A "What car should I buy" Thread

I <3 E39 BMWs. I drove a Manual 530i and I couldn't get over how awesome that car was to drive. I'd love to own a clean example in the future. I feel like BMW was at their prime with that car, an absolute classic.

The only thing amiss with that car is that I don't have one. Brilliant motor, gearbox, interior, styling (although some tell me that it looks like a '94 Accord), quality, etc., etc. I'll always say that this was one of BMW's best.
 
Wat. In what way does an E39 look like an Accord? In that they both have four doors and four wheels? Anyone that holds that opinion is obviously not someone you'd listen to when buying a car.
 
I'm one of the people that says that. Put them side by side and they look awfully similar, especially the overall profile. Slap a double-kidney grille on a 5th gen US Accord and it could easily pass for an E39 at a glance - which is what all those faux-BMW kits for them take advantage of.

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Especially with the pre-facelift US market taillights. (Which is partially WHY they had the facelift include those distinctive CELIS taillights.)

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By the way - the Honda was out first. Can't accuse them of copying.
 
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umm they don't look anything alike but whatever.
 
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They look quite different to me... oh well, I'm a car bore so it doesn't count I guess.

They look similar enough that I have seen an E39 owner standing next to a fifth generation Accord wondering why his key doesn't fit in the lock.
 
They look similar enough that I have seen an E39 owner standing next to a fifth generation Accord wondering why his key doesn't fit in the lock.
These people are the same ones that don't know what their car is and think every car looks the same.

Hell, I was driving the Astra once to pick up my dad, I called and said I was waiting outside, he walked straight past me and tried to get into a previous-gen Impreza hatch that was parked a few spaces down. Even when he noticed there was nobody in it, he still thought it was the right car.

And you can't say that this,
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Looks anything like this:
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Update: I drove a 2001 Audi A6 2.7T and a 2001 BMW 330xi.
Audi: The Audi was comfortable and decently quick. This one was in good condition and I felt represented the car well. I really liked it. The steering was a bit soft, as you would expect and I am sure it isn't awesome in the corners. The interior was nice, although the stereo was locked out so I didn't get a chance to try that out. Overall it was a nice car.
BMW: This car was in horrible shape so it was hard to accurately gauge how good the car was. The clutch clunked when it engaged, and was really hard to feather when starting. The car in general had issues. I did like the amount of power and the responsive steering. The interior was sparse but not bad if it was in better repair. I will have to drive another BMW to better represent a not M car. I also want to drive a not x BMW as well.

Unrelated, when I was going to drive these a Maserati Quattroporte and a Jeep Grand Cherokee 6.1 HEMI were stopped at a light and both launched. It was an amazing sound.
 
I drove a 2006 Audi A4 2.0T yesterday and I liked it a lot. Quick, responsive steering, comfortable.

So why shouldn't I consider this car? Specifically. I understand VAG cars don't have wonderful electronics. What goes wrong with this car after 100k miles?
 
Only thing I can say is go test drive a bunch of cars that you are slightly interested in. It's your money, your ride. You have to live with the choice not your neighbor, not some one on the internet etc.
 
Only thing I can say is go test drive a bunch of cars that you are slightly interested in. It's your money, your ride. You have to live with the choice not your neighbor, not some one on the internet etc.

I am asking this forum if what issues they know exist in this car and why it may or may not be a good purchase. I am looking to increase my knowledge of the car and how it is to live with. It is my choice, and I want to be more informed when I make it.
 
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