545 SE Manual - Opinions Please
Discussion
Found a 2004 545SE (new sghape)manual that Im interested in.
Was thinking about a new 335 coupe.
The 545 would be 12 or 13 grand less. I have owned last shape M5 and want something with good turn of speed, but have been frightened of another M5 due to problems and and cant afford new shape M5
Ive got 3 kids and rear seat would be better. But I want a car that will excite and be fun to drive.
Anybody got one? What are service costs and fuel consumption like?
Mark
Was thinking about a new 335 coupe.
The 545 would be 12 or 13 grand less. I have owned last shape M5 and want something with good turn of speed, but have been frightened of another M5 due to problems and and cant afford new shape M5
Ive got 3 kids and rear seat would be better. But I want a car that will excite and be fun to drive.
Anybody got one? What are service costs and fuel consumption like?
Mark
I have driven one and its stonking.... 
Ok, in 545i spec its 333BHP IIRC but the E60 is no heavier than the E39 so you are talking a quicker car than the old 540i which was regarded as being pretty damn swift. It not an M5 beater (try a new 550i with 366BHP for getting close to an E39 M5) but very good nontheless.
Ride? Well its OK. I drove one with sports suspension and big wheels, which looks best I think. It was fidgety over rough roads and there was quite a lot of road noise at speed. BUT, it is quite a bit more composed than the E39 and a good compromise. Please note that I have driven a few E39's but not the post 2000 facelift Sport variants - so I dont know what an E39 sport might be like....
But, the big thing is that they tumble in value like a stone. Any big engined exec is going to take the original purchaser to the cleaners and the 545i is no different. They tend to be high spec with a good mix of goodies and represent VERY good value for money. Servicing will be pretty much fixed as the engine is in alsorts of other models so no major issues. Fuel economy is actually better in the E60 than the E39 - even though its got more power. A quick check on the i-drive showed an average of 26+MPG which is a bit low, but to be expected when a lot of the driving would have been the dealer and very short journeys. Because its not the "sports" model, expect insurance to be reasonable too.
Performance wise it was very good. Very flexible engine and lots of grunt. Get it reving and it shifts with not much that can get past it unless you spend serious money. But for a 04 model with a few toys for £25k from a dealer its a bit of a bargain. Try and get an ex-fleet one and its even cheaper - thats a lot of performance for not a lot of money.
Ok, in 545i spec its 333BHP IIRC but the E60 is no heavier than the E39 so you are talking a quicker car than the old 540i which was regarded as being pretty damn swift. It not an M5 beater (try a new 550i with 366BHP for getting close to an E39 M5) but very good nontheless.
Ride? Well its OK. I drove one with sports suspension and big wheels, which looks best I think. It was fidgety over rough roads and there was quite a lot of road noise at speed. BUT, it is quite a bit more composed than the E39 and a good compromise. Please note that I have driven a few E39's but not the post 2000 facelift Sport variants - so I dont know what an E39 sport might be like....
But, the big thing is that they tumble in value like a stone. Any big engined exec is going to take the original purchaser to the cleaners and the 545i is no different. They tend to be high spec with a good mix of goodies and represent VERY good value for money. Servicing will be pretty much fixed as the engine is in alsorts of other models so no major issues. Fuel economy is actually better in the E60 than the E39 - even though its got more power. A quick check on the i-drive showed an average of 26+MPG which is a bit low, but to be expected when a lot of the driving would have been the dealer and very short journeys. Because its not the "sports" model, expect insurance to be reasonable too.
Performance wise it was very good. Very flexible engine and lots of grunt. Get it reving and it shifts with not much that can get past it unless you spend serious money. But for a 04 model with a few toys for £25k from a dealer its a bit of a bargain. Try and get an ex-fleet one and its even cheaper - thats a lot of performance for not a lot of money.
I've got a 2004 545i Auto Touring. Bought 3mths old from main dealer at 30% off list, so depreciation now closer to a diesel. Screen says 24mpg, which is the same as I got with my old 528i Auto Touring and a lot better than the 18mpg of my earlier (94) 530i Auto Touring - the one with the porous V8! I think 24mpg is impressive for a big powerful car. My view (unlike the magazines) is that it's a significant advance on the old one, in terms of rigidity, steering, brakes and cockpit. . . and of course the engine. 15,000 mile service was £300 inc changing brake fluid. Is this expensive? Not compared to TVR. Nothing has gone wrong in 2 years. Lugs loads around one day and wafts along the autobahn at high speed in great comfort the next. I think it's brilliant. I even like the iDrive. I thought of the manual - even bigger almost-new discount - but there are so few that I don't know what the demand would be at sell-on time.
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