Mercedes101

I also drove one unlike most people on this board and it is an excellent car and a good value as well compared to the E Class. Its looks are debateable but it has grown on me. The 525 has plenty of useable power - i merged onto highways and drove aggressively and i never once thought it was underpowered. Could it use more power - sure - but balanced off against price and how you drive i wouldnt pay to upgrade to the 530. This is a big car - over 190 inches in length and with its high beltline has a lot of presence. The C class on the other hand is a compact car not much bigger than a Civic- you really can't compare the two if making an entrance is important to you.

FrankW

I have to say that the design from Bangle is either love or hate. There's no in betweens.

At first from all the pictures of the new 5-series, I thought it was ugly, but that's until I saw a 545i sport in person.

The interior is still cheapO looking compare to the E39 5-series tho. I think some of the material used has gone down hill like the recent MBs.

cschow

If you had a 40K budget IMHO you're wasting your money by going after a new E60 525i.

You do realize that for *half* that budget you can get a E39 540i right? Before the E60 replaced the E39, the E39 won numerous awards and most people think the E39 looks great, while the E60 has controversial styling at best and a cheap looking interior. Do some research, there isn't that much in terms of year-to-year updates to the E39, going back to pre-angle eyes and you can save a ton of money. If you don't care about the widescreen nav unit, you can retrofit most of the latter year model updates back into an earlier model.

With the E60 525 you have a big car chassis powered by an engine which was designed for the smaller 3-series. With the E39 540 you have pretty decent V8 and a lot more standard features.

supershyguy

ya but then you are talking about second hand cars which might lead to other problems. fixing a bmw isnt the cheapest thing :p

amiras

Yes, I do. But I really like the new look (I know a lot of people hate it) and I'm more into new cars than used ones.
The other option that I was considering is the new SLK350 but I think is goind to be around 45K a I'm trying to stay bellow 40k.
Those are 2 different cars in every way so I don't know what I'm going to do. Maybe I should wait 'til next year so my negative equity decreases and then go for the new SLK.... decissions... decissions.. .!!!!

Thanks for the help to all of you guys and keep posting your opinions.

Angel

REX0000

I thought the CDI won't be available in CA and NY?

Assembler

I own a C320 Sport, although we (my family) recently bought an '04 525i as well. As BMW's claim to fame goes, the car does have exceptional handling and is a very smooth ride. The doors are extremely sturdy and thick; there is absolutely no road noise whatsoever. I have had to go to the dealer at least twice now to fix that problem with my MB, since day 1. Only now has it gotten a little better. The interior is not so great, unfortunately. The dashboard and instrument cluster have virtually gotten rid of most of the options you would expect to find in a "luxury car." What remains is climate control/audio & CD functions only. The controls on the steering wheel do not look that much better - the cruise control and left/right turn signals could have been designed in a sleeker way. I guess they are trying to go for the race-track feel.

What the 525i does have though, is the iDrive. It's an on-board computer screen that functions via a controller next to the gear selector. It's easy to operate after you've messed around with it for 10 minutes; it has pretty much all the functions that are missing in the interior first-glance. It looks kinda neat too. lol. Did I mention it is also voice-activated (if you so desire)? The wood trim on the car is awesome (it's optional w/ the premium pkg). The leather in car also feels different as well...the seats feel thicker, more comfortable.

The external design is what really drew us to it. I love the design, even though most old-fashioned BMW fanatics hate it. It is very classy from the outside. One of the reasons why it was so attractive was because it was different from the typical Mercedes style. I was considering going for an E320, until I realized it has exactly all the same specifications as my C320, except for the exterior dimensions (length/width).

A few things I forgot to note....the seat memory and adjustment controls are not located near the handle; they are at the bottom, on the side of the seat. You can also use your key to open all the windows and sunroof (just like an MB), except closing it requires you to manually insert the key into the driver door and shift it to the right. In fact, they design of the key is not satisfying either (it does not start the engine via IR - there is a metal key). The handrest on the car is extendable to meet your comfort zone; the storage compartment (in the middle) is concealed to act as if there is more space (it is in fact there though). The cupholders are arranged differently - next to the glove compartment. You press a button, and the cupholder will slide out towards you in a curved fashion.

There is a lot of room in the backseats (as well as the front seats). The backseats have cigarette ashtrays on the bottom (concealed). Like the MB, the middle backseat pops out as a cupholder. There are also air-conditioning vents in the back (like the MB).

The stereo system...I think it is Harmon Kardon; not sure though. Whatever it is, it sounds fine, but it's not that great compared to the MB stock Bose system.

A major disappointment is that the 525i has only 184 hp, whereas the 230K has 189 hp. Also, the 525i does 0-60 in 8.2 (automatic), whereas the 230K is between 7.5-7.8 (depending on whether it's the coupe or sport).

The problem with your call is that you're comparing two cars that will give you almost the same engine performance by strict numbers (the BMW is still better in handling though), and there is a 10K difference associated with it. Not sure if you want to go through with that; unless you honestly don't care about the technical specs. You might be better off buying a higher C-class & adding in some extra options with it - more bang for your buck, so-to-speak.

They are both great cars; it's a tough call. I can't really be bias about it, because if I was, I would've never bought the 525i after having the C320. The only other incentive in the decision was the fact that I know first-hand that MB quality has been decreasing lately due to using cheaper parts...I can definitely see this difference between my 99' C280 and this one. My old car was much more reliable (and it looked longer too!).

amiras

Assembler:
Thanks for your post. It has pretty much all the information I was looking for.
Yeha.. I was a little disapointed by the number (my c230 has more power.. WTF !) but I really like the desing of the new 5 series. The other option would be the SLK350 but I think is going to be an expensive one.... I guess I've to wait until prices are available.
Well it's going to be a difficult decission so I think I need to drive both and then decide. My wife is not happy about getting a 2 seats car (like the slk) and she will be really happy if I get the 525. I don't know what to do !!!!
You are right about quality. MB is going down the pipe but I also think BMW is doing something similar, everyone is trying to cut costs using cheap material (specially for the interior).
I really like the iDrive concept but I've to admitt that the interior looks a little bit empty.
Anyhow, thank again for your input and comments.

Angel