RE: The ?30K M5: You Know You Want To

[Matt UK]

thatguy11 said:

Only to a petrolhead's eye, to non-car folk this might as well be a diesel rep-mobile. To 90% of people out there, an M5 is just part of the traffic

Which I think is the appeal of a super saloon, to those who buy them.

[bigmuzzie]

VVOODY said:

MotorHub I think

Yep, old multi storey full of ex lease and tatty exotica. It's amusing to drive through Keighley on an evening with Ferraris and Lambos bombing around with 20 year old kids driving them then parking them outside £80k terraced houses.
I go in occasionally just so I can wonder in amazement how such cars get into such states. I can only assume they are stolen recovered, insurance write offs not declared or maybe ex footballers hacks. In any case there are some proper dogs in there.

On the M5, it's bargain for what you're getting regardless of others put downs (many of whom are quoting reviews not personal experience) on it's dynamics and engine. Still rather an XFR-S at that price though.

[andymc]

howardhughes said:

court said:

I'd pay extra to not buy a car from West Yorkshire.

Is this another of those "North/South" divide comments?

West Yorkshire, the Mos Eisley of car dealerships

Edited by andymc on Thursday 12th May 14:14

[Vee12V]

p1stonhead said:

GranCab said:

If someone out there really wants used M5 for around £30K from West Yorkshire it may be a better bet to look for a BMW Approved Used from a franchised dealership .... e.g.

http://usedcars.bmw.co.uk/M/4.4-M5/Leeds/3492589-6...

This makes way more sense. No way in hell I would buy an M5 without a warranty!

Agreed.

[rtz62]

Gribs said:

howardhughes said:

Is this another of those "North/South" divide comments?

West Yorkshire seems to have a large collection of garages that are exceptionally dodgy. Not just in the usual way but fronts for organised crime and money laundering.

A bit unfair, London has more than its fair share, and some of the biggest shysters hide in plain site under very big names and 'reputations'. Nottinghamshire has more than its fair share of places offering performance / exotic stuff as a front for money-laundering their drug money. a town not far from the M1 comes to mind. Plus a couple of smaller places in close proximity.

As for W Yorkshire, a recently retired police officer friend of mine was going to a certain place that passes itself off as a Subaru specialist to look at an Impreza. Luckily a trawl of the Internet , the results of which were emailed to him, precluded disappointment. (The place is often discussed on forums here, and is truly awful, closing down every few months and the. Reappearing with a slightly different name and 'new' owners....)

[Schermerhorn]

OpulentBob said:

What do Keighley Trade Centre trade as nowadays?

Shaks and KTC are not even remotely linked if that's what you're hinting at.

[Dr_Rick]

andymc said:

howardhughes said:

court said:

I'd pay extra to not buy a car from West Yorkshire.

Is this another of those "North/South" divide comments?

West Yorkshire, the Mos Eisley of car dealerships

Not just W Yorks, I went to a dealership in Lancashire (name starts with the colour of mud) to look at an S4 Avant. They forgot to tell me before I started the trip from Edinburgh that the car was leaking oil all over the showroom floor (it was on ramps when I turned up), and more significantly they didn't tell me about the fact someone appeared to have not only tracked the car, but also taken what appeared to be a lump hammer to every part of the underside of the car. A quick look round the rest of the stock indicated that other cars there had issues to.

I returned north without a purchase.

[TomTVR500]

Gribs said:

howardhughes said:

Is this another of those "North/South" divide comments?

West Yorkshire seems to have a large collection of garages that are exceptionally dodgy. Not just in the usual way but fronts for organised crime and money laundering.

I must say, I live in West Yorkshire (not the dodgey part) and like you say there are a significant number of very unpleasant dealerships selling abused/ragged cars, it is a bit of a lottery in certain areas of West Yorkshire more often than not from a certain group of individuals. I will say no more.

[Wills2]

court said:

I'd pay extra to not buy a car from West Yorkshire.

What a stupid statement.

[Jaroon]

I'm interested in these. I'm currently saving to update my C55 AMG to a C63. Some issues with the early C63 have me aiming for a 2011/2012 model which brings the M5 into range. Ok not direct competitors but much as I admire the M3, I prefer a torquier delivery which also suits most of the driving I do.

Predictably I'm worried I'll miss the sound track if I leave the AMG but fastestlaps.com has thrown a spanner in the works comparing with the C63 and my other possibility Jaguar XK/F-R. "M5 is the fastest by considerable margin" yep I'm "that guy"

[p1stonhead]

Jaroon said:

I'm interested in these. I'm currently saving to update my C55 AMG to a C63. Some issues with the early C63 have me aiming for a 2011/2012 model which brings the M5 into range. Ok not direct competitors but much as I admire the M3, I prefer a torquier delivery which also suits most of the driving I do.

Predictably I'm worried I'll miss the sound track if I leave the AMG but fastestlaps.com has thrown a spanner in the works comparing with the C63 and my other possibility Jaguar XK/F-R. "M5 is the fastest by considerable margin" yep I'm "that guy"

How's the C55? I've been looking at these recently. Is it a touring?

Keep me in mind if you are putting it up for sale!

[Jaroon]

p1stonhead said:

How's the C55? I've been looking at these recently. Is it a touring?

Keep me in mind if you are putting it up for sale!

Ready for the sales pitch... Genuinely excellent for what it is at this price point. It's a quick car, the statistics, bhp, 0-60/100 are all conservative, I think to distance it from its big brother E55 but the relatively under stressed V8 on conventional suspension seems to avoid the big bill potential, in my case at least, touch wood etc. Mine is an estate, lovely noise, unmolested and full merc history bar 1 independent a few services ago. Slush box is fine for me as the torque in most gears is always there.

Downsides, again no surprises, I'm averaging 16.5 mpg, low 20s probably achievable but I'll never know I like the proportions and think it looks better as an estate but it looks it's age (design not condition) 10 years old. They are rare, I think 50 C55 estates in the country which is good and bad, it looks like a C class but every body panel is different, eg it has basically a CLK front end to accommodate the V8.

I'll keep it indefinitely but there are so many cars I'd like to get to know, I expect some sellers remorse, I'm bracing myself lol.

[rtz62]

Wills2 said:

court said:

I'd pay extra to not buy a car from West Yorkshire.

What a stupid statement.

What a stupid riposte. (Said in a light-hearted manner👍)
Looking at the views of many on this thread, I'd suggest they agree with that sentiment?
As for my previous comment, I've remembered my friend was going to look at a Subaru which was in stock at a dealership that advertises on here. However, it wasn't W Yorkshire, it was in an adjacent county, and the dealership sounded like 'Chives'
It's amazing that when you check with Companies House, so many of these shysters have '£0 cash at bank' and have not filed tax returns for the last 2 years'. Small wonder they take the money, laugh, and the. Close down, before reopening under a slightly different name with a new 'director'
Indeed, there is a whole group on Facebook dedicated to the bad experiences people have had with this particular dealership, and that aims to share information in the hope that it may benefit others before they make the mistake of becoming their latest victim. Sorry, customer.
I can think of one only about 5 miles from me, well known that it's a means to launder drugs money but unfortunately my ex-colleagues in blue seem to totally ignore them. Ho hum.

[foresterlad]

Perhaps Mr Cameron should add West Yorkshire to his list of anti corruption targets.
The reality is that all high end goods are at risk of criminal activity without reference to a particular area.

[tomic]

According to the e30zone forum, Birmingham and anywhere around the Chesham area of Bucks are also places you should avoid like the plague if you're buying a BMW.

[Baryonyx]

Whoever thought an M5 could be so bland? I'm not surprised it's relatively unloved and depreciating fast. For all it's boasts of stats and numbers, it seems lacking in character. Not something you could accuse it's rivals of.

[ELothian]

sealtt said:

James Junior said:

I own a 370Z thats been fettled with. Its rapid and pushing the boundaries of what is appropriate for road use to be honest. Sticking to the limits on the open road and the motorway is a constant exercise in self control and restraint.

When I look at cars like the M5 which are in another leagure in terms of performance, I just think they are too powerful for road use. I mean you're never going to be able to do more than scratch the surface of all that performance on UK roads without putting your license at risk. Neither is it the sort of car that you're likely to want to take on track.

What do others think on this note?

Yes you are correct, I had an M6 with this same drivetrain and it was very hard work to keep it at legal speeds, especially on the motorway where it just begged to cruise at well over 100 - and you can bet there are many happy Germans flying along the Autobahn in their M5s/M6s at 150mph thinking what a great engine it is. Not a car for track days either.

Completely agree - I looked at an M6 and the 650i (not much in the price), and felt the 650i was much more useable. It also felt like it wanted to shred your licence but not go so fast that you end up in prison!!

The fuel tank was just large enough for the engine's needs which it isn't in the M6, and the 650i engine suits the character of the car much better IMHO.

I wish I'd kept it..........

[is1]

tomic said:

According to the e30zone forum, Birmingham and anywhere around the Chesham area of Bucks are also places you should avoid like the plague if you're buying a BMW.

To be fair, based on that logic, you might as well add London, Manchester, Bristol, Leicester, Nottingham, Sheffield (and all the towns up that way), Glasgow etc. ;-)
Or just use some common sense, either buy only from a reputable trader or if a particular car takes your fancy, call or email the seller and decide if you want to deal with them.

[wack]

OpulentBob said:

What do Keighley Trade Centre trade as nowadays?

Surely all their cars can't be dogs

They have a Maserati Granturismo in at the moment with lowish miles for 28k ish which is the cheapest in the country but reading reviews doesn't encourage me to go and hand over the cash

[je777]

Buy the previous edition for £10k less and get one of the best engines around - and how much more character does the V10 have compared with this turbo'd lump?
Speaking of character, the design of the older M5 has a lot more character too.