omaralt

i've loved my 2012 TL 6spd manual but got the new car itch after about a year... so i made the mistake of going over to BMW and test driving the 12 535i Msport. loved it. can be soft and luxurious when you want or put it in sport + and having everything tighten up. love how theres no rattles like my TL and it's like a tomb on the highway. so far i love it. if you guys have any questions let me know. details are:

2012 BMW 535i
imperial blue/oyster
M-sport
premium
technology
premium sound
heated seats
bmw apps

MSRP $64K
selling price: $57K

BigBunks

i was about to grab a new 535i before i picked up my 12 tl but the performance wasnt good enough in my opinion to justify the price. ill grab a slightly used 550i in a couple years

winstrolvtec

Congrats, awesome ride. As for the TL, I think most here can relate, sometimes I wish the TL was a bit more refined but for the price, it's size, and level of performance, I have absolutely zero complaints. Best of luck, enjoy.

LawnPro

Congrats on the 535i! They are nice cars if you want to pay. My buddy has a 550i hatchback and loves it. How does it compare to the TL?

omaralt

The tl is a great value. For the money it can't be beat. However the 5 series is definitely a step up in luxury and refinement. When you have it in comfort mode it's a lot smoother and quieter. At 60 mph in the TL I was at 2400 rpm. In the 5 I'm at 1400 rpm. I'm averaging over 30 mpg so far as well. The thing that really sold me however were the comfort seats. Amazing. I love how the upper half of the back moves independently; hugging your back.

However you do pay for all this; this car was about 14K more than my tl and it's comparibly equipped. I would recommend test driving it a few times before buying it. One thing I was very dispappointed in was the a6. Horrible seats and a very drab interior.

saturno_v

Congratulation on the new ride, the 8 speed transmission on the 5 is great....it definitely helps on the fuel consumption.

I wish they made a 550 xDrive with a manual stick or a dual clutch....that for me would be a definite step up from my TL


I definitely agree on the A6....disappointing to me....

omaralt

There was actually a 2011 550i 6spd manual that was an executive car with 9800 miles. MSRP was $75k and I could have got it for $60k. But I was honestly sick of the manual. Manual was nice 10% of the time but a chore the other 90%. That combined with the rough ride of the TL and the amazing seats on the 5 is what pushed me to change cars. I honestly had no intention of trading in the tl for at least another 2 yrs. And I didn't do too bad on the trade in; $29k after 14 months and 15K miles. Paid $37K

saturno_v

Yes for for me the problem is that the manual 550i is not available on AWD trim...and the xDrive system is not as good as the SH-AWD anyway

I would not really know what to buy if the manual TL was not available.....I do not like Audis.....not many midsize AWD sport sedan with a stick (or a dual clutch) are available on the market...

Laws

congratz!! The 5 series is definitely a great choice but not the price tag. I just can't agree to pay anything more than the TL price tag yet yield of same level of equipment and fun!

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

Congrats man-enjoy the new ride.

omaralt

i actually really wanted to go back to something RWD, i live in FL so i have no use for AWD. previously had a 2004 530i 6spd manual that i loved. if you dont need AWD, RWD is a lot more fun IMO

Pseudomaniac

iTrader: (1)

Congrats on the new ride. The interior on the newest 5 was a big step in the right direction for BMW.

I've been debating on ditching either the 3G or the 4G and picking up a used M6 vert, but not enough to convince me I want a car payment again. Still have dependability concerns though...hope it proves reliable for you.

saturno_v

I live in Seattle, we do not get much snow every year but when we do our roads become a mess because the city does not have the same budget for snow removal as cities with longer and harsher winters......it is always a fender bender festival..

And what I like of the SH-AWD is that it is not simply a bad weather AWD system....its advantages and pleasure to drive are a big factor even on dry pavement...

Pete2010

Yea - I wish the 5 series had a 6mt with the xdrive. I can't believe they won't even offer it... I love my TL, but every time I see a 5 series rolling around I start rethinking if I want to upgrade.

I mean the 550 gets 24mpg on the highway... that's pretty much what my TL gets...

OP - great pickup. I doubt you'll be disappointed.

Now i'm off to cars.com to look at BMW's for the next hour...

g37guy01

It's not the same level of equipment, the trim offers higher end tech than the TL and more refined ride.

omaralt

i'm averaging about 30mpg on my commute today. thats going about 60mph in 8th gear @1400rpm. and the car only has 50 miles on it; so it'll get better over time hopefully

stars_fan

Typo?

omaralt

Nope. 6spd manual had different gear ratios

docboy

Congratz OP! The 535i is certainly a great vehicle, and its design and BMW badge lets it exhude a certain aura/presence of luxury that IMHO Acura can not..yet

IMHO the TL 6MT has great value and is a rarity as a midsize manual AWD sports sedan. For the price:peformance ratio, snow/mountain climbing ability, and rock solid reliability, it's hard to beat. The TL's lack of utility is IMHO its biggest drawback, esp due to its lack of folding rear seats. It's numb EPS and no feel clutch are also demerits. Still a great value nonetheless.

Having said that, I've been eyeing and toying with possibilities of my next vehicle. I've been all over the place and have a produced a list: 1) CPO 996/997, 2) Boxster as a DD and Rav4, 3) Boxster and 4Runner, 4) CPO Cayenne, 5) MDX, 6) 2G RDX, and recently 7) CPO NSX.

Dam boy toys, none of which make financial sense

012TL-GLM

Nice ride - is the '12 model 5 bigger inside? I test drove a 10 or 11 (can't remember which) before settling on the TL, and thought the 5 was cramped. Lately I can't stop looking at the GS 350 F Sport. I can't wait to see what Acura and Infiniti come up with the next few years.

weather

Omaralt......Congrats my friend! I can relate to your new car itch...I get mine every spring. I am still waiting to see what the TLX will be next fall and determine whether or not it will be for me. I love the BMWs except the fact that I don't live close to a dealer in case something goes wrong.....I know its getting better and I shouldn't think like this but I still have more confidence in Acura's reliability

Your wheels look AMAZING my friend and please, stop by from time to time

FirstTL12

Congrats on your Beemer! I'd love a 5 series but even with your haggled-down price of $57K (nice job by the way, I'd heard that it was hard to get BMWs reduced that much) it is still $23K more than I paid for my 2012 TL w/ Tech BRP. And I got 0.9 APR while the best BMW nearby was offering was 4.9% for well qualified buyers.

When I factor in the increase in tax and license, here's my difference:
2012 TL financed $36,700 pays $825 in interest over the life of the loan
2012 BMW 5 financed $61200 pays $7,927 in interest over the life of the loan

So for me the total paid would have been nearly double! I'm sure I'd love the ride but my monthly would be double.

NwTSXmt

Is it a lease?

Edward'TLS

Congrats on your new toy.

The 5-series is definitely a step up from the TL.

omaralt

no; i drive too much for a lease. i plan on keeping it at least 5 yrs and then see whats out at that time. cant keep switching cars every year..

omaralt

thanks, reliability is definitely a concern, and thats why i usually dont buy the first year of a new model year. and the 5 series has been pretty reliable so far from what i've read. however i do have three bmw dealers within 40 mins of me so thats definitely something to consider.

the wheels are the main reason i decided to go with M sport vs regular sport. these wheels look infinitely better than any other wheel bmw offers IMO. thanks again; i'll definitely keep lurking here

*something else small that bothered me about the TL was the fact that it wasnt a true dual zone climate control; as in you couldnt independently control fan speed for driver and passenger. thankfully that has been addressed in the BMW and my wife is very happy about that

under9hell

congrats on your new car man btw do you have your own practice yet?

omaralt

yup bought it right out of residency.. best thing i ever did. definitely scary but if you do your due diligence you really cant go wrong.. are you done with school yet?

BEAR-AvHistory

Welcome to the darkside...nice ride

MGP999

Hopefully the 2014 TL will address this issue and carry over the quietness and smoothness from the RDX while keeping the or exceeding its current dead-stop acceleration with the new ED, fuel efficient performance engine.

Hapa DC5

Congrats on the pick up the new 5er is a great choice!

under9hell

nah I got in this year though! congrats on everything!!!

NwTSXmt

smart man...Enjoy

jjsC5

First of all, congrats to the OP for the new car.

I have a 2012 550 M-Sport (the TL is my wife's car). Two weeks ago I drove my 550 from Houston to Baton Rouge and back - 550 miles total. This week I drove from Houston to Dallas and back. 550 miles as well. Both trips I averaged 27.4mpg. Obviously mostly freeway, but a little in town at both ends. And that was driving between 75 and 80. At one point I was averaging over 31 mpg over about a 75 mile stretch - and that was running 75mph as well. And that is not the first time I've seen 30 or more over a stretch of freeway. It's an amazing car. Not cheap, but it feels like it's worth what it cost.

gibjer

Congrats on the nice pickup, I really like the new 5 series and almost picked up one when I was looking at the TL, but decided against it.

And to beat a dead horse, I hope you picked up the extended warranty, I just watched a co-worked dump 6k in 2 months into her X5 3k miles out of warranty.

omaralt

Thanks. I never buy an extended warranty initially. If I decide to keep it past the warranty period I'll definitely get a warranty