14 Months on.

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The Pan Man

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Jan 5, 2010
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14 Months of ownership but it's still not a Mercedes
I don't post very much these days but I still lurk in the background once a week or so. I would like to air my views on the BMW 530i that I bought in November 2010.

Where to start, well the BMW as a car has no faults with the 3 litre straight 6 engine it never gets stretched or stressed the box 6 Speed changes without fault the interior is crisp and clean and comfortable, so what am I saying. It's not a Mercedes thats what I'm saying. I do hope this makes some sense to some of you. Nothing wrong with the car at all but there is just something missing.
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Ive been thinking of changing to BMW next time , so its good to hear your BMW experience was fault free so far . My 211 has been troublesome this last few months , and I dont think its right yet , my MPG is rubbish only managing 23/24 MPG .
Both my brothers drive BMWs and they have had no major issues with there cars .
 
I am not a fan of the styling of the E60 5 series but it sounds from this post a most satisfactory car. I don't think they drive as well as a 211 as I've followed two E60's at speed in 211's and both were more powerful and when the road got tight, I found the BMW was slowing me up.

An E90 3 is a class piece of kit. I really like the 211 and the present range of MB's is really good and nice to drive (driven 204's and 212's and 207 - E coupe) but I doubt a BMW would be a bad car, and with less rust etc maybe a very good bet, even for a hardended Mercedes driver.
 
It was a toss up between a 5 series or a MB when i was looking for a car last year, the only thing that put me off the BMW was they don't have a good image where I live, they tend to be driven by Essex wide boys and there orange wife's. I'm now glad I went for the MB it makes me smile every time I drive it.
 
Ive been thinking of changing to BMW next time , so its good to hear your BMW experience was fault free so far . My 211 has been troublesome this last few months , and I dont think its right yet , my MPG is rubbish only managing 23/24 MPG .
Both my brothers drive BMWs and they have had no major issues with there cars .

At 23/24, you are within a gnats **** of an E55K - a what a difference between them.

I've owned 6 BMWs over the years and none have ever had a problem caused by mechanical failure (except two wheel bearings on the front of an Alpina 5 series which should have been replaced before I got it but were done under warranty).

Fault-free motoring - even on a dungball 1985 525e which I bought so I could sell my first 1993 E36 325i privately and get top dollar to go towards a 1997 M3 Evo. The 525e was an 'economy' version but had a 2.7 litre straight six with an auto limited to 5000rpm or similar. Rest assured, my one was as economical as pouring petrol on the road - but was a hoot to drive.

I have to say that I am not a fan boy of anything anymore (was BMW once, quel surprise) but the E55K is just about the best car overall out of the 15 I've owned - but I think the level of car it is has a lot to do with i.e. airmatic instead of regular suspension.
 
14 Months of ownership but it's still not a Mercedes
I don't post very much these days but I still lurk in the background once a week or so. I would like to air my views on the BMW 530i that I bought in November 2010.

Where to start, well the BMW as a car has no faults with the 3 litre straight 6 engine it never gets stretched or stressed the box 6 Speed changes without fault the interior is crisp and clean and comfortable, so what am I saying. It's not a Mercedes thats what I'm saying. I do hope this makes some sense to some of you. Nothing wrong with the car at all but there is just something missing.

I think the thing that is missing is the MB star on the front.;) that, and a little rust.
 
Maybe I could comment on this thread since both an MB and a BMW.

Back in September last year I had a BMW e39 540, which I have owned for about 6 years, as a daily drive and a Jag XJS, which I've had for about 2 years, as a weekend car.

Now, for reasons I won't bore you with, I was not as fond of this XJS as I had been of my previous one, and I decided it had to go. I also decided my BM was getting a bit long in the tooth, and slightly tatty in the bodywork area, and that, possibly, that should go as well.

I started to look around. I would have bought another e39 if I could have found one in good condition that didn't have a million miles on the clock. Eventually I found an 07 plate 550 at my local main dealers. The car was located at another dealership and they were going to have bring the in, meaning I would have to wait.

Long story short, while waiting for the 550, I found an 07 plate SLK 280 at the local Merc dealers, bought that, and sold the Jag privately.

Anyway, what do I think of the two cars -

The BM is a very good car, fast, quiet, very comfortable, reliable, and has all the toys although some are now slightly dated (cassette player!). Since I have decided to keep it I had the work done on the body to tidy it up (probably cost more than the car is worth but what the heck) and it now looks glorious.

The MB is also a very good car although, obviously, completely different to the BMW. It's fast, handles like a sports car, is slightly less quiet but, hey, it's a sports car, and I love being able to take the roof off.

Comparisons -

The BMW seats are the most comfortable I have ever owned, although they may not be so good in a sports car as they lack lateral support. I did, however, try a BMW 530 which had the sports seats and they were nothing like as good as my BMW comfort seats or the SLK bucket seats.

Being newer, the SLK Command system is much better than the BMW system. The BMW 530 I tried had the BMW idrive system which seemed a bit of a faff, with lots of menus to negotiate to get anything done. Fine on a PC but not so good when driving.

Obviously it's difficult to compare the two different cars and I'm afraid I have no experience of the MB saloons so that's not going to work either. For me the BMW e39 is a classic. The e60/61 models can be OK with the right level of body kit and wheels, but the wrong ones make them look ugly from most angles!!

If I were to replace the BMW, what would I buy? Tough choice! The e39 has been been very reliable and has done good service, which counts for a lot. However, I'm not a huge fan of the e60/61, so I would have to look long and hard at the MB alternatives.
 
although some are now slightly dated (cassette player!)

Yeah, I remember that.

I had the original receipt for my 2001/Y B10 V8 which was £74,000 and it had a tape player and 6CD in the boot.

Unbelieveable.
 
Yeah, I remember that.

I had the original receipt for my 2001/Y B10 V8 which was £74,000 and it had a tape player and 6CD in the boot.

Unbelieveable.

I still use my cassette player to listen to tapes of Round the Horne!
 
I still use my cassette player to listen to tapes of Round the Horne!

A man with impeccable taste in radio, and a proper sense of humour.

PS Any 7 year old will transfer them to your media of choice.
 

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