Current Events > Car advice? BMW i5 M60 seems a shockingly good value

(+) Yeah! (+)

The car board is pretty dead so asking here.

I'm in the market for a new car. When we had a baby, I traded my Chevy Impala with its surprisingly sporty V6 for a Buick Enclave. The Buick is a perfectly fine large SUV. In fact, it does everything a large SUV should. However, I don't want a large SUV or any SUV for that matter. It's been practical as hell. I was able to just pick up a 65" TV or all the various baby stuff we bought. But I miss driving a car. My wife has a Mazda 3 Hatch and it's so much more fun to drive even with its ~ 200HP. I want something fun to drive, a real driver's car that makes me want to get in the car rather than just being a way from A to B. I'm looking for something that hits 0-60 under 5 seconds, handles well, etc.

But I have a 2 year old and need a back seat and trunk, so I can't just go get a Corvette. I also prefer AWD for when there's snow or heavy rain. (I live in DC but my family is in Michigan, so the ability to travel in snow/ice is a big plus). That said, a RWD is feasible. I also want something that offers the option of hands free driving or at least assisted driving.

The recently announced electric BMW i5 M60 seems like it checks every box. 590 HP, 0-60 in 3.7s, loaded with tech and offering hands free driving. AWD. Free charging for 3 years. At $85,000 it's expensive, but I struggle to find even internal combustion cars that match it.

Other options I'm considering are the Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing or CT5-V Blackwing, but they're RWD, have older tech (but do support SuperCruise), are less premium and are gas powered. They're also close to or exceeding the price of the BMW. I'm also considering the 2024 Mustang GT, which will hit 0-60 in time comparable to the BMW and does have a lot of good tech (no BlueCruise though), but it's also gas powered and RWD. Upside is it would be around $55,000-$60,000 for everything else.

The gas-powered Mercedes and BMWs are so similar in price to the i5 M60 and perform less well that I wouldn't consider them.

I feel like there has to be a car (not Tesla) that can scratch the itch I have without costing $85,000. Any other recommendations?

Hyundai Ioniq 5 or 6, Polestar 2, BMW i4. Not sure if they check all your boxes but should be much more affordable.

Honda Civic Type R

I can't get over the i4's pig snout. Ioniq 5 is a cross over and Ioniq 6 lacks the performance as well as looks like a cheap 80s car to me. A big miss in design for the sake of mileage.

I might consider the Polestar 2 though by the time I get it configured it is $70k. Pricey but cheaper than the i5.

Based on the previous cars you have owned, TC, you might want to look into how much BMW service and repairs cost. They are probably way more than you are used to.

tankboy posted...

Based on the previous cars you have owned, TC, you might want to look into how much BMW service and repairs cost. They are probably way more than you are used to.

Luckily I've never needed repairs on any cars. Do you mean that the coats are high if needed, or if they tend to need a lot of repairs and costs?

AndreLeGeant posted...

Luckily I've never needed repairs on any cars. Do you mean that the coats are high if needed, or if they tend to need a lot of repairs and costs?

Yes lol.

I just bought a newer X3 solely because the Headlight adjustment dealy on my 338 went out. I'll be goddamned if I'm paying $1800 to fix a headlight

Dont sleep on the Type R, its the best bang for your buck. Should give one a test drive.

If youre only after luxury cars, its going to have exorbitant costs either way.

CSCA33 posted...

Dont sleep on the Type R, its the best bang for your buck. Should give one a test drive.

If youre only after luxury cars, its going to have exorbitant costs either way.

The R Type is a manual though, and I'm not a big fan of them. It also doesn't have the driver assist tech.

Volvo XC40 Recharge.

That's what I'm looking at anyway.

AndreLeGeant posted...

The R Type is a manual though, and I'm not a big fan of them. It also doesn't have the driver assist tech.

They do have driver assist tech actually but yeah manual is an easy dealbreaker there.

This seems like awful value, not even close to competitive on price, spec, or performance and-

AndreLeGeant posted...

I feel like there has to be a car (not Tesla)

Oh nvm lol. Well you've calced your reasons as worth compromising then. Get the BMW imo.

Krojen posted...

Oh nvm lol. Well you've calced your reasons as worth compromising then. Get the BMW imo.

Love you on Tesla isn't even based on Musk. It's due to the reported reliability issues as well as the absolute free fall of their resale value/depreciation. I also just don't like how they look.

Plus the Model S is more expensive

Oh woah it's gonna be 85k? That is a pretty good deal. For a performance sedan, I was going to suggest the Porsche Taycan, but the cheapest trim there is 90k.

VW Golf R

Pitlord_Special posted...

VW Golf R

Ok this checks a lot of boxes while being much cheaper.

I have a Polestar 2, Pilot and Plus Package in alllll black. Its a sexy beast and I love it.

AndreLeGeant posted...

Love you on Tesla isn't even based on Musk. It's due to the reported reliability issues as well as the absolute free fall of their resale value/depreciation. I also just don't like how they look.

Plus the Model S is more expensive

Fair if you don't like Teslas aesthetically and to throw another reason to avoid them would be dodging the awkward transitional nonsense Tesla is doing with hardware at this moment (no USS, etc)

But - The Model S is the same price with better spec. Teslas are more reliable than any other EV for many reasons, don't get caught up in the clickbait.

Just a year ago Teslas were appreciating in value lol. Their erratic pricing strategies put an end to that, but with advancements/manufacturing coming I wouldn't buy with an expectation of any car holding value short or long term.

AndreLeGeant posted...

Luckily I've never needed repairs on any cars. Do you mean that the costs are high if needed, or if they tend to need a lot of repairs and costs?

I mean the repair and service (battery, brakes, tires) costs are high when needed, not that the cars need an unusual amount of service. I speak from BMW and MINI experience. No judgement as to whether you can afford it, but you will almost certainly be surprised and annoyed by it. I know I am. Every time.

Hope you like paying subscription fees for basic shit like heated seats that are already installed in your car. BMWs also have terrible reliability when they get a few years in them. I. Know you're buying electric but the morons use a shit ton of plastic parts in the engine bay which disintegrate when you work on the damn things. I'd expect them to make the same cost saving decisions on their electrics too.

NO2_Fiend posted...

Hope you like paying subscription fees for basic shit like heated seats that are already installed in your car. BMWs also have terrible reliability when they get a few years in them. I. Know you're buying electric but the morons use a shit ton of plastic parts in the engine bay which disintegrate when you work on the damn things. I'd expect them to make the same cost saving decisions on their electrics too.

Useful to know. I'm familiar with for example where GM uses plastic to cut costs. I'm not familiar with any of the German companies.

CSCA33 posted...

Dont sleep on the Type R, its the best bang for your buck. Should give one a test drive.

If youre only after luxury cars, its going to have exorbitant costs either way.

dealer markups on the type r are insane though.

.

Another issue I'm realizing is that I don't qualify for the $7500 EV tax credit. The foreign car companies tend to offer incentives (mostly geared at leasing) to address that. Which means tax policies might force me to buy a foreign car

A BMW oil change will cost you a few hundred dollars FYI. ( I know youre looking at electric, but thats an example of the cost of one simple maintenance procedure).

and if you get an oil change from a non BMW certified mechanic, they will harass you on claims
if something goes wrong. Even if you have the maintenance history.

Luxury cars arent just expensive to buy. Theyre extremely expensive to maintain.

My dads Porsche Panamera costs $800 for an oil change. And it burns oil fast. Fortunately he has 30-40k miles on it in just over 10 years.

chrono625 posted...

A BMW oil change will cost you a few hundred dollars FYI. ( I know youre looking at electric, but thats an example of the cost of one simple maintenance procedure).

and if you get an oil change from a non BMW certified mechanic, they will harass you on claims
if something goes wrong. Even if you have the maintenance history.

Luxury cars arent just expensive to buy. Theyre extremely expensive to maintain.

My dads Porsche Panamera costs $800 for an oil change. And it burns oil fast. Fortunately he has 30-40k miles on it in just over 10 years.

I think I'd only get the BMW for the electric option. If I was looking at gas I would lean toward the Mustang GT because of depreciation. 60th anniversary + last ICE muscle car. It doesn't have Blue Cruise but has other assist stuff.

CSCA33 posted...

Dont sleep on the Type R, its the best bang for your buck. Should give one a test drive.

If youre only after luxury cars, its going to have exorbitant costs either way.

what about an camaro lt1? isn't it almost as much as the tupe r?

Might be a challenge taking an electric car on DC-Michigan road trips.

GranTurismo posted...

what about an camaro lt1? isn't it almost as much as the tupe r?

I was just thinking it has four doors since he mentioned having a child, but yeah definitely a contender for a driving enthusiast if were talking coupes.

i only know two people well who have or have had BMWs and both of them claim they were absolute nightmares. my dad was one, and he ended up selling his after less than three years. the other, every time i'm over at his house, he's always working on it in some capacity. and not in the "im making it better myself" capacity, always the "something else is wrong with it" capacity.

it's anecdotal with a small sample size, but 0 for 2 aint great

TC, if your dropping that much on a car, do you happen to own a business?

You can look into a G-wagon etc and write it off, long as its over 6000lbs the only caveat is nothing electric is over 6000lbs I believe.

CSCA33 posted...

I was just thinking it has four doors since he mentioned having a child, but yeah definitely a contender for a driving enthusiast if were talking coupes.

My main gripe with the Camaro is the aging tech. Believe me, the Camaro SS has some serious appeal. Or even the ZL1.

The new Mustang also has serious appeal as I look at it more. The cabin has a nice, refined look that pays homage to the original generation, and the 13" screen is modern and reminiscent of what both BMW and Cadillac are doing. If the Mach E looked like this inside, I'd get one.

https://www.ford.com/cars/mustang/2024/

Downside is RWD instead of AWD. Granted I don't live in the snow and can always take the AWD Mazda up north. 0-60 in 4.4 seconds isn't up to par with an EV. The Dark Horse version might hit under 4s

An electric BMW sounds like a nightmare in maintenence costs.

I tend only to keep cars for like 3 years

I just don't trust the electric car recharging infrastructure to be everywhere I'd need it yet.

BewmHedshot posted...

I just don't trust the electric car recharging infrastructure to be everywhere I'd need it yet.

If we were all rational actors, we'd be moving every car to a PHEV because it would eliminate gas use for 35-50 miles (thus eliminating pollution from commutes, local shopping, etc.) while avoiding the infrastructure issue.

AndreLeGeant posted...

If we were all rational actors, we'd be moving every car to a PHEV because it would eliminate gas use for 35-50 miles (thus eliminating pollution from commutes, local shopping, etc.) while avoiding the infrastructure issue.

Air particulates from tires alone is a massive source of car pollution, vastly more than from exhaust. its the cars themselves and all the infrastructure for them that is the problem

CSCA33 posted...

Air particulates from tires alone is a massive source of car pollution, vastly more than from exhaust. its the cars themselves and all the infrastructure for them that is the problem

You aren't getting rid of cars though. Even if you really improve public transport, you'd have to worsen quality of life considerably outside public transport for commuting (i.e., transport into central downtown areas). Reducing how far people travel for daily living is the key. And doing that also means people could manage on PHEVs until EVs are a better option.

AndreLeGeant posted...

I tend only to keep cars for like 3 years.

By the way, is it just me do car websites tend to give BMW glowing reviews that don't seem reflected in, e.g., individual experiences shared here?

That's because BMWs are fucking awesome ... when they aren't broken.

Here's a chart I made of what I'm leaning toward.

The Corvette and CT5-V aren't realistic. The Mazda made my list because I really do like my wife's Mazda3 Hatchback, and a smaller SUV with tighter handling might appeal to me.

Need to test drive cars or comparable models for years that aren't out yet.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/7/2/AAEtIIAAEiGw.png

Many of these cars on your list will endure considerable markups.

especially the corvette even though you know its unrealistic, the first off the line model just sold for 1.5m.

Cost of ownership for BMWs are not worth it IMO. I own a Type R and is a fantastic compromise between practicality and smiles per hour. Unfortunately as others have mentioned the markup is ridiculous right now. I got lucky and snagged mine at MSRP right before the world went to hell, and I'm never selling it.

I don't know what the ADM will look like for the Integra Type S coming out, maybe take a look at that? Similar to the Type R with a bit more luxury. These aren't sub 5 second cars though. They're designed more for track performance than drag. Still fun as hell to drive though.

AndreLeGeant posted...

Chevy Impala with its surprisingly sporty V6

This is where I stopped wasting my time

chrono625 posted...

Many of these cars on your list will endure considerable markups.

especially the corvette even though you know its unrealistic, the first off the line model just sold for 1.5m.

I mean that's absurd. It'll never be worth anything close to that.

MrResetti posted...

This is where I stopped wasting my time

Why? People slept on the Impala. It was a nice car and won quite a few awards when the last gen came out. In large part because it didn't have start/stop, its acceleration from a red light was great for a car its size.