getmoney1

Im actually considering trading in my RL for a 545 (not 550) I honestly think at 26yrs old this car is a little to tamed for me...I mean interior wise its best in its class..But i find myself wanting to drive Hard and when doing this i feel the absence of real power...My wifes gonna be pissed ...lol she'll get over it any thoughts ???

vp911

Sell it to me and I will cancel my order from the dealer

No, honestly though. I am uhh younger than you and I am getting the RL - my reasons, although I also would like to drive hard and faster - I think that the RL is fine for me as I am used to the FWD of the TL (which was just totaled,sadly). For the price, you can't beat it. You are going to take a heafty hit on the trade in of your RL and the price jump to the 545 will be a little high, won't it? Or are you looking at a used one?

Why not give the RL to the wife and you get the 545?

getmoney1

Honestly , I thought about it ...but my wife has a 04 MDX and shes not parting with that..I really thought i could deal with the power issue but unfortunately the badge is calling me ..lol if this RL had been equipped with a V8 it would have been a knockout ..I owe about 44k so i shouldnt take that much of a hit..I hinted to my wife and suprisingly she said "I new it was only a matter of time" lol

vp911

haha. At least she knew it was coming . Well you will take a hit, but you won't see a higher payment on the BMW... not much at least. Although, I guess you should consider new RLs are selling for 43-45 around the country now. I was just offered 44,500 for mine, but I am going to lease so it doesn't matter... but just for you to keep in mind.

Either way, you will take a hit on the value, but I am not going to try to stop you. I think you should fully enjoy your car. I fought really hard to get the FX bought back under the lemon law because I ended up hating the SUV... otherwise I would have just let them keep repairing it (granted in that situation I got most of my money back).

I think the RL looks to be an excellent car, and if you get the 545, you will surely LOVE it, although you will probably miss the electronic toys in the RL. If you get nav in the BMW, keep in mind, it is by far the worst nav system on the market (that I have used - and I have used most of them). Maint costs on the bmws are expensive (although your first 50k miles are free).

hondamore

Instead of trading in the RL, take the money you were going to spend on the BMW and buy your wife a nice piece of jewelry. I believe you will enjoy the "ride" you get more than anything BMW can offer.

vp911

hahaha.

getmoney1

hahah good one!

Rob L

Why not go for the M45 sport? Probably performs as well or better than the 545 and it will be 10 grand cheaper.

I am a young guy and like performance but feel the RL is just fine. Going fast from a stoplight isn't something I find all that fun these days and care more about handling and the RL is a great handling car. I need to slap better rubber on it and see how much the handling improves. It already is close to my last car which was a 2001 IS300. ...with better tires I would not be surprised if it can out handle the IS which IMO says alot because the IS is very chuckable and hugs that road.

vp911

As much as I hate Infiniti, that is a great idea and I would second that. You would still get a lot of high tech toys to have and for cheaper.

T Austin

For whatever it's worth, I've owned both BMW and Mercedes. Today is the day I drop off my current car to the dealership for Lemon Law buyback (Mercedes E500). My car was $67,000 when I bought it new in '03. For that price you wouldn't expect any problems, but the reality is that all manufactures have their problems and at the moment the German brands seem to have it the most. BMW iDrive have been a huge problem, although I suppose if you opt to go without Navigation you can avoid iDrive. From my perspective at age 35 I know that I can afford to drive most anything I choose. I currently drive 2 '03 Mercedes and now I'm leaving the (Mercedes) brand in favor of (Acura) reliability and trouble free. My wife really likes the MDX, so in about 2 years we'll sell Benz #2 and get her the MDX.

msu79gt82

I am in the same boat (almost literally); my wife also drive an '04 MDX so the car I'm shopping now is for me. I'm currently driving an '04 FX35 (loaded) and would rather be in a sedan. I've stated before that I do not need a new car nor am I in a hurry; the new FX is why. One reason I have yet to pull the trigger is trying to keep my loss at a minimum. Mine is paid off; you owe $44 - ouch. Folks are buying new ones in the low $44s now and this board has reported sales of new ones in the upper $43s. Prices for new ones will con't to drop somewhat especially the closer we get to the '06 introduction (which some on this board speculate to be as early as August).

pek01

I'm with you MSU...Mine is paid off as well and I was considering the M45 Sport, but, with the hit on price I am driving the RL longer. The pricing I have heard on used may be $37-39 from a dealer. Private sale might be more??? GetMoney is gonna lose money.