Spotted A BMW 550i Today

"TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut" (twincharged)
04/06/2014 at 09:26 • Filed to: BMW

These are rare in Hong Kong, a place where C63s, E55s, M3s and M5s are common.

Tell me Oppo, do you see cars like this in your countries?

DISCUSSION (17)

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut
04/06/2014 at 09:38

Not as common as the 6cyl. versions, but still, there are plenty of them in the u.s.

Brian Silvestro > TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut
04/06/2014 at 09:39

A fellow opponaut owns a white one. He's in the US.

jkm7680 > TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut
04/06/2014 at 09:48

There seem to be quite a few of them in recent times.

Almost never see M5s in the wild though.

Doug DeMuro > TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut
04/06/2014 at 10:16

550 is rare anywhere... you have to be nuts to buy it. I check the back of every 5 Series and it's always a 528/535. I've never understood why anyone would go 550.

TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut > jkm7680
04/06/2014 at 10:51

You should come to Hong Kong - I saw five M5s in one day! Two F10s, two E60s and one E61. And you won't miss your fair share of C63 AMGs, they're everywhere...

ab124 > Doug DeMuro
04/06/2014 at 10:56

Uncle leases it. absolutely bonkers of a car. Its essentially a muted-in-every-way M5 for somebody who wants to go crazy fast in sublime comfort comfort. (but also doesn't have the skills to control the RWD M5). But bump in price vs the lighter and better handling 535 definitely not worth it. Silky smooth throughout the power band though.

TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut > Doug DeMuro
04/06/2014 at 10:58

I think the same applies for the old E39 540i - I've only ever seen two of those in Hong Kong. Although it must be said, the 540i was very cool because I heard it came with a factory installed kevlar armour and 21mm thick glass. BMW called the 540i Protection.

RMudkips > TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut
04/06/2014 at 11:59

I'm assuming this is the one with the largest non-M power rating.

Hong Kong's minibuses are an experience you must try in the rural areas (namely Tai Po).

TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut > RMudkips
04/06/2014 at 12:30

Yup - the next level up from a 550i is an M5.

I ride the No. 30 minibus from Happy Valley to Causeway Bay on a regular basis, so I know what they feel like. If the driver is enthusiastic going up Broadwood Road and down Links Road, one tends to fly out of their seat.

The scariest minibuses are the Red ones - no preset route so the driver takes whatever direction he fancies. Often quickly. Very quickly. I once took one to Mong Kok. As it shot through the Cross Harbour Tunnel, we hit speeds of 90kph. Doesn't sound fast but when everyone else is doing 60kph, it's pretty scary...

Howdy Harrell > TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut
04/06/2014 at 19:10

In Houston TX you could probably see 10 of these and at least 1 M5 a day. At least in the more populated areas. FAPPP.

RMudkips > TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut
04/07/2014 at 17:48

The red buses are scary as hell. Hearing about shooting through the tunnel sounds pretty awesome; I'll try that next time I visit.

Montalvo > TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut
04/08/2014 at 16:43

My father has owned 3 of them, they are great cars. The allure of them is that they offer a great amount of performance without the extra cost added on from having an M on the back. My family's experience with them are that they are fairly reliable except for one which started having an electrical issue towards the end. They are probably more rare than M cars which I find amusing. Those 550s are part of the reason why I love fast cars, experiencing serious g-forces at every off/on ramp on the highway and twisty roads as a kid really made an impression. It has the looks of the base 5, a big growl similar to the M and the performance somewhere in the middle. It is one of the most enjoyable and practical cars you can get for under $100K.

Montalvo > Doug DeMuro
04/08/2014 at 16:52

I asked my father this multiple times before he decided he did want to go the next step and buy an M6. His reason was he wanted a fast car but he didn't want to pay more money for what he felt was a smaller performance gain. It made plenty of power so he could go as fast as he wanted, it carried his golf clubs and carried the family around in bulletproof reliability (except for tires and rims... he cracked a bunch of those). He didn't need a track munching M5, on the regular roads 400 hp works just as well as 500+. He got about 85% of the power with the same level of luxury and saved about 20~30k. Plus the 550i is oddly rare because people either want the whole hog performance package or they want the M name. Original 550i owners are a niche group.

Dunnik > TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut
04/08/2014 at 18:47

The 5-series is popular in the mid-sized luxury segment here in Toronto, but you don't often see a 550i, it's mostly 528's.

Hermann > TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut
04/08/2014 at 20:12

São Paulo, Brazil.

Ironically I see more 545s and 550s (E60, though) than smaller engines. F10s are more homogeneous, but still plenty of 550s.

Same goes for X6s, I see more X6M than regular X6s. 750s too.

I've talked with a friend who sells cars, he claims this is because since the prices of these cars are so ridiculous over here, the difference from the base models to the top end isn't that much anymore. So people who can afford these, go for the big ones because why not?

Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius > TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut
04/08/2014 at 20:51

550? Filthy peasants.

Alex87f > TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut
04/09/2014 at 08:08

In Belgium, they're rarer than hen's teeth.

We have a displacement-based yearly tax. Whereas a turbocharged 528i will only cost you 500$ / year, a 550i will cost you around 3 200$/year.

In addition lots of people here are convinced diesel's the only way (though judging by the average kms driven per year, it's not), and are not very fond of high-hp cars.

A quick search on the biggest ad website shows 680 F10 520d's for sale, vs. 3 550i's!