The 2006 650i is the ULTIMATE Used BMW - Fight me. 

I guess I'm a weirdo, because I actually like the way the back end looks.

The last E-body generation of BMW was met with misunderstanding during it`s time. But now, you`ll see all of those cars in a wishlist of A LOT of people. E60, E63, E65, E70...all are amazing machines.

I've got a stratus Grey 650i (best colour by far) and love it. Had plenty of fast cars and big cars ranging from exotics to old muscle and this ticks too many boxes to be ignored. Sure, it isn't the cheapest to run or fix, but if you take your time and read up there's little you can't do yourself. My advice if buying one is patience. I spent a year looking at M6's and 650i's until I found mine. Top tip, ignore the miles and look at the car. Like said in this video, stay WELL clear of active suspension. It always goes wrong and is a pig to fix. Check for coolant leaks from the top of the engine, it drips onto the engine aero tray so isn't easy to spot. Start the car from cold and let it idle for at least 5-6 mins, then give it a slight squirt on the throttle and look to the back. If you see a puff of white or blue smoke it means the stem seals are shot (very common issue), and its a couple of £k to fix, as you need to strip the top of both banks. The auto gearbox is better than the manual. I dont care about the old bollocks of "a manual is proper", the driving experience from the auto is better, and IMO better than the SMG in the M6. Suspension will need fettling at about 120k if not sooner. The bushes oval out everywhere and the control arms aren't too great. Tyres are expensive, but they are on most big cars. The best tyres for this car are Michelin Pilot Super Sports, or Pilot Sport 4S's that superceed them. I run Super Sports in the back and 4S's up front. This is because you can't buy Super Sports in the correct 19" front sizing anymore - Michelin stopped making them about 4 years ago. Another must for this car is having a set of snow tyres. I personally have a complete set of rims and tyres I swap over to. The 18" style 118s are specifically made for snow duty (seems to be fairly unknown fact even to the dealers), with Continental winter contacts in the back, and Pirelli Sottozero up front. Staggered fitment. Never go square fitment on these cars. It doesn't just ruin them, but it doesn't drive predictably either. I run 20mm spacers in the rear and 15mm spacers up from when on my 19" style 218s, and this improves the look and grip perfectly. BC do some decent kit, just avoid the cheapo pocket money bits. As with any big old lux car, be prepared to spend real money on it. Dont fit cheap crap, it just isn't worth it. If you can't afford to maintain it, buy a Corsa. Open to questions if people want to know more.

your british accent is so smooth and easy to understand. thumbs up from Romania

Pre-roll ad was for Bimmer Fix, a DIY kit to fix the coolant leak common with this car and other Bimmers from this time period. LOL.

I disagree with the statement "For 10k you can pick up a mint [6 series]...."I disagree. You would be extremely luck to find one "Pristine" for even 10k. At this age (2006-10), many are either needing work or hiding the fact that they need work. I own a 2008- I love it. Very solid feel. Hugs the road and handles nicely. decent horsepower ~360. I'll give you an idea what I've fixed so far. This car has a high cost of ownership perhaps all BMW's. I do my own repairs so it's cheaper but still pricey. I do not use genuine BMW brand parts unless there is no alternative. The car is really not worth the "Genuine Part" cost. So I am on the cheap. I bought mine used with 119k miles on it. Since I purchased it...I have replaced the existing transmission with a used rebuilt transmission cost (all in USD) $3500. Had oil leak from small crack in oil pan around drain screw (prob cause by over tightening by the oil change places). Paid about $90 for new pan, pan seal and plug. During replacement, attempted to remove "Engine Oil Level Sensor" and place in new pan. However, it was brittle and cracked. ~$200 part. Replaced valve seals...Kit ~$300. The water pump went out, replaced...during the replacement I had to disconnect the coolant hoses...some of the plastic connectors on the ends of the hoses (no- I couldn't use a hose clamp) broke since they were old and brittle. Ended up replacing all coolant hoses and coolant reservoir. ~$400. Belt tensioner replacement with new belt. $90. Coolant transfer pipe began leaking (famous N62 engine design flaw) through weep hole around water pump. Chose "bimmer fix" stent ($250) instead of cutting out the old pipe and using the newer twist fit pipe (about $2000). Works great...easy fix without dropping engine or taking the top off. Daytime running lamp errors due to lamp wire harness wire shielding plastic old, brittle breaking off and shorting on the adjacent wires. The wire insulation would literally fall off the wires. I think the cause is due to the use of halogen bulbs, heat and age. Swaping out using LEDs would extend the life but would need to add a resistor otherwise sensors will think the lamp burned out. So I used electrical tape to ensure the wires aren't touching until I can find a decent LED kit I like. Panoramic moonroof headliner saggin like hanging a shirt to dry. Couldn't find an exact headliner material match...found a close match at the local material shop, bought some 3m spray adhesive 24 hours later looks good. ~$50 but a real pain in the a$$ since I had to remove all pillars and controls and drop the entire headline just to get to a place to remove the moonroof motor drive track, remove the old panels, clean off old liner and add the new fabric. Car used to have "Run Flat" tires. Didn't see the need to pay more than $300 per tire when I can get a good high quality speed rated tire for half that. I have replace the set twice at about $600 per set. oh, a Canadian goose flew into my windscreen and gave me a nice crack (yes it was Canadian, I could tell when it hit...the honk it made had a long "A" sound to it; thus native to Canada..lol). Had 4 different companies attempt to replace the windscreen at ~$500. Each time they brought the incorrect windscreen. Mine has lane change departure assist and a rain sensor. So I was forced to go with the dealers. Paid $1200 for the windscreen (with a discount since I know a BMW tech at the dealer) but still...expensive. I still drive it...still love it...people think it's a newer car since I keep it clean. Things still remaining to be fixed... Front head light washer nozzle housing ($25 used). Broke off when car was being washed. Bearing in the moonroof slide track stuck and messed up my awesome headliner job a little. So moonroof shade is open half way. :( Had a day of cold weather then a day of hot then a day of cold and it really cracked up the leather dashboard. Found a company that sells dashboard leather. Will be taking dash out stripping off all old mat leather and adding new. The things we do for the cars we love.

The back is gorgeous. The front resembles one of those droopy-eyed goldfish.

Had a 06' 650 manual for a year now. I bought it on this very video's recommendation. A great car: good looking, powerful, very comfortable with fun handling.

I bought an e63 630i earlier this year. I had been looking for a low mileage e63 with radar cruise for ages and ended up with a 6 cylinder because it was the first to pop up that was in decent condition. It has been brilliant so far. One of the best long distance cruisers I’ve driven, but sharp enough to still be entertaining. I’ve put non run flats on the staggered 18” rims and it is now a very comfortable thing to drive. An android head unit with CarPlay has brought the infotainment you to date, and with the head up display, active cruise, excellent seats, pano roof, etc, I haven’t been able to find a similarly specced used car for less money.

I love how the 6 series look it always gets me

Getting some interesting affordable gear in at the moment James. Glad of your opinion mate.

I can't get it, why you do not show the car, the details you describe, interior exterior?! If i haven't seen this car, i wouldn't know what it is look like! We need more CAR on focus and less you !

I have just bought myself a 645ci with logic 7 the panoramic sunroof, the big screen sat nav with tv , the 19” elipsodial wheels adaptive headlights dynamic stability pack, with the shadow line pack and special leather sports seats and I love it 😊

Epic car, even if I do say so myself! Great job James!!!

Great review thanks, I'm trying to decide on a couple of different cars, and you've certainly given me as much info as I need to help me decide. Cheers!

Hi Jay, I had an E46 M3, 2006 650i and a 997 Gen 1 and I can’t fault your review. M3 seats were the best ever - lovely place to be. 👍

I've owned a 2008 650i for 10 years the best car I have ever owned love it, can't sell it

I’ve loved the shape of this car the first time I ever saw one , gorgeous full stop 🛑 cheers Shane uk 🇬🇧

Much respect. I have a e60 530i, but I want more power. That 650 is exactly what I want, just love the design. Great video

I’m feeling the love for the big 6 👍

Bought one of these approximately the same time you released this video... I wholeheartedly agree with your analysis. The car is absolutely incredible value for everything it delivers - the performance is insane and delivers even after 17 years, sitting comfortably with zero drama at 150mph on the autobahn, +160mph in 5th gear without delay, mine is limited to 162mph so the top end is untested but i have no doubt a well kept model could go to 185mph+ unrestricted. The acceleration in 4th from 100mph is ridiculous. Thanks for the tip about Paul the resulting sounds is epic. Comfortable as hell and you're right the stock stereo is fantastic. The only big annoyance which is a slight shame is the gearbox which is far too slow to shift in manual mode vs the M6 which shifts instantly and violently. Amazing car with a timeless design. Great video and review!

Great Video. Fantastic cars I have a 55 650i Coupe and it's been epic. DMS mapped. 400Bhp has never been so easy to maintain. Now buying another 650i Convertible. Like your video style. Relevant info and well delivered ;-)

228k miles and it still looks like that. Damn the previous owner was a pampering type of fellow. Nice! I like the look of it. Still very stylish and modern looking for a 2006. Good find.

"...you had to take the rear bumper off to do that, and that was unexpected!" deadpan delivery. Brilliant. I want one of these cars.

Decent ones still look fantastic, one of those cars i always wanted to own, now got a well specified 435d Gran Coupe and that has impressed me hugely and to my middle aged eyes also looks great, BMW have certainly made some excellent cars.

The Bangle era cars are 'weird'. But they stood out, they still stand out. They are all but certain to become classics.

You are a pleasure to listen to and as a long time 650i LCI driver I can agree with you on almost everything. Thanks for the great video. Greetings from Germany!

Great review. I've owned a 630i and a 635d, the V8s have eluded me. I found the 630i to be a lovely car, quick enough and felt a lot more nimble than the 635d. Back in the day the 635d was the obvious choice - charachterful for a diesel with great performance and sensible running costs. However now I would say the 650i is the one to have unless you are a masochist and fancy an M6 V10. Controversial I know but my choice in this market, albeit a touch more expensive would be a Maserati 4200 GT or a Jaguar XK 4.2

The active suspensions on these usually don't go bad if they haven't already done by now. Mostly they just go out of calibration which can be re-calibrated with "ISTA" (a free piece of diagnostics and maintenance software).

Your video is one of the reason why I bought mine 650 and it even has the HUD!

This and the E92 body are the best BMW coupes I've ever seen imo.

Been looking at these. I travel from the UK to Croatia frequently. I currently use an E90 325i, which is great, but I feel like I now have the perfect use case to justify getting a 650i. Plus, V8!!! Thanks for the vid!

Might change to one of these someday. But still using my e39 540i as a daily and just love it and don’t want to let it go. Really nice review James. Just gotta love BMW v8’s.

Ran a 2006 650 for 5 years from 2013 to 2018 and put 50k miles on it. Fabulous car, and the only thing that went wrong was an alternator. Hugely reliable and a joy to own and drive (and rear seats a lot better than an XK - young teenagers are fine in there). Great review.

Nice review. These are massively going under the radar, suits me. My 645Ci is similar, I just don't have the head up display. I agree with you on the 13 speaker stereo option , it's simply amazing.

Oh god this video makes me miss my old 650i, I want another!

For the money, they cannot be beaten. Too bad the next model which doesn't have the controversial front and rear also has a more fitting price tag. As a used buy, they make a lot of sense, just the right amount of cheap-ish, luxury and sporting pretensions. XK8/R looks better, but overall I would pick one of these

Way ahead of its time!

Had a 645ci for over a year, never had a problem with it. Few little things you could easily diy.

as an owner of the 2008 model i can agree, for a used car it was a great drive ,handling is amazing and the sports mode really does make a different when you have to flex on challenger .

My grandmother's best friend had a 650i when I was a kid and I remember being in awe with the car. It felt like a spaceship even in 2009~

@8.52 Did anybody else think that white van pulled out in front of him and he was going to crash 😂😂?

A really good, objective review of one of the last big, naturally aspirated V8's. I've recently bought a 650i Convertible ($228,000 AUD new) for $24k - and it's a belter! Great to drive, lovely sound when wound up and it surprises many a hot hatch. My 1991 BMW 850i wouldn't know which way it went! Plus, admiring glances all round and no-one believes that she's now over 15 years old... An amazing car for the money and currently under the collectors radar.

Good review. I would look for the last run models that may have some electrical gremlins worked out. 6 series seats are great

Interior colour is great plus blackedout grill 👌🏼

Honestly, the 6 series is one of my favorite shapes to come from BMW since the 2000s... Side note - The offer to review the Legacy is still on the table if you're interested 👍

Fabulous looking, superb to drive (apart from the M6 seeming to miss a gear sometimes when pulling away) and phenomenal sound system, can be expensive on parts but these are classic lookers and performers. Another great tutorial, thanks.

Didn’t even need to watch the video to say I agree wholeheartedly!

The design of this car aged well and it looks better now then when it was released back in the early / mid 00's. But to much technical problems / difficulties after al those years.

In US we had option for 08-10 550i auto called SAT, sport auto transmission, it was ZF 6 Speed transmission, when you press sport button it would shift 50% faster, it was much more reliable than SMG. I would love to have a manual but hard to find right one, so I settled with SAT transmission. It’s similar to 8 speed ZF, shifts really fast, I actually use the paddles to shift.

I bought me shortly after this video!..... & I love it 🥰

Thanks i was watching this and my neighbour came in and we watched this together now our whole village has watched this video and they all appreciate the bmw 👍🏻

I had two e60 550s... a 2007 and then 2 years later traded it for a 2009 LCI 550i. If you thought the exhaust note on the 6 series was underwhelming then you would of been pretty dissapointed with the 550i especially the pre LCI one. It was so quiet,I was jealous of the 6 series stock exhaust note. I couldn’t understand why they couldn’t make it sound similar. The 09 sounded slightly better but still not as loud as the 650. Other then that I loved both my 550s. I had the sport package on both and they handled really well and e46 M3s were never able to pull away from me. I went from a slightly modded e39 540i to the 550i and they felt totally different. You couldn’t feel how fast the 550i really was with that quiet exhaust and so much insulation but it was rocket when it came time to preform and I got great gas mileage out of that 4.8 especially on the highway... I remember getting 30+ mpg on the highway. And oh yeah the 18 inch Dunlop run flats bmw used on the sport package pre LCI made the ride so harsh here in NYC with our awful roads. I put on 20 inch rims with non run flats and it was less harsh with the bigger rims and less tire sidewall. Run flats can save you from being stranded but the ride is awful!

I bought a 2006 650 with 130,000 miles and drove it all way to 170,000 with very little repair. Transmission pan was replaced along with a few cheap hoses. Most expensive repair was the headlight costing a whopping 2,800 USD

Great review! Clear and informative! Can't think why anyone would thumb it down. I think I may try to get me one of these as I'm looking for a flashier vehicle than my transit . The 35d seems a bit of a headache too

Picked the convertible up last year. Love this car.

I consider the backseats in cars like this to be very very expensive luxury hand bag holders.

N62, is a great, fun engine. I would absolutely love a 550i with a 6 speed.

I agree...I bought 2 e65s just for the bangle butt...now looking for a 645 or 650...these cars are timeless..and way ahead of there time...they still slaughter the parking lot!

Picking up an 08 650i on Friday. It’ll be my 7th BMW. Great cars, just keep up on the maintenance, and they never let you down

The front end reminds me of a hammerhead shark lol, I’m not really a Beamer fan but I would definitely have one of these 😎 they’re so unique

I bought a 58-reg (facelift) 650i at the end of '22 and I love it. It would be nice if it made a little more noise at full chat, but the stock exhaust is perfect for GT-ing. Mine has a cream leather and aluminium interior which is so nice, no sunroof so it helps the car not feel too dark. The paddle shifters are fun, but I still mostly leave it in full auto, and a proper manual wouldn't suit the car in my mind. Built -in nav is good as a "live-road map" feature, bluetooth phone and aux socket mean I can use my phone for music, nav and phone if I want. Those rear seats are better than one might think; two child seats will go in the back with space to spare, not the worst +2 seats ever and having isofix points as standard is nice on that front as well. A previous owner fitted the M6 wheels which I think look great, not the biggest fan of the stock wheels. And MPG is actually ok for the what it is, mixed urban and motorways over the last 5k is touching 26mpg, there are dinky petrols that wouldn't be much better! And I was always a fan of the looks of the 6 when it was new. In fact, the only bad thing on mine is that the HUD is fitted but appears to be broken, and is apparently not a cheap or easy fix. The TL:DR from me: it's a lovely car inside and out and I love it.

Its MY fav used car now too Great revue

I had a 550i in South Africa when I lived there a few years back, great car and solid engine, loved every minute driving it!

Controversial looks but I think they’ve aged gracefully. I love them, so much so I bought one. Someone online pointed out that if you look at the car side on, if you imagine taking the boot lid off, it looks a bit like a Porsche 911. Can’t unsee that now

I watched this video during early 2021... I never had an opinion of the 6 Series or ever cared for it much. Ever since watching this I absolutely love them and I bought a 635D early this year!

based on your review ive just bought 1. gets delivered this weekend. £3795 delivered from halifax to stoke. full history, not a dent or stone chip, no isuues and checked out by my friend who has over 30 years experience working on sports cars for a race team. cant wait! thank u for the review!

15:26 Stormzy - Standard (JayEmm remix)

Great review Jay, was tempted by one of these till I had a race wihh a 550i in my evo vi gsr and the evo trounced it. Too many scare stories about things going wrong.

228,000miles - All credit to Gary for the love, money and time spent. There are some nice ones out there and some total dogs. I remember going to see a manual 650 convertible in Kent and the interior looked like they had kept a velociraptor. The unavoidable problem is that in the early years the oil change intervals followed the BMW 20,000 mile oil change intervals and now most engines need valve stem seals - an expensive job.

Really enjoyed your detailed honest review on this car. Thank you 😊

Thank you for this video this is my favourite video you've made. I'm saving up for one of these I want the 3.0 engine.

I’ve had my 545i for 2 years now. It’s been expensive and is the most leaky engine I’ve ever owned but I paid £2500 and it’s a great sleeper and used every day it’s a joy....apart from the constantly fuelling lol. I never get anywhere near 30mpg!

I live in the states and love this review! Thank you for your time:)

These have a timeless unique shape and design but they suffer from some pretty serious drivetrain problems ( at least here in the US). I believe this is obviously why this are so affordable now. Just don’t know if I could stomach always waiting for the next major repair to show itself

“it really looks..... SPOT ON!”

Over 200k! wow, the engine yes but the ZF box, it must have been changed at some point! Hats off to people willing to put fuel in these things for 200k plus miles. I used to trundle around in 540's, 635csi, M5, Hartge H5 (was in TBMW with that one) so I've put plenty of petrol in things over time also! Excellent vid :)

I have never seen that interior on a car in the U.S it’s beautiful

went from e46 330i to an e60 530i to an 645i to an e46 m3....... m3 was my dream car at the time but i would anyday pick the 645i over one.... always wanted the 650i but they are crazy money to me... and i think it felt just as fast if i remember right i used to average 26.9 mpg consistently

I've seen "reinforced" bearings for the V10 and I'm curious if they work, cause other than the bearings, the SMG and wonky electronics, this car is fantastic! The SMG you can swap for a DCT, the electronics can be fixed, but the bearings are the largest Achilles heel of these cars, so if that can be fixed, I know what car I'm saving up for...

I just bought one cash a 2010 650i with 102,000 miles on it. Best car I have ever owned or drove. Definitely a fun and beautiful car to drive. Super fast and super advanced for its age. I was bummed out when I went to check the oil the other day and I couldn’t find a dip stick….🤷🏾‍♂️ the car doesn’t even have one. Definitely feels like the German “Batmobile” inside 😂

I love coupes in general, but big coupes faves. This BMW 6 series is masterfully good looking. There's nothing wrong with the boot on this car!

Very nice Jay, your passion for the 6 series really came across like most petrol heads we all end up owning a GT of some description at some point, I can't really say what is my favourite used GT but I have owned a awful lot of v8 and v10 petrol engines, currently have a long term C7 RS6 which hopefully I plan to keep long term...you might be shocked to know you can get 40 MPG with this on a run. It's my daily most practical car I have even owned... I think of it like that swiss army knife, people used to have with multiple tools , i.e. it does everything... Even a Ferrari FF or Lusso does not match this car, maybe a little faster, but practicality, no chance. 4 wheel drive capability, no chance and we don't need to talk about cost because that's just silly.

I've had my eye on one of these for some time now. As you say, incredible value. 55 platers pre-date the road tax bands and so you won't be lumbered with a £570+ bill each year (much more palatable £330 instead 😉)

Recently sold my 650i also in black, it’s got to be my favourite car ever, owned it for over 4 years ✨

I was dead set on buying one of these, however in the end the crippling fuel costs brought me back to reality and I got an e92 330i instead. It's not quite as luxurious as this but it is lighter and handles better and is much more fuel efficient.

Love the shape of this bm cheers shane uk 🇬🇧

There is a later 630i which had the 272bhp engine, boosted the fuel economy to only about 15% less than the diesel with about the same 0-60.

I have a black on tan 2006 650i coupe with a 6 speed manual that I love.

I've owned 3 of these and every one of them had valves stem seal issues.. engine smoke..but I still luv this year body style

A few years ago I was torn between a 650i and 125i as I wanted an NA manual soft top 2+2 BMW. Weirdly enough they are the only options. The 125s were also more expensive but the sticking point was just not being anle to find a 650 with a manual in a spec I liked, so ended up getting a beautiful 125 that I am still very much enjoying. I do still have that 6 series itch though.

I liked the 635d chipped to 340bhp nearly 500lbft torque 0/60 just over 5 seconds and still nearly 40mpg what more do you need

I have the bmw 635d I swear one of the best cars in the world , I have the led turn indicators looks sick, people envy you when they see you in this, my car is well look aftered people think it’s a new car when it’s 12 years old!

I have a 2017 650 and I absolutely love it

You are very informative and obviously a car guy. Enjoyed a very thorough take on this particularly beautiful 6.love the reviews from Britain....always my favorite. Cheers from Queen Anne's Co.md.

I have a 2004 645Ci and a 2006 750i and I love them both. The son has a 2002 M3 and the wife drives a 2009 X3. needless to say we love our BMW's.

Better looking them the current 8 series and the last gen 6 for sure. Beautiful car.

Excellent Video, I just bought the 2010 550i M Sport. 120k and Serviced Religiously at BMW by Previous Owner. Car is in Mint Condition. It’s a Total Brute on the road.

Just bought an 09' 635d sport. What a car, Logic 7, pan roof, xenons, heated leather, black on black with individual piano black trim, Its such a lovely place to be.

I got a 650i absolutely love it. Got the heads up display which is a nice party piece. I definitely agree with the dynamic steering, I have this and it's a pain in the ass. I've now put coilovers on and had it switch off as it keeps braking. Amazing when it works but to expensive for something that will always brake.