[snowbimmer]

Coming in to this thread late. But, I was amused at Mattl0806's agony of the decision process. Not because I enjoy other's pain, but because I, too (we?) all have gone thru this effort. What makes it worse is trying to decipher BMW equipment descriptions and not having an example to drive. Here's my 2 cents (or $2).

I started with a manual E60 530. Happy to be back in a manual car, grew tired of it in heavy freeway traffic due to a lot of work travel on I-5. Ditched it for another E60 with an automatic. Kept lusting after the V-8s, but my portfolio came first.

Went through an F10 535 and then couldn't stand it anymore. I wanted more out of my BMW. I drove a 550 with a V-8 and had to have it. Picked up a Space Grey 2014 550xi. My driving joy increased immensely and I ended up with a 10,000 mile lease penalty. Pure joy.

When the G30 edition came out it was a no-brainer. I drove the 540 and then immediately ordered a 2018 M550 and picked it up in May 2017. I got DHP sight unseen or driven. (Love, love, love the rear wheel steering) This after going round and round trying to figure out the various suspension options. The ride was marvelous. It handled like a dream. Our motto became "Never take a freeway if a 2 lane road exits that will get you to the same place." It's a big, heavy car - but high speed driving in the mountains was a blast. Comfort wise, I just got the sport seats. No vents or massaging. Best seats I've ever had in a car. 500 miles in a day were no problem. I looked forward to getting into it every chance I got.

Oddly enough, I had to have two unrelated service events early in my ownership. They gave me a 530 and I had it for a week. I had driven several 530s as loaners over the years and never liked them. This one was peppy and smooth. I liked it. Then I had a 540 for a week. A friend had just picked up a 540 (he drove my 550 and prudently ordered the 540) - his first BMW. I had about 10 minutes of seat time in his car. It was very nice. The loaner gave me a chance to really compare the three cars back to back to back. The 540 had clearly been vastly improved (although I felt it was still a bit underpowered). It was smooth and fast - peppy. I could live with it. The day I got my M550 back it took me 2 blocks to realize, nope, the M550 is THE car. Maybe the BMW sweet spot. There was no question in my mind.

Then, unfortunately, financial circumstances said "Ya know.......there's this new thing out there called an F90 M5. And the reviews are insane." I built an M5 every day in the configurator. I was only finishing year two of my lease, but I wanted one. I was at 34,000 miles already on a 36k lease. I got up the courage to test drive a Base and a Comp the same day. The Comp was too rough, the Base less so. Base it is. I drove a couple hundred miles to see a Donington Grey and that was it. I scoured the country for the spec I wanted - there were just 2, one in Florida the other in San Diego. San Diego gave me a screaming deal and BMW had a $5000 lease incentive. I flew down and drove it home. Sold the M550 for a small loss, but didn't care because of the discount I was able to get.

So, now I'm almost in the Apex predator of the brand (the Apex being the Comp version - M8s weren't out yet). The F90 is brutally fast. You can set it up a hundred different ways. It tears up the 2 laners. But.........but.....the ride was a tad harsh in town. The seats made my ass sore. I could still do 500 miles, but it was a bit painful. I missed my rear wheel steering. The brakes squealed like a school bus. Shit. I missed my M550.

My dealer sent out a letter at month 17: Get a new M5 now and keep your same payments. Hmmmm? The F90 LCI was out and the Comp suspension had really been tweeked. I took a peek. Just for fun. They meant I could upgrade my Base model with another Base model. They only had 2 Comps on the lot. So I drove a Comp again. The seats were better and the ride way more compliant . I loved it. I was able to get the Comp version (an $8,000 upgrade) and added only 25/mo to my payment. 617hp!!

By now, my 540 friend had screwed up the courage to get into the LCI M550 - which came with an upgrade from my 455 hp engine to 523 hp. I drove it, but it seemed slow(ish), which I attributed to driving 617 hp everyday. Hmmm.

I took the Comp all over and enjoyed its marvels. But in the back of mind I always wondered if the M550 might better suit my needs. As it turned out, the M550 came out without all of it's ponies suited up. My friend got that fixed and I drove it again. Now we're talking.

But the 8 came out and the M850 started speaking to me. Basically an M550 with a different look (which I liked). I still wanted to go all in on the M8, but covid hit, supply chains got messed up, discounts evaporated, inflation started to skyrocket and interest rates headed up. After a year and a half into the best car I had ever owned (brakes still squealed like a school bus) I looked out to lease end and the M8 would just be stooopid expensive. Plus prices had gone up 4k. I found an M850 at my local dealer. Drove it. Loved it. Worked out a great deal and swapped cars. Bought it with money costing under 3%.

The M850 is brutally fast (but a tiny shade slower to 60 than the M550). Extremely comfortable. Not as agile as an M5, but pretty good. Got my rear wheel steering back. It tells me that the M550 / M850 platform is ideal. I enjoy it more than the M550, but that's probably because I had the "slow" pre-LCI version. The M550 has a bigger trunk and visibility is better. But they fit in the same slot on the platform: Screaming fast luxo cruiser. The V8 growl, the torque, it's ability to be a sleeper - all make it a great car.

If you ever got your hands on one, you'd know. I always hesitated to drive a V8 ten years ago because I knew they would suck me in. Well, suck away. I love 'em. I could also get 25 mpg on trips. It's around town where you have to keep your foot out of it to not get 13 mpg. But, I don't know. It just never gets old. I'm averaging about 20 mpg overall. Yeah, I know - gas at 2 bucks a gallon was sure nice.

So, I feel like Bilbo Bagins: There and Back Again. Times are tougher now and we have to be careful with our money. You can't go wrong with a 540. But, holy smoly - those M550's are nice. And, that's all I have to say. It's certainly been a fun journey to this point.

Good luck.

[NGT2]

@snowbimmer so you're telling me I need to skip the next step (550) and just go with the 850. Check.

Haha but really, the 8 seems like a cool car. I think I might miss the practicality of the 5 series (trunk and visibility), but it's a cool car that I don't see a ton of. You got the GC right?

If the 540 treats me right, I think just keeping it for a long time and finding a M850 coupe is my current "side piece" day dreaming target. But I'm sure that will change in 6 months.

It's a disease. I have zero complaints on my 540. Totally in love with it. I'm just greedy.

[snowbimmer]

Originally Posted by NGT2

@snowbimmer so you're telling me I need to skip the next step (550) and just go with the 850. Check.

Haha but really, the 8 seems like a cool car. I think I might miss the practicality of the 5 series (trunk and visibility), but it's a cool car that I don't see a ton of. You got the GC right?

If the 540 treats me right, I think just keeping it for a long time and finding a M850 coupe is my current "side piece" day dreaming target. But I'm sure that will change in 6 months.

It's a disease. I have zero complaints on my 540. Totally in love with it. I'm just greedy.

Yes I got the GC. It's also 5 inches longer and 3 inches wider - with less cabin and trunk space. It's got a really, really long hood, tho. So, there's that.

If you never needed back seat passengers, the coupe might be kinda cool.

[Mattl0806]

Originally Posted by snowbimmer

Yes I got the GC. It's also 5 inches longer and 3 inches wider - with less cabin and trunk space. It's got a really, really long hood, tho. So, there's that.

If you never needed back seat passengers, the coupe might be kinda cool.

@snowbimmer

Thank you so much for your write up. I really enjoyed reading your story and certainly see some similarities between us, except you were able to pull the trigger on the v8.

I'm on leg 3 of my journey and once again have gone with the under powered (relatively) option of the 540. I'm hopeful the b58 maybe with an additional carbahn or Dinan tune will do the trick tho. I really enjoyed the drive on this car. Much more so than my prior bmws.

But, we shall see if I can even hold out and wait for this build order haha.

[NGT2]

Originally Posted by snowbimmer

Yes I got the GC. It's also 5 inches longer and 3 inches wider - with less cabin and trunk space. It's got a really, really long hood, tho. So, there's that.

If you never needed back seat passengers, the coupe might be kinda cool.

I looked at the dimensions the other day. Lower, longer, wider. Sounds awesome. And I love a long hood on a car.