Today's Mid Week Match-Up is a request from Scott who writes: I have held onto the convertible for too long...with
three young children, I need something bigger but not quite the minivan
that my wife has. Looking to spend 5-10k. Live in Central Florida. I need an auto as my wife cant drive stick, would love something
with some kick to it. Something fun as I am giving up the convertible.
BMW launched the Davide Arcangelo designed E60 generation 5-series in 2004 as a replacement for the aging E39 5er. The new 5-series was thankfully spared the nauseating Bangle-butt of the E65 7-series but it was given a thorough massaging with flame surfacing and other 2000s BMW design language. Find this 2004 BMW 545i offered for $13,300 CAD ($10,627 in USD at time of printing) located in Vancouver, BC, Canada via craigslist.
The N62 powered BMW 635Ci posted yesterday was met with some concern from folks who understand the difference between a good deal and a low initial purchase price. Furthermore, the van Hooydonk styled E63 was also universally liked for its smooth front bumper to rear glass shape, but panned for its prominent Bangle butt -- so what about another N62 powered BMW, this time from the E60 family? Find this 2004 BMW 545i 6spd E60 offered for $10,000 here on craigslist, located in Irvine, CA.
By the early 2000s most mid-sized luxury sedans were equipped with automatic-only gearboxes, unless it was an expensive and finicky motorsports edition (such as BMW's M-cars, Audi's S-line etc). The notable exception to the torque convertor brigade was the BMW 5-series that offered a V8 mated to a manual gearbox in a large sedan, starting as far back we can remember and continuing to 540i, 545i, 550i, etc. Find this 2004 BMW 545i 6-spd for sale in Baldwin, NY for $13,000 or best offer via ebay.