Mysticxzee

hey,,
well in the process of buying one of these cars.....what would you go with if you had to do it all over again... I have always loved the GS 430 400 but this 6 speed is really in my head.. and it is a BMW trans which i heard wonders about....im really confused?? .....let me know...


-Z

Richie

I would get the Lex as well, but that has something to do with the amount of BMW's I see every day.
I like to drive something different than the rest.

LS4fun

Your poll results might be slightly biased... ....maybe the fact that your population is slightly skewed with lexus fanatics....

Man, this morning was a physics lesson...now we're moving on to statistics....

I'm sure if you did a poll on Club BMW (I'm not sure if such a thing exists) that population would be skewed as well but in the other direction.

IMO, it does not really matter what people as a whole think....Its what YOU want.....I would make a list of priorities you would like to have and rate the cars you are choosing to those categories. It would be a systematic way of choosing the car that would please you the most in the long run. Categories may include like 1Sickless mentioned: resale value, looks of car, NAV system size, # of buttons, performance 0-60 time, etc.

Good luck in picking up a winner with either choice!

NVRENUFHP

1SICKLEX pretty much covered it. I looked into the BMW when I was in the market for a new car and chose the GS430 for all the reasons LEX mentioned. Mercedes was in the mix, too, and would have been my second choice ahead of the 540.

As for the comment that the 540 performs better than the GS, I'm not so sure that is necessarily true. At least it is not true across the board. The 12/99 issue of Road & Track has the GS400 outhandling the 540 in some respects. Overall, however, R & T liked the feel of the 540 much better, even though the objective numbers were very close and the GS was better on some handling tests. And the GS stopped better than the 540.

On acceleration tests, it is a mixed bag. The 12/99 R & T story has the 540 out accelerating the GS by 9/10ths of a sec to 60. But, the R & T Road Test Summary that appears in every issue has the GS400 (apparently they haven't tested the GS430 yet) at 5.9 to 60 mph, the same as for the automatic 540. Though you gotta figure that the 6 speed 540 is quicker than the automatic 540.

Performance aside, the GS430 is less expensive. If found the difference to be nearly $10k after the BMW dealer's unwillingness to negotiate is figured in. The GS rides nicer and is more quiet. It also has better gadgets, mainly the Nav/Levinson.

Money aside, the question comes down to whether you want a more perfomance bias or a more luxury bias. And the performance question, on an objective basis, is razor thin and in many respects favors the GS.

Tough to go wrong either way, though.

RacingAristo

Test drive both 430 and 540i and let your butt-o-meter tell yah.

It's a tough decision and I was in the same delimma before.

TMitchell

I read two different articles where they didn't like the 6 speed. They said they couldn't shift in every day type driving without the car jerking the passengers heads back and forth. I realize this type of gear engagement is ideal when racing. Most people drive full out less than 10% of the time, so it would get annoying if not embarrassing when driving with the normal flow of traffic.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

540i 6 speed is a GREAT car. Great handling, great seats, GREAT engine, great ride. BUT, for me I would still take the Lexus though because:

a) While they're fun on open roads, I don't want a stick shift in a busy city like Atlanta.

b) I think the 540i *STILL* has the CD changer in the trunk (a pain).

c) The navigation system is AWFUL.

d) The steering wheel is too big.

e) The styling is about to change.

mooretorque

What we have here is a Lexus board; we're going to be biased towards Lexus since many of us already made this decision between the two and, obviously, chose the Rising Sun over the Roundel.

You'll have to order your priorities, drive both cars, see what shakes out. Forget the sales people at either brand. Once you've bought a car, you'll be dealing ONLY with the service department.

We know where we stand (sit). Neither is a bad choice. Be happy.

liazon

iTrader: (1)

the bmw is driving machine. it is also a high maintenance driving machine, as are all german high output autos. one must consider the price for a car that bottom line is funner to drive than the gs, but bottom line will spend more time in the shop for required maintenance. thank God your gonna get a good warranty!

i too have been doing my homework on auto reviews and i read on the internet a recent survey completed that compared the automakers on the number of service calls for higher mileage examples of their cars (over 80k). they then scaled the manufactures from 1 to 10, 1 being best for requiring the least amount of service.....

Lexus was number #1. BMW was number 10. (by the way, mercedes was #9)

to me, a car built to last is a car well built and a car worth buying.
good luck.

Mark

540i six speed if you want a stick.

Mark

ceoart

The BMW 6 speed will not be much fun in rush hour traffic!:eek:

GS4Will

my family had a 7 series, broke too many times....so i fixed the problem by trying out lexus, now it is no going back....i am on my 3rd lex...just my experience.

540 is a very fun to drive car. but as many here would attest: a lot more factors are worth considering than just the handling aspect on a car. so for me, lexus ended up with better ownership experience.

splitfire

iTrader: (6)

i was a 540/6 owner here is what i think, before you decide drive both car first, not just down the street but try to find one and drive it for few days or so.. imo 5 series is more fun to drive with its 6sp tranny.. all 5 series except M5 has CDV so it doesn't drive like sports car when it is stock but once you remove the CDV (clutch delay value) this is where fun begin.. bmw is conservative with hp # so yeah compare to GS it appear to be week but go search on bimmer board you will find out the truth..2002 will probably the last model year of E39 5 series so if i were you I will either wait or look for something else.. resale value will be BAD for both so if you can afford the car you should be able to afford the loss as well i assume. BMW dealer service SUCKS and they have no loaner car program yet. however some dealer do offer BMW loaner but you will not get one unless you purchase from same dealer i use to drive 35+ miles to get my car service when there is one 7 miles away from my house so you know how i feel.. bmwna do audit warrenty service you might expect to pay for your own repair...try to read some post in bimmer.org it really helps.. anyways both great car it really depend on what you like.. good luck