[Genovese45]

Hello my name is Gee. Im looking at two vehicles the same color and the same options. The 550 costs approx. $2k more than the 535. The 550 also has 3000 less miles. I keep hearing about the 550 having issues but again both of these vehicles are certified. Whats a guy to do???? Any help from you current owners will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[kondor]

I debated the exact same thing and bought the 550i a few weeks ago. Drive both and the decision will be made for you.
I will plagiarize another member who summed it up perfectly....one is rolling thunder and the other is a very good bmw.

The power and torque in the 550 is absolutely erotic and effortless.

[lsturbointeg]

I have the 535i which has the inline 6 turbo whereas the 550 is a V8 correct? I really think u have to think about what are you going to do with it? Performance....Cosmetics? Each has it's own. For me I'm content with the power the turbo generates. And still be able to upgrade on the performance if need be. others will chime in.

[kondor]

Originally Posted by lsturbointeg

I have the 535i which has the inline 6 turbo whereas the 550 is a V8 correct? I really think u have to think about what are you going to do with it? Performance....Cosmetics? Each has it's own. For me I'm content with the power the turbo generates. And still be able to upgrade on the performance if need be. others will chime in.

The 550i (f10) is also turbo'd and produces 100 more hp and 150 more ft lbs of torque.

If you can afford it the 550 is the way to go. Although I plan to trade this in a few years from now and upgrade to an M5.

[kondor]

Also make sure you get the dynamic handling package...

[Genovese45]

Thanks fellas. I drove both and I agree the 550 is incredible however I found a 2011 535xi with 46k for $36500. The have to run it through to make sure that it can be cpo'd. I will know 1st thing Monday. I can see that 550 getting me in trouble and from the feel of the 535 in sport plus mode it's plenty of power for this kid.

[kondor]

Agreed the 535i is 'enough' power. Let us know what you end up getting.

[Genovese45]

Roger that.

[bake]

And a 535 with a Stage 2 tune is no slouch either. I vote for the 535. If you were leasing new, I would say go for the 550.

[Genovese45]

Thanks guys. Forgot to tell y'all. I got the 535i xdrive

[TourStageFan]

Originally Posted by Genovese45

Thanks guys. Forgot to tell y'all. I got the 535i xdrive

Congrats! I just picked up a '12 CPO 535i X-drive M-Sport last week and love it!

[NewM3driver]

The 550 is faster but noticeably nose heavy. The 535 is smoother, more nimble and handles better. If you are street racing go 550. If you want a perfectly balanced BMW with one of the legendary, storied straight six engines, go 535.

[Genovese45]

Originally Posted by TourStageFan

Congrats! I just picked up a '12 CPO 535i X-drive M-Sport last week and love it!

Right back at you bro. Enjoy. I got the msport also. The ultimate driving machine

[eeeboy]

I had same dilemma...went with 535i ..more nimble..better gas mileage...and something about a v8 with turbo worries me about maintenance later...because I am keeping the car for 7+years

[Genovese45]

Originally Posted by eeeboy

I had same dilemma...went with 535i ..more nimble..better gas mileage...and something about a v8 with turbo worries me about maintenance later...because I am keeping the car for 7+years

The only reason I did the same. The event I plan on keeping it after the cpo warranty runs out

[ezmaass]

It's all about what you're going to do with the car. The 550's power is completely unnecessary 95% of the time. I happened to buy one for the other 5%, admittedly. But I own an LCI 550 with the N63tu engine - I wouldn't buy a pre-LCI N63, to be honest. And the jury may still be out even on the N63tu. I've kept my previous BMWs around 6.5 years a piece, but if this one doesn't age well, it'll go sooner. So far it's been a rock - but only in service for a bit more than a year.

Inline 6's are the bread and butter of BMW, so that's something to consider. The V8 has wonderful power, and it's great for highway use where you want passing power. But I'll admit, it's rare for me to put the pedal completely down. It's an abundance of power for the car.

There's also gas mileage to consider. The V8 is much more thirsty, even under light load. While gas is less expensive at the moment, perhaps that's not a huge consideration - but it'll likely head north again soon enough. It wasn't a real consideration for me - I work from home, and it's rare for the car to be driven more than once a week, sometimes every other week. But if you're commuting any considerable distance with it on a daily basis, the lower MPG rating may be a consideration.

And lastly there's maintenance. They're certified at the moment. Will you keep the car past its warranty? If so, consider the V8 to be more expensive to maintain.

[Genovese45]

Thanks ezmaass.

[Slickrick2]

I was also in the same situation in March of this year. One dealer had a white M sport 535x and another dealer had a Carbon black 550x. I asked the dealer with the white Beamer that I wanted $15,000 for my 535xi 2008 sport bimmer. They gave me a song and dance about the appraiser who would not be in till Monday. I called the dealer with the carbon black 550 and told them I'd like to drive the car. Set up the appointment for the following day. I Drove the car and sat at the sales reps desk and said give me $15,000 for my car and we can talk about buying the car today. Needless to say they gave me $15,000 and we sat for two hours dealing on the price of the car. 2014-550i xdrive -M Sport-exec-nappa loaded.

I'm so happy I went with the 550!

[Genovese45]

Congrats on your purchase slickrick2. Enjoy her

[lsturbointeg]

Congrats...now Let's see some pictures!

[RSBro]

The 550 is awesome and I'm glad I went with it, even with the N63 engine issues popping up (which I haven't really experienced) here and there.
It may also be one of B M's last V8s that aren't in a 7 Series or M5/M6, so that's something to consider too.
I wouldn't say the power is unnecessary 95% of the time at all. I have an 11 mile commute daily and sometimes get on the highway on weekends and the 440 ft lb. of torque is so much fun. I haven't had a high HP/low-ish torque car before, but I can't imagine it would be as good to drive. Torque hits you in the gut under heavy acceleration and I have so much fun with my car even in the short distance I drive it.

[BMWrules7]

Originally Posted by RSBro

The 550 is awesome and I'm glad I went with it, even with the N63 engine issues popping up (which I haven't really experienced) here and there.
It may also be one of B M's last V8s that aren't in a 7 Series or M5/M6, so that's something to consider too.
I wouldn't say the power is unnecessary 95% of the time at all. I have an 11 mile commute daily and sometimes get on the highway on weekends and the 440 ft lb. of torque is so much fun. I haven't had a high HP/low-ish torque car before, but I can't imagine it would be as good to drive. Torque hits you in the gut under heavy acceleration and I have so much fun with my car even in the short distance I drive it.

I am in the other camp that says you don't use the power 95% of the time. But, it's good to hear you give your Bimmer a workout.

The large engines sip gas if you drive like a granny. But, the moment you push the beast you can watch the needle on the gas gauge go down.

Plus, I've heard that tracking the 550 nets you less than 30 minutes to drain the tank. Can anyone confirm that's true?

I also have an X1 2.8. Sometimes I find it more fun to fly in an underpowered car like the X1 2.8 than it is to drive my f02. The raw power of the f02 kind of saps the fun out of sport---I mean you're just winning by brute force and it's hard to open it up for long distances. However, there is great sport in pushing the X1 with the 2.8, at least for me anyway.

Let's not kid ourselves, there can be great fun in having your 550s 8 banger's uncompromising and always-available power reserves perpetually at the ready---to suck the sport out of the game too.