Is anything above a BMW 3 series overkill for everyday driving?

**JackD201** · 09-30-2010, 04:57 PM

It'll have to be the VR9........I don't have an M5, I've only just ridden in one!

**amirm** · 09-30-2010, 06:41 PM

I think some of this has to do with what you do with the car. When I bought my 5 series BMW, I had to constantly take out people to lunch and such and the backseat of that car was barely adequate. The 3 was impossible.

My son has the 3 series and the experience driving it is just incredible. Something I did not get in the 5. So there are the compromises.

**JackD201** · 09-30-2010, 07:37 PM

Originally Posted by es347

and an 85 M6

This is a collectors item now. I hope the lucky guy you sold it to appreciated what he got. The purists say e30, the speed demons the e92. The good looking owners the e46. Hahahahaha! Okay, I'm still sour graping after seeing that e90 330 diesel on the e46's tail!

**RBFC** · 09-30-2010, 07:59 PM

Originally Posted by amirm

I think some of this has to do with what you do with the car. When I bought my 5 series BMW, I had to constantly take out people to lunch and such and the backseat of that car was barely adequate. The 3 was impossible.

My son has the 3 series and the experience driving it is just incredible. Something I did not get in the 5. So there are the compromises.

I'd agree about the rear legroom! My wife has the 2010 535i with the "M" sport package. She previously had the 335i ('07). I don't find anything lacking in the driving performance of the 535iM, since it has shift point and suspension enhancements when in "sport" mode. In fact, I think it's a bit faster than the 335i she had with the same motor. According to the dealer, this 535i is only 100lbs. heavier than the 335i.

Either way, they're pretty nice automobiles. The 535i is definitely a step up in luxury, though.

Lee

**flez007** · 10-02-2010, 05:41 AM

One other thing... I decided for the 5 series some years back to replace a 330 because of the extra back-seat space ' while we usually pick the MiniVan of my wife for weekends (she stills refuses to buy something less than a 3 row-seat option), my teenager kids just were squeezing-in the 330 when there was no other available option.

**amirm** · 10-02-2010, 09:11 AM

BTW, you guys make me sad.... After needing a larger car, I bought an SUV but saved my 5 series BMW for my son who was to get his driver's license 3 years later. The car sat there and all of a sudden, developed a blown head gasket. And shortly after, its water pump died too. Then the usual power lock problem came up where you couldn't unlock the door anymore (so they had to disassemble the door to get fix it at $$$ cost). I pay some $5,000 for all of these repairs. My son gets his license and a couple of months later and has a fender bender as he runs into the driver ahead of him. Take the car to state-farm and they declare it totaled because of high expense of getting parts for BMW!!!

This was a 1997 car with only 45,000 miles on it. The car was completely drivable with just the radiator fan torn up and the front fender and quarter panels bent a bit.

I had such fond memories of that car that it was hard to let it go for such a minor event. But that is how our economic system seems to work....

**Gregadd** · 10-02-2010, 09:03 PM

All this talk about BMW made me pay a visit to my local BMW dealer. It was Saturday so I did not trouble anyone for a test drive. It is no longer the 540i but the 550i. Still less than VR9se. It will navigate, for a family of four ,the winding road to grandmas house in record time in spacious comfort. At slightly less, the Mercedes Benz E350 now comes in convertible.

**JackD201** · 10-02-2010, 11:51 PM

Ooooo, the new E-class, now that's another nice range of cars. Much sportier in feel and handling than the last two generations but still comfortable and luxurious. There's something about the torque curves of MBs that's appealing.