# Newbie looking for advice on my next purchase BMW or Audi



## MikeLa (Oct 14, 2004)

I'm ready to upgrade my Audi 2002 A4 3.0. I was looking at the 2003/2004 A6 2.7T 6sp and made the mistake of test driving a 2001 530i manual with 37K miles. I now have the dealership looking for a manual 530 / 540, 2001 thru 2003 with low mileage, black with biege interior. Any advice?
- any paticular year better than the other?
- 530 vs 540 ?
- Audi A6 vs BMW 5 series?
- do i have to worry about the number of miles on the BMW?

Any advice would be very welcomed. 

thanks


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## no8080 (Oct 6, 2004)

Hi,

just thought I would give my opinion, I am not too sure about the differences between the 530 and 540, but what I can say is I have just bought a 523, (it is the 525 in Europe). I was looking at the A6 as well, before I started looking for a BMW.

I was looking for an A6 2.4, they are a very nice car but the dealer I was looking at put me off buying the Audi, they were rude and not very helpfull at all. I have a complaint in with Audi UK at the moment. Good thing for me though, I spotted a fantasic 5er in Glacier green, M-tech sports leather interior in mint condition. I wanted it straight there and then.

The drive of the BM is far superior to the Audi, the handling is better, more precise, more controlled. The equipment level is better, they hold there resale value better and IMHO they look better.

Also according to various research done in the UK the BM has a lower off road score, simply put this refers to the time the car is spent at the garage. In the 2003 survey, BM scored better and Merc or Audi.

I am now the happy owner of a BM and I have not looked back for one second for not buying an Audi.

Hope this helps

Neil


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## drmwvr (Feb 21, 2003)

no8080 said:


> Hi,
> 
> just thought I would give my opinion, I am not too sure about the differences between the 530 and 540, but what I can say is I have just bought a 523, (it is the 525 in Europe). I was looking at the A6 as well, before I started looking for a BMW.
> 
> ...


BM :dunno:


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## liuk3 (May 3, 2004)

*My Opinion*

I just purchased a 2001 530 manual about 6 months ago on an impulse. If you are planning on primarily street driving, the 530 will have plenty enough power. I was looking for a 540, but I had difficulty finding a 5 series in a manual with the options I wanted. In the end, I am glad I got the 530 and have been extremely happy with it. In terms of the miles, I have heard these things lasting 200K miles!

On the other hand, if you plan on taking it to the track frequently, street racing, or really want the power, forget the 540 and get a used M5. In hindsight, sometimes I wish I had bought an M5, but I've already dumped too much money to personalize my car that I can't part with it. The 530 also has better gas milage for commutes, and it has plenty of power for the streets. I've had the car up to 140 mph, but there really isn't a reason why we should ever be driving much faster than 80 mph on the streets.

Another thing, I probably wouldn't have gotten black for the exterior paint color. It is a pain the @ss to maintain. My brother's titanium silver bmw is a year older and looks pretty good all the time. Scratches, swirl markes, chips and dings really show up on a black car.

Finally, I would see if I could find a 2002 or later, if you can swing the cost because the sport package M steering wheel is a little nicer in 2002 versus 2001, and the computer readout cluster below the speedo/tach is little nicer as well. That being said, the 2001 is nicer than the 2000 primarily because of the angel eye headlights.

These are just my opinions, so as not to pi$$ people off who have other models/options. I've always loved the E39s. Hope this helps.

Ken


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## Tahoe (Jan 9, 2004)

I have owned BMWs continuously since 1984. Prior to getting my current E39 540-6speed I had both an E36 M3 for fun and an A6 Quattro-auto for every day and winter driving. The A6 was a nice car if you are looking for a "nice" car but it bored me to tears. What an uninspiring car! I love the 540/6. It has lots of power and gobs of torque. It handles well and is a lot less expensive to insure than an M5. The 530 has been reviewed to be the better balanced car and should provide you with enough power, if enough is good enough. What I am saying is ANY 5 is going to be more satisfying than an A6.

Oh, and I agree on the recommendation to reconsider the color. Black cars look great when they are clean, polished and have no blemishes but that last for about 5 minutes after a couple of hours work. My first E12 5 series was a very light green that didn't show dirt or other blemishes a lot while my M3 was a very dark (Boston) green and it showed EVERYTHING! The Tit Silver 540 looks good all the time.


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## vexed (Dec 22, 2001)

You may want to send a pm on this http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=75182A 5 speed 530 is a blast. A 540 is more engine but for most of us the 530 is fine.


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## waapples (Jan 5, 2004)

man... you are going through exactly the same issue which i went though 10months ago...

i just can't answer all of your questions, but just to let you know that i bought the 1999 528i w/ premium, cold weather, and sports packages, and i'm loving it!

good luck!


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## MikeLa (Oct 14, 2004)

*thanks for all the great input. Question about 530 performance.*

Thanks again for all the input. My A4 is a 3.0 6cylinder with 220hp and quattro. I believe it does 0-60 in low 7's, it doesn't feel like it has enough power. 
-If I'm not happy with this performance will I be disappointed the 503i's performance?
-Does anyone know the 0-60 times for the e39 530 vs 540?


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## PhilH (Jun 7, 2002)

The official 0-60 time quoted by BMW for the 540i/6 was 5.7 (IIRC it was tested by various magazines between 5.5 and 5.9) and the 530i/5-spd was 6.8 (IIRC tested between 6.4 and 6.8). I don't think you'd be disappointed with the acceleration of either.

http://bmw.jbcarpages.com/5series/2002/index4.php


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## beewang (Dec 18, 2001)

Look!! this is very simple... You buy an AUDI if you can't afford a Bimmer. :tsk: It is that simple! Just so you don't think I am biased towards BMW, I will tell you this.... you'd buy a bimmer if you cannot afford a Porsche. 

cheers,

beewang


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## MikeLa (Oct 14, 2004)

*2003 530 or 2002 545*

Well put. I just want to make sure I'm not disappointed with the 530's performance like I was with the A4 3.0's. It's the difference between purhcasing a 2003 530 or a 2002 545.


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## Stuka (Jul 17, 2002)

beewang said:


> Look!! this is very simple... You buy an AUDI if you can't afford a Bimmer. :tsk: It is that simple! Just so you don't think I am biased towards BMW, I will tell you this.... you'd buy a bimmer if you cannot afford a Porsche.
> 
> cheers,
> 
> beewang


And if you buy a bimmer and a Porsche, then what?  :dunno: :bigpimp:


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## liuk3 (May 3, 2004)

Stuka said:


> And if you buy a bimmer and a Porsche, then what?  :dunno: :bigpimp:


Then you buy a ferrari. If you can afford a brand new ferrari, you start thinking about sponsoring or buying your own race team.


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## topher (Apr 14, 2004)

*I've owned both.*

I recently sold my 2001 A4 and bought a 1997 540 6-speed w/ Dinan mods. The choice was easy for me. I wanted performace, resale and reliablity. Some may argue the latter but I've had no issues. (Now that I said that my radiator is gonna blow tomorrow)

The only positives that I can say for my Audi experience is that the service at the dealer was great and it got good gas mileage.

Good Luck!


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## Tahoe (Jan 9, 2004)

MikeLa said:


> Thanks again for all the input. My A4 is a 3.0 6cylinder with 220hp and quattro. I believe it does 0-60 in low 7's, it doesn't feel like it has enough power.
> -If I'm not happy with this performance will I be disappointed the 503i's performance?
> -Does anyone know the 0-60 times for the e39 530 vs 540?


Quattros feel slower because of the viscous coupled all wheel drive system. The same power in a similar weight car with RWD will feel a lot quicker. My A6 Quattro felt like a slug off the line.


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