BMW 5-series sales slow?

5-series is a beautiful car IMO and I don't give a damn about ugly bangle butt either.
Main problem is that BMw continues to have problems in reliability. Its listed almost always at the bottom of the list for having most problems year after year. Even in Germany, BMw are not respected anymore. Besides having loads of reliability problems, I think the looks, heritage and mystique is still awesome, kinda like Harley Davidson. But it ain't ever going to be like Lexus. BMW will never attain high degree of rock solid build or technology i.e. hybrid. Lexus is still the king when it comes to reliability and it will remain king for a long time to come.

5-series is a beautiful car IMO and I don't give a damn about ugly bangle butt either.
Main problem is that BMw continues to have problems in reliability. Its listed almost always at the bottom of the list for having most problems year after year. Even in Germany, BMw are not respected anymore. Besides having loads of reliability problems, I think the looks, heritage and mystique is still awesome, kinda like Harley Davidson. But it ain't ever going to be like Lexus. BMW will never attain high degree of rock solid build or technology i.e. hybrid. Lexus is still the king when it comes to reliability and it will remain king for a long time to come.

Why is Lexus always brought up? The 5 is good looking, GREAT driving. Lexus are for old men and females, they will never match the driving performance or passion of a BMW.

Geez! wonder why the 5 serie not selling so well, maybe because it UGLY, have realibility problem. Mpower, for your information all car get fade out or play out in a few year and that the reason why you have new car coming out every year to replace current model. Lexus does it every four years, so does BMW, MB. The only nice BMW out there right now is the 650 and 330 that is it, the 5 series is Ugly.

You are totally incorrect on your reliability post.

Out of the German brands, BMW has consistently had the best reliabilty of the German Big Three. (Porsche excluded)

Mercedes is the one that is always at the bottom of the list.

Audi has improved dramtically as VW continues to sink.

But BMW has always been at the top. Why else do you think their resale value is so strong.

I am on my 4th BMW and have NEVER had an issue worth mentioning. To me, they are VERY RELIABLE.

You are also laughably wrong about BMWs not be respected in Germany anymore.

BMWs not being rock-solid?

Have you ever driven a BMW Bruce?

They are the strongest pieces of metal on the road.

I have subjected my BMWs to serious performance driving again and again and they continue to be as rock solid as they were the day I bought them.

Their suspensions,engine and chassis can be subjected to the highest degree of performance without hurting the car at all.

Also Bruce....HYBRIDS suck and wont be selling a year from now.

To correct your response
#1: If you have read every study done on reliability on the European cars..they all suffer from 1 commonality which is reliability. The car basically falls apart as if it was glued and stapled together and probably won't last 1 or 2 year before ending up in a junkyard.
#2: If you read last weeks happiness index poll done in Germany which was posted here on Autospies.com you would have read that Germans rated bMW at the bottom half while top4 out of 5 were Japanes brands.
#3: Hybrids suck you say but then why are bMW, MB, Audi, Gm and fORD and even Porsche finally are tapping into hybrid? Its b/c hybrid is the next best thing to come along since slice of bread.
#4: hybrid is selling so well that waiting time is morethan a year long! Within 4 years projected sales of hybrids are over 1 million vehicles per year.

I'ld like to say also that I do like the looks, heritage and Mystique of bmw but it just don't make sense to me when you pay over $100 grand and built to last only a few years and falls apart.

To correct your response
#1: If you have read every study done on reliability on the European cars..they all suffer from 1 commonality which is reliability. The car basically falls apart as if it was glued and stapled together and probably won't last 1 or 2 year before ending up in a junkyard.
#2: If you read last weeks happiness index poll done in Germany which was posted here on Autospies.com you would have read that Germans rated bMW at the bottom half while top4 out of 5 were Japanes brands.
#3: Hybrids suck you say but then why are bMW, MB, Audi, Gm and fORD and even Porsche finally are tapping into hybrid? Its b/c hybrid is the next best thing to come along since slice of bread.
#4: hybrid is selling so well that waiting time is morethan a year long! Within 4 years projected sales of hybrids are over 1 million vehicles per year.

I'ld like to say also that I do like the looks, heritage and Mystique of bmw but it just don't make sense to me when you pay over $100 grand and built to last only a few years and falls apart.

I think the looks, heritage and mystique is still awesome but a friend of mine was driving a bimmer and hit a bamboo tree and car exploded into little pieces. And, I felt very bad for the bamboo tree which somehow still managed to survive unlike bmw:)

I think the looks, heritage and mystique is still awesome but a friend of mine was driving a bimmer and hit a bamboo tree and car exploded into little pieces. And, I felt very bad for the bamboo tree which somehow still managed to survive unlike bmw:)

We all have opinions BMWs. I'm a BMW fan of many years, but I dislike their current offering. But that's just me, and I don't define auto-purchasing trends.

Tell us 001, what insights (not speculation) do you have into the slow-down in BMW 5 series sales? Has they hype worn off? Are buyers wisening up to ugly styling and poor "defects" numbers? Or is this a market thing, and not a BMW or 5 series thing? And if it is a market thing, is the BMW 5 affected more by it or less by it than its competitors?

I really don't know why 5 series sales are off, and I'm hoping you might.

We all have opinions BMWs. I'm a BMW fan of many years, but I dislike their current offering. But that's just me, and I don't define auto-purchasing trends.

Tell us 001, what insights (not speculation) do you have into the slow-down in BMW 5 series sales? Has they hype worn off? Are buyers wisening up to ugly styling and poor "defects" numbers? Or is this a market thing, and not a BMW or 5 series thing? And if it is a market thing, is the BMW 5 affected more by it or less by it than its competitors?

I really don't know why 5 series sales are off, and I'm hoping you might.

This is one ugly car.I have to say every time I look at that thing i wonder why would someone spend money on it.No questions, looks count and this thing does not have it.The interior looks cheap and plastic on dash looks cheap and the i- drive is so unfriendly it's not worth it.I would buy a cadillac sts or lexus gs before this ugly thing.

After 40 years of chasing MB, BMW has finally caught and passed Mercedes in terms of sales. BMW are doing just fine in sales.

After 40 years of chasing MB, BMW has finally caught and passed Mercedes in terms of sales. BMW are doing just fine in sales.

Youre still wrong. VERY WRONG.

Do you honestly expect anyone on this board to believe that the Germans favor Japanese brands as opposed to the big three?

What a crock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I stated that BMW was the most reliable of the Germans. Which it is.

1) A BMW falling apart after 2 years. Right Bruce. Thats why there are so many 1983 BMWs on the road. That still look and perform great.

2) BMW rated low on a "Happiness" poll. A happiness poll huh?
wow, that sounds trustworthy. Nice source Bruce.

3) Hybrids do suck. Anyone who actually drives their cars and enjoy them know this. There is no advantage. The mileage is too similair and the performance is greatly handicapped. A car for a poser. A car for someone who doesnt care about performance.

4) THERE IS NO WAITING LIST RIGHT NOW ON ANY HYBRID VEHICLE. NONE. Call anyone...... find out for yourself. You are speaking of old times. This isnt 2003. Hybrids were a phase. That phase is about to be over. People now realize that the extra money you spend on a hybrid offsets the cost of the fuel savings. And that fuel saving amounts to almost none.

Also BMW and Mercedes arent doing hybrids. They considered it but decided it didnt fit their image. Basically they are not as desperate and stupid as Toyota for sales. FORD and GM are.

I find your comments full of hot-air.

<br><br><br>
In the last 5 years, I have owned BMW 325, X5 and 525 cars. At least in my case, I had multiple issues with my windows/sunroof getting stuck (with both the 325 and X5), the 325 had several brake issues (probably my fault, because the maintenance intervals are so apart (15k miles) and got two times the rotors replaced... no brake indicator... :-( ) and the X5 air conditioning failed two times... everything was promptly solved by BMW service...<br><br><br>
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The reality is that I did not expect any of those issues from a luxury car. The truth is that after driving the car (a probably spend 3 hours a day on it), I do not care anymore about the problems... They are so fun to drive and feel so solid that any other car does not come even close... I actually test drive MB, Lexus, Infiniti, Acura, among others before getting into the new 5... There is no comparison in driving dynamics... and regarding the interior, I just love the simplicity of it...<br><br><br>
<br><br><br>
One of my partners has a VW Toureg... I have to admit it drives nicely... but every time its interior lights come up, the car inside looks like a Christmas Tree (way too many lights)... That happened to me in the new Acuras too... too many lights and color combinations... <br><br><br>
<br><br><br>
Regards,<br><br><br>
J<br><br><br>

Also BMW and Mercedes arent doing hybrids. They considered it but decided it didnt fit their image. Basically they are not as desperate and stupid as Toyota for sales. FORD and GM are.


Remember this comment you've made on 12/30/2005.

Also BMW and Mercedes arent doing hybrids. They considered it but decided it didnt fit their image. Basically they are not as desperate and stupid as Toyota for sales. FORD and GM are.


Remember this comment you've made on 12/30/2005.

There is a definite line drawn between BMW vs. Lexus owners fans here. Some are wannabees, fictional story writers, jokers and serious drivers to unfortunate or misgudied BMW or Lexus fans. That being said..its all good b/c this is where you can dispute but you just can never prove someone was right or wrong by reading anyone's blog. I've always preferred BMW design,engineering, handling, styling, reputations, heritage over anything Toyota, Nissan or Honda could build back in the 80's. That soon changed even more so in 90's. However, the new IS 250 is a big departure from the other Lexus vehicles. I preferred the IS 250 styling over the 325i, both exterior and interior. If you are an BMW fan you would always claim that the IS 250 feels like I'm floating on air. I test drove both cars and compared options and standard equipment. I decided to lease the IS 250 and trade in my Mazda 626 which btw was a boring car I admit. It just drove me from point A to B. The IS 250 steering was precise. The front bucket leather seats is that they envelope the driver. I normally cruise at 80-90 miles per hour. Now, I find myself well over 100 thinking I'm driving around 60 miles per hour. I've since adjusted the speedometer and tach to light up in red when I go over 80 miles per hour and 5000 rpm. Backseat is dinky in comparison to my old Mazda626. BTW, I would like to mention also that my 98Mazda626 was driven at 80 Mph average from San Diego to Texas then north toward Michigan and back to San Diego without a glitch. Just performed an oil change and it kept collecting miles until, I traded in at over 140,000 miles. Not bad at all.

There is a definite line drawn between BMW vs. Lexus owners fans here. Some are wannabees, fictional story writers, jokers and serious drivers to unfortunate or misgudied BMW or Lexus fans. That being said..its all good b/c this is where you can dispute but you just can never prove someone was right or wrong by reading anyone's blog. I've always preferred BMW design,engineering, handling, styling, reputations, heritage over anything Toyota, Nissan or Honda could build back in the 80's. That soon changed even more so in 90's. However, the new IS 250 is a big departure from the other Lexus vehicles. I preferred the IS 250 styling over the 325i, both exterior and interior. If you are an BMW fan you would always claim that the IS 250 feels like I'm floating on air. I test drove both cars and compared options and standard equipment. I decided to lease the IS 250 and trade in my Mazda 626 which btw was a boring car I admit. It just drove me from point A to B. The IS 250 steering was precise. The front bucket leather seats is that they envelope the driver. I normally cruise at 80-90 miles per hour. Now, I find myself well over 100 thinking I'm driving around 60 miles per hour. I've since adjusted the speedometer and tach to light up in red when I go over 80 miles per hour and 5000 rpm. Backseat is dinky in comparison to my old Mazda626. BTW, I would like to mention also that my 98Mazda626 was driven at 80 Mph average from San Diego to Texas then north toward Michigan and back to San Diego without a glitch. Just performed an oil change and it kept collecting miles until, I traded in at over 140,000 miles. Not bad at all.

Sorry huu76,

You are car-challenged.

Get a grip on reality.

I Hear ya Mr. Boltski.

You have bought a BMW because you think it's better, good on you and take no notice of our insults also, Peace.

I Hear ya Mr. Boltski.

You have bought a BMW because you think it's better, good on you and take no notice of our insults also, Peace.

Most people who bash BMW have never driven one.

I was myself a hater until 7 wonderful years ago.

The first time you experience BMW performance is truly something to remember.

It makes every other sport sedan seem inferior.

No matter what other car youre driving, when you get the BMW out on the road....you see what a REAL sport sedan feels like

"4) THERE IS NO WAITING LIST RIGHT NOW ON ANY HYBRID VEHICLE. NONE. Call anyone...... "

I dare you to go try to buy an RX400h and drive it off the lot. A slightly used one will sell at or above msrp on ebay. Drive by your toyota dealer and tell me how many prius's are sitting on the lot.

Looks like somebody stirred up the mud in a pond full of bmw-piranahs. Hey, I'll make it really simple here. Both Lexus and BMW are awesome cars okay! BMW-piranahs needs to understand that LEXUS IS series will only help sales of 3-series in long run and help each other to build better cars. My new-year's resolution is this: I will not bash BMW for its legendary unreliability and BMW being 80% status symbal and 20% mysticism anymore. All, I read from BMW-Piranahs are basically "Til ya drive 1, you never know how it feels and uh" and other yada yada nonsenses and getting tired of these BMW crayon coloring book theories and stuff! Anyhow, I praise both cars in equal respect which they so well deserve.

Looks like somebody stirred up the mud in a pond full of bmw-piranahs. Hey, I'll make it really simple here. Both Lexus and BMW are awesome cars okay! BMW-piranahs needs to understand that LEXUS IS series will only help sales of 3-series in long run and help each other to build better cars. My new-year's resolution is this: I will not bash BMW for its legendary unreliability and BMW being 80% status symbal and 20% mysticism anymore. All, I read from BMW-Piranahs are basically "Til ya drive 1, you never know how it feels and uh" and other yada yada nonsenses and getting tired of these BMW crayon coloring book theories and stuff! Anyhow, I praise both cars in equal respect which they so well deserve.

My local Lexus lot has 3 RX400h in stock and ALL 3 are discounted.

When I was there to test the new IS, my salesmen told me the RX hybrid has been a HUGE LETDOWN.

Youre paying close to 10 grand for a vehicle with almost no advantage over its lesser sibling.

Everyone knows how similair the mileage is.

So why pay a premium?

This car isnt selling. Check the facts. Its no Prius.

Poor reliability is not the major factor in the 5 series sales decline (Granted it is abismal). The vast majority of luxury car owners trade in their cars after 3-4 years (when the car is still under warranty), so reliability is not a major concern. They can afford to do that, so they do.
<br><br>
The sales decline has a lot more to do with poor styling, a narrowing performance margin on the competition, questionable value, and of course, the mongoloidian-designed I-drive system.<br><br>

...55th post!

I've always liked the windscreen wipers on the new 5.

Elegant yet sophisticated, the precise swivel action of the passenger-side arm is lovely.

I always love watching BMW and Mercedes-Benz products when it's raining. The wiper actions are just beautiful.

If you don't know about politics; stay out of it please. Your comment is stupid.

Semper Fidelis USMC 0311 USA!

If you don't know about politics; stay out of it please. Your comment is stupid.

Semper Fidelis USMC 0311 USA!