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I just received an excellent offer on my 2020 S560. The car is in perfect condition with 4500 miles. I always wanted to own a BMW and experience the ownership at least once. You never know! I might regret it and want my S-Class back after a couple of months; however, I would say it's worth it to give it a shot. Test drove the 7 series at the dealer, and that car didn't impress me; however, after driving an M550 (V8 power), that car seems a lot of fun !! I know we are in the Mercedes Benz forum, and we might not even have any BMW fans, but I would appreciate it if you guys could share your experience on owning a BMW. By the way, I am thinking about financing this car since I drive a lot!
I have had two BMWs . I had a G30 530i X Drive. I hated its ride quality with 20" run flat tires and rode like crap as other owners described tramlining . The car was not an M Package either .Not to mention poor A/C performance or more correctly lack of sufficient cooling .
I prefer G20's interior over G30 in general
I've had BMW's for over 25-years, and my father has had 5-Series since the 70's. I owned the G30-Generation (current) 5-Series from 2017-2018 before getting my CLS. I had a 540i, not 50i, but have extensive experience behind the wheel of both models and the chassis especially. My 540i was nothing but headaches, constant electrical gremlins with the HVAC and safety systems and battery which required many dealer visits.
The M550i uses the N63 engine which, while updated, has a very poor history of reliability. If looking to own long-term (and out of warranty), I'd highly advise to stick to the B58 Inline-6 engine used in the 40i models, BMW's specialty is their I6, and it is much more reliable, BMW has not had any luck with V8 reliability in the last three decades (father owned 2 V8 5-Series both with many issues in the late 90's and early 00's as well).
As for handling, compared to the S-Class it is more athletic and sportier, but if you are looking for a traditional BMW drive or have experienced driving a 5er before 2010, the car is disappointing. BMW never was able to nail the G30's chassis in my opinion, just very numb from all aspects, especially the steering. I got the CLS53 because shockingly the Mercedes was more fun to drive. That being said if your experience is different from mine, and you didn't grow up driving each individual generation of 5-series, like I said, coming from the S-Class you'll likely be fine with the drive. Other than that the infotainment is good, gauge cluster in the new models is horrid, and the interior is well laid out and ergonomic just not as beautiful as Mercedes.
I've had BMW's for over 25-years, and my father has had 5-Series since the 70's. I owned the G30-Generation (current) 5-Series from 2017-2018 before getting my CLS. I had a 540i, not 50i, but have extensive experience behind the wheel of both models and the chassis especially. My 540i was nothing but headaches, constant electrical gremlins with the HVAC and safety systems and battery which required many dealer visits.
The M550i uses the N63 engine which, while updated, has a very poor history of reliability. If looking to own long-term (and out of warranty), I'd highly advise to stick to the B58 Inline-6 engine used in the 40i models, BMW's specialty is their I6, and it is much more reliable, BMW has not had any luck with V8 reliability in the last three decades (father owned 2 V8 5-Series both with many issues in the late 90's and early 00's as well).
As for handling, compared to the S-Class it is more athletic and sportier, but if you are looking for a traditional BMW drive or have experienced driving a 5er before 2010, the car is disappointing. BMW never was able to nail the G30's chassis in my opinion, just very numb from all aspects, especially the steering. I got the CLS53 because shockingly the Mercedes was more fun to drive. That being said if your experience is different from mine, and you didn't grow up driving each individual generation of 5-series, like I said, coming from the S-Class you'll likely be fine with the drive. Other than that the infotainment is good, gauge cluster in the new models is horrid, and the interior is well laid out and ergonomic just not as beautiful as Mercedes.
Thanks for your detailed and professional post regarding the BMW.
After talking to a good friend of mine who is also has extensive experience with BMW models, the reliability of V8 is really questionable. I think I will stick to my S-Class and enjoy the ride !
2016 S550 sport, 2018 GLC300, M3, Zo7, 2021 Sierra Denali
Originally Posted by js_cls
I've had BMW's for over 25-years, and my father has had 5-Series since the 70's. I owned the G30-Generation (current) 5-Series from 2017-2018 before getting my CLS. I had a 540i, not 50i, but have extensive experience behind the wheel of both models and the chassis especially. My 540i was nothing but headaches, constant electrical gremlins with the HVAC and safety systems and battery which required many dealer visits.
The M550i uses the N63 engine which, while updated, has a very poor history of reliability. If looking to own long-term (and out of warranty), I'd highly advise to stick to the B58 Inline-6 engine used in the 40i models, BMW's specialty is their I6, and it is much more reliable, BMW has not had any luck with V8 reliability in the last three decades (father owned 2 V8 5-Series both with many issues in the late 90's and early 00's as well).
As for handling, compared to the S-Class it is more athletic and sportier, but if you are looking for a traditional BMW drive or have experienced driving a 5er before 2010, the car is disappointing. BMW never was able to nail the G30's chassis in my opinion, just very numb from all aspects, especially the steering. I got the CLS53 because shockingly the Mercedes was more fun to drive. That being said if your experience is different from mine, and you didn't grow up driving each individual generation of 5-series, like I said, coming from the S-Class you'll likely be fine with the drive. Other than that the infotainment is good, gauge cluster in the new models is horrid, and the interior is well laid out and ergonomic just not as beautiful as Mercedes.
This really sums it up. I have owned alot of BMW's. I have also learned alot of hard lessons being out of warranty. Unreliable is an understatement. I cant understand how BMW has allowed this reputation for decades.? My mechanic friend said his opinion is BMW makes the car for the first owner and designs it as if it will never need to be worked on. He further explained Mercedes has a completely different mindset regarding longevity and reputation along with servicablity. Mercedes can be owned out of warranty, but I would never consider that again with a BMW. Mercedes are far from perfect, but a much better car for long term ownership. I have had several Mercedes over 100k with few issues.
I had a trouble-free 2006 E60 M5 with the SMG Trans for about 18 months. Bought it in early 2013 with around 33k miles and sold it in late 2014 with around 48k miles. Had a warranty on it, but never needed to use it once. Those engines were renowned for their super tight clearances which would cause rod bearing failures, VANOS problems, and disdain for the SMG. But mine didn't have any of those issues. The guy I sold it to still has the car with well over 100k miles, so obviously the engine hasn't blown up yet.
I think it really comes down to how you take care of them and do all of the maintenance on time or early. Most car owners are slackers and skip many services, go longer than they should between oil changes, and are shocked when their cars later have catastrophic failures. Maybe you can get away with much less frequent maintenance on a Honda or Toyota, but certainly not on a BMW. Those are definitely cars where you must have a rock solid exclusionary warranty for the entire time you will own the car and you cannot skip any services. BMW'S have similar maintenance to MB with 1 year, 10k miles between services. But you should cut that mileage and time in half for oil changes. 10k miles between oil changes, even with high quality synthetic is a recipe for disaster down the road. If you've ever seen how dirty synthetic oil looks after 10k miles, you'd never wait that long again.
I think it really comes down to how you take care of them and do all of the maintenance on time or early. Most car owners are slackers and skip many services, go longer than they should between oil changes, and are shocked when their cars later have catastrophic failures. Maybe you can get away with much less frequent maintenance on a Honda or Toyota, but certainly not on a BMW. Those are definitely cars where you must have a rock solid exclusionary warranty for the entire time you will own the car and you cannot skip any services. BMW'S have similar maintenance to MB with 1 year, 10k miles between services. But you should cut that mileage and time in half for oil changes. 10k miles between oil changes, even with high quality synthetic is a recipe for disaster down the road. If you've ever seen how dirty synthetic oil looks after 10k miles, you'd never wait that long again.
Up until recently BMW had all services included for the first 4 years. From what I remember they had a higher than normal amount of people who did their scheduled maintenance probably as a result. I have had quite a few BMW V8's (550,650,750s) over the last 10 years. Even with proper maintenance they saw far more than normal problems, and not just wait to the next service to fix problems- these were get in there now issues. From mild things like 4 ($400) batteries in 3 years on the same car, alternators, and solenoids to major engine issues and an eventual buy back. And don't get me started on their choices of rim/tire packages. My 2011 550ix with 19" rims went through 11 tires and quite a few bent rims in 18 months. And it wasn't the driver- I haven't had a single bubbled tire and only 1 bent rim since I got rid of the car nor have I ever had issues with any of my Vettes. The car was just too heavy for the tires they spec'ed. At one point there wasn't an oem tire available nationwide and they were telling people to drive the cars if they have 2 bubbles or less per tire.
A friend of mine has a 2021 M550 and he loves it. It's a very fast car but that is about the end of the "special" part of it. I think the E series is an all around better car even if they don't have a direct speed competitor for the M550. I don't think you can really compare an S class to an M550 though. They are 2 very different vehicles with the M550 being designed around speed and the S class built luxury first, second and third...
For me BMW is reliable. We have a G01 current model X3 with the 4 cylinder and it has been nearly perfect.
German V8s are bad. Excepting maybe Porsche. AMG V8s have a bad history: M156 and M157/M278. The latest non-AMG M17x 4.0L V8 seems to be faring OK after what seems to be a small number of complaints on this site for unsolved misfiring in the early models.
BMW V8s have their own chequered past as noted above.
You don't want to own one of those V8 cars long term as others have said...but for a lease, why not? I very nearly ordered a 750 instead of my S560.
I considered going back to a smaller car, and I drove the 550 and the higher end E Class and I just couldn't go back to something that small. But as for a BMW? I would give one a shot for sure.
I had a CPO 2012 750. Let's just say thank God I didn't own it after the warranty. I would've been broke. It was one of the best blends of luxury and sportiness that I've experienced though.
One thing that makes me very relieved I chose the S Class over the 750, is whats going on in the market right now. If I get to the end of my lease and things are still insane, I feel WAY more comfortable buying this S560 out of the lease and keeping it a while than I would a 750...
TL;DR everything, but I too was curious about BMW's and purchased a 5-Series awhile back and it was incomparable to MB's I've owned. It drove and rode like a Subaru, never again.
I have had a 550M car, as other posters have noted, small back seat. Cooling issues. The S class is just a better car, but having said that I just traded my 39K mile S550 for a 2018 Volvo v90 CC with the luxury package, I love the car. The seat massager and heated steering wheel are way better than MB 1/2 heated steering wheel idea. I really like this wagon!
The seat massager and heated steering wheel are way better than MB 1/2 heated steering wheel idea.
That's because the Benz's wheel is more than half wood which cannot be heated. The leather portion is all heated. I have no complaints about the massaging seats in my car, which are better than what I had in my GL550 and S600.
I have had a 550M car, as other posters have noted, small back seat. Cooling issues. The S class is just a better car, but having said that I just traded my 39K mile S550 for a 2018 Volvo v90 CC with the luxury package, I love the car. The seat massager and heated steering wheel are way better than MB 1/2 heated steering wheel idea. I really like this wagon!
Which wheel do you have? My wood wheel is fully heated.
Originally Posted by DaveW68
That's because the Benz's wheel is more than half wood which cannot be heated. The leather portion is all heated. I have no complaints about the massaging seats in my car, which are better than what I had in my GL550 and S600.
The wood section (the full circumference) of my steering wheel is heated- which frankly was surprising and welcome.
I take the S-Class over a 5 series any day although I do like the latest M5/M8 offerings. We had only S-Class models since the 80's with one BMW 750li (F2) in the mix. That car was a disaster. We moved from the W222 to an AMG E63s as my wife was looking for something smaller and the regular E-Class would have been a step down. I see the regular 5 series the same way. Unless you pick the face-lifted M5, I would not consider this a good replacement. Drove that M5 in Germany and it is a fun and competent ride.
12-30-2021, 10:33 PM
