My boss was going to buy a 525i for about 48k, then she realized that it was alot of money for not much car. So this morning I started tellin her about my Sedan (She test drove it when I bought it.) and she went and picked it up (2005) for about 32000 w/ Premium) She's TOTALLY in love with the keyless ignition (I wish we could retrofit that. ) and her husband just called me saying they would of commited a 17,000 dollar mistake. Notch one for the good guys!

 

48k for a 525i? No way. Get the RL for that kind of money.

 

It's too much money period. She agreed with me that the G35 is more than enough car for her. She drives like me, 5-10 miles each way to work...

 

Kudos for the 'convert'.
Your boss will love the G and for much less $$$$$$$.

 

I tried to give the 3 series a fair shake with a test drive. But when none of the 3 dealers I went to had a MT and told me "our customer's don't want them so we don't order MT cars", I gave up on the ideal. If it measured up I was willing to pay the price at the time.

 

What a freakin rip off 48k for freaking 525 OMG is bmw insane selling a car with 180 horsepower car for 48ks?
Dont get me wrong i know "German Quality" and all that stuff but cmon!

 

I really wanted a 330 a few months ago. I was under the "German engineering spell". I had been driving a 2001 Jetta, the first car that I purchased for myself out of college. It had its own problems, lots of recalls, and lots of random problems, including throwing a rod at 21,000 miles. I still somehow convinced myself that German cars were the best.

About a month ago I woke up from the spell and realized that German cars were no better, if not inferior, as far as reliability, as Japanese cars. Since my wife has a Pathfinder, and since my father never had many problems with his 300z, I started to look what Nissan and Infiniti had to offer. The new Maxima didn't do it for me, and the 350Z was too small according to my wife. I was really excited to learn that the G35 was rear wheel drive. That fact and the enjoyment that I had driving sealed the deal.

I am so glad that I didn't get a BMW. Don't get me wrong, BMW's are beautiful cars, and when they don't have problems, they are, in my opinion "The ultimate driving machine". But one thing that I hate is always having a car that I am still paying for in the shop.

My g35 is fun enough, and apparently from what I read it has good realiability.

 

I test drove a 530i at the GM autoshow in motion and I loved that thing. It handled VERY nicely, especially when I was taking a decreasing radius corner at high speeds, the car just turned like it was nothing.

 

I've owned two BMW 's (328i & 330ci), I've test driven pretty much every config of the new & prev gen 5 series including the 530i at the GM show in Chicago. IMO they just aren't worth it for the money.

The new gen 5 series is an awkward design (at best), the only powerplant worth getting is the 545i and for that kind of money I could get into something a lot nicer looking and more reliable. Having said that, my next car will probably be an M3 because it's the one model in the BMW line-up that I've frothed at the mouth for the last few years. As regards the 525i, it's underpowered, oddly styled and overpriced. Your boss made a good choice.