I really like my 335i, but the 650 coupe has been calling to me. Is it as reliable as the 335 (which is somewhat les reliable than my wife's Mustang)? Is it as satisfying to drive on long trips, curvy roads? How 'bout broken pavement, which we have a lot of in Michigan? Thanks for you advice. Wife: What's the differnce between the 650i and your 335i, other than it costs twice as much? Me: About 315i s. Bob
2 cents from relative newby I took delivery of my 650i convertible ~ two months ago & now have about 2k miles on it. There is a GREAT two mile curvy out-of-the-valley road just one mile from our front door- well practiced in several cars (including current wife's Mustang GT) over the last 20 years. The 650i does a great job with flat cornering and accurate road feel, the brakes are studly. Low end torque is actually a bit disappointing for a V-8 but things get interesting above 3500 RPM. The coupe weighs several hundred pounds less so I expect handling & acceleration to be even better. It is plenty fun enough. A week long trip to attend son #2's graduation from Cal (Go Bears!) and tour the wine country was just magical. The 650i seemed to be the best possible device for Highway 101 flying and twisty hill back roads. There was adequate room for a week's worth of luggage, though we did have to put a couple cases of wine in the back seat. The down side? the controls- some switches are not visible from the driving position, the HUD doesn't have a tach., the iDrive remains an attention grabbing hazard. Reliability? obviously nothing is wrong at 2k miles, flawless so far. Consumer Reports etc do not have adequate numbers to report useful data. A replacement for this generation is in the works with a rumored arrival of next Spring. I avoid 1st years of any vehicle, and BMW has made some real deals on this year's models.
My brother-in-law had his 650 convertible for almost 3 years before he replaced it with a Maserati GranTurismo convertible. He had zero problems with the 650 in those 3 years and has nothing but great things to say about it.
I'm already in line for the new coupe. You can tell from the spy photos that it is gorgeous. I enjoyed my 645Ci. It was said to be the first one delivered at the Centrum in South Carolina.
I picked up a 2008 Alpine Weiss M6 coupe in Marietta, Georgia, and took the car up to Deals Gap, NC, to drive the Tail of the Dragon - 318 turns in 11 miles. The M6 was spectacular on this road but the coupe is about 400 lbs lighter than the convertible so your handling will definitely be different if you go with the convertible. Good luck!
The new one versus the old one The current---that is, outgoing---Six is the quintessential Hooydonk design, and you either love it or hate it. I am in the former camp, so the new one---we'll have a report on the 650i convertible in the April issue---is a little too bland for me, in terms of style. In handling, however, it is a step beyond the last one, which was no slouch. And the twin-turbo V8 (400+ horsepuppies in the new one) is phantasmagoric with the eight-speed automatic. Plus they're sending it to the US with a six-speed manual! Right now the outgoing M6 has to be the bargain of the BMW fleet---a 120,000-dollar car that can be found for less than half that figure!
Just got one in used yesterday. Six-speed convertible M6. Lots of fun, though I'm really more of an M5 guy, as you know.
I'd buy one again in a heartbeat But I didn't. Took my 650i back to the dealer (lease end) last night. I loved that car....but I missed going to the track. It was a truly awesome touring car. To say goodbye I took it on a 2000-mile road trip a couple of weeks ago (yes I live where it doesn't snow). It is possible I may have taken it to the track a time or two, and I have seen them at the track, but IMO it's a touring car, not a track car.
