Pinoysche C4S

I am planning to buy a daily driver BMW 5 series
I know few Rennlisters have a BMW. Can someone give me advise on Manual vs. Auto transmission
looking for pros & cons.
Thank You-
Carlos
<a href="http://www.p-car.com/porsche/carlos" target="_blank">www.p-car.com/porsche/carlos</a>

Mark in Hermosa

Carlos:

I went with the automatic with the steptronic trans. I figured that I already have a 6 speed and decided that my daily driver should be an automatic.

My thought is, why get a stick with this car? I do not think I am missing anything by going "auto". If I want to use the clutch, I drive the 993.

In my humble opinion, the 540i is a wonderful car to drive. It complements the 993 with a tremendous amount of function.

I cannot see any cons.

Good luck either way. I am sure you will enjoy it.

Viken

I've had three 540iA's and the present one is a '01 with the Steptronic. If you like a shiftless gearbox, the BMW cannot be beat. It is smooth, precise and the shift points are well suited to the engine's torque curve. The pseudo-manual feature is no more than a gimmick not much different from the Tiptronic. I don't use it much because it is slow and vague shifting.

Get the auto only if you do not want to shift. Otherwise, the manual is the way to go. In fact, the better car is the 530i which is better balanced and has a superior rack and pinion steering.

Pinoysche C4S

Mark & Viken,
Thank you for your reply. Last year I ordered 530I a friend of mine called me and said he got a C4S for sale on the lot(Porsche Dealer)
the moment I saw the C4S without a test drive I bought it on the spot. I cancelled the 530I, this time again I am craving for a used 540I. All 6 speed I heard, comes with sport suspension 17 inch wheels.

Regards,
Carlos

Martin S.

Beautiful black 1997 Carrera 4S sitting in Carlos's garage, and he wants a Bimmer for a daily driver, Carlos, any openings where you work ? I was out to Willow Springs this past weekend. There were two new M3 cars out there on Kumho race tires...they were super fast <img src="graemlins/burnout.gif" border="0" alt="[burnout]" /> . It was enough to make me <img src="graemlins/crying.gif" border="0" alt="[crying]" /> . However, they were not as fast as Jim Brady's 993TT that was seeing 150 mph+ on the front straight!

Now that M5, there is a daily driver! Or, how about a Suburu WRX, the ultimate "sleeper" car, 225 HP, turbocharged, all wheel drive. You can <img src="graemlins/burnout.gif" border="0" alt="[burnout]" /> out drag some of your fast friends with this puppy, and you'll only be out $25,000. You'll have room for the kids in back. Good luck with the new car selection. <img src="graemlins/jumper.gif" border="0" alt="[jumper]" />

Pinoysche C4S

Martin-
LOL. The truth is for the wife. So I can justify later for that TT. Don't tell wifey.
Regards,
Carlos

Viken

[quote]Originally posted by Pinoysche C4S:
<strong>All 6 speed I heard, comes with sport suspension 17 inch wheels.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Yes, the 6-speed 540i does indeed come standard with the sport seats, sport suspension and 17" wheels. This package was also available on the auto as of MY '98.

Allen

In 1999, I ordered a Blk/Blk 540i 6-speed and was waiting for it to arrive when I found my '97 993 Coupe. I was gonna trade my '95 525i 5-speed for the 540i. After driving the 993, I cancelled the order and kept the 525i as my daily driver. The 540i auto was very smooth and sweet, but I've been in manuals for many years, and the first time the auto shifted the engine when I didn't really expect it...it really got on my nerves ...autos just don't seem to work for me. However, I can see a time in the future when my right knee will probably influence me to consider otherwise.

My buddy went from a '96 328i 5-speed to a '98 540i auto and really misses teh 5-speed bad. I have driven his car and feel that the 540i in a 6-speed and in a auto are two pretty different cars. IMO, the grin factor in the auto simply can't compare to that of the 6-speed.