ipp

Must have been a 528i, else it had to be something older than '08. I've owned both pre and post facelift E61s, and I think at least the interior is much better with the facelift versions. And as I've said before, I really like the looks of it, very futuristic. Either way they drive like a dream, the S212 with sports package is almost as good, much better when it comes to comfort.

Here is my current ride, it's leaving me this Monday...

220S

I wish we had more choices for Estates here in the USA. Why can't we get the M5 Estate or the Audi RS Estates or the C63 Estate (it looks good, imho.), etc..? Stupid Americans and their SUV fetish. At least MB exported the E63 AMG Estate. Not many sent over here; only 62 of them for MY09. I almost got one that I found at a dealer, but it was white on beige. White on black or any other color and I would have bought it.

K-A

Nice, looks a lot better with the M-Pack for sure, I'm sure you'll miss the driving dynamics, but the comfort of the E is definitely at a different level, we'll see what "type" you are, i.e if you'll get bored of the Merc fast, and long for the Bimmer, or if you can't help but continuously enjoy the added Luxury. My friend just bought an S550, traded in a 535i for it, and he literally hates the S, thought he'd like the big plush ride, but is just bored to death with it he says, and misses the 5'er.... Go figure.

I'm pretty sure her car was an '08 525, maybe it's a US spec thing? It was definitely a 525i (and slow as sin), and definitely a Face-Lift.... Maybe an '07?

Yeah, we had a pre F.L 545i in the family too, the F.L's interior is much nicer. It's not a bad interior all around by any means (F.L), subjective design aside, I found areas that seemed quality, but quite a few that were pretty cheap IMO. The car felt very solid though, chassis and structure just felt tight and tough, like one of the Car Mags said when describing a 3'er ("has that 'BMW thud' everywhere").

emilner

I think I might pick up a 2002-2003 540I as a beater. I have seen a few REALLY well kept loaded cars with 60k ish miles for between $12-14K. I always loved that design. To say I am pissed at BMW for that recent melted slab of cheese sh*t they passed as an evolution to the E39 (as I have learned the nomenclature) is an understatement. I figure the maintenance will be whatever but its worth it, the car just looks classic...


Does anyone know the top BMW forum? I have not found one up to the caliber of this one...

K-A

That would be awesome, and the perfect compliment to your E. Post some pics if you get it.

BMW owners.. for lack of a better word.. can be a little "out there", and you'll have to sift through some garbage in each Forum. They are insanely enthusiasts though, so you'll find lots of different Forums, I've been to "Bimmer Forums" before, it seemed alright, but didn't look around much.

220S

The BMW forums tend to be inhabited by boy racers in 3ers. The most popular are E90Post and Bimmerfest. Bimmerfest tends to be the more mature of the two.

Now you have me thinking of picking up a E39 as a daily beater. Only problem is the higher probability of getting stuck on the side of the road with an older beater. Plus they aren't much cheaper to repair than MBs. But if you find a nice specimen and keep it up, they are rewarding to own/drive, imho.

K-A

My bad, I meant Bimmerfest! That's the one I've checked out for my own research before.

Maybe we can get a group buy in for an '01-'03 E39 DD.

ipp

I think e60.net is the best car forum I've experienced. They are called 5series.net now I think. I will continue to hang out there even though I don't own a 5 series anymore, still have my 1 series.

ipp

Thanks for not hating it! No, in the US the facelift came out in '08. With 528i, 535i and 550i. There never were a facelifted 525i in the US. In Europe we still have it though. So if it were a 528i it was a facelift, and it shouldn't be much more sluggish than a E350.

Yeah, I hope I'll like the E-class handling (or lack off) compromise even better than the 5-serie's. I still have my stickshifted 1-series M-Sport if I'll miss the BMW too much.

K-A

Interesting, so it was an '07 she had, and all this time I thought it was an F.L. I gotta say the materials in that car were really lacking aside from a few spots here or there, now that I know it was in fact a pre-F.L, I wanna check out an F.L and see what I think of that one.

emilner

I went with an E550 as my first German car mainly b/c of how much the people sucked on the BMW forums. I posted the same question asking people about the E550/550i on here and two BMW forums. Here I got people who liked one or the other or both, everyone was respectful- I learned alot. There I got no response even after a bump on one forum and on the other I got a few "MB sucks loser", and like comments- not wanting to become a troll myself I went with the E

I know there will be more maintenence, but the significantly lower buy in cost will make up for that. I have not owned a car out of warranty for at least a decade but I have changed every part of a car including 2 chassis (yes I am serious). My main concerns are engine/tranny problems, I know that is where you can get hurt- but it is just a car, swapping a motor is a day project. I need to research what options, concerns to look out for etc.

I know Geico is always trying to sell me a really cheap warranty, which is completely worthless on a new car, but maybe they have something for an E39...