[Gautam]

     Featured on BIMMERPOST.com

Black Sapphire on Ivory Nappa w/Piano Black. Canadian spec with every option in the ordering guide, with alcantra headliner as an individual option.

Since it’s Canadian, it has 4-way climate control, touch screen climate control in the front, 668’s by default, and of course, M badges on the side.

Its my 3rd BMW, with my last two bothering me over one thing or another being missing, so this time I decided not to bend on a single feature. For the most part, it feels worth it, even the gimmicky ones like ambient air and remote control parking.

I came from an E60 6er and an F30, but the 5 feels like where I should have been in the first place. The G30 is a home run- uncompromising performance and comfort.

[peteinpa]

Originally Posted by Gautam

Black Sapphire on Ivory Nappa w/Piano Black. Canadian spec with every option in the ordering guide, with alcantra headliner as an individual option.

Since it’s Canadian, it has 4-way climate control, touch screen climate control in the front, 668’s by default, and of course, M badges on the side.

Its my 3rd BMW, with my last two bothering me over one thing or another being missing, so this time I decided not to bend on a single feature. For the most part, it feels worth it, even the gimmicky ones like ambient air and remote control parking.

I came from an E60 6er and an F30, but the 5 feels like where I should have been in the first place. The G30 is a home run- uncompromising performance and comfort.

Nice car. Enjoy it.

[23109VC]

Originally Posted by peteinpa

Nice car. Enjoy it.

Awesome Car and great options!! I was scared to get a light colored interior because of the cleaning but it looks beautiful! Enjoy!!

[maDjzo]

Wow! Awesome machine, congrats!

[Joe-BMW33]

Very nice! Congrats. Looks like you didn't get the full extended leather dash or Bowers and Wilkins? Two of my favorite touches on mine.

[Gautam]

Originally Posted by Joe-BMW33

Very nice! Congrats. Looks like you didn't get the full extended leather dash or Bowers and Wilkins? Two of my favorite touches on mine.

I do have B&W, but no extended dash nor merino. At the end of the day, I’m a gadget junkie so focused on the full feature set over the leather options. (Though if I found one with everything I’d have happily purchased it)

B&W is one of the options I’m iffier on. I’ve had h/k in the past as do some family and friends, and they’re pretty close in most circumstances. The audio source makes a difference, I.e. Spotify doesn’t do b&w justice.

[Joe-BMW33]

Originally Posted by Gautam

I do have B&W, but no extended dash nor merino. At the end of the day, I’m a gadget junkie so focused on the full feature set over the leather options. (Though if I found one with everything I’d have happily purchased it)

B&W is one of the options I’m iffier on. I’ve had h/k in the past as do some family and friends, and they’re pretty close in most circumstances. The audio source makes a difference, I.e. Spotify doesn’t do b&w justice.

Ahh...I see your silver speaker grill now. Yup, B&W may not be worth the $3,400 price tag in terms of whether it is worth $2,000 (or whatever HK costs) of HK, but it is better, maybe not 50% better, but it's the best audio they have to offer with the exception of Bang and Olufsen. Agree on Spotify, Apple Music still sounds the best over all the other streaming services and I have them all. Pandora is the worst.

The leather dash is nice. I didn't realize how much I would appreciate it. You don't have to have Merino to get it. I have Nappa.

Did you get DHP?

[redblaze]

Congrats, this car looks awesome and doesn't look like a 3 year old car at all. What is the mileage?

It's good that Canadian spec has that Small M badge on side fenders, a bit more distinction.

How do you like B&W so far? I find it not really to my expectations.

[Joe-BMW33]

Originally Posted by redblaze

Congrats, this car looks awesome and doesn't look like a 3 year old car at all. What is the mileage?

It's good that Canadian spec has that Small M badge on side fenders, a bit more distinction.

How do you like B&W so far? I find it not really to my expectations.

I added them to mine:

[Gautam]

Originally Posted by Joe-BMW33

Ahh...I see your silver speaker grill now. Yup, B&W may not be worth the $3,400 price tag in terms of whether it is worth $2,000 (or whatever HK costs) of HK, but it is better, maybe not 50% better, but it's the best audio they have to offer with the exception of Bang and Olufsen. Agree on Spotify, Apple Music still sounds the best over all the other streaming services and I have them all. Pandora is the worst.

The leather dash is nice. I didn't realize how much I would appreciate it. You don't have to have Merino to get it. I have Nappa.

Did you get DHP?

Yup, Apple Music is where it’s at. My wife and I noticed it right away. I’m actually glad that someone else confirmed it.

Dhp yes- must have. (Though it’s not called dhp in Canada) I found a perfect spec save for dhp at my local dealer and had to pass, and then spend another 3 months hunting, but it was worth it. Without dhp, I’d go as far as to say I might have gone with an MB E53 instead. The car still has a lot of body roll even with it, but it’s night and day vs base. I wish bmw would just throw us a bone and make it standard, but that probably won’t happen. This isn’t a true M car, but still.

Your car looks like a twin of mine btw, just as pretty, esp with those badges.

Originally Posted by redblaze

Congrats, this car looks awesome and doesn't look like a 3 year old car at all. What is the mileage?

It's good that Canadian spec has that Small M badge on side fenders, a bit more distinction.

How do you like B&W so far? I find it not really to my expectations.

Thank you for the kind words. I got it with 29k miles and already put 2k on it. So the mileage is nothing special for its age. It’s benefiting from a fresh detailing.

I agree about b&w. It’s marginally better than h/k. Not bad, but by no means best in class.

I like the m badges and will keep them. I find it funny most Americans seem to hate them so much that it seemed to reach bmws marketing department.

[Joe-BMW33]

Originally Posted by Gautam

Yup, Apple Music is where it’s at. My wife and I noticed it right away. I’m actually glad that someone else confirmed it.

Dhp yes- must have. (Though it’s not called dhp in Canada) I found a perfect spec save for dhp at my local dealer and had to pass, and then spend another 3 months hunting, but it was worth it. Without dhp, I’d go as far as to say I might have gone with an MB E53 instead. The car still has a lot of body roll even with it, but it’s night and day vs base. I wish bmw would just throw us a bone and make it standard, but that probably won’t happen. This isn’t a true M car, but still.

Your car looks like a twin of mine btw, just as pretty, esp with those badges.


Thank you for the kind words. I got it with 29k miles and already put 2k on it. So the mileage is nothing special for its age. It’s benefiting from a fresh detailing.

I agree about b&w. It’s marginally better than h/k. Not bad, but by no means best in class.

I like the m badges and will keep them. I find it funny most Americans seem to hate them so much that it seemed to reach bmws marketing department.

RE: M Badges in the US. I think it more had to do with not bumping up against the M5, although it sounds silly that this would be one way to avoid that.

[smacky]

Originally Posted by Gautam

I do have B&W, but no extended dash nor merino. At the end of the day, I’m a gadget junkie so focused on the full feature set over the leather options. (Though if I found one with everything I’d have happily purchased it)

B&W is one of the options I’m iffier on. I’ve had h/k in the past as do some family and friends, and they’re pretty close in most circumstances. The audio source makes a difference, I.e. Spotify doesn’t do b&w justice.

That's good to know since I primarily use Spotify and will have the HK on mine.

Is there anything special you have to do when getting a Canadian spec car?

[Gautam]

Originally Posted by Joe-BMW33

RE: M Badges in the US. I think it more had to do with not bumping up against the M5, although it sounds silly that this would be one way to avoid that.

There’s a lot more stratification across us models, what comes standard and how the packages work, with a lot more nickel and diming. The lack of 4-way climate control is likely also to prevent it from bumping up against the m5, which seems even sillier since I think one would be less likely to have passengers in the rear of an m5.

These are its options, it fills out the ordering guide completely, though of course there are some individual options possible that it doesn’t have.

https://i.imgur.com/yrwVdkR.png

Originally Posted by smacky

That's good to know since I primarily use Spotify and will have the HK on mine.

Is there anything special you have to do when getting a Canadian spec car?

I got it from a us dealer, so no. The annoying thing was I needed to wait 30 days before they could legally sell it to me, as they listed it even before they imported it.

BMW NA warranty is still good at my local dealer, but it’s not cpo.

I wouldn’t sweat the HK, but I’d suggest trying Apple Music over Spotify if you can (even YouTube music seems better) I still use Spotify all the time, but even the base audio in my f30 shows a distinction.

[Joe-BMW33]

Originally Posted by Gautam

There’s a lot more stratification across us models, what comes standard and how the packages work, with a lot more nickel and diming. The lack of 4-way climate control is likely also to prevent it from bumping up against the m5, which seems even sillier since I think one would be less likely to have passengers in the rear of an m5.

These are its options, it fills out the ordering guide completely, though of course there are some individual options possible that it doesn’t have.

View post on imgur.com

I got it from a us dealer, so no. The annoying thing was I needed to wait 30 days before they could legally sell it to me, as they listed it even before they imported it.

BMW NA warranty is still good at my local dealer, but it’s not cpo.

I wouldn’t sweat the HK, but I’d suggest trying Apple Music over Spotify if you can (even YouTube music seems better) I still use Spotify all the time, but even the base audio in my f30 shows a distinction.

Yup, that is very well spec'd out, very similar to mine. Will the US BMW dealer not certify it or they can't because it is a Canadian car? How much warranty is left and do you plan on buying an extended warranty? Do you mind sharing what you paid? I am just curious because of the hot market. My dealer had an M550 with less options and more miles listed today for $12,000 more than I paid a few months ago.

430Scud tagging Dave who has a Canadian spec M550 imported. He can probably share some experiences of owning a Canadian car and extended warranty options.

As much as Apple Music sounds the best, I am so bored with it and the interface. I recently started using Spotify just for it's smart playlists and suggestions. The best thing about B&W is that is sounds great even at lower volumes. In my F10, the HK sounded good when blasted, not so much as low volume.

[txm550i]

Beautiful car!! Love the 668s, it was an option I refused not to get. Made looking for one with the colors and options I wanted interesting since most of the ones anywhere near me did not have them. I've added the M Badges myself as well. Ordered them from the local BMW dealer. Asked them to install them and they told me the bodyshop would do it, just be sure and bring them a picture. I put them on myself.

[Joe-BMW33]

Does it have the extended digital display? I only ask because a car that loaded would be an oversight not to have it. Didn't see it on the list but if could be buried. Mine is listed as a line item. It's pretty cheap, like $300 bucks.

[Gautam]

Originally Posted by Joe-BMW33

Does it have the extended digital display? I only ask because a car that loaded would be an oversight not to have it. Didn't see it on the list but if could be buried. Mine is listed as a line item. It's pretty cheap, like $300 bucks.

Yes it does. 6WB. It was in fact standard in Canada. Incidentally the best us spec one I found did not. Some of the early us builds did not have it available at all.

[Bob in IL]

Originally Posted by Joe-BMW33

Does it have the extended digital display? I only ask because a car that loaded would be an oversight not to have it. Didn't see it on the list but if could be buried. Mine is listed as a line item. It's pretty cheap, like $300 bucks.

In my US spec 2019 G30 the "Dynamic Digital Instrument Cluster" is part of the Executive Package. Might be different in Canadian cars?

[redblaze]

I can't see it clearly but does your gauge cluster have the odd black flange extended from the silver rings?

[Gautam]

Originally Posted by txm550i

Beautiful car!! Love the 668s, it was an option I refused not to get. Made looking for one with the colors and options I wanted interesting since most of the ones anywhere near me did not have them. I've added the M Badges myself as well. Ordered them from the local BMW dealer. Asked them to install them and they told me the bodyshop would do it, just be sure and bring them a picture. I put them on myself.

Thank you! I really did want 668’s. For me the dealbreaker was ivory nappa, which did make things challenging.

Joe- about another 6mos hour of warranty. I do plan to get an extended warranty. Cpo programs aren’t compatible between the two countries but the factory is. (But it wasn’t cpo in the first place)

The car cost me in the low 50’s in mid-June. I wasn’t hunting for a bargain but I think it was fair. I only found one other over the course of 4 months that was almost equivalent but in the mid 50’s, which I was too slow to pull the trigger on. (And by slow, I mean it was gone in hours)

Rear seat entertainment, night vision and remote control parking were the most challenging in that order (and admittedly, the least useful)

Originally Posted by Bob in IL

In my US spec 2019 G30 the "Dynamic Digital Instrument Cluster" is part of the Executive Package. Might be different in Canadian cars?

Originally Posted by redblaze

I can't see it clearly but does your gauge cluster have the odd black flange extended from the silver rings?

No it does not. The reason that it’s not a part of any option packages in the Canadian spec is because it was standard. 6WA was not even possible.

I added pics of the dash and controls to the op.

[Joe-BMW33]

@Gautam

Rear seat entertainment, night vision and remote control parking were the most challenging in that order (and admittedly, the least useful)

I am sure rear entertainment was close to impossible to find, especially with the other options. Honestly, I think yours is the first M550 I've seen with it, and I did a ton of searching and I spend a lot of time online in forums and groups. I actually did a double take and wondered if you added iPads to the headrests or something. I didn't even know it was an option which is how rare it is to see a car with them.

Yeah, you gotta jump on these cars quickly. I did. You know when it's right. The prior owner of my car was like me. OCD and meticulous. Easily the cleanest CPO I've ever found. Xpel front end helps, but there isn't a mark on the entire car, including the bumpers. With the exception of rear entertainment, ours are close in options. I paid $49,500 in April and they gave me a killer deal on my trade. I still can not believe the deal I got for the car I got, CPO and never seen winter. The same car with more miles and less options in their lot right now for $62,500.

[Gautam]

March-April was no doubt the best time to buy. Even back then, most M550’s with DHP were 50k+. Towards the end of June, I saw ones without DHP and even close to 30k miles selling for the high 50’s and even breaking 60. Crazy.

Definitely a great find. Xpel is worth a lot in its own right. Mine is very clean but not perfect when you get real close. A few scratches here and there.

RSE was not something I was going out of my way for, but a couple of m550’s that I was interested in happened to have it. I found somewhere around 3 in the US and one in Canada with it throughout my search. Night vision is not as rare but they tend to come together. It’s already come in handy in an odd way as a second monitor for a laptop while my wife was teleconferencing during a road trip.

I agree that you gotta jump when you know that it’s right and I’ve learned that the hard way. Part of why I got this car is that I settled with both of my last bmws. For the last one I was too slow to pull the trigger on the right one. (A demo cpo f30 with every option in the book, if it had worked out I might still be driving it) Saving a couple grand here and there isn’t worth it if it’s going to bug you over the course of a couple of years or more.