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Speaking of bad decisions: I bought new Falkens for my other E39, had them on for a week, and sent them back to DTD for a full refund. I bought them on the strength of Consumers Reports, but they were the worst tires I have ever driven.
regards,
kyfdx
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I have not seen the E60 in person, but I personally like the pictures I have seen. I typically hear positive comments on the looks of the E60 until I read Roundel (and now this forum). I do not have strong enough opinions to debate the looks. Different strokes for different folks. I do not have any plans to sell my E39 anytime soon, so it does not matter.
I still have the original Dunlops on my 5 (which lasted longer than I expected), but they are ready to be replaced. The edge of the fronts are a little worn from more agressive driving into corners. The rears are close to the bar.
I plan to get winter tires on a separate set of wheels soon. Last winter I managed with the stock tires, but I would have been better off (safer) with winter tires. I am leaning toward the Dunlop Winter Sport M2. According to posts on Tirerack, people have been pleased with the tires. Anyone have positive or negative experience with these tires?
Cheers!
I was in St. Louis a couple of weekends ago. It was nice to see again after moving away a while back. Whereabout in St. Louis are ya? I lived in Ballwin/Manchester.
-Paul
BMW
Cadillac
Lincoln
Infiniti
Mercedes
Audi
VW
What other ones can you guys think of?
-Paul
part two / buying: she wants to buy another 5 series BMW. we don't like the newer 2004 model but we are interested in the models from 2000 to 2003. the question is: what year / model is the best one (overall) out there?
How much from a dealer here in Southern California?
I live close to your old stomping grounds. You may remember the rolling hills just SW of Chesterfield which is now called Wildwood (Wildwood was recently incorporated in 1995). We have 'city' streets (Manchester, Clarkson, Clayton, etc), but we also have very fun 2-lane roads. I sometimes take the boring, quick drive home. Other times I will take the low-traffic two lane road that is much more fun in the 540i. It is an absolute joy to drive the 2-lane roads!!
Cheers!
Geez, I'd hate to have that smack in the face first thing in the AM!
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
I don't do a lot of long winter drives but live in NE - Boston area. Anyone kept the standard conti tires on all year around? Can you share what I can expect in the snow?
As a veteran of this board since the 1200ish message (mostly a reader, with an occasional post), a lot has changed in the discussion.
Here are some thoughts:
1) I thought bmwseller was bmwwife back on page 392. I think we caught him when he slipped up on his log-ins. My only thought is why doesn't he put his money where his mouth is and buy one?
2) I also bought my 02 525 when I saw the pictures of the new one. I just saw the E60 in person and it wasn't that bad actually. Would you agree that it would look a lot better looking if they just changed the trunk and headlights only? Seems the best looking sports sedans are now the new E series MB and the Alfas.
3) As for the I Drive. I grudgingly admit it may be the future in cars, but I agree with the guy who dislikes it on safety grounds. How many of us want to be passed by the individual who is yapping on their cell phone, eating fries, disciplining their kids in the back seat, and then wants to change the air temperature? I think the only way I Drive will work is if they put the display on the windshield like they do with HUDs in jet fighters. In addition, you have to put that joystick on the steering wheel to minimize distractions to your driving position on the road.
4) Anyone who wants to research BMW for a possible 5 series purchase ought to sit down one afternoon with a notepad and read this forum from the start. This is an excellent information source. Many thanks.
--525, stock with a Tiptronic. Nothing fancy.
--The handling is, as usual, outstanding. As good or better than the E39. Didn't bother with the Sport package because I don't much care about it. The handling without the Sport is plenty good.
--I-drive is odd, but I got used to it quickly. Not bad to learn -- took about 3 minutes of fiddling around. Issue is, who needs it? Gadgets for gadgets sake, that did nothing, repeat, nothing meaningfully better than the old way. Only reason I can see it is to get a screen installed and allow for nav systems and rear cameras as standard in a few years as the costs comes down. So, it isn't a distraction, or overly complex -- just a waste of engineering. But, since its the only way to go, so be it. A waste of time to argue about it. It was acceptable, I suppose.
--Air handling is fine, but cheap looking dash knobs that feel flimsy.
--Poplar trim makes a big difference in the esthetics of the dash; aluminum just looks cheap, never stylish. With a good wood trim, the dash becomes balanced and I warmed to it quickly enough.
--Seats are not as form-fitting as the E39. I think they've widened them for the heavier population. Kidney support was loose.
--Six-speed tiptronic is very smooth, but oddly enough, even the (admittedly mild) kick on low-gear accelleration in the E39 525 doesn't seem to be there in the E60. Very smooth acceleration, to high speeds quickly, but the low-gear torque is different for some reason. Wonder if there's an attempt to widen the perceived accelleration difference between the 525 and the 530 -- after all, it's an easy $5K in the pocket for nothing more than 50 HP if the 530 seems noticiably different. Probably they were able to de-tune the 525 in the chip at no cost, or adjust the tranny shift points a bit. Never really felt the power difference between the E39s, but clearly noticed a low-end torque advantage for the 530 in the E60 s.
--Parked my E39 next to the E60. The E60 looks oddly smaller, hunched (humpbacked?) from the side. Not nearly as imposing, if that's the right word. Stretching a visual, the E39 looked like the Sphinx sitting there, all four feet on the firmly on the ground. The E60 looks like a hunched housecat, about to jump two feet straight up.
--The raptor lights look hokey, like BMW was trying too hard to make a statement, but not offensive. A bit silly, I suppose, like putting a spoiler on a Civic.
So, all that said, the biggest difference between the 5 and everything else I've driven is the handling; and the handling is so much better than anything else that its almost worth it to grit my teeth and learn to tolerate the mistakes BMW made in the styling.
Still, I want to try an E320 with the sport package and see if it is a better overall car.
My two cents.....
I passed 20,000 miles last week on my 2002 530i (Silver, Gray Leather, SP, PP, Steptronic, Xenons). The driving experience is wonderful. I look forward to my 20 mile commute to work everyday. The leather has held up great. I condition it every 3000 miles. Probably next week or so, I will condition it again. I use the Lexol products to take care of it. Have had no problems for the year and a half I have owned it. I would recommend this car to everyone.
I have not driven the new E60 5 Series. I would purchase one when my 02 runs out of steam but I do not like the I-Drive. I will have to go to my dealer and see If I am able to test drive one and learn how to use it.
One question though. I am about to purchase new tires. I think I will try to see how all-seasons are. If I do not like them however, I will just switch back to summer and winter tires. Any suggestions?
Happy Motoring,
Jack
Here is what I found:
To remove the badges, hook one corner of it with dental floss. This will not be easy, but it’s the safest way to avoid scratching your car. Do not use a screwdriver or any other tools to remove a badge. If you slip, you will damage your car.
Coat a section of the floss with liquid dish detergent. Slowly saw back and forth with the floss to cut the adhesive. It is recommended you saw all the way through the adhesive and do not pry whatsoever.
Once the badges are removed, you must remove any adhesive residue before installing the new ones. Start with a mixture of hot water and liquid dish soap. Soak the adhesive spots well and use your fingernails to carefully pick off adhesive bits. Rinse and dry the area thoroughly. Once dry, prepare the surface for cleaning with some rubbing alcohol, then apply a coat of wax over the area.
-Paul
Thanks.
KS
Billbrox
kksoo
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
I'm sure under the hood it's all Bimmer.
(I know this applies to the 530i, and probably to the 525i and 540i as well.)
were equally great but I finally saw what I wanted in the E39 in 2001 and bought the 530i with premium,sport, xenon and steptronic. I have been ecstatic about this car. Did I say I love it ? Fast forward to the present, earlier I posted that I had seen the E 60 and did test drive it in San Francisco for nearly an hour and just loved the car. But, it just wasn't for me. Maybe in a year or so. Also, to get the same "stuff " I have in mine the total would be about $57 K( including Tax and license), quite a considerable outlay of cash. I will keep mine for a few more years, I just hit 16,000 miles and had Service 1 done. For $57 K I might just find that previously owned 911 Carrera I have been lusting for . BTW, my 530i has the 3 spoker M wheel, shadowline trim, 17 inch wheels and it is a blast to drive. My wife and I are cruising down Highway 1 south to Big Sur this week end and looking forward to driving , will post later on that experience.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
I was stopped at a red light when I was rear-ended by a Volvo C70 that was rear-ended by a Mits. Eclipse. It was a hard hit. However, except for two puncture marks in the bumper from the Volvo's license frame, no visible damage (air bag did not go off). Most important though, was that I suffered no whip lash or other injury. I may not have been so lucky if I were in a lesser car. The other cars suffered far worse damage.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
I am also impressed with the MPG of my 540. I love the power of the 540 and often will hit the gas a little further than necessary. I still get decent MPG with my more agressive driving style. If I drive conservatively, I can consistently get over 20MPG when driving around town driving.
Thank you. My Bimmer is very pampered, I wash it regularly and pretty much detail it inside and out. It is always garaged when I'm not driving it. I have a feeling that the mileage will increase sharply this year with the number of road trips we have planned. 28 K is very low mileage - you must not drive it every day or your commute is very short.