The BMW 5 Series is a luxury sedan that has been produced by BMW since 1972. It is the seventh generation of the New Class Sedans, and it is the successor to the New Class Sedans.

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This is a very nice car. It is fast and powerful, quiet and comfortable even at high speed with very smooth automatic gearbox. It is fitted with good stereo and good front seats. -- El Paso Tile Installation

None so far

Power, steering feel, styling, reliability. That's the car I got to rewards myself after I did a large abattage arbre job.

Door handle broke, Stock stereo is horrible. This is a great vehicle. I will say that it is the best car I have ever owned. It has great fit and finish, and the V8 has ample power whenever you need it. I was a bit miffed when the door handle broke, but things happen. The handle was fixed under warranty, and that is the only problem I have had. I would definitely opt for the sport package if I could do it over again because I would like a stiffer suspension, and the non-sport wheels don''t look as good. Be prepared to upgrade the factory stereo if you are an audiophile.

The seats are the most comfortable I have ever had and are great for long drives. The trunk is large.

A design flaw that makes the engine lose compression even when using top quality high test gasoline. The problem appears to be unrepairable. Also, the car is counter intuitive in the way features are laid out. Since my salesmen did such a poor job of explaining the car, there are features on it I still can't figure out. The electornic transmission is less than ideal and has a very difficult time going from park to drive. I often have to attempt this numerous times before it occurs.

The biggest weakness with the car is a fundamental flaw in the car's engine. For some reason, gas purchased in the US fowls the fuel injectors resulting in a loss of compression in the engine. I have had this problem for 30 months and BMW's repeated attempts to address the issue have failed. The problem is intermittent and when the "engine" light is on, the car has extremely poor exceleration. It also seems to consume more gas. A service tech at Global Imports told me that this is a problem they are having specifically with this model and for some reason it is not happening in the European version. I have made 4 failed attempts to repair the car and have complained endlessly to Global and BMW. On three occasions I left messages with Global and once with BMW North America with no responce. The service rep who told me about the origin of the problem gave me a number to call and I actually got a person on the line. He was of no help what so ever and just said, when it happens again, bring it in. Another thing that is unbelievable, given the price of the car, is that the majority of dealers do not give you a loaner if you did not buy the car at their dealership. In other words, you can have a repeating problem like this and have to rent a car for several days while the car is being "repaired".I rarely get back to Atlanta these days and I have yet to find a local dealer willing to give me a loaner. When I asked the BMW rep if he could make sure that I get a loaner if I am out of town when this happens, his responce was that this is up to the individual dealers. BMW Corporate could (or would) do nothing about this. As a result, the car spends vertually all its time at Global on those occasions when I do get back to Atlanta. Is this any way to run a car company? I left the same BMW rep a message last week asking for an address so I could send a written detailed complaint to their corporate offices. Needless to say he never called me back. I guess if you ignore something long enough it will go away. In fact, in my case, they are correct. I had a 3 year lease on the car and it is up in 3 months. As a result, I guess I am going away, permenantly. I will never purchase anything from BMW again. It sounds as if they need to do a recall on the 535i. Given the economy, I am sure they will not be doing so. Buyer be ware, you have been warned.

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Audi A6. Great car, should have bought another one.

Engine response, handling, driving comfort, interior space, exterior design, general build quality, good (but not phenomenal) original stereo with sub-woofers

Interior design, interior materials, navigation system, fuel economy (especially in winter time), RWD in extreme winter conditions

This is a very nice car. It is fast and powerful, quiet and comfortable even at high speed with very smooth automatic gearbox. It is fitted with good stereo and good front seats. The fuel economy suffers in city and in cold conditions but the car will do just fine on long journeys and cruising on highways and motorways. The two only real drawbacks for me are cars interior design with shabby materials used for console, switches and rear wheels drive which takes some time to get used to in poor driving conditions and doesn't handle snow and ice very well (despite all the electronic aids). On the other hand the real wheels drive and handling can be also the cars strongest point against main rivals when used in normal conditions. It is simple as that: "If you want comfortable car for winter conditions with great interior design and feel go for Audi Q for everything else BMW is a king".

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2001 MB C200 Kompressor
2003 AUDI A4 Avant 2.0d
2005 AUDI A6 Avant 3.0d Quattro
2006 BMW 330d X-drive

Engine (BMW makes the best), style, power, handling.

I didn't get the sport package. Wish that I had. It handles and rides great but the sport package is more me. That is a personal decision.

This is a great car. Fast, smooth, powerful, good stereo. I love the I Control system. I get better mileage than advertised and I am a somewhat agressive driver. I average 23-24 mpg, more when highway driving.

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Mercedes 420 E.

ENGINE, TRANS, TURBOS, POWER AND HANDLING

NAVIGATION SYSTEM, CUP HOLDERS, FUEL ECONOMY

EXCELLENT WELL BALANCED VEHICLE. BEING AN AUTO ENTHUSIAST I TRADED A 2007 530XI FOR THE NEWER ENGINE. THE CAR IS PHENOMENAL. IT IS FAST BEYOND BELIEF. 6 CYL. @300HP IS ALMOST UNHEARD OF. THERE IS VIRTUALLY NO TURBO LAG AT ALL. THE ONLY DOWN SIDE IS I GAVE UP SOME ECONOMY BY GOING FOR THE 535. OTHER THAN THAT. THE CAR IS GREAT.

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530XI, MERCEDES BENZ CLK550, MERCEDES BENZ CL550.

Solid body and engine. Good seats. Full-size spare tire. Nice looking in a conservative sort of way.

Brakes, front end, poorly designed front air dam, weak air conditioner, electrical system, extremely high maintenance costs

As I need the end of five years as the owner of this car and having spent more than $13,000 in repair and maintenance, all I can say to any prospective buyer is run away from the BMW and don't look back. This is Germany's revenge for us having beaten them in World War II. The car is well built, sort of. The engine is strong running and sound; it's just everything else that seems to be falling apart. It's had 3 separate brake jobs (at about $1,000 each), the catalytic converter went at 82,000 miles, the front air dam cracked and had to be replaced, it needed a tune-up (another $1,000), it's gone through 2 batteries, the weatherstripping around the door rotted out, the water pump conked out, the heating coil had to be replaced, the front end had to be replaced, and now I have to replace the master cylinder. Also the air conditioner is rattling, probably on its death throes. This is on top of regular scheduled maintenance at about $240 on the average. And did I mention that I had to replace all four tires? A minor oversight on my part ... The electrical system in the car is interesting too. Once when it was hot outside, the car just stopped. I found out that this is not too unusual on these cars, just as extremely high maintenance and repair costs are normal too. I have no idea how many rear tail light bulbs I have replaced, but lucky for me this is one thing in a BMW that is user friendly. Although the car generally seems high quality, with a great ride and handling, I am amazed by the little cheap touches inside. The plastic control buttons on the climate control have cracked in two. The center arm rest is this weird thing that slides forward and back and is only marginally useful. The cup holders appear to have been copied from something available in a 1972 AMC Hornet. The "wood" that wraps around cabin seems to have more than a fleeting resemblance to being simulated, rather than real. I now understand why BMW offers these cars with a 4-year total maintenance package. This seems to me to be an admission of the low quality of their cars and a new adherence to the notion of "planned obsolescence" that was the hallmark of American cars from the 1950s through 1970s. American cars have learned a lesson that has apparently escaped the Germans -- Survey after survey shows Japanese and American cars surpassing the Germans in quality of build and reliability. Anyone who buys a 5-year or older BMW has only himself to blame for the misery that will follow. I bought a 2004 Cadillac CTS that is truly a great car -- solid, great handling, quality fit and finish, and a blast to drive. I will never own another BMW again.

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2004 Cadillac CTS

It has quite a bit of zip if you put it in "S" instead of "D". Absolutely awesome on the highway, quiet and fast. Very nice leather seats.

The stupid alarm goes off for no reason. The AC is fully charged but doesnt blow cold. Not as much interior room or trunk room as my Grand Prix GTP had.

My first BMW and also my first import. At the time I needed some wheels but I wanted something really nice. I didnt find out that all those 540s on the road have a V8 engine until after I bought the 530i. I have no complaints with the 3.0 straight six but I will get the 545i next time. People either admire it or hate it. Most of the haters are just too cheap to go and buy one.

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1998 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP

Incredible road feel and handling. Great brakes with strong grip Sharp looking. Sport steering wheel feels great. Has a lot more zip than you'd expect with 225 HP. Perfect for city driving. Really fun to drive at night

Sports seat is very firm and may take some getting used to. Factory radio is subpar Not much interior storage space.

A wonderful car that makes you feel like a player in traffic. Mine had 25K when I bought it. The handling and road feel are as good as its reputation. It lacks in some features you get in a Lexus, but a car is ultimately measured by performance and the performance is off the charts. It's like owning a luxury Porsche. I used to own a Lexus GS 400 and their is no comparison in your confidence in the handling.

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