RE: BMW 645i: PH Carpool
Monday 14th April 2014
Name: James Martin
Car: 2005 BMW 645Ci.
Owned since: February 2014
Previously owned: "2005 BMW 330Ci Clubsport, 911 (996) C4, 911 (993) Targa (part-owned!), 2005 Peugeot 407 SW 1.6 HDI (we all start somewhere!)"
'Everyone should own a V8' says our manWhy I bought it:
"I am a freelance cameraman, which means I travel a hell of a lot and often with a lot of things in the car. I have recently sold a 911 which I had a part-share in, after considering an E46 M3, I decided against it because I didn't fancy some of the parts prices and it is no more practical than the car I already have. Seeing as I rarely travel with people in the back and I am a sucker for coupes, the big six seems like it was made for me!"
Luxury and tech still up there despite ageThings I hate:
"Not a hate per se, but the rear styling of the car could definitely use some improvement! I appreciate the practical advantage of the 'Bangle butt' but I think they could have done *something* with it - answers on a postcard! I also find the sound of the thing is perhaps a little muted for a 4.4-litre V8, but haven't made my mind up yet what I want to do with regards to that."
BMW 645i: PH Carpool
911-owning PHer needs more space and a V8 in his life - step up the 6 Series
Car: 2005 BMW 645Ci.
Owned since: February 2014
Previously owned: "2005 BMW 330Ci Clubsport, 911 (996) C4, 911 (993) Targa (part-owned!), 2005 Peugeot 407 SW 1.6 HDI (we all start somewhere!)"
'Everyone should own a V8' says our man
"I am a freelance cameraman, which means I travel a hell of a lot and often with a lot of things in the car. I have recently sold a 911 which I had a part-share in, after considering an E46 M3, I decided against it because I didn't fancy some of the parts prices and it is no more practical than the car I already have. Seeing as I rarely travel with people in the back and I am a sucker for coupes, the big six seems like it was made for me!"
What I wish I'd known:
"Not much really, I did a fair bit of research in advance but I found that information on the 6 is relatively thin on the ground compared with the 1, 3 and 5 series. Fortunately a lot of information applicable to the 5 Series translates."
Things I love:
"It is maybe the last naturally aspirated V8 BMW is going to put in a car, so that was a big motivation for me. It is said every petrolhead must own an Alfa and a V8, I suppose I thought the V8 would probably be less ruinous! The car is extremely luxurious compared with my E46, it feels like it comes from a completely different time even though they are both actually 05 reg cars. The styling is really growing on me and the front end in particular I find really good looking - the wide arches over the front make it seem very purposeful. The spec on this car is very generous too, highlights being the HUD and the Logic 7 sound system."
Luxury and tech still up there despite age
"Not a hate per se, but the rear styling of the car could definitely use some improvement! I appreciate the practical advantage of the 'Bangle butt' but I think they could have done *something* with it - answers on a postcard! I also find the sound of the thing is perhaps a little muted for a 4.4-litre V8, but haven't made my mind up yet what I want to do with regards to that."
Costs:
"The most difficult bit of estimating costs was getting my head around the conditional servicing bit. Fortunately the previous owner had looked after the car, including tending to its known weak spots (new gearbox sump, new rocker covers). I have mostly been spending on fuel, I see anywhere between 23 and 37mpg - although I admit that last one was stuck behind a lorry doing 40! Parts prices seem fairly reasonable, with discs, pads etc... being somewhere between my regular E46 and E46 M3 pricing. Perhaps most frustrating was getting the reversing light bulb changed - the rear bumper has to come off! Fortunately my friendly indie, Paul King at Brent Eleigh Vehicle Repairs near Lavenham, helped out and sorted it for me."
Where I've been:
"Well this car is pretty new to me still so the furthest it has been is from Chesterfield down to Suffolk where I live. My last BMW, however, went to (among others) Edinburgh, Wales, Cornwall, Copenhagen, Austria, Munich (via the factory, of course), southern France and Barcelona - so I have very high hopes for this one. I am already planning a trip to the factory."
What next?
"The car came with an aftermarket front splitter (that I rather like) and I have been thinking about putting a little spoiler on the boot of the car to balance it out - nothing extreme, just a little "flick" like a lot of other cars have (Jag XKR, Aston Vantage, Ferrari 355). The current thing is nearly invisible. Unfortunately a badger decided the other night that it didn't like the splitter as much as I do so decided to remove it for me! So that's the next thing to be sorted I suppose! I am also undecided how much I like the wheels but sadly they are nowhere near as cheap to replace."
Want to share your car with PHers on Carpool? Email us at carpool@pistonheads.com!
Discussion
@Bash
It is currently sitting on 113K miles, I decided to go for a high-miler because my e46 was a high miler too and never really let me down, I do so many miles in my car a low-mileage example is wasted on me!
The previous owner seemed to have the bad luck and experienced most of the issues these are known for - namely leaky rocker cover gaskets and a weeping gearbox sump. To be honest neither repair seemed ruinous and looking through the bills history (dating back to 50K) the most expensive bills, by some margin, are for tyres - £1300 for a set of Runflats one poor sod paid!
@PHMatt
Well the main thing for me is the much bigger boot. It is deeper, and has a much wider mouth so to speak, making large or unwieldy items easier to store. For me, the auto gearbox is kind of a practical thing too as I do travel to London a fair bit. Okay, that isn't E63 specific, but for me that was a change.
I am really enjoying using BMW Assist for getting directions, it is ruddy useful. My E46's bluetooth basically never worked but this one is so far pretty faultless. Oh, there is also a cupholder albeit slightly tagged on).
The main area the E46 I think scores higher is that, unbelievably, there is more room in the back of the 3 for passengers than in the 6, certainly headroom wise. The seats in the rear of the six are quite cool though, almost buckets.
--
There will be more pictures to follow, I didn't want to take anymore given the badger incident, but that has now been repaired and I've put a little lip on the boot too.
It is currently sitting on 113K miles, I decided to go for a high-miler because my e46 was a high miler too and never really let me down, I do so many miles in my car a low-mileage example is wasted on me!
The previous owner seemed to have the bad luck and experienced most of the issues these are known for - namely leaky rocker cover gaskets and a weeping gearbox sump. To be honest neither repair seemed ruinous and looking through the bills history (dating back to 50K) the most expensive bills, by some margin, are for tyres - £1300 for a set of Runflats one poor sod paid!
@PHMatt
Well the main thing for me is the much bigger boot. It is deeper, and has a much wider mouth so to speak, making large or unwieldy items easier to store. For me, the auto gearbox is kind of a practical thing too as I do travel to London a fair bit. Okay, that isn't E63 specific, but for me that was a change.
I am really enjoying using BMW Assist for getting directions, it is ruddy useful. My E46's bluetooth basically never worked but this one is so far pretty faultless. Oh, there is also a cupholder albeit slightly tagged on).
The main area the E46 I think scores higher is that, unbelievably, there is more room in the back of the 3 for passengers than in the 6, certainly headroom wise. The seats in the rear of the six are quite cool though, almost buckets.
--
There will be more pictures to follow, I didn't want to take anymore given the badger incident, but that has now been repaired and I've put a little lip on the boot too.
@Motorrad
I read up on that issue, although I have to say it seems much less common on the 6 than the 5,7 or X5. It could just be the 6 is much rarer. However, I have seen there is a clever solution now which means the fix is a few hundred, rather than a couple of grand.
@SolidLad84
It really depends. Having had the E46 330 and the 6 on the drive at the same time for a month before the E46 moved on, I think if you jumped straight from one to the other the 6 would feel quite large, quite lethargic and not terribly fast. My E46 330 felt "faster" than the 6 although clearly it isn't. That being said, the 6 really, really handles and BMW clearly intended it to be quite sporting. My car doesn't have active steering or active chassis but holds very flat through corners and gives me enough steering feedback to see what is going on. The auto box can be used manually and although it is no SMG, when you're not giving it the beans that is a good thing.
My car is only 10hp down on an M3, but 60 ft/lb of torque up and the M3 is quite heavy too - I think the 6 is only about 100ish kilos heavier, thanks to a fair bit of aluminium in there (it is about 200kg lighter than the new 6!) It is a much more effortless performance and of course of a completely different character. The steering is also a shade too light in normal mode, weightens up a bit in sport.
I did consider moving from my E46 330 to an E46 M3, but the reality was I needed a bigger boot and the 6 was much cheaper to run and insure in reality.
You do need to drive one really, I'm never going to say it is as "sharp" as a 3-series, but considering the size of it the thing really moves.
I read up on that issue, although I have to say it seems much less common on the 6 than the 5,7 or X5. It could just be the 6 is much rarer. However, I have seen there is a clever solution now which means the fix is a few hundred, rather than a couple of grand.
@SolidLad84
It really depends. Having had the E46 330 and the 6 on the drive at the same time for a month before the E46 moved on, I think if you jumped straight from one to the other the 6 would feel quite large, quite lethargic and not terribly fast. My E46 330 felt "faster" than the 6 although clearly it isn't. That being said, the 6 really, really handles and BMW clearly intended it to be quite sporting. My car doesn't have active steering or active chassis but holds very flat through corners and gives me enough steering feedback to see what is going on. The auto box can be used manually and although it is no SMG, when you're not giving it the beans that is a good thing.
My car is only 10hp down on an M3, but 60 ft/lb of torque up and the M3 is quite heavy too - I think the 6 is only about 100ish kilos heavier, thanks to a fair bit of aluminium in there (it is about 200kg lighter than the new 6!) It is a much more effortless performance and of course of a completely different character. The steering is also a shade too light in normal mode, weightens up a bit in sport.
I did consider moving from my E46 330 to an E46 M3, but the reality was I needed a bigger boot and the 6 was much cheaper to run and insure in reality.
You do need to drive one really, I'm never going to say it is as "sharp" as a 3-series, but considering the size of it the thing really moves.
For people worried about the Coolant issue: http://www.bimmerfix.com/
Thanks for sharing - I have been keeping half an eye on these as they are looking great value now for those who have the appetite for running a V8.
How does the car perform? What is the engine like and how does it deliver its power? How does the car handle in the twisties and whats the braking power like? Does the weight blunt the performance?
PH - just a friendly suggestion for the format of these articles... Why not add a heading 'what it's like to drive'?
I find with most of these articles I am left wanting to know more about the actual drive of the contributors' cars. The current format doesn't really give PHers much of a prompt in this area.
How does the car perform? What is the engine like and how does it deliver its power? How does the car handle in the twisties and whats the braking power like? Does the weight blunt the performance?
PH - just a friendly suggestion for the format of these articles... Why not add a heading 'what it's like to drive'?
I find with most of these articles I am left wanting to know more about the actual drive of the contributors' cars. The current format doesn't really give PHers much of a prompt in this area.
Alfa159Ti said:
Thanks for sharing - I have been keeping half an eye on these as they are looking great value now for those who have the appetite for running a V8.
How does the car perform? What is the engine like and how does it deliver its power? How does the car handle in the twisties and whats the braking power like? Does the weight blunt the performance?
PH - just a friendly suggestion for the format of these articles... Why not add a heading 'what it's like to drive'?
I find with most of these articles I am left wanting to know more about the actual drive of the contributors' cars. The current format doesn't really give PHers much of a prompt in this area.
My pleasure How does the car perform? What is the engine like and how does it deliver its power? How does the car handle in the twisties and whats the braking power like? Does the weight blunt the performance?
PH - just a friendly suggestion for the format of these articles... Why not add a heading 'what it's like to drive'?
I find with most of these articles I am left wanting to know more about the actual drive of the contributors' cars. The current format doesn't really give PHers much of a prompt in this area.
Well when I bought the car I really didn't expect it to handle as well as my 3, but honestly it really does. This was a much more expensive car when new (I am told this particular one was touching £70k list) but I was buying it more as a GT car.
For the size of the thing - and you can't get away from the size of it (it is WIDE) - it really does go around bends well. I haven't come up against the car's limits yet but that would be fairly tricky on public roads I think. The engine is a real cracker IMHO, it pulls nicely from 1,500rpm but gets very serious above 3,000 and pulls strongly all the way to the redline. The auto box can seem to blunt the performance a little bit, but if you're in manual mode and the engine is on the boil, the throttle response is pretty instant - much, much better than any diesel I have driven thus far.
Braking power is so far excellent, I have done a couple of practise emergency stops and not even had the ABS intervene. I am sure if you were trackdaying it then it would run out of puff after a few laps, but I haven't even felt fade in fast road driving.
As for weight blunting the performance, I am not sure that it does. Compared with its successor this is a very light car, still on the large side though. A hot hatchback will probably have it in "the real world", but the sound of the V8 when you've got the windows down is adequate compensation and reading EVO it seems hot hatchbacks with this kind of power actually return not-far-off economy either. I can get over 400 miles to a tank on the motorways, which bodes well for the inevitable European jaunt.
jayemm89 said:
My pleasure
Well when I bought the car I really didn't expect it to handle as well as my 3, but honestly it really does. This was a much more expensive car when new (I am told this particular one was touching £70k list) but I was buying it more as a GT car.
For the size of the thing - and you can't get away from the size of it (it is WIDE) - it really does go around bends well. I haven't come up against the car's limits yet but that would be fairly tricky on public roads I think. The engine is a real cracker IMHO, it pulls nicely from 1,500rpm but gets very serious above 3,000 and pulls strongly all the way to the redline. The auto box can seem to blunt the performance a little bit, but if you're in manual mode and the engine is on the boil, the throttle response is pretty instant - much, much better than any diesel I have driven thus far.
Braking power is so far excellent, I have done a couple of practise emergency stops and not even had the ABS intervene. I am sure if you were trackdaying it then it would run out of puff after a few laps, but I haven't even felt fade in fast road driving.
As for weight blunting the performance, I am not sure that it does. Compared with its successor this is a very light car, still on the large side though. A hot hatchback will probably have it in "the real world", but the sound of the V8 when you've got the windows down is adequate compensation and reading EVO it seems hot hatchbacks with this kind of power actually return not-far-off economy either. I can get over 400 miles to a tank on the motorways, which bodes well for the inevitable European jaunt.
Thank you - that all sounds very encouraging. Bet it makes a lovely daily driver. Interior looks like a very nice place to be too.Well when I bought the car I really didn't expect it to handle as well as my 3, but honestly it really does. This was a much more expensive car when new (I am told this particular one was touching £70k list) but I was buying it more as a GT car.
For the size of the thing - and you can't get away from the size of it (it is WIDE) - it really does go around bends well. I haven't come up against the car's limits yet but that would be fairly tricky on public roads I think. The engine is a real cracker IMHO, it pulls nicely from 1,500rpm but gets very serious above 3,000 and pulls strongly all the way to the redline. The auto box can seem to blunt the performance a little bit, but if you're in manual mode and the engine is on the boil, the throttle response is pretty instant - much, much better than any diesel I have driven thus far.
Braking power is so far excellent, I have done a couple of practise emergency stops and not even had the ABS intervene. I am sure if you were trackdaying it then it would run out of puff after a few laps, but I haven't even felt fade in fast road driving.
As for weight blunting the performance, I am not sure that it does. Compared with its successor this is a very light car, still on the large side though. A hot hatchback will probably have it in "the real world", but the sound of the V8 when you've got the windows down is adequate compensation and reading EVO it seems hot hatchbacks with this kind of power actually return not-far-off economy either. I can get over 400 miles to a tank on the motorways, which bodes well for the inevitable European jaunt.
Do you know if they did an Auto with paddles? I have been looking on Autotrader but none I have seen appear to have paddles - just a conventional auto.
I'd rather own a 535i or 635i or 335i. You get the same 360hp/360lb/ft as the Alpina B3 with just a safe boost increase from a 'piggyback' ECU or a remap. To get the same 400hp/400lb/ft as the Alpina B3S just add a bigger intercooler and a bit more boost. The tuning doesn't seem to affect the reliability of anything and it's what I'd do if I had the cash. Higher performance and lower running costs the only downside is no V8 noise.
@Alfa 159Ti
I don't think they did one with paddles, the SMG would have had them but not the auto. In good news, you can change with the gear shifter like a sequential changer, and it is in the correct direction too! (pull towards for up)
@iloveboost
Yeah, sadly they didn't make a turbo'd petrol E63/64. There was the 630 and the 645, then the 650. never a 635I (just the diesel).
I think possibly because they were aimed at the American market, at least it seems to me something that would appeal to them. I believe they probably decided that given the price hike of the 6 over a 5, people would have expected something "better" than a 6.
Don't forget these cars were made in a happy-go-lucky, pre-recession time when fuel still wasn't quite £1/litre. There wasn't even a Diesel six for about two years.
I don't think they did one with paddles, the SMG would have had them but not the auto. In good news, you can change with the gear shifter like a sequential changer, and it is in the correct direction too! (pull towards for up)
@iloveboost
Yeah, sadly they didn't make a turbo'd petrol E63/64. There was the 630 and the 645, then the 650. never a 635I (just the diesel).
I think possibly because they were aimed at the American market, at least it seems to me something that would appeal to them. I believe they probably decided that given the price hike of the 6 over a 5, people would have expected something "better" than a 6.
Don't forget these cars were made in a happy-go-lucky, pre-recession time when fuel still wasn't quite £1/litre. There wasn't even a Diesel six for about two years.
I thoroughly enjoyed my 645ci when I owned it. Even when I worked out over a period time I was averaging £1250 worth of petrol per month.
I had the gearbox sump leaking issue twice, that I got fixed at a specialist.
It was a great motorway cruiser, which I enjoyed on weekends due to it having a little bit of poke too.
I had the gearbox sump leaking issue twice, that I got fixed at a specialist.
It was a great motorway cruiser, which I enjoyed on weekends due to it having a little bit of poke too.
These features really annoy me, if the person isn't selling it on interview it's new to them and the car hasn't been driven much at all. How about a feature where the car has been in someone's possession for at least 6 months plus and they aren't selling it as they love it.
Come on guys, this site is full of passionate owners, many of which will never part with their pride and joy!
Come on guys, this site is full of passionate owners, many of which will never part with their pride and joy!
Theallotmentman said:
Come on guys, this site is full of passionate owners, many of which will never part with their pride and joy!
I can't change PH policy I can only offer them my car, which they happily took on.I have covered 4,000 miles in this car since I bought it, I have seen plenty of 458s, Aventadors, etc... for sale with half of that mileage!
Just because it is relatively new to me, doesn't mean I don't love it
Anyway, wasn't there an E-Type on here recently which had been with the same guy for 40 years?
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