Future owner, need advice on 3 series or 5 series

Hello all.

I'm new around here but have spent time on various other forums related to Audi, Porsche and Harley Davidson.

My current daily driver is a 2009 Audi A3 2.0T Quattro (I have had 4 Audi's and always had great luck and experiences). In the coming months my warranty will be up and I will be looking for something new. I'm looking to do something a little different and am considering a CPO 328i xDrive, or a CPO 528i xDrive. I want the straight 6 engine. I have had nothing but turbo-4's for a while now, and while they are great, I have always admired the smooth in-line 6 of the BMW. Again, I'm looking for a daily driver. I'm not going to mod anything. I don't need performance upgrades. I'm not going to race the car. I want a reliable but fun car for my day to day. I have a 2007 Carrera S that satisfies my need for a sports car.

So, I'm looking at 2011 models. I'm not in a rush so I can wait as more and more come on the market.

Anything to avoid? I see that the 5 series has the new 8 speed AT for 2011. Being the first year for that transmission, should that be avoided? Is the safest bet to go with the 2011 3-series?

I see quite a few dealer loaner or demo cars available. My instinct says to remove those from consideration, but they are backed by the warranty and the CPO, so is there more risk there than any other second hand car?

Any caution or advice is GREATLY appreciated.

Not a big fan of 4 cyls on F10 5 series which is under power for the chassis, 535I is not a bad car pretty solid and comfy.

Thanks for the reply. I believe the 2011 5 series was the inline-6 with the 8 speed transmission.

I don't think the 8 speed can be matted to the 6 cylinder. or it would be in the X1 with the 6 cylinder but its not.

Here is a C&D article that reviews the 2011 528XI with the 3.0 I-6 and 8 speed Transamission:

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...-bmw-528i-test

Originally Posted by CJKCyclone

Any caution or advice is GREATLY appreciated.

5 for the easy go.

Caution: Very comfortable.

Advice: Excellent commuter.

Perspective: For fun, you need only switch cars. Good show.

Originally Posted by CJKCyclone

Hello all.

I'm new around here but have spent time on various other forums related to Audi, Porsche and Harley Davidson.

My current daily driver is a 2009 Audi A3 2.0T Quattro (I have had 4 Audi's and always had great luck and experiences). In the coming months my warranty will be up and I will be looking for something new. I'm looking to do something a little different and am considering a CPO 328i xDrive, or a CPO 528i xDrive. I want the straight 6 engine. I have had nothing but turbo-4's for a while now, and while they are great, I have always admired the smooth in-line 6 of the BMW. Again, I'm looking for a daily driver. I'm not going to mod anything. I don't need performance upgrades. I'm not going to race the car. I want a reliable but fun car for my day to day. I have a 2007 Carrera S that satisfies my need for a sports car.

So, I'm looking at 2011 models. I'm not in a rush so I can wait as more and more come on the market.

Anything to avoid? I see that the 5 series has the new 8 speed AT for 2011. Being the first year for that transmission, should that be avoided? Is the safest bet to go with the 2011 3-series?

I see quite a few dealer loaner or demo cars available. My instinct says to remove those from consideration, but they are backed by the warranty and the CPO, so is there more risk there than any other second hand car?

Any caution or advice is GREATLY appreciated.

I love the 3 series, if interior space is not a huge issue, the 3 is perfect. 2011 is the last year of the e9X model and thus, plenty of bugs fixed. I drove all 3 series models and with the exception of the M model, I would go for the 328i RWD. It has the perfect balance of comfort, power, sportiness and $$. The xdrive I found a bit heavy and less responsive, also has an increased fuel consumption. As far as safety is concerned, a set of winter tires will do the job. When I bought mine last year, they were out of RWDs all they had was xdrive. I chose the 323i instead. Didn't drive the newer 5 series so I can't give you any objective advice.