Consensus on the 6 Series - Is it a good car

[Creditcrunch]

Further to my E60 post below, I am now in two minds whether to opt for a 6 series or the 5 series.

Whilst I do prefer the styling of the 6 series, my understanding is that they are not as practical as the 5 series especially the rear seats.

However, other pro's for the 6 series are that petrol engines particularly the V8 from the 645ci are more abundant and that you appear to be getting alot more for your money in general. I will be looking to spend up to £20k for one of these and wanted to ask whether these are reliable cars and whether they are any good.

I could only find a handful of owners reviews online for the 6 series whereas there are plenty for the E60 5 series.

So what do people think?

Stick with a 5 series or get a 6 series.

The car will largely be used by my soon to be wife for carting around future kids but I will also be using it to take out friends and family when my 2 seater cars will not be practical enough.

Thanks

[christer]

Hi

I was in the same position as you. I don't have kids so was looking for a 6 series for some time, and missed out on a few due to being a bit too slow. I also have a sports car so was looking for something practical"ish" and a similar budget to yours to replace my E39 540. I also think the 6 series is prettier that the E60, however it is an enormous car for relatively little inside space. I went with an E60 550 MSport in the end - as one came up at a great price - and I have no regrets at this point. The 5 series is lighter than the 6 and feels quite nimble for its size. In your position, the 6 series would be no problem initially, but I think the 5 series is probably the better proposition in the longer term but it does depend on how long you plan on keeping it. I wasn't interested in diesels personally, and I don't know what you favour - but there are 2004 545's going for around 11-13k which will leave you plenty of change for something else. I think if you favour a V8 then I would a recommend a 545.

You can't really go far wrong with either car, so don't sweat it just do it (but get a good deal ofc)

[Dr mojo]

I have a 645ci 04 plate with 44k on clock. It came with 5 year maintenance pack so has given me 3 years of trouble free motoring. The engine is superb as is road handling much better than a 5 series.
Packaging inside is woeful for such a large car but you can easily fit young children ( more room than a 911/ audi TT but less than a 3 series!). The build quality is excellent, very solid but ride on run flats is hard. I have dynamic drive which I love and is superb for everyday driving but probably not so good if you plan hard drives on winding roads.
Ultimately although it handles well it is more of a grand tourer than out and out sports car.
Main issues are depreciation. I will unfortunately be handing mine back in september as the value is probably the same or a little less than the GFV and BMW seem to make little effort to retain business by offering any over-allowance.
Between a 5 & a 6 series if practicality is not the most important consideration I would definitely go for the 6 series.

Good luck