M5 or Dinan loaded 550i??

Hey all,

I have been lusting after a V8 5 Series for years. As I have always known about Dinan, I built a spreadsheet for a nicely loaded 550i with numerous options. When I totaled it up, I was in the neighborhood (price only) of a new M5.

So, I started thinking about an M5 instead (possible mid-life crisis??), as I figured that in a few years I would get more for a used M5 than I would a used Dinan modified 550i. However, I am wondering if the beastly nature (not a negative at all!!) of an M5 might get old after a while, while the slightly more gentle nature of a 550i might not be as, ahh, vigorous.

I have watched several videos of E60 M5's in action and I see a lot of jerky movement when the car is pushed hard (these cars have the SMG)..it is this sometimes jerky movement that makes me worry that I might get tired of the M5 quicker than I would a loaded 550i...

So, what do you all think?? Should I say to hades with it, buy the M5 and simply be happy??

THANKS,

You should drive both (although finding a Dinan 550 might be difficult). Don't buy a car based on resale (the resale of the M5 is less than stellar, not sure about the other E60s).

If I can add my opinion, even though I have the 5 chassis with a different body on it? The M5 is going to be an all out performance car. The Dinan is going to be close, but probably not quite as intense. A plain ole 550i is going to have plenty of power, not be an exotic in any way, and will probably be a better choice for you than the other two. I had a 650i. Had it worked, it would have been great. When I lemoned it, I realized that I was getting old and that this might be my last chance for a super car, so I got an M6. But I knew the 6er from my 16 months with it. Had I not, the M6 would have been overwhelming for me, and I've had BMWs in each of the last 4 decades (depressing).

I'd go for the 550i if I were in what I think are your shoes. If you've got to have it jazzed up, then I'd go for the Dinan.

So, when you don't follow my advice and get an M5, please post photos and tell us your impressions.

A loaded 550i sticker price is about $75,000. By the time you get done with even a little Dinan work, you have already bought the M5. Also, unless you change out the suspension and get sway bars, you're not going to have anywhere near the handling of the M5. Additionally, ever notice the extra wide wheel well areas? The M5 has a wider track than the standard 5-series, something you're not going to be able to change.

The jerky motion you're seeing is a combination of a couple things. When people are going all out on the M5/SMG, they probably have the SMG in S-6. Those shifts are brutally fast...faster than a race-car driver can shift a manual tranny! At 8,250rpm with 500+hp, you better believe those shifts are going to be jerky.

If you haven't been able to test drive an M5 (most dealership won't let people), go over to the M5board.com and ask for people in your area with an M5. I'm sure there are some boardmembers there that would be happy to give you a test-ride, maybe even a test-drive, so you can get a feeling for it. A loaded 550i will certainly be a nice car, especially with Dinan mods to get it near the M5 performance level, but it will never be the M5. The transmission gets a little old if you deal with traffic a lot, but otherwise it's halfway between the uninvolving automatic slush box and a full manual tranny.

I test drove a loaded 550i since they wouldn't let me test drive the M5. My quote to the salesperson afterwards was "is the M5 any more involving than that, because that was boring!" Sure the 550i was fast, really fast...but you just mashed the pedal and there it was. Good luck with your decision.

M5

The ///M5 won't be "jerky" as you put it when just cruising. When you are putting <500 horsepower to the ground, escpecially through a Steptronic, it had better be jerky, or that transmission will slip so much, it wouldn't last a week. At sensible speeds, the ///M5 is smooth and subtle. Drive one and you'll see.

I went with the 550i through ED so price is not even close for me. The M5 would cost me 30K more for a new one. I plan on keeping my 550i for 4 to 5 years and then buying a very nice used M5 a year or so after the new style comes out. I could get a used M5 now for 12k over my 550i, but I think there is still room for improvement on the current M5. The next gen M5 should be more powerful, faster, lighter and hopefully a bigger gas tank.

Good Luck

Originally Posted by Dorkerbiter1

At sensible speeds, the ///M5 is smooth and subtle. Drive one and you'll see.

I can confirm that..

i own a 530i & I am currently driving a M5 for 24 hours, picked it up 2 hours ago, I was also debating between 550i and M5, I already know the answer, 550i for me, because the M5 is just too brutal for my every day commute. it lives up to its BEAST nickname. also i dont quite like the SMG transmission, it is jerky when compare to a auto, wow, I am shaken and stirred.

Originally Posted by Schneur

i own a 530i & I am currently driving a M5 for 24 hours, picked it up 2 hours ago, I was also debating between 550i and M5, I already know the answer, 550i for me, because the M5 is just too brutal for my every day commute. it lives up to its BEAST nickname. also i dont quite like the SMG transmission, it is jerky when compare to a auto, wow, I am shaken and stirred.

Although I obviously decided on the M5, I have to agree that it's def. not the best choice for every day commute. Stop-and-go traffic is REALLY stop-and-go with SMG, shaken and stirred is the right explaination..

An MB E63 or CLS63 with Auto would be the better choice.

I picked the M5 because I actually like to be shaken and stirred (although I could live without stop and go traffic) - I'm simply too lazy to move my butt so this is the only sport I participate in..

Originally Posted by Schneur

i own a 530i & I am currently driving a M5 for 24 hours, picked it up 2 hours ago, I was also debating between 550i and M5, I already know the answer, 550i for me, because the M5 is just too brutal for my every day commute. it lives up to its BEAST nickname. also i dont quite like the SMG transmission, it is jerky when compare to a auto, wow, I am shaken and stirred.

Unfortunately, this kind of "review" is why most M5 owners slam the magazine reviews that hate on the SMG. You have to learn the quirks of this transmission just like any other, and over a couple weeks and a thousand miles, you figure out how to make it smooth, what it does with gear shifts, etc. If you jump into your friend's manual tranny car, the gear throws are different, the clutch sensitivity and pressure is different. You're not going to be as smooth in that car as your own for at least a few hundred miles or more until you adapt to the car. Same goes for SMG. It's not a simple automatic transmission that you can jump in and drive, and should never be viewed as one. The best way to put it is a "manual transmission with an automatic clutch."

Originally Posted by JamesInLV

Unfortunately, this kind of "review" is why most M5 owners slam the magazine reviews that hate on the SMG. You have to learn the quirks of this transmission just like any other, and over a couple weeks and a thousand miles, you figure out how to make it smooth, what it does with gear shifts, etc. If you jump into your friend's manual tranny car, the gear throws are different, the clutch sensitivity and pressure is different. You're not going to be as smooth in that car as your own for at least a few hundred miles or more until you adapt to the car. Same goes for SMG. It's not a simple automatic transmission that you can jump in and drive, and should never be viewed as one. The best way to put it is a "manual transmission with an automatic clutch."

Yup thats soo true....even the Maserati Quattroporte's transmission is in essence built along the same concept...its Duo-select transmission program which is controlled via steering wheel paddles fro up and down shifts but is infact a manual transimission without a clutch

Sooo many ppl complained about it (including my father, who for that very reason had defered his decision to get a Quattroporte)....but now finally they have released an automatic transmission for the Quattroporte....and best of all its the same transmission that our 7 series use...the ZF Transmission

Originally Posted by JamesInLV

Unfortunately, this kind of "review" is why most M5 owners slam the magazine reviews that hate on the SMG. You have to learn the quirks of this transmission just like any other, and over a couple weeks and a thousand miles, you figure out how to make it smooth, what it does with gear shifts, etc. If you jump into your friend's manual tranny car, the gear throws are different, the clutch sensitivity and pressure is different. You're not going to be as smooth in that car as your own for at least a few hundred miles or more until you adapt to the car. Same goes for SMG. It's not a simple automatic transmission that you can jump in and drive, and should never be viewed as one. The best way to put it is a "manual transmission with an automatic clutch."

I concur completely. The only hang up I've found is when I hit the accelerator just as the SMG decides to move from 2 to 1 at very slow speeds. Arrrgh. A lot of clunking and hesitating before it finally engages.

Originally Posted by Malibubimmer

I concur completely. The only hang up I've found is when I hit the accelerator just as the SMG decides to move from 2 to 1 at very slow speeds. Arrrgh. A lot of clunking and hesitating before it finally engages.

Hahaha! Since I run in MDM most of the time and that DSC kicks in when that happens, I know what you're saying. However, see what happens if you do it with DSC Off! I happened to be playing around a little with DSC Off, and as I was slowing for a stoplight with nobody in front of me it turned green and down the accelerator went...right as it was downshifting to 1st gear. Really...I didn't intend to do a burnout through that intersection!

Get the M5 - no question. The V10 engine alone is enough to justify the purchase.

The M5 with SMG is not a 'smooth' car, but it can be driven smoothly with some practice. People with no previous SMG experience who only drive the car for a few days cannot possibly evaluate the SMG. I regularly take people out in the car, and you can shift the SMG more smoothly than a manual with practice (right technique and the right settings).

What makes the M so unique is what you can do when you really want to throw it around. Open the window, turn DSC off, and set SMG M6, and you will have more fun than possible in any 4 door car. I'll guarantee it.

Take it from someone who knows about the m5 The 550i is only fast on paper. If you like thrills, chills, and more thrills go with the M5!!! The M5's pep never gets old. The stop an go isn't that harsh, especially when you get a small open strip!

550i all the way i seen one and i fell in love with it and i have two cousins that are going to get the 545i one in white and one in black real sick car.