had a bmw e60 530i which i really liked (total price was 62 000$ after all fees and options in canada, should be cheaper in the states, although discontinued, the f10 528i is pretty much the same price)
these are my opinions
pros:
250 hp, enough for winter beater and daily driver purposes
rwd, preferred for fun reasons during the winter over fwd and awd assuming you are competent behind the wheel (although awd option is available)
decent gas mileage in the city + gas tank size (excellent highway mileage), not that gas prices are a problem, but i just personally hate having to stop for gas
full size sedan category, perfect sized car for pretty much everything except construction based work
luxurious and handy assuming you have the right options
interior sound proofing is excellent (i guess part of the luxurious part, but still worth mentioning)
no major maintenance issues during my owner ship of 4 years
oil change only required every 20 000 km, oh right americans, 12 000 miles-ish
very sturdy and safe (although i am comparing this to my older japanese camry counter part, which isn't really fair, but safety is one of the reasons why you purchase more expensive cars)
cons:
trunk space could be taller, width and length is great, but the height is a joke, can barely fit full sized luggages in there
rear seat leg area could use more room, but this really depends on how far you have the front seats forward
many minor electronic maintenance issues after 3 years, did not cause drive-ability, but just having to leave your car at the dealer for a day or two every now and then is a nuisance
getting out of the car from rear seats is not as easy as it should be
own a f10 528i now, very similar to the e60, better technology of course, but some changes that compromised convenience, other changes that reduced the enjoyment of driving, every time i think about all this makes me want to get another e60 instead
the audi a6 and mercedes e-class is to be on par, which in my opinion really comes down to preferences in terms of style, exterior and interior.
of course i can go in to a more detailed review, but then you can just google reviews
now if you can also state more specifically what you want in which department, i could actually recommend choices rather than tell you what i personally like
to give you an example of what i mean:
if you want bang for the buck performance
good gas mileage
60 000$ new or used? or either
reliability
luxury or performance, or luxury and performance
or any of the listed combined