Solid performance - mechanically - Nice ride.

Fit and finish are not up to par. Inside driver side door handle broke in half - plastic. Glove box lock popped out one day when undersized glove box was crammed - meaning, anything OTHER than the owners manual. Easily scratched, cup holders are totally lame - one in the back seat broke easily. In general, I have been disappointed in the small annoyances I've encountered with the fit and finish of the product. I expect more from a $45K automobile.

I would not buy this product again. The engine is fairly small for a sedan this size and while the performance is pretty good, the interior annoyances are frustrating. My wife has a 1998 Chrysler Town and Country and has had absolutely 0 problems. She loves to give me a hard time about this as I've had numerous little things go wrong or break. Given that her car costs 1/2 of what this one costs, I can see her point. She says BMW stands for Big Money Wasted!

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1992 Cadillace STS - a great car!

1. Built like a tank.
2. Sporty handling...takes curves very well
3. Stick shift is nice.
4. Great AC
5. HAs all the gizmos...the computer is great and tells me whenever any work needs to be done (incl. changing tail lights). Cassette deck tells me if it needs cleaning.

1. Expensive to maintain (about $1500-2000 a year).
2. You better have a good mechanic, or you will be screwed.
3. Acceleration not a quick as i would like (the noew 3 series are a lot faster).

The car is great. Built solid, single owner before me, i bought it at 90k miles for about $12K, and have already put 16k miles on it.
It is fun to drive (i actually look forward to driving it everyday).
It is a lot more fun to drive than any other car (like a civic or an accord) and is also built very solidly. THe computer on board is great (even for a 2001 car, and this is a 1992 car!)
I beleive BMW has become a bit more commercial now... but iin 1992 i believe they were not skimping on the material in theoir cars... the engine in this car will probaly work on a battleship.....
I aim to own this car for at least another 7-8 years more, if not longer (unless osmething happens). My plan is to keep putting 1500 or so a year on average into it, and this will keep it running like a top, and ultimately make it a classic. There is something about powning a well kept Bimmer that is ....hhh..well it;s the same feeling as owning an automatic Swiss watch i guess...or wearing handstitched English shoes.....it's juts a feeling of quality and well being....
if you are the kind of person who'd buy ONE quality thing and care for it, rather than buy a new piece of trash every 5 years, then buy a used Bimmer, save some money and have fun!

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Value for money wise, it is a nice car. COmpared to other cars of 1992, it;s fantastic. COmpared to cars costing $12,000 today, well no comparison. COmparing to cars costing about $21000 (like an accrod V6) my suggestion is: if you are goig to drive an automatic, get the accord V6, otherwise get the BMW 5 series (used).

Incredible handling - car makes me want to drive it hard on turns, etc.
Feedback keeps me aware of everything going on
Car has more than enough hp/torque to get into trouble.
Angel eyes ( parking lights) are wicked cool.

1) I expect this car will cost a small fortune to maintain, insure and keep in tires. 2) The limited number of dealerships makes service,etc. inconvient. Audi and MB also have problems 1 & 2. 3) Mediocre sound system for a car of this price. Wife's Toyota Sienna sounds better.

This is a great car if you value performance first and luxury second. If your priorites are different, the Audi or MB is a better choice.

Yes, other cars may accelerate as fast or faster but only on a boring straight line. They don't stop as fast, either.

Get the manual transmission and sport suspension. This is just another German luxury car without it. The ride is not too harsh.

Flimsy cup holders are placed there by German Engineers to remind us sloppy Americans not to eat or drink in thier cars. One really can't eat or drink in this car and drive it the way it should be driven.

So far dealer experience has been excellent in all aspects. (Herb Chambers)

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Compared to Audi 2.7T. No comparison on handling and performance. BMW blows audi away. Also, more effective space in BMW over Audi A6 series particularly in the rear seat. However, Audi is slightly more luxurious and a better choice for those who want luxury with a dose of performance.
The BMW 525 is woefully underpowered compared to 530.

Engine, Seating, Features, Handling, Appearance.

Dealer Network is very inconsistent, Price has moved up.

Best car I've ever owned by far. Four door sports car,
very solid feeling, handling is a great compromise between
performance and ride comfort. No real complaints other than
some of the dealers. Also has held up well in resale market.
Makes me want to go on errands. It has gotten a bit expensive
over the past couple of years however.

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Lexus SC400, Audi A4Q, Porsche 944T

handles great!i love the power..seats are very comfortable. very easy to park.

CUP HOLDERS SUCK!!watch out for spills!!!!no storage.cd changer in trunk is a pain.

i like the way this car handles! drives like a dream! very expensive to maintain!I do not think i would buy another one. it is a very impractical car, no storage and it really does not fit my lifestyle.

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1999 volkswagen passat. i loved my volkswagen even though the ride was not as smooth, it was a better car for the money.the sound system in the passt was far superior.wish i would have kept it!

Powerful sadan,nice interior, sporty look, best engineering, the car really moves.

Nothing to think of.

I would recommend this car to people who wants performance and luxury combined.
BMW engineers really think about the safety and performace.
Don't expect a soft ride, that's the reason why they are called sports sadan.

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Lexus GS400 - does not meet the performance, just like driveng a Toyota Avalon
MB E55 - Very close, but too expensive to maintain and modify.

* Incredible ride, especially at highway speeds
* High quality materials - leather, dash, headliner, carpet, etc.
* Good riding position
* Not many on the road
* Regular scheduled check-ups are simple and inexpensive
* Actually, if you find the right mechanic, cheap to maintain

* Radio
* Heater
* Tread - this car deserved higher rated tires

I would recommend this car - Europeans have been driving sport wagons for years while we sacrafice ride quality for x-tra space with our SUVs. This wagon holds more than a Cherokee and 4-Runner.

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Also looked at late 90's Volvo wagons and Audi wagons - no camparison - BMW had the best despite being 3-4 years older than the other brands.

-Built like a tank
-Silky smooth engine
-Quality look and feel

-Not quite enough power (get the 540 4.0L V8), 8+ seconds 0-60mph
-Transmission sometimes shifts abruptly around 50mph
-Over-steer (watch rain and snow) - rear-wheel-drive

For highway cruising around 100mph, nothing beats this car. Heavy (almost 2 tons) and sluggish off the line with the automatic transmission, but accelerates from 60-90mph easily. Fit and finish are incredible inside and out. Sound system lacking, but I installed an after-market CD unit that sounded decent.

Super road feel, handles like a dream. Could handle (and needs) more than the 215hp that the 3.0L V8 provides. I would recommend the 540. Rear-wheel-drive is a blast on dry roads, but care is needed in the rain and snow - needs snow tires in northern climates. '95 and later models come with traction control standard.

Maintenance is pricey: ~$60 for an oil change. Brake pads and rotors needed frequent replacement. Front struts needed replacement at 70k miles. Check engine ID number on the web to make sure it is not prone to sulfur damage (well known on '94-'95 530's and 540's).

Overall, a very cool car. I would buy a used 5-series over a new Accord any day.

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'92 Saab 900, '00 Honda Accord EX

strong acceleration/torque - 0-60 is great but 40-70 is also great, 5-speed manual is smooth, suspension is firm but not jarring, simple dash layout - well made, but not flashy interior

not enough time to drive it

I highly recommend this car. It drives itself but is still fun to drive and even more fun to push hard. Xenons are worth it. Leather is great. In-dash CD player for $200 is a bargain. I'm no huge audiofile, but I think the stereo is great. No need for the big bump up to the next level. This car is very well engineered and BMW has had a lot of years to perfect it. The dash layout is almost exactly the same as my old '89 535i (tough to improve upon), the fit of the assembly is flawless, the rigidity and solidness of the chassis, doors, etc are first rate. Crashworthiness is rated higher than both the E-class and S-class Mercedes by NTSB and others. The engine is very strong (they have been making inline sixes for what, 30 years? I think they have it down now) and the electronic throttle is responsive.

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1989 535i - owned 12 years with 136,000 miles - no major repairs, started first time, every time for entire ownership - still drove great right up to the time I traded it in to the dealer. Audi A4 - smaller car, zippy and fun, doesn't shift as smoothly or handle quite as nicely, otherwise, also a good car.

Sporty looks for a sedan.
Feels solid.
Comfortable seats.
Huge trunk (I lived out of it).
Cool interior lighting.
Cool rear view mirrors.

Not enough power to match its sporty look.
Stereo sucked.
Not an eye-turner.

Bimmer is a Bimmer. Not a Lexus or anything else. Get it.

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GS 300 and 400. Bimmer has better overall feelings. More refined than the Japanese rivals.