Growing up, my parents owned a silver e39 530i. I caught the BMW bug ever since. My first car at 16 was a $700 gunmetal gray e30 318i, followed by a royal blue e30 325e (I still miss that car). Once I graduated college and into a salary, I upgraded to a turbocharged red e30 325is, then really upgraded to an e30 with an S52 swap. Those last two were headaches, but such a thrill.
Fast forward a decade, a Honda and 4Runner later, and the M550i really caught my eye starting in 2018. I loved the idea of a fast V8 5-series that’s still comfortable, in the spirit of the e39 540i M sport or M5. I got distracted and bought an e38 740i M sport thinking I’d save money, but the continual repairs made it very hard to enjoy (“what was that noise??”).
I made the tough choice to sell the 7 at a loss after repairs and go for what I’ve always wanted: a brand new M550i, spec’d exactly how I’d envisioned it. I collected mine July 2023, one of the last from Dingolfing.
I worked with Chris at Insight Auto to find a good deal. 8.4% off MSRP, $3k loyalty rebate, and 5.25% lender tax credits (helps big time with TX sales tax). I did a OnePay lease which dropped down interest rate to 3.72%. BMW CCA rebate as well. I fully plan to purchase the car after the lease is expired and baby it for a long time. I see M550i’s being collectors one day (V8 no hybrid, good looks, functional tech), or at least have an enthusiast fanbase.
Build is below, every box was ticked. Everything was too tantalizing.
I am enjoying all options, including the ventilated and massaging seats. The Alcantara headliner is extra nice. I’m disappointed the B&W sound wasn’t available due to covid supply chain, but HK does the job. Maybe an upgrade for later. I love the ivory seats (and for some reason the black backs of remaining color choices really irked me). Spec'd Ridgeline trim, which was always the choice from day 1 - very elegant. Thanks to DHP and the non run-flats, the car handles extremely well for its mid size (I had plenty of e30s as barometers).
The car is PPF’d up to the fenders, full ceramic including wheels, 25% tint all around with 75% windshield + UV protection. Interior protection from the dealer. Very minor accessories / mods below:
- Dinan spacers 12 & 15mm
- Painted front reflectors (IND)
- Cerium grille and fender inlets. I wasn’t sure this would look good with the Shadowline headlights, but I took the dive and bought some via the forum. I like it. I always felt the Shadowline grille took away the personality of actually seeing your BMW grille. I think it works best with the 668M wheels, and the cerium fender inlets to balance it out. FYI I went with the Shadowline package for the painted red calipers + painted mirrors, and would’ve been ok if the cerium mods didn’t work out.
- X-Drive de-badge (I prefer old school look of Roundel + model badge only)
- Front license plate delete (never drilled)
- Bimmercode, of course.
Saving the best for last, the paint. I’ve always felt Phytonic Blue is a highly underrated color because it’s so widely available across BMW’s lineup. Frankly I think it looks cheap on base X3’s, 3 series, etc, but on a M550i or X5 M50i it looks stunning. It’s a more natural (akin to nature) blue, vs what I call “Hot Wheels blue” on many other cars which looks too bright/neon/intense. Just my preference though. In shade, Phytonic is a deep sea blue, not navy blue, which is what turned me off from Tanzanite. Phytonic in direct sunlight, clean, coupled with Shadowline and/or cerium (no chrome), looks incredible (I’ll shut up and let pictures do the rest).
A big thank you to this forum and everyone on here, I had random trepidations around buying new vs used, DHP (100% worth it), and much more. This car is perfect to me thanks to you.
Cheers!