i currently have a 01' 540 sport 6 spd, but last night i hit a truck tire on the freeway so now my front end is somewhat damaged - i hope to get the car fixed asap, and considering getting into an 04' 545, how do youguys like ur e60s?? like the 540's are common for their coolant bad system, what are the weaknesses of the e60 that you may know of ?? or that i should be lookig out for? Last night on the 241 freeway was driving at about 95 or so and suddenly saw a huge tire and that at high speeds it's almost impossible to steer around - hence hit it and messed up my front end....bumper, grill, parking sensors, fog light, headlight washer...etc....etc...luckily nothing happened to my g/f or me, or anything major, could've been worse. thank God for that. I pulled over and few minutes later an 07 mustang pulls over as well to asses his damages and his was worse, besides the parts mentioned above, his radiator was leaking, mine wasn't.

I'm sorry to hear about your incident. I am glad you are okay. I often see those truck tires on the shoulders and wonder if they would do much damage. I wish there was a way the truck driver could be held responsible. How many miles on your 540i?
I have a 2005 545i 6 speed which I bought as a CPO back in February of this year. It now has 42,000 miles and has trouble free. It is a great car and I am thoroughly enjoying it. It doesn't have a lot of miles yet, but I have the 6 year, 100,000 mile CPO warranty which give me peace of mind.

Timely post. next summer my wife will need a new car and her 98 540i has given us over 120k wonderful miles. (currently at 196k)
seems like 545 prices have dropped recently. do you guys think it has anything to do with the new Honda accord looking so similar from the rear? I am hoping to pick a 545 up in the summer with ~50k miles for low 20's.

I had a 01 540 6/M sport before I moved to the 04 545 5 months ago w/ 9222 on the clock... yes that is not a typo.... Here is my take after a some time behind the wheel.... the 545 is bigger and you can feel the size... not like going to a 7 series but it is bigger.... The 545 is more refined and has more technology, more power...... I LOVED my 540 and the M5 was not listed as the best luxury sedan for 3 years if the e39 platform was not incredible. I have no regrets and I have driven 540's since and it does fit like an old pair of shoes.... so familiar but something was not quite right...... I made a great decision and I am glad I made the move....

You really need to drive the car to understand.... You have to go to a dealer and drive one for some miles... do some in town, hit the highway...... I tell my dealer that I will have the car for like 1-2 hours to really get the feel of the car and they have never had a problem.... You will know the difference in about 15 min....