So I'm going to garage the E55 for use as a weekend car, and I'm looking for a daily driver. A few cars ago, I had an Alpine White 2001 BMW 330i in 5-spd and it was quite the fun little car. Just enough power (~230hp) not to be a complete dog and it was agile for a sedan. I'd definitely want to spend under 20k for this car, so I've limited it to the 00-06ish BMWs. I'm almost positive I'm going to pick up a sedan, and I'm also looking for one with a real 5- or 6-speed manual transmission, not a Steptronic or SMG (this also rules out another Mercedes). Here's what I'm looking at so far:

• e46 (00-05) 330i or 330xi.

These are smaller but IMO are one of the best looking BMWs of all time. They're also incredibly cheap, with 90k mile cars going for $8k. I've considered a ZHP, but it seems like people are tacking another $5k on top of the price tag for the ZHPs. If I were going to spend $15k+ on an e46, it'd be an M3. The e46 M3 didn't come in a sedan or I'd just buy one. Assuming the subframe isn't tearing, higher mileage isn't a big deal on these; I sold my 330i at 100k and it's now somewhere around 160k with no major repairs. Some parts (cooling system) need to be updated once you buy the car, but that's about it. If I could find a 330xi (AWD) in a 6-speed, I'd get it.

• e39 M5.

I've driven these before, and they're acceptable in the power department. Not great, but acceptable. I LOVE the exterior styling of the M5, though. With the caramel interior and alcantara headliner, this would be a great grocery getter. I don't believe they actually have that much more room than the e46, but the M-car comes in a sedan form. The transmission is extremely smooth and fun to bang through the gears (if you haven't seen the BMW Film "Star" with Madonna, go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i2m7W1CR3w)

• e60 530i (or 525, 528?)

I haven't looked much into this one. I like the styling of the e60 5-series, but I don't know much about them. Are they reliable? Is higher mileage a concern? I've been told by many people to stay away from the 545i, so I'll probably avoid those. That said, I've seen the 530i/530xi in the 15k range, which would be great. Is there any particular model or year I should watch out for? Again, AWD would be nice to have but I don't need it.

I've considered a 535i, but the price premium on those seems to still be up there, and I've heard all sorts of terrible things about the turbos on the N54 blowing up. I don't like the way the e90 3-series looks, so those are out.

Thoughts? The e46s are sub 9k, the e39 M5s are anywhere from 13-20k, and the e60 5-series are about the same as the M5. When all is said and done I'll probably buy another 330i, but I'd definitely like to look into the other two options.

 

had a 2000 M5 with 50,000 on it. Best looking M5 IMO. New style, even though it has a V10 with 500hp looks like garbage.

Honestly, it was a blast to drive, but it was a POS. This car was not hammered on. I owned it for a few weeks before I sold it....

Here's why.

The Nav went out. That was I believe 4,000 to replace. A quote from the local BMW dealership.

The dash is made out of pixels. Many of them were burnt out making it hard to see what the hell you are looking at.

The dash started to separate.

The seat stitching started to fall apart.

I called BMW for a full fluid evac which I wanted the oil, diff, trans, coolant and brake fluid to be changed. They said it would be 1800.00.

I cut my loses, didn't want to get into a money pit, and sold it.

I bought a 2000 Lexus GS400 after that which was a great reliable car with no issues. But it was boring as hell to drive. Sold that and bought the E 55. Not one regret whatsoever. Wish I would have just bought this damn thing 4 years ago to spare me from having to buy and sell 2 cars that overall, sucked ***.

 

Have had a decent amount of experience with e39 M5s. Great cars. For me, they have been very reliable. Never had an issue. Amazing exterior and interior design. A lot of fun to drive, just not very fast. If you want a 6speed daily driver, they are a great option. Parts are pretty cheap if you look in the right places, and most maintenance and repairs can be done by yourself or a good indy shop. I would only look at 2001-2003 models and buy one from an owner that maintained it properly and you will be good to go.