Tow vehicle??? new to me 2005 BMW 545i haha
 

Well it's not really a direct tow vehicle question but it frees up my Tahoe to become my next tow vehicle so I took the liberty to post the question here. Sorry for posting this here but I need some input to help me finalize my decision tonight if I am going to buy this car and it was not getting any replies in the non-waking section.

I am looking for my next family sedan and thinking the nice 2005 BMW 545i sport that my buddy has in his lot is going to get the nod. I want something comfortable, fun to drive, and somewhat luxurious. It needs to get over 20mph on the highway and needs to cost less than $25k OTD.

Any other recommendations?

Cars I have considered
Audi A6 - maybe, somewhat generic and plain styling but a good driver
Cadillac CTS V - not so keen on the style in general and only available with a stick, great performance though
Jaguar - S type R, maybe but it still seems like a old womans car even though it does not perform like one

Not really feeling much love for Honda or Toyota variants (Acura or Lexas). Infinity might be an option, I have always liked Nissan vehicles.

Suggestions, comments, otherwise.

I think that BMW could definitely go faster than 20mph.

So far I am really enjoying my '07 Infiniti G35x that I bought about a month ago. I picked it up with about 60k on it for about $22,000. The reliability was a big factor to me. When looking though a lot of forums (autotrader, etc.), very few people had problems. My concern with a lot of the German cars that are going to be in that price range is the cost of maintenance would be tremendous. This was the first pre-owned car that I have ever bought, and I wanted something that was nice, but used more main stream parts (Acura, Lexus, Infiniti). Everyone I talked to with older Audis, BMWs, Jaguars, etc. said that the cost of ownership as the miles went up was horrible. I also liked that the Infiniti had AWD as I was coming from an F150 FX4 and wanted to be able to get around in the Midwestern winters. I know you said you weren't big on the Acuras, but I would have personally gone with an '07 TL if AWD was an option in the previous generation. I am still trying to figure out what I think of the current gen TLs.

Just saw the mpg comments, my G35 does about 22-24 mixed with hand calculation. The car computer actually says it gets worse MPG, which I have never seen before ;)

BMW all the way. Well maintained ones still feel as solid as day 1 100k miles later. Excellent acceleration and handling in this catagory is unparalleled. If you are considering Infiniti you'd have to look at the M 45 to be in the same class.

we'll i may not have the coolest boat (185 bayliner) but my car is alright, i tow with a Tahoe

I have a 2008 335i w/ a full M-tech kit, M3 spoiler, JB tune, should be around the 370hp mark never dyno'd though. Mixed driving i get about 22mpg and just on the highway 28mpg - i keep my foot in it about half the time.

remember that when you buy a high performance BMW the tires only last about 15-20K and cost $400 each, also has no spare cause of the run-flats. Maintenance without the package could get super expensive. Premium fuel adds up too.

Mine is twin turbo and has the typical BMW turbo issues - replaced fuel pump @ 12K miles.

Find you a CPO BMW 545i you'll get a better deal and 100K mile warranty.

Thanks Hate. Just checked out the M45, nice looking car but for some reason it just looks to me like a Chrysler 300? Maybe I need to lay off the BMW coolaid, but I still miss the way that even my 328 drove. Funny thing, I just asked my boss for his opinion. He has had a 5 series BMW, a 7 series BMW, a MB 430, and currently drives the big Acura 450h. His quote "anything besides the 545 is a mistake".