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

[Agent XXX]

'you know you want to'

Nope. Not in a million years.

[GranCab]

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...

[howardhughes]

court said:

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

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

[sealtt]

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.

[theboss]

Guvernator said:

theboss said:

Yet the best at what it's actually designed to do and probably the least compromised for somebody who wants a highly comfortable, effortlessly powerful but also potentially engaging daily drive... I have done getting on for 1000 miles this week so far in mine, barely 2 months after spinal surgery, and will be happy to spend another few hours it in this evening. Every other car I've sat in recently I've wanted out of, within 10 miles. Whilst the S63tu may be lacking in character its mercilessly efficient in its execution, especially post remap. I'm delighted with mine and will probably continue doing 30k/year in it until it dies.

Agreed it's probably the best at being the big practical mile muncher. Superb for someone doing 30k miles a year but perhaps just a bit too dull and clinical for someone who is doing 10k and wants a family saloon with a bit of drama\excitement. The other M5' s fulfilled the excitement criteria far better albeit the E60 was probably a bit too compromised as a mile muncher to be fair.

The M5 has always been a fine balance between practicality, comfort and setting your hair on fire, I just think the current one has swung too far into the the comfort zone for my liking. Still like I said when they drop to low 20's I'd still be tempted as you can't argue with 560bhp for that price.

I felt they moved onto Alpina's turf with the F10 - not great for the purist doing lower miles who wants less of a compromise when driving purely for fun - but it suits my own tastes just perfectly. I'd always have taken the equivalent B5 over the E60 M5 for example, as much as I'd love the charisma and drama of that V10. The M5 also has the benefit of the harder edge higher up the range, when you want it.

Have just arranged a 4 day trip to Eastern Germany in a months time; will put it through its paces on the autobahn (mine is derestricted) and also throw it around the ring a few times. I can't think of much else that can do all things as well especially given my absolute need for ergonomic comfort.

[Axionknight]

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?

Nope, nothing to do with North/South, I suspect. Rather a comment on avoiding cars for sale at certain dealers in certain parts of the country.

I would avoid it too, for what it's worth.

[griffdude]

A good friend of mine has just bought one of these with 20k miles on a 63 for £33k, having had to get rid of a very electrically problematic Panamera. He's really pleased with the M5!!

[T1berious]

sealtt said:

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.

You could say that about a lot of "performance" Cars. Truth is you don't need a 5.0 V8 you want a 5.0 V8, and by that same token you want a car with over 500 bhp!

Yes, you have to exercise restraint (don't we all?) but I'd rather have it and those rare moments when you can safely explore the performance envelope, its all worth while.

No one buys a Veyron to do 200mph to the shops!

[anonymous-user]

What do Keighley Trade Centre trade as nowadays?

[jl34]

WCZ said:

whats not to like? a st load of car for the price
I actually really like how understated it is

err, the dull looks, even duller sound , just no charachter in comparison to the older cars. Actually , quite a lot not to like

[thatguy11]

soad said:

article said:

Looks like a 520d,

Not really, quad pipes and side vents give the game away.

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

[av185]

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...

Or don t be a numpty and save youself £thousands and buy one of the nine high spec low mileage ex lease M5s direct from BMW at a BCA site near you.......13 plate lowish mileage good spec grade 1 and 2 cars booking at c £30k and available for less....these auction cars largely end up at BMW dealers anyway.

[VVOODY]

OpulentBob said:

What do Keighley Trade Centre trade as nowadays?

MotorHub I think

[GranCab]

av185 said:

Or don t be a numpty and save youself £thousands and buy one of the nine high spec low mileage ex lease M5s direct from BMW at a BCA site near you.......13 plate lowish mileage good spec grade 1 and 2 cars booking at c £30k and available for less....these auction cars largely end up at BMW dealers anyway.

Agreed but many car buyers use dealerships rather than auctions because they

1/ Want or need to buy the car on finance.

2/ Have a car to part-ex.

3/ May find auctions intimidating

4/ Want some sort of Manufacturers' Warranty

[James Junior]

T1berious said:

You could say that about a lot of "performance" Cars. Truth is you don't need a 5.0 V8 you want a 5.0 V8, and by that same token you want a car with over 500 bhp!

Yes, you have to exercise restraint (don't we all?) but I'd rather have it and those rare moments when you can safely explore the performance envelope, its all worth while.

No one buys a Veyron to do 200mph to the shops!

Totally hear what you are saying.

However for me personally I really don't want something with that sort of power.

I enjoy Jap performance cars (I have an MR2 Turbo too) and people often ask me when I am buying a GTR. I wouldn't have one for the same reasons. It just seems like too much power for the UK and too high a cost (for me at this time of life anyway) to just use it for weekend use at the track or for European adventures.

With a growing speed camera infestation, speed limits being reduced in many places and unmarked cop cars pounding the motorways, I just don't see any way to use that sort of performance.

Conversely my MR2 Turbo is a great car to enjoy in the UK. Romps to 60mph in around 5 seconds whilst tucking you into the seat and feels fun at sane speeds, whilst lacking the displacement to want to cruise around at much more than 80mph.

[DannyB2007]

I traded my (understated) E61 M5 for a White F10 M5 a couple of months ago, and I have not been disappointed at all!

Possibly the best Daily Driver you could ever own!

Monday to Friday it handles the boring stuff brilliantly, whilst still returning 24mpg (the V10 did 16mpg regardless of how I drove it!) and when you want to unleash the beast at the weekend, full M Mode with traction in off or MDM setting the car is unhinged!

[Limpet]

Probably the ultimate "do anything" car. I'd love one.

[p1stonhead]

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!

[Gribs]

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.

[Limpet]

Some interesting reviews on this seller with a bit of Googling. Standard response to customer problems seems to be to go incommunicado.