E350 Versus 535i - a "butt in the seat" perspective (Long)

I considered a 350 before choosing my 535i for me it came down to interior room and interior finish...BMW to me, my opinion only, wins both hands down, but the Mercedes was a nice car all around

Very will written by the way, enjoy your BMW...I know we all do

Congrats. Enjoy the E350.
Too bad the BMW dealership were morons. I'm sure this left a bad taste. Dealerships definitely make or break the experience.

Originally Posted by nealh

Congrats. Enjoy the E350.
Too bad the BMW dealership where morons. I'm sure this left a bad taste. Dealerships definitely make or break the experience.

Absolutely - I figure I'll give BMW another chance in 4-years or so. Unless I can afford a new CLS by that time.

Great review! I had a similar experience with the two
cars, but I couldn't have written so well.

what's wrong with you!?!
jkkk...congrats on the purchase and good (initial) review!

Very good write up and it's surprises me how similar your thoughts were to how I felt at the time. I found the E-class more comfortable but nowhere near as sporty which I was looking for. I also actually liked the Merc seats, firm they definitely are but support you in all the right places which were most important.

P.S.
BTW the Cayenne is no longer part of the family after a trip to the dealer to sort out a difficult boot to close and being offered by the dealer to buy the car back at a price I just couldn't turn down. So I'm now in the market for a car to replace the wife's as she was intending to get the Porsche.

Well, that's an interesting outcome. What was wrong with the original BMW?
Did you mean to type 1966 Cadillac? Quite the trade.

Glad you like the car.

i enjoyed your story. well written and interesting. perhaps the most interesting element is the insight to the bmw customer service and their "obsession' with customer satisfaction. i have purchased 3 535xi's from 3 dealers in 3 different states and upon reflection, my purchase experience has been marginal at best. what could have been a great testimonial for bmw turned into a lost sale, literally. i watched a special on cnbc last night about bmw and i was impressed to see and hear the dedication and commitment that the design engineers and executive team have for improving the driving experience. i think that bmw has to begin to devote an equal amount of time on transforming the organization into the ultimate customer satisfaction machine.

i'm happy for you that you purchased the car that you "like". congratulations and happy driving