Actually, it is $14,300 less since the OP is in Canada. I agree with you totally that a tuned 35i would provide comparable performance to a 50i at much less cost, if one is willing to go the DIY route.

There are sufficient differences between BMW CA and BMWNA that the question of which to buy could easily come out differently depending on which country one is in. If there was no diesel eco credit, no holiday bonus, no federal diesel tax credit, no write-off tax rule for 6000 lb vehicles, no extended warranty from BMW but only aftermarket, and the price differentiation between models was greater, then the decision on which one is best for any particular purchaser could be very different. The OP needs to make that call himself, but I think that discussing the factors that can impact that decision may help.

I wonder what the spouse of the OP wants, given that she is going to be driving it most of the time?

You only live once...5.0 baby! It's worth it for the exhaust note alone.

I love mine. I didn't even bother driving the 3.5. Keep in mind anything you can do to the 3.5, you can do to the 5.0 too.

Honestly though, we can rationalize this to infinity.
Bottom line is you GET what you can AFFORD. If you cannot afford a 50i, then you get a 35i.

If you can afford a 50i, why settle for a 35i??? :dunno:

And...if you can afford an X5///M, why "settle" for a 50i??

In fact, the only time you should ever "settle" even though your wallet can absorb a lot more, is when you're talking about almost identical performance, as for example choosing an X5///M over a Cayenne Turbo S. Since the ///M either matches or slightly exceeds the Turbo S in every performance category, there is no good reason to spend an extra $40k on the Turbo S, even if you had the cash. Unless you just HAVE to have the Porsche name and status.

I think that is absurd, personally. Afford as having in cash in hand, or afford as in being able to make the next several month's lease payments? I paid cash for all my cars, and could have bought anything up through the M5, but bought what made the most sense for me.

I think it is about a lot more than the $$. When did an X5 35i become an example of settling? A well-used Chevy is settling. Taking transit may be settling. Spending all of one's money on a depreciating asset? :dunno:

For a daily driver, at ~8-12 mpg, and the potential need for large snow tires/wheels a few months a season in Quebec, the 5.0 would not be my pick.
Neither would the M, or...I liked one poster's idea on hunting down a CPO car too, but everyone has their own bag/rationale.
GL, mD

Afford....afford....no JCL, NOT how many of your assets you can liquidate overnight obviously. Afford as in....you can pay for it and still be able to make next month's mortgage payment, and still have enough to pay the cable bill, and still put food in your kids' mouths. And be able to sit on your couch next month instead of having to live and shave out of your car. I guess I should have clarified what I meant by "afford".;)

Granted, an auto IS a depreciating asset and everyone allocates their income based on tastes and preferences. But we are on a BMW forum after all!:stickpoke It's not Thrify_car_shopper.com. So if you were to poll folks HERE who can afford EITHER vehicle (back to my "afford" definition above), the vast majority would pick a 50i over a 35i. For all the obvious reasons. Depreciating or not. I grant you that there are examples of CFOs and CEOs who could not care less about performance, and would even be content with a Camry or Sonata. But hey, we are car ENTHUSIASTS here. The fact that you would purposefully choose a lesser-performing BMW (even though as you stated you "could have bought anything up to an M5") is neither wrong nor right. It simply puts you in the minority on this Forum. I did not mean to use "settle" for a 35i in a condescending tone. It is a fantastic vehicle.

I don't know where you got the 8-12 mpg. I can get 19+ on the highway with my 50i and 15 around town. I think my average is < 17 but that's only because I spent a week in the mountains pushing it every day.

More than a few millionaires here, no doubt. I think they and we all look for the best value/bang for the buck which is how we got to be millionaires in the first place. Alternatively, we pick what we want and then look for data/reasons to justify spending what is necessary and then get the best deal possible.

I enjoy seeing other's "data/reasons" to justify their decisions.

I've had the X5 50i for 11k miles now, and I will say its definitely worth the extra money. First, you can't replace the power. Secondly, the gas mileage is really not that bad. I spend 50% of my time on the highway and regularly see 17+ mpg. On the highway with speeds around 80 mph, I average 21 mpg.

Dont even bother with the 50i, the M will laugh at its acceleration. !ouch: