Monday 27th September 2010

BMW 6 Series: You Know You Want To...

PH licks a finger and holds it up to the BMW Sixes blowing our way...

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After Shed pulled off another monumental coup last week - serving up a road legal BMW 6-Series for under a grand, chatter in the office hit fever pitch. Just where would Shed's money take him if he loosened the purse strings, or (perish the thought) cashed-in some of those premium bonds bequeathed by his dearly departed grandmother for a university education. (May she rest in peace, etc.)

CSi Highline - yours for £6995?

As even Shed's old Nan could have told him, the 6-series comes in two distinct flavours. The E24 which barrelled onto the GT scene in the mid '70s, or BMW's current offering - the E63. Both offer what the media of their respective days called continent-crushing performance, genuine '2+2 with a boot' practicality, multiple cylinders in the configuration of your choice and rear-wheel-drive. Some may think the looks of the later car might present a stumbling block on the road to 6-Series nirvana, but for a practical fellow like Shed, bargains lie where others fear to tread...

But the older E24 is a perfectly acceptable place to start our 6-series adventure, and a quick pat down reveals it to be in possession of BMW's trademark shark nose, twin headlights and an imposing kidney grill.

Or an 'M' for less than £14K

At under £7000, this Highline seems the perfect choice, sporting leather everywhere, 'leccy seats and chrome-less bumpers. For Panda money, this far more noble beast looks like a genuine steal to us. Frankly, it appears in such perfect condition we were struggling for a reason to spend more...

At least until we saw this M635 CSi. Featuring the same engine that propelled BMW's one and only true super car - the M1 - and a manual 'box, this has to be the driver's choice. And, a sensible one at that, as with only 72,000 miles the advert reads like the perfect school report, although the extra 70bhp (over the standard 635CSi) points to a tendency toward anti-social misbehaviour. (Or perhaps that's just us.)

V8 rag-top - less than £15k

A similar amount of lust is not something the E63 can guarantee to invoke in everyone, but its ability is certainly not to be sniffed at, nor is it capacity to go topless (in E64 guise), like this example. The miles may by high, but the spec looks about right, and the 4.4 V8's 329bhp and lazy low-down torque, leaves us scratching our heads at the £15K asking pricing - it cost £60K+ new, a saving which even Shed's parsimonious granny would have struggled to better.

For the frugal amongst you, dare we say, (and we don't often...) the diesels are well worth a mention, too? The 635d in particular, blends power (282bhp) with frugality (near 40mpg) and a range that must make it one of the quickest ways to fraternise with our continental cousins.

Diesel schmiesel. Check the cupholder

But, as true PHers there can only be one real choice, and that's the current PH flagship - the drool-inducing M6. Ours came spec'ed to the gunnels (but of course) and cost over £90K as a result. A trifle excessive some may say, but a run-in with Shed's old mate depreciation soon brings opportunities for all.

So, as an opening gambit, how does £25k grab you? Sure, musts like sat-nav aren't mentioned in this example, but the £65k saving should cover the bill for a new Tom-Tom. Meanwhile, 200mph potential, the last of the M naturally aspirated engines, a dusting of carbon fibre, and all the practicality that come with any other 6, makes this heavy-weight hard to ignore.

M6 - £25k's worth of anyone's cash?

So there you have it, from £1000 Shed to £90K über-coupe, there's a 6 Series for everyone. Or as Shed's dearly departed Nan used to say: 'Why not treat yourself?'

[E21_Ross]

some lovely cars there.

last of the N/A M engines? what about the V8 in the M3?

[E21_Ross]

the seats in that 645ci look absolutely shagged though, maybe they held a couple particularly large german business partners who liked having the heated seats on all the time?

[E21_Ross]

derestrictor said:

CarbonM5 said:

I was considering replacing my E39 with an E63 M6 but the E39 makes driving more of an event.Much better car to drive and look at.

Absolute rubbish.

from someone who drives both

the E39 M5 is a handsome car, but it's not as purposeful looking as the M6. sure, IMO, the M6 is reasonably ugly, but that's sort of why i like it. it doesn't try to be pretty, but it's quite menacing. i saw one saturday along the M4 heading towards cardiff and it was quite something special. it does stand out.