[Desertdweller]

A review, albeit historical, if you will. We had a 1986 535i manual in the family while I was in high school. Perhaps due in part to nostalgia, that car set a benchmark and sparked my interest in cars ever since. What I recall about it was a connectedness with driving that I have always looked for in cars ever since.

My first real car (not first car mind you) was a 1991 318is. That 4 cylinder was a bit anemic, but I drove that sucker for over 120K miles and thoroughly enjoyed it. Next came a 2003 530i manual with sport package that I picked up via ED in Oct 2002. It was fairly stripped down to keep price down. As many have commented on previous posts the experience was amazing. As far as the car, it was still a bit anemic in power and overall not as agile as I was hoping, but still enjoyed it immensely. I kept it about 4 years.

Next came a 2010 Audi RS4. Thought I'd test Audi out. Did not have chance to really put car through paces much when I bought it. After owning a year I found gear box too "notchy" or not smooth. The suspension performed well on twisties but day to day seemed too unrefined. I remember driving over freeway joints feeling like the car was see-sawing back and forth. Steering feel was disconnected too, not at all like what I was used to with BMW. Since I bought it with a 10K factory to dealer incentive, I sold it and did ok. Aesthetically, the car seemed a bit to "stubby" and boy racer I suppose.

Eventually ended up with 2013 M5. Considered 911 991, most recent Audi S6, Jaguar XFR, 650i Gran Coupe, Panamera GTS, even 750i. 750i not sporty enough. GC, maybe too big and I felt that auto tranny was to slow on the shifts. Somehow, with 3 kids 991 just was not practical enough. Panamera too expensive, big, and not as practical and quite frankly not aesthetically appealing (although one of the loveliest cars to drive).

Never even drove the damn thing, but saw a MCB 2013 with DCT, exec package, black leather/silver trim, and 20 in 343s sitting on showroom floor and bought it. I originally planned to order and pick up via ED Sept 2014, but seeing the car scuttled those plans as immediate gratification won out.

As far as my M5 goes, really love it. Perfect balance of luxury, performance, and practicality. Certainly no deficiency in power. I am not tracking the car, but I really believe that the engineering that has gone into the car is something I can enjoy everyday whether tearing around town or just cruising. I have always been a manual person but that DCT has certainly not disappointed. At times I miss the different type of control a manual brings, but overall DCT an excellent choice. The suspension is a weird mix for me, in softest setting a touch too harsh, but even when I have sport plus on, still get more body roll than expected. Steering is much improved over my RS4 but still has a somewhat artificial feel at times. But despite all that, make no mistake I love this car.

Now I am trying to decide what to do next. Due to a botched repair to some minor damage to my car, I got the ball rolling toward trading my 13 in for a 14. Dealer initial offer close to reasonable on trade for my car (82K). The catch is what to order next. Thinking of same color combos as current vs black saphire with sakhir orange and piano black trim. Main issue is whether or not to go for competition package. Don't want it to "upgrade" to a ride that is too harsh, but steering changes and more precise-sounding suspension in terms of body roll sounds appealing. Either way gonna stick with my current 343 20in and other possibility is to add B and O (but I kinda like current inconspicuous black speaker covers to current sound system although sound quality is not sublime). Trying to keep cost down and only order what is to me essential as I am of course trading in with a loss and ultimately want to feel that I am still getting good value for money. If I hold off on competition package, the difference is really pretty reasonable but then I wonder if I am crazy to re-order for the other small differences? Keep in mind it is the bad repair that was the initial motivation for getting something new. Have to decide in next week or so bc build allocation soon to go to unchangeable status. Thanks for any input.