BMW 545i review 4.4 V8 328bhp 

I bet it’s lovely with a manual box! All I could find were autos and although it’s a great box I would have loved a manual with that engine 👍

Yeah I used to keep up with just about anything on major roads. Brilliant combination of refinement and raw power when you want it

I was very lucky with mine the electronics were amazing. in 100,000 miles not so much as an electric window or parking sensor went wrong and that was between 100,000 and 200,000 miles!

Tom Maguire very good. After 100k, and 12 years old, as long as the power train is solid is enough for me. Electronics will all fail eventually.

Agreed. When I bought it that was all I wanted.

Ive a few niggles but very minor. Adaptive headlight playing up but not needed for MOT compliance. Don’t want to have to replace whole unit at £850+ so I’ll delicately try to fix myself but likely a broken wire in the loom somewhere. Radio cuts out sometimes on warm days. I’ll tackle that one day but don’t need a radio. The car has its own soundtrack. Just open the window.

@@Chris-rs3dj Highly recommend gearbox oil change at 100k. I thought I was into a big mechatronics failure job when mine started to become a bit clunky, but was good as new with an oil change. BMW say it never needs changed, but let’s be honest they’re not interested in the health of any car with over 100k on it. They’d rather sell you a new car.

I’d say as long as you can afford it go for it. You may be lucky. My 545i never left me stranded once it just needed maintenance from time to time. With that mileage it’ll likely need something doing but essentially the V8 engine is not that stressed. I must’ve redlined mine regularly for 100K miles which is something I’ve not done on any other car simple because I’ve not felt happy to which says a lot about them!

Idaho Made they can definitely give a few problems!

@@maggygwire I own one of these. Breaks monthly. I'm usually saying "when it's fixed, I'm selling it". But when it's fixed and the cars running properly, I'm saying "I'll never sell this car!". Its a viscous cycle.

Idaho Made I’ve been quite lucky With mine I had most problems in the first year. Oil leaks and major suspension components but touch wood it’s been good for a while now. It’s only a matter of time though as it’s very high mileage now. I intend to keep it till it dies as it’s worth more to me than what I could get for it anyway

@@maggygwire Exactly the same for me! I'm glad yours is doing well. They are good for people who can get their hands dirty. Right now I've been slowly replacing electrical wiring in the engine bay. It only has 90,000 miles yet the wiring is brittle and cracked worse than any car at a junkyard. I've been finding that a majority of any electrical problems are from cracked wiring. I'd never do this amount of work if it wasn't such a pleasure to drive.

TheLU83 hard to say without looking at the car and driving it etc. Have a good mechanic look it over thoroughly but if it’s good they’re fantastic cars. Mine still feels very fresh and the engine revs just as smoothly as ever. For me personally 9K sounds a lot for a 2005 even with low miles but if it’s mint it’d be worth it

Definitely worth the money now

Gerry R very nice indeed!

Much less oil leaks than the 545i as they managed to squeeze in an oil cooler on the 550i, but that in its own right with all the pipe work etc associated presents more risk of leaks in future. 🤷‍♂️ They also suffer the same valve stem oil seal failure the 4.4 does, being the same engine with longer stroke giving 4.8L displacement. Some insist the 550i E60 has better mpg than the 545i. I don’t believe that for a minute and suggest the opposite as the manufacturer’s literature suggests. Both have dual vanos variable valve timing to maximise power and fuel economy but the 550i has greater displacement so must have lower mpg. The 550i doesn’t have much of a edge at all over the 545i but it’s a better buy if it’s been well maintained and more exclusive with upgraded LCI spec, although being post-2004 you’ll pay a lot more in road tax for the 550i than the 545i. I’ve heard a remap and a performance air filter (using same air box) though would bring a 545i to up to or just beyond the bhp of the 550i as there’s only 29bhp difference between the two. Being normally aspirated there’s not much scope to increase power. Not worth the effort in my opinion though once cost and insurance adjustment is factored-in. Why mess about with perfection?

Fair enough. Shit servicing is unacceptable especially from a brand like BMW. I’m about to get a new c class but it’ll be a company car so mercs rep for taking the piss won’t be my problem fortunately! The first owner of my 545i had theirs for the same time and mileage approx so maybe I ended up with yours 🤣

I paid £5000 for mine about 5 years ago on similar miles. I would say it depends on how much work it’s had done and how good it looks underneath etc. With big V8’s dying out though I’d say go for it 👍

No, not at all

198,000 when I sold it.

Alan Vargas no mate it’s standard naturally aspirated. The next model the F10 had a turbo 4.4 V8 and made about 100 bhp more approx.

I don’t know what you mean mate? Turbo? It’s normally aspirated, which for me is nicer 👍

@@maggygwire Agreed. No turbo lag and no monumental bills for a supercharger re-build, although the Alpina B5 and B5S (essentially a 545i with strengthened engine, 760i brakes and a supercharger delivering almost 500bhp) would be my preference over a V10 m5 any day.

@@johnacarnduff sounds superb 👍 my kind of car

😂