Quote:
Originally Posted by MRM
Really? Tell me more. A year or so ago my wife got the bug to get her first "nice" car. After ten years in a Toyota Camry (I can't say enough good about those cars, but "nice”, they're not) it was time for her to upgrade. The 5 Series BMW and E Class Mercedes were the only two cars on her short list. I didn't know the difference between the 530 and 535 at the time, and we test drove a 535 while I was under the impression that it was the same as the 530. Both of us fell in love. The salesman handed us tissues at the end of our test drive. We needed them.
She also drove the '07 Mercedes E-350, and that fit her like the proverbial finely stitched leather glove. Kaisen located a beauty of an 08 E-350 and we bought it with no regrets. With an investment that large, I've always kind of wondered what the 535 would have been like. I have to say, the E-350 has been the perfect car for us. So I'm interested in the experience others have had with the 535. Tell me more about your 535 so I can feel lucky for choosing the E-350.
Word to the wise, if you’re looking for a used luxury car, contact Kaisen. He saved me at least $10,000 on Wifey’s E-350. He does not pay me to market for him; I’m just a satisfied customer.
|
Interesting. The car I had before the 535 was an E 320. It was OK, but I was spoiled by my old C 280 and the 320 had some annoying quirks. There was a delay in response to moving the gear selector from forward to reverse and a delay in the engine responding to the throttle. Parallel parking was an exercise in frustration every time. I got into the habit of flooring the accelerator and quickly backing of when I wanted the car to move because I think it made the engine start to wake up a little sooner. Other than that it was great. A fantastic highway cruiser, solid as a rock and could hold 100 mph for hours and never notice it. I drove from Sterling, Colorado to Lincoln, Nebraska in a little over 4 hours in it.
I loved the 535 when I first drove it and assumed I would get used to the goofy controls and the iCrash. I was blinded by the good stuff about the 535. Great acceleration and the best lighting system I've ever experienced.
It's been 2 1/2 years and 38k miles and I have never gotten used to the controls. In fact I hate them more every time I drive it. What frustrates me is that it's such a shame. If this car had decent controls it would be fabulous. When you start the car the iCrash says, "Do not use this system unless traffic conditions permit." When I first looked at it I never thought to ask myself under what traffic condition is it safe to stop looking where you're going and stare at a TV screen on the dashboard so you can do something as basic as adjust the heater. It's just stupid. I hate the gear selector, hate the turn signals, hate the wiper controls, hate where the cruise control is (the turn signal should be there), and I despise iCrash. BMW built a great car and turned it over to some idiot video game guy to design the controls. Just a shame.