My father recently bought a 2004 BMW 745i. Before the '7' he had a 2002 540i with the M package. He babied the car and it only has 32,000 kms on it. He offered the '5' to me at a great price since he wants to keep the car in the family. The problem is that if I decide to go for it I will have to give up the RX8. I am really confused and think that it would be great if I can get some input from the 'community' on weighing out the pros and cons. What should I do??

 

A 540 is a big car....I guess it comes down to what you enjoy driving more....everything else is secondary.

 

It didn't feel that big when I drove it yesterday. Infact I think it handles very well for a car that size. It's got loads of tourque and with the M package it feels pretty good.

 

Don't get me wrong...I would never call a 5 series M car a boat......its just large in scale and weight compared to the 8......like I said beofre, which one do you enjoy driving best.

 

I know what you're saying. I just need some opinions since I am torn between the two. I've always like Bimmers and I've always been intrigued by rotaries. What is driving me crazy is the offer my father has given me. I think it may be a once in life time opportunity to get a 540i for that price since he wants to keep it in the family.

 

so buy the M5, drive it over the winter and reconsiider your choice in the spring....by the sounds of it, you could probably make some money off of the M5 that way.....either way, you are going to br driving a nice car.

 

If it were me, and i were to chose between a Rotary and a BMW, i would pick the rotary 100% No doubt about it, compared to the 540, the performance is just as good straight line, (Mid 14's ) the handling is far superior on the RX-8, better brakes, and even at the moment fewer km's.

However, im not sure how old you are but im 22, i still live at home and I go still go to university, so if my dad were to want me to have his last car, i would take it. If thats really what he wants, i would do whatever he tells me.( arent i such a good child!!! hahahhaa)

 

Well it also depends a lot also on who is going to pay for the maintenance . . . Can you afford repair bills that start a $1K and go up in $1K increments? That has been my experience with a couple of Audis and a buddy of mine recounts the same experince with his current 7 series. The smaller German cars seem to go through a lot less parts than their larger siblings, granted M5 is not nearly as much of a road monster as the 7 series which seems in some areas to be under designed like my Audi 100 was. Don't get me wrong, I love all those cars, they are great to drive but with the pleasure comes some pain at the repair shop. It also comes down to whether you want a sports car or a sports sedan, they are two different beasts. The M5 has more curb appeal at the country club and is more prestigious but the 8 will turn more heads. You will also take a huge depreciation hit on the 8 (maybe 10K to a dealer) so the deal has got to be pretty good. I know the depreciation on the 7 series is horrendous, it's bad like high-end Audis, they only have about 40% residual value at the 4-5 year mark, I don't know if the M5 is any better. You probably want to do some math on this, it might be a giant sink hole for cash.

It rarely if ever makes sense to flip cars quickly, if you do that you are better off leasing, you will lose but not nearly as badly. The M5 also doesn't buy you much for winter either, same scenario, it's also rear wheel drive with bags of power and big fat wheels/tires. I kind of like AWD for winter and I bet you might be in the same financial shape if you bought an Audi or Subaru winter beater in addition to the 8 over flipping the 8 for the M5 and in a practical sense you might be further ahead. I would much rather drive my rather ancient Audi in winter than destroy something really nice that I care about. I would care about that M5 like I care about the 8, it's a beautiful car . . .

 

I don't know anything about performance, but after having looked on the web for pictures of the BMW you speak of, why would you even debate this? There is nothing "ooh aah" about the BMW (other than the logo maybe).

The 8 on the other hand, in my somewhat biased opinion, remains one of the nicest looking cars on the road today.

 

stop calling it the M5!!! the M5 is a 100K sedan that has 400hp. As far as i know he is talking about the 540i with the M appearance package.....its a completely different machine then the M5

 

THANKS!

 

sorry mistake ( I never did pay attention all that well)....in that case, buy th RX8

 

IMO you should take the 5 since ur father has alraeady invested quite abit into the car..the M-package isn't cheap. Just bash it around and have some fun...Later on u can probably trade it in for an 8. A 5 series with 32k km on it has a pretty high trade-in price i suppose.

Well if u guys can afford both a 7 series and a 5 series bimmer i'm sure $$ isn't an issue for you..soo introduce the 8 to ur father...maybe he'll start to like it and probably add one to his collection of cars?

 

If HE wants it kept in the family, let HIM keep the 540! What do YOU want to drive? The 5 series is the best mid-size luxury sports sedan in the world, especially with the manual trans and in the pre-Banglified version. BUT, do you want to be driving a mid-size luxury sports sedan or a compact light 4 seater sports car? The 540 will be about 800 lbs heavier than the RX-8, and will handle like the much heavier car it is.

Regards,
Gordon

 

Since I already own the 8 how much can I get for it? It is the GT 6 speed with only 17,000 kms and never winter driven. I've babied it to the point where people are afraid to get in the car with me since I'm so fussy. It still smells brand new!

 

You're probably looking at about $28-$29K wholesale on trade to a dealer. Privately you may get $31-$33k. This is from my experience trying to flip out of my Titanium GT 6sp with 18,500 km. Mazda Canada have lots of '04 RX-8s in stock (overflow from US allocation that wasn't selling) and '05s are arriving. If you check the Mazda.ca website you can see that they have just lowered the lease and finance rates - I don't know about all the other early buyers that paid MSRP and got stuck with a 7.9% lease rate, but this really pisses me off. That's another rant!.
You are certainly not going to get what the RX-8 is really "worth" right now - Mazda Canada have soured the Canadian re-sale market for this car. It's a very nice gesture your father is making (and I really do like the M5) but it's going to cost you on the RX-8 sale - I would try to swing keeping both :D

 

Its official. I sold my RX-8 yesterday. I got approximately $38,000 for it. Not bad at all. I am now a proud owner of a 2002 BMW 540i.

This forum has been insightful and I will miss the hospitality. I will stop in from time to time.

Thanks everyone!

 

Congrats! I love my 8 but the 2k2 5 series is a VERY nice car. You had to choose between champagne and a vintage scotch, hard to go wrong.

 

I've been driving the '5' for over a week now and I love it! I still miss the RX-8. The '5' has shitloads of tourqe! My 8 seemed a little troublesome and I felt that it would not hold out for as long as newer production models. Although it was a great car to drive, I feel that when attending business meetings the BMW will carry more "weight". For me the 'wow' factor of the 8 wore off as it aged with its little concerns. The BMW has been in the family for over 2 years and has been an excellent car. I find that the 8 attracts a different type of person, one that is fun and sporty and willing to get taunted by younger drivers in Hondas that have modifications. During my time driving the 540i I have found that this irritating taunting has vanished and this car receives more respect. I bagged an excellent selling price on the Mazda (better than local dealers, I was very lucky). The 540i will retain its value a lot better than the Mazda. If I regret my decision (which is doubtful) I can easily trade-in or privately sell the BMW and pick up another RX-8 and pocket some money! I am pleased with my decision.
Thanks to all that provided input. Maybe one day I will own a rotary again!

 

Hey TiGuy!
The big 'ole Beemer is an OLD mans car! :o

You should just sell it to me!

Mmmmmm...M Package! Sounds great, and a good deal, how can you lose?

We'll miss you on the forum, and around the Park.

Keep in touch....

S

 

Doc!! Although I am no longer an owner of the 8 I am glad that I was able to share the experience with you. You were not just a fellow 8 owner but a friend. I am glad this will continue. I am not at the restaurant much due to studies but I can be contacted at 709-6767. Take care and keep in touch!