Drove A 2000 Bmw M5

[SRK]

A pal of mine, for whom I used to work, owns an import car repair shop, and small used car sales lot. He has a 2000 BMW M5 with 60k kilometres on it, and wanted me to drive it. Of course I said yes. He threw me the keys and away I went.

Beautiful Germanic interior, very cool. Lovely wood trim. Noisy engine, lots of idle vibration. The ride was harsh, and the steering tram-lined a great deal - like a Porsche 911 almost. The clutch was good, but the shifter a bit rubbery (6-speed manual of course). Accelerated like a rocket and truly felt like 400 horsepower. Somewhat smaller on the inside. Silver and black, and a real good looker.

Of course I arrived in my red/tan GS400. And left in the same. The bottom line is I prefer the Lexus, because it drives so smoothly, has more than enough power, and doesn't beat you up on the rough stuff. The BMW is a great car, no doubt, but it isn't what I am after. It sold new in Canada for $108,000 and is for sale for $50,000 today, which is certainly a bit hit in depreciation.

I mention this only as a confirmation of how good the Lexus compromise is - performance, comfort, and of course reliability.