2006 BMW 6 Series 650 Convertible
Summary:
Not a value for the money at all. Way overpriced
Faults:
In general it's a very good car. It is a pleasure to own. However it is also very expensive to run, even when ignoring gasoline costs and taking into account the warranty
The run flat tires are a pain. I live in New York where the streets are not very good and maybe this is the reason that I have so many problems. The tires and wheels are not covered by the bumper to bumper warranty, and so far I have spent $2000 fixing them. I have replaced 2 wheels and 2 tires so far, and I have a problem with the rear left tire now. I replaced it 6 months ago. Probably low profile tires are not a good option in a city like New York.
Little things break every now and then, but they are covered by the warranty, like the roof would not go down 2 times last summer, a problem that my dealer fixed both times. Also the window would not go down once.
In general many little things; bulbs, sensors etc that have you run to the dealer quite often, which is annoying, especially when you have paid close to $100k for the car and have a busy schedule like me.
Now the major problem with this car that you cannot get it running even with a small amount of snow on the street. I do not understand why the wheels spin with such small amount of snow. Why does not BMW put a limited slip differential on the vehicle. Infinity puts these on G35-37 (known as Nissan Skyline abroad). I could not get my car out and I called a friend to pick me up. He has a G35 Coupe, which has limited slip differential as standard. How can Infiniti fit this on a $35k car and BMW can't put it on $100k car?
I do not say that I like my car a lot, but it is definitely not good value for the money. It is a rip off. I mean for $100k you should get at least as much as someone gets for $35k.
Ride quality and driving experience is much better in the 650, do not get me wrong
General Comments:
In general I would not buy this car for $100k if I had the chance to choose again. I would probably buy a Porsche C2S or C4S.
My advice is do not buy a used one, mine is a lease and it is going back in 6 months. If I had paid for all the services and the little things that broke so far, and if I included the tires and the wheels I have changed, I would have spent more than $10k over the course of 30 months on this car in addition to the lease payments.
No issues with the engine or the transmission so far at all. Everything operates smoothly.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 28th December, 2008
3rd May 2009, 20:45
As I said it is a great car. I have never owned a 3 series, I owned an 03 X5 before buying this one, so I do not know how much more expensive cost of ownership will be. However, it is more expensive than owning an X5. When gasoline was expensive i.e. summer 08, I would spent about 150 or so a week for gasoline.
However, the problem is that the tires have you running to the repair man all the time, and they cost a hell of a lot of money.
Again, it is a great car, but it is annoying to have all the little things breaking down every now and then. However, you can buy a used one for something around $30k, which is not bad at all. It depends where you live I guess. If you live at a place where the streets are decent, you should not expect to have major problems with the tires.
2nd Dec 2014, 23:54
Just replace the run flat tires with regular tires. And for the winter season, install winter tires and you are in the business.
10th Jun 2015, 03:09
You might just want to look at some all weather tires, not all season; real four season tires. Nokian makes very good ones that will help with the roads and work in winter.
The reason you don't have a limited slip differential is because you have dynamic stability control. My Seven has DTC, which is an electronic version of the limited slip differential. Check your manual. I have a macro button on my steering wheel for the DTC. I can also access it through the iDrive. Look up DTC - that is your version of LSD.
6th Apr 2009, 21:15
I'm thinking of purchasing one of these beautiful cars, possibly a 04' or 05'.
I have a 3 series right now, and I was wondering how much would it take to keep this car running? I'm thinking every series has a different cost for different things, like routine maintenance, and repairs.
Thanks!