 5 series is too unappealing to me, I think the GS wins big in those regard, as well as luxury, comfort, refinement & reliability.
Only the performance of the M5 with it's V10 is enough to compensate for the other negatives of a 5 series for me.

It all depends on how much "sport " you want in a sports sedan too. A hardcore sports sedan , or a more balanced one with more emphasis in other areas.

I think the GS460 will most likely come out in the fall with the new LS460 IMHO. Good luck in your search.

Tony

Arunp you would be the guy I need to get opinions from. So do you have your GS430 yet?

I currently have a 997 911 CS. I dont drive it daily. I use it for fun and used my old GX as a daily driver. The problem was I was missing the handling of the Porsche as a daily driver and decided I need a car that can bridge the gap of performance and luxury ride. I just sold my GX. I really want a reliable car as a daily driver and cannot risk taking days off of work to drop my car off into service. The GS430 has all the electronic goodies but I did not feel that joy when I drove it. I might have to go back and drive it again several times.

I dont want good handling at the sake of reliability. Talking to the BMW dealership here is like talking to a wall. They have so much business being the only dealership in Las Vegas that they dont care if you get mad. They really dont care if you buy their cars or not because they have a line of people that will.

Tony

The 650 is a marvelous car. I have not heard of any issues with that car as far as mechanicals or electrical. I dont know if its because there are fewer of those cars on the market so not enough people complain or they are just better built then the 5 series. The forums on the 5 series especially the 545 models had major software problems, rattling problems, and door sill problems.

RNM GS3

I would definitely wait for the GS460, if possible.......The 550i might be a bit faster and will definitely handle better, but the OVERALL package that the GS offers is hard to beat especially if you factor in the price.

I would only get the 550i if a manual is a must, and if the exterior/interior styling appeals to you. IMO the driving feel of the 5 series cant be beat but the interior is CRAP compared to the GS and the exterior styling is not very appealing.

Mrbig

I also have been looking at these. Its def going to be a hard choice but it depends on what you want from the car. What type of leasing prices were you getting between the two cars ???

costanza

If performance and reliability are top priorities, just buy the M45 and move on to the other less important decisions in your life

marshmallo

The BMW is a much better sports sedan than the GS430.

The biggest reasons I would not get the Beemer is the hideous
styling and the cheap looking interior. The 5 is the BMW I like the
least in terms of looks (just a personal opinion). The lizard like front
and the dented back are just too awful for me to get past. Lizards
freak me out

The Lexus on the other hand does not have the great driving
dynamics of BMW and the styling is not the greatest either.

Tough call, but I would at least wait until the GS460, cause a
550i smokes and outhandles a GS430 by a big margin.

chiawei

Having owned/owns 4 BMW since 2001, the reliability issues claimed by this forum is exagerrated.

True BMW are not as reliable as lexus, but it is not as bad as people in this forum made it out to be.

My M5 has so far 0 issues thus far (yes, there was a recall and had my vanos line replaced even though it did not leak). At 2300 miles, this car is amazing to drive.

You really need to ask yourself. Do you like driving and can put up with worse dealer service or you can't careless about what you drive?

BMW service has never been good and never will be (except if you buy a M5 or 760Li or 6 series, I noticed a significant change in the way dealer treated me after picking up my new M5).

Lexus service in my area is excellent. But you do pay for it. BMW free maint for 4 years is a huge saving (since it also covers break and wear items- save the tires). Lexus service isn't that cheap either.

I dumped my daily beater (04 E500) last year and was shopping for a replacement. Testdrove the GS430. It handled better than the E500 and overall a much nicer car than E500 (which i really don't understand how DCX can stay in business making a piece of junk). But it still lacks dynamics and power of 550i or M45.

In the end i went with M45 for my daily driver. It handles great. Much more fun to drive. Power is excellent. The interior is also not bad as well. Didn't go with 545i because i was expecting M5 at end of the year.

Overall the M45 is heads and shoulder above the GS. Just a tad behind 550i/545i in terms of dynamic. Serivce on the infiniti side is okay. But the car itself is really outstanding.

I think you really need to find out what your priority is. To me, handling and fun to drive were much more important to me instead of dealer service and perceived quality difference. Hence the M45 wons out easily. (actually I would have bought a bimmer if i was not expecting the M5).

But if you don't mind driving a boring car and value dealer service and slight better quality, GS is not a bad choice.

Tony

I own a Porsche 997 911 CS but it is not a daily driver. Going from that car to the GS430 as a daily driver is to dramatic as far as lacking performance goes. The 550 in the end just kept making me smile every time I test drove it. I feel sorry for both the Lexus and BMW sales guys since I test drove the cars back to back up to 6 times on the same course. The GS430 is truly a wonderful car but with the new engine coming in the fall or winter at the end of the year its not a wise buy for me right now. The 550 just got the updated engine and electronics. Body lean and nose diving on the GS is what made me go towards the 550. Luxury and quality interior was the Lexus hallmarks. Lexus also had such a smooth isolated drive almost as smooth as the LS430.

Its a hit or miss with the BMW cars some people dont have any problems with their BMWs for 6-8 years and some get problems right away.

Thanks for everyone here that contributed and not bashing either brand in the process. I just like a llttle more performance over anything else. This forum is so awesome. I am not leaving the Lexus forums forever since my wife will be buying a new RX330 soon.