What to get to replace an M5?

[steveny]

 

[jlindy]

Phaeton W12. Comes with AWD and 444hp. I have one great car, Bentley quality at A really good price.

Allright Steveny, you talked me into it. :smile: While I couldn't quite swing the 12 cyl, I test drove the V8. (still 335HP though) and it was amazing. One of the best quality cars that I have ever driven. I traded in my M5 for it. I will miss the power of the M5, but love all the amenties of the Phaeton like a/c seats with massaging, ability to change suspension and raise/lower car 4 inches for winter driving, etc. Thanks for letting me know about it. :smile:

 

[Osiris_x11]

achtung!

Wow, congratz'! I assumed you were in the market for a mid-sized luxury, performance-oriented, AWD sports sedan... :tongue: Instead you go out there and grab the car dubbed "the best sedan in the world at any price", a bit reminescent of the NSX when it was regarded as "the bests sportscar, ever!"

http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showpost.php?p=449166&postcount=39

I thinks it's beyond awesome to have others w/ similar tastes as oneself, when everyone else thinks your a macadamia & cashew short of a nut'farm! {ie. NSX, 348, DB7, XJ-R, Gen.1 Q45, Phaeton, etc'...}

 

[steveny]

Allright Steveny, you talked me into it. :smile: While I couldn't quite swing the 12 cyl, I test drove the V8. (still 335HP though) and it was amazing. One of the best quality cars that I have ever driven. I traded in my M5 for it. I will miss the power of the M5, but love all the amenties of the Phaeton like a/c seats with massaging, ability to change suspension and raise/lower car 4 inches for winter driving, etc. Thanks for letting me know about it. :smile:

The Phaeton is an amazing car. Perfect for those of us who live where it snows. Like the NSX the more you drive it the more you will like it. The adjustments for the suspension between luxury and sport, imo, really have a true spread between the two. Sport really feels like sport and luxury feels like luxury.
Come and visit us at http://forums.vwvortex.com/zeroforum?id=112 there is a great bunch of people over there similar to prime, not quite as active of a forum though. You really have to thank Prime member Whealy as he pointed out the Phaeton to me many months ago.
Post some pictures if you get a chance. Congrat's on the car. If you plan on keeping it a while there is a service manager Chris B. who can get bumper to bumper extended warranties for 2k w/ zero deductible. 6 years 100k miles.

 

[jlindy]

Re: achtung!

Wow, congratz'! I assumed you were in the market for a mid-sized luxury, performance-oriented, AWD sports sedan... :tongue: Instead you go out there and grab the car dubbed "the best sedan in the world at any price", a bit reminescent of the NSX when it was regarded as "the bests sportscar, ever!"

http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showpost.php?p=449166&postcount=39

I thinks it's beyond awesome to have others w/ similar tastes as oneself, when everyone else thinks your a macadamia & cashew short of a nut'farm! {ie. NSX, 348, DB7, XJ-R, Gen.1 Q45, Phaeton, etc'...}

I hear that...my friends think I am insane sometimes with all the different cars that I have wanted. I called my buddy and he said "what did you go and get a ferrari this time". :biggrin: I have owned a lot of different cars I guess, but I just like trying new things. My wife will be glad that is the only thing that I like variety with too. :wink:

I was really liking the Infiniti M, but the numbers just didn't make sense so far. I was looking for a slightly used one and had to have decent numbers on my car before I could pull the trigger. Plus, it was killing me to decide over the sport model (rear wheel big tires) that I loved and the AWD version that I needed but didn't like as much. I had seen a couple of Phaetons, but I have never been in one or driven one. I have driven a lot of nice cars, but this one was simply amazing. Beautiful ride that I can hit a button and stiffen up if the mood strikes and enough power for me. It's a bigger car, so it doesn't corner like the M5 and is no where near the NSX:wink: , but I don't go around turns that fast anyway. It was very obvious from the cockpit that 65% of the parts used were Bentley parts. I guess because they didn't sell that well in the US, I they got hit with a huge depreciation which I avoided buying used. Since they stopped making them and used the platform to make the new Bentley, I have been told the values are going up slightly. Hopefully they depreciate at a more acceptable level in the future which is my only worry.

 

[steveny]

Re: achtung!

I hear that...my friends think I am insane sometimes with all the different cars that I have wanted. I called my buddy and he said "what did you go and get a ferrari this time". :biggrin: I have owned a lot of different cars I guess, but I just like trying new things. My wife will be glad that is the only thing that I like variety with too. :wink:

I was really liking the Infiniti M, but the numbers just didn't make sense so far. I was looking for a slightly used one and had to have decent numbers on my car before I could pull the trigger. Plus, it was killing me to decide over the sport model (rear wheel big tires) that I loved and the AWD version that I needed but didn't like as much. I had seen a couple of Phaetons, but I have never been in one or driven one. I have driven a lot of nice cars, but this one was simply amazing. Beautiful ride that I can hit a button and stiffen up if the mood strikes and enough power for me. It's a bigger car, so it doesn't corner like the M5 and is no where near the NSX:wink: , but I don't go around turns that fast anyway. It was very obvious from the cockpit that 65% of the parts used were Bentley parts. I guess because they didn't sell that well in the US, I they got hit with a huge depreciation which I avoided buying used. Since they stopped making them and used the platform to make the new Bentley, I have been told the values are going up slightly. Hopefully they depreciate at a more acceptable level in the future which is my only worry.

Keep in mind that most Phaetons did not sell for sticker 80k for a V8 or 110k for the W12. If someone buys a V8 Phaeton today for 40k it would first appear the car has depreciated 50% but in fact the car more than likely sold for 60k new not the 80k sticker. Still the best deal going. Try and buy a one year old Benz s500 for 40k, even if you could the Benz is 1/2 the car compared to The Phaeton.
A quote I love..."The Phaeton was an IQ test for the luxury buyers of America, and they failed the test."

 

[KGP]

Re: achtung!

... the Benz is 1/2 the car compared to The Phaeton.
A quote I love..."The Phaeton was an IQ test for the luxury buyers of America, and they failed the test."

I need to check one of these things out.:smile: Hell, I guess I never even saw the test.:biggrin:
So, Steve - what would typically be the selling price for a v12 like this one?

Congrats, Jeff!

 

[steveny]

Re: achtung!

That is a premier edition. From what I have found 330 were made 300 of them were black (grand paino finish) with the beige interior. You should go drive the car and see what kwould be doing pretty good.
I like to have a car that is a little different other and for that reason I would not pick black. Either way it is an exception car, world class catagory. I will try and add some more later today. I just had a massage and I can't really think straight right now.ind of deal you could put together. If you could get it for 50 you would be doing well.

I need to check one of these things out.:smile: Hell, I guess I never even saw the test.:biggrin:
So, Steve - what would typically be the selling price for a v12 like this one?

Congrats, Jeff!

 

[Zman]

Jeff,

Congrats on your decision! I'm sure you made the right one for you although I shared my opinion.:smile: One of the Urologists at work has one, got it dirt cheap and fact today was telling me about all the electrical problems he has been having with it. Hopefully you will fair better because I know costly repairs was a big concern in the future with the M5.

I still think you will greatly miss the BMW and should of just bought the winter shoes and kept it!! You don't need AWD-its all in the tires-winter sport M3's!!

Dan

 

[jlindy]

Jeff,

Congrats on your decision! I'm sure you made the right one for you although I shared my opinion.:smile: One of the Urologists at work has one, got it dirt cheap and fact today was telling me about all the electrical problems he has been having with it. Hopefully you will fair better because I know costly repairs was a big concern in the future with the M5.

I still think you will greatly miss the BMW and should of just bought the winter shoes and kept it!! You don't need AWD-its all in the tires-winter sport M3's!!

Dan

It seemed the market got real soft in the last few months for M5's and even on the forums people were saying they were worth a lot less than I wanted to sell it for. Honestly, my M5 was in the shop 6 or 7 times over the year I owned it for various little things and it really made me nervous when the warranty expired in a few months. The Phaeton has 5 more years bumper to bumper or 70k miles left on warranty so I am not worried about maintenance. (has 4k miles on it now) I have heard some having electrical problems, but not many and for the most part they are pretty solid. The M5 was a great car though.

 

[steveny]

It seemed the market got real soft in the last few months for M5's and even on the forums people were saying they were worth a lot less than I wanted to sell it for. Honestly, my M5 was in the shop 6 or 7 times over the year I owned it for various little things and it really made me nervous when the warranty expired in a few months. The Phaeton has 5 more years bumper to bumper or 70k miles left on warranty so I am not worried about maintenance. (has 4k miles on it now) I have heard some having electrical problems, but not many and for the most part they are pretty solid. The M5 was a great car though.

Maintenance is included for the first 50k too. The market has gotten soft on the M5's because they are going out of warranty. Big issue for high end cars

 

[Zman]

My M5 has been the best car I ever drove or owned, including my NSX. I do look forward to driving the NSX again since it has been in hibernation since Oct 1, 2005.

I know a guy who has an 05 645 that he can't sell(to get the M6), a S500 and a S600. His S600 is an '03 with 17,000 miles. He paid $120,000 for it and tried to get rid of at the dealer-they offered $48,000!! Talk about taking a beating!! The best way to buy these cars is pre-owned, heck offer him $49,000!!

 

[dawggpie]

Maintenance is included for the first 50k too. The market has gotten soft on the M5's because they are going out of warranty. Big issue for high end cars

And the new 500hp M5 recently came out.
What price range are the 02-04 M5s at now? I wouldn't mind a CPO one for myself =)

 

[jlindy]

And the new 500hp M5 recently came out.
What price range are the 02-04 M5s at now? I wouldn't mind a CPO one for myself =)

I am not so sure the new E60 M5 has too much to do with prices dropping on the E39 M5's, but I think Steveny is right when he says that cars just coming out of warranty are difficult to sell especially the ones that are expensive to fix. Many people are not that impressed with the new M5 and actually prefer the E39 to it, especially at a 90k sticker price jump for the new model. They used to be on a waiting list, but now are having difficulty selling them. The dealer that I bought the Phaeton had one that they couldn't sell and had to wholesale it.

FYI, the trade/wholesale in on an E39 M5 2002 is about 37-39k so if you get one for around that, you are doing very well.