RE: BMW 550i (E60): Spotted

[Lowtimer]

172 said:

what kind of weirdo specs. a 5 series with a manual box?

Me, for one. I like manual E39s much more than auto ones. Same for E90s and E60s.

[popeyewhite]

Not really enough power, nice on paper though.

[Lowtimer]

E65Ross said:

But the whole idea of a 5 series is luxury, comfort and taking any possible stress from a journey. Sitting in stop/start traffic with a manual isn't fun by any means.

Auto for any sort of barge, manual for the fun cars in my opinion. It seems 99+% of the car-buying public agree too.

Indeed the modern trend is for the car to do everything. But not everyone sits in stop-start traffic for most of their driving life, or even for large parts of it. I hardly ever do. If I am going into a big city I usually take the train.

Also, I disagree with you about the idea of a 5-series. If the whole point was luxury, comfort and stress reduction we'd have all bought a Jag or Lexus, or possibly an E-Class. The idea of the 5-series has traditionally been that it's the executive saloon or estate which is still fun to drive.

[J4CKO]

to3m said:

J4CKO said:

TurboRob said:

Nice car, but £12.5k is good e39 M5 territory and bottom of the e60 M5 market.

Its worth about half that really isnt it.

Twelve and a half grand for a leggy, non M 5 series, no ta.

2008-12 (or so) just wasn't a great period for sales of workaday higher-displacement petrol cars. Now that petrol prices and depreciation mean the TCO is something that a wider range of people can afford, the market seems to be settling down to a slightly different equilibrium. The number of people that might want to pay £60K for a 5L V8 BMW saloon with 0 miles (when petrol is £1.40/L) was clearly about 10, as demonstrated by the sales figures; but the number that might want to pay £12.5K for that same car with 98,000 miles (when petrol is £1.20/L) is going to be larger, if only on the basis of the purchase price alone. This effect seems to push prices higher than you'd think.

(I'm basing this on having looked at classified ads - so of course, it's possible the cars I've seen advertised don't actually sell! But I assume they do, and at some reasonable fraction of the advertised price, because if they didn't, the posted prices would be generally lower.)

Edited by to3m on Monday 14th January 03:14

About 18 months ago I sold a very tidy 2008 Mercedes CLS 500, the 5.5 litre model with similar mileage for five grand, ok, its not the same car and it was an auto as they all are) but it was probably similar or slightly more expensive new, slightly more powerful and it was, as mentioned some time ago. Most CLS's back then, like you say more generally werent big engined, non performance range (M, AMG, RS etc) petrols, you bought an AMG one or a CLS 320D.

So I cant get my head round 12 grand for this, I had some enquiries at seven grand for mine but not many, its a narrow market for aging, complex V8 luxury barges but I had to drop it and drop it until I got interest, and it went to a PHer.

A CLS isnt a 5 series and vice versa but I cant imagine many people would pay 12 grand for that if buyers were scarce for mine 15 or so months ago.

Some of us may value it as a curiosity due to being a manual, but the market, in general doesnt like manuals on big engined luxury cars, its rare because nobody ordered one in that spec, big petrol and a manual in that climate was a bold purchase

[DecMcClure]

s m said:

Vauxhall VXR8

Manual box

Vauxhall VXR8 V8 430BHP | 61000 MILES | FULL | Full Service History https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2...

Edited by s m on Sunday 13th January 09:17

Awesome cars. It would also be a f**k ton more reliable too.
I mean, if you manage to break a push rod, 2 valve per cylinder V8, you're doing something very wrong.

[trickywoo]

st4 said:

What went wrong with it?

Pretty much everything the internet said would, oil leaks were the most frustrating though + the front discs liked to judder despite new quality ones being fitted and skimmed on the car and new control arms (I was not abusing them in any way).

[dinkel]

I'd pick an XKR.

[anonymous-user]

trickywoo said:

Pretty much everything the internet said would, oil leaks were the most frustrating though + the front discs liked to judder despite new quality ones being fitted and skimmed on the car and new control arms (I was not abusing them in any way).

This N62 appears to be the least robust modern DOHC V8 you can buy. Truly terrible for oil leaks by anything other than BL standards, several tiresome issues with the coolant system, and the famous valve stem problems.

If you spend any time on US motoring forums/websites, where the V8s were sold in far greater numbers, they are quite rightly viewed as junk even by European car standards

[daveco]

The E60 seems to really get under the skin.

They seem to be holding their value far better than the F10 that followed, which imo was a mess of a thing to look at.

[cerb4.5lee]

popeyewhite said:

Not really enough power, nice on paper though.

I'd much prefer this to the 177bhp I had in my E61 520d for sure...that car genuinely didn't have enough power! A nice car with a ste engine!!

[Triumph Man]

Lowtimer said:

172 said:

what kind of weirdo specs. a 5 series with a manual box?

Me, for one. I like manual E39s much more than auto ones. Same for E90s and E60s.

Me too. My 530i (E39) is a lovely old thing, and has a manual gearbox. In fact I specifically looked for one with a manual. It's got heavy steering and a long gear lever throw, but it somehow adds to the charm! Plus it makes it more fun to hassle. I'm of the opinion that if the auto box in our works 116i (2010) is horrible, what the hell is the 5 speed auto in an E39 going to be like?

[soad]

Not keen on the looks, even if it drives well. Most likely would pick a CLS 55AMG instead...

[J4CKO]

soad said:

Not keen on the looks, even if it drives well. Most likely would pick a CLS 55AMG instead...

Yeah, 12 grand gets you into some pretty interesting stuff, I suspect a 55 engine Merc would be more reliable as they are pretty tough compared to the BMW engine (some minor issues with supercharger pumps aside, but cheap to sort) and would be significantly faster. Just depends on whether you absolutely much have a manual.

Its even possible to get a 63 engined E or CLS in that price range nowadays.

[tejr]

Manual boxes belong in a more sporty, engaging package. The e60 doesn't fit the bill. Its a great handling car, but works better for cruising, in which case an auto suits it far better. Nothing wrong with a V8/manual setup (so little of them around in anything but a two seater), but not in this case.

[Lowtimer]

There you go, telling other people what they like. I like long distance cruising with manual transmission and do loads of it by choice.

I have a slusher too, but would have had that in manual if they'd ever made a manual V8 version of that.

[derin100]

Bradgate said:

The E60 was a design statement when it was launched, and it has stood the test of time. Likewise the E85 Z4. Both look so much bolder, more original and more interesting than most of today’s BMWs, which are generic and boring in comparison.

I agree! I wasn't initially a fan at all of the look of the E60 but at least it was a design that stood out and 'said' something. For the most part, I think current BMW designs are too timid in terms of design statements. The E60 has therefore grown on me a little.

The E85 Z4 was a great design statement right from the start and one that I loved immediately (and continue to love) so much so that I actually own three of them and only now will I be reluctantly having to sell one due to space constraints having just bought a new car today!

[Lowtimer]

DecMcClure said:

Awesome cars. It would also be a f**k ton more reliable too.
I mean, if you manage to break a push rod, 2 valve per cylinder V8, you're doing something very wrong.

I agree that the engine and transmission are attractive propositions from the point of view of support. But surely the Australian-made bits that aren't shared with things like Corvettes and Camaros are going to be harder to source. Since the factory closed in October 2017, and Peugeot - Citroen took over the smoking remains of Vauxhall, it feels a bit like an orphan car, and will surely be harder than a BMW or Mercedes to keep nice in the long run.

[cerb4.5lee]

derin100 said:

The E85 Z4 was a great design statement right from the start and one that I loved immediately (and continue to love) so much so that I actually own three of them and only now will I be reluctantly having to sell one due to space constraints having just bought a new car today!

I never really liked the looks of my E85 Z4M especially from the front, but recently I've seen a few E85 Z4's out on the road and I've thought they look really good in fairness. The current Z4 is an absolute monstrosity from the pictures/videos I've seen(maybe its better in the metal).

[njw1]

Budleigh said:

Someone will always say "better off in a 530d", or some such thing, but you simply cannot compare the dynamics of a 362bhp 4.8 litre V8 with those of a diesel 6-pot. The V8 is part of what makes the car feel luxurious and sporty, not simply quick.

^^^Exactly this.

[njw1]

popeyewhite said:

Not really enough power, nice on paper though.

Not sure where you're coming from there? it has 360-odd bhp, cars with more oomph than that are going to be few and far between on the road.