RE: BMW M5: Market Watch

[Khayam]

Has to be the e60 M5. It stands as the motoring journalists most favourite M5 for a reason. The power and performance is astonishing. The glorious engine note, the mental top end power and the marmite smg gearbox make this the ultimate M5 for me. Once you get used to the smg box it does not make you miss the old stick shift. Watching your passengers heads bounce of the headrests make it even more enjoyable when giving it the full beans.

[neil-935ql]

sutts said:

Very minor correction to the E28 article - there were 187 (not 189) RHD cars built, which most likely makes it the rarest of all M cars. Just 30-40 left on the road now I believe so not surprised the prices are solid.

Here's mine (any excuse) - no. 185 with factory fitted M-Tech body kit, air con, fully electric heated seats, electric sunroof etc.





[url]

|http://thumbsnap.com/xBm1tqDg[/url]

This has to be the best looking m5, maybe it's my age , but a very cool car then and probably more so now , proper car that

[3795mpower]

Such wonderful cars but the six cylinder hand bullt models will always feel
Extra special.
Have loved owning this car for 18 years.
No intention to ever sell.

I'll just leave this here.......

[Depthhoar]

British Beef said:

Perfect M5 for me would be
E34 M5 Estate body looks
E39 interior, chassis and gearbox
E60 V10 engine

Newer M5s doing nothing for me - speed and comfort with no effort required.

I have settled on E39 M5 as the best compromise.

If BMW produced and specced a car like that today I'd buy one.

Almost perfect. Slight issue with the relative lack of low end torque of the V10. That's all.

Otherwise, the E39 M5 is a pretty good compromise!

[Patrick Bateman]

Whichever one you choose, go in to ownership eyes open and have deep pockets.

[MDMA .]

PGNSagaris said:

Driven any of the iterations ?

E34 and E60. Gearbox was horrible in the E60, but fast and noisy. If i wanted to go really quick, i'd just get another bike. I think the E34 looks just about perfect. It's a great shape. A friend had one in his workshop recently -




HTH.

[mark.c]

I've got the forerunner so it won't be any surprise that the most desireable for me would be the E28 closely followed by the E34. I had an E39 for quite a few years and very good it was too, at everything, but strangely I don't miss it. I've not sampled the later stuff and I'm willing to be swayed, but for now I'll stick with where it all began.

[davidc1]

Sutts, I think I saw your car twice last year, Leeds castle and bromleypaegent.a beauty.

[3795mpower]

Just a small comment on numbers (again)
R.H.D E34 M5's.....more like approx 343 came to the U.K
No way 715 !

A quick glance at How Many Left shows roughly 340 3.6/3.8 litre cars were registered.

Around 181 were 3.8 litre spec.

[TrickyTrevM5]

Happily, I've been lucky enough to try them all.... except the e28...

Final 50 edition of the e34 was the car I wanted when I was younger - Orinoco green please....Nurburgring pack etc...
However, I bought an e39 m5 - loved it. Silverstone blue - unique to the e39 m5 - the color had only been used before on the old batmobile. Really was well made and fast.. needed a lot of work to keep it in fine fettle.

Didn't buy an e60. Bought an e46 m3 (by far the best balanced and pure car I have owned) then an e55k AMG instead. V8 plus torque. Will scratch the e60 itch at some point I'm sure.

I currently own an f10 m5. Not really interested in what Tyre kickers and magazine readers think. For me, it's emense. It's ballistically fast, supremely comfortable, and an absolute hoot to drive. People who haven't driven it will mock it because of what they have read in the press - the noise of the motor, the fact that it has two turbos etc... which of course it does......but I challenge anyone not to enjoy driving the car in 'sport plus' or 'M2 mode' on a challenging bit of road. The people who are very vocal about its flaws go quiet when they press the pedal to the carpet for the first time.

In the end, whatever your flavor, the M5 is the Italian ice cream shop on a hot day. It has something for everyone and brings a smile to everyone's face - whatever your flavor. V10, straight six, v8, turbos etc.... Rightly lauded by those in the know - ever time a new version is released, it is referred to as a benchmark car.

A fabulous thing. It really is.

[TheAngryDog]

TrickyTrevM5 said:

Happily, I've been lucky enough to try them all.... except the e28...

Final 50 edition of the e34 was the car I wanted when I was younger - Orinoco green please....Nurburgring pack etc...
However, I bought an e39 m5 - loved it. Silverstone blue - unique to the e39 m5 - the color had only been used before on the old batmobile. Really was well made and fast.. needed a lot of work to keep it in fine fettle.

Didn't buy an e60. Bought an e46 m3 (by far the best balanced and pure car I have owned) then an e55k AMG instead. V8 plus torque. Will scratch the e60 itch at some point I'm sure.

I currently own an f10 m5. Not really interested in what Tyre kickers and magazine readers think. For me, it's emense. It's ballistically fast, supremely comfortable, and an absolute hoot to drive. People who haven't driven it will mock it because of what they have read in the press - the noise of the motor, the fact that it has two turbos etc... which of course it does......but I challenge anyone not to enjoy driving the car in 'sport plus' or 'M2 mode' on a challenging bit of road. The people who are very vocal about its flaws go quiet when they press the pedal to the carpet for the first time.

In the end, whatever your flavor, the M5 is the Italian ice cream shop on a hot day. It has something for everyone and brings a smile to everyone's face - whatever your flavor. V10, straight six, v8, turbos etc.... Rightly lauded by those in the know - ever time a new version is released, it is referred to as a benchmark car.

A fabulous thing. It really is.

I really want to try an F10. Could possibly be my next car.

[thelawnet1]

CrouchingWayne said:

I'd go E60 - they've really grown on me over the past 2 years or so. Can't quite get on board with the estate - but I do agree it's probably the pick of the bunch.

I'd sooner have the R63 AMG.

[Yipper]

Looking forward to the new 2018 M5 getting ~600bhp and variable AWD. Will finally be usable in all weather, and not just for the ~33% of time when Britain is dry / not damp / not raining.

[RWD cossie wil]

TrickyTrevM5 said:

Happily, I've been lucky enough to try them all.... except the e28...

Final 50 edition of the e34 was the car I wanted when I was younger - Orinoco green please....Nurburgring pack etc...
However, I bought an e39 m5 - loved it. Silverstone blue - unique to the e39 m5 - the color had only been used before on the old batmobile. Really was well made and fast.. needed a lot of work to keep it in fine fettle.

Didn't buy an e60. Bought an e46 m3 (by far the best balanced and pure car I have owned) then an e55k AMG instead. V8 plus torque. Will scratch the e60 itch at some point I'm sure.

I currently own an f10 m5. Not really interested in what Tyre kickers and magazine readers think. For me, it's emense. It's ballistically fast, supremely comfortable, and an absolute hoot to drive. People who haven't driven it will mock it because of what they have read in the press - the noise of the motor, the fact that it has two turbos etc... which of course it does......but I challenge anyone not to enjoy driving the car in 'sport plus' or 'M2 mode' on a challenging bit of road. The people who are very vocal about its flaws go quiet when they press the pedal to the carpet for the first time.

In the end, whatever your flavor, the M5 is the Italian ice cream shop on a hot day. It has something for everyone and brings a smile to everyone's face - whatever your flavor. V10, straight six, v8, turbos etc.... Rightly lauded by those in the know - ever time a new version is released, it is referred to as a benchmark car.

A fabulous thing. It really is.

How do you find the F10 compared to the E46? I'm seriously considering selling my E46M3 & 535d and getting an M5 (F10) as my daily...

[ortontom]

E60 some say are you kidding, that engine has very little torque low down barely gets the car off the line, and then that gearbox yuk. I remember owning one for 3 months and my friends all drove it and we all agreed it was not right at all.

E 39 m5 top and the f10 follows the others are just not quite powerful enough. IMO.

[TrickyTrevM5]

RWD cossie wil said:

How do you find the F10 compared to the E46? I'm seriously considering selling my E46M3 & 535d and getting an M5 (F10) as my daily...

The cars are quantum leaps apart in terms of performance. Stepping into an f10 will feel much bigger and unwieldy relative to the e46. But like most m cars, it feels like it's on your side and as you get used to how to place it on the road, you get more attuned to it. The heads up display helps the event.

Definitely give it a try.

[MrTouring]

ortontom said:

E60 some say are you kidding, that engine has very little torque low down barely gets the car off the line, and then that gearbox yuk. I remember owning one for 3 months and my friends all drove it and we all agreed it was not right at all

Sometime if I'm starting on an incline my wife has to get out and push....

Seriously though you should have kept it longer! E60/61 is not a car you can just get in and drive. Took me 6mnths to a year to really learn how to drive it smoothly and properly, something I consider to be part of the charm of owning something special. I don't bother letting people drive it one off as it invariably disappoints them as they can't drive it well.

It's a car that gets under your skin and makes itself irreplaceable.

I had a remapped 535d before and I wouldn't say I miss it or it's huge amount of torque!

Oh, and did I mention the noise........

[RuthlessGK]

To all the people with M5's
I have read a few buyers guides etc but regarding the E39 and E60 M5. How expensive are they to keep running.
E39's -
Does the VANOS really keep you up at night lol

E60's -
Are the SMG boxes that bad in terms of going pop etc

Any other issues. Fuel is not an 'issue'. I cant get one yet but i WILL have one at some point. Just thought i would ask.

Cheerz

Zaff

[Amizade]

TrickyTrevM5 said:

The cars are quantum leaps apart in terms of performance. Stepping into an f10 will feel much bigger and unwieldy relative to the e46. But like most m cars, it feels like it's on your side and as you get used to how to place it on the road, you get more attuned to it. The heads up display helps the event.

Definitely give it a try.

At normal speeds it feels a bit cumbersome, but stick it in M2/S3/MDM off and suddenly it comes alive/the car shrinks around you and everywhere is not far away.

[BrewsterBear]

RuthlessGK said:

To all the people with M5's
I have read a few buyers guides etc but regarding the E39 and E60 M5. How expensive are they to keep running.
E39's -
Does the VANOS really keep you up at night lol
Zaff

Not at all. They're all a little grumbly at times. If they go then there are specialists to repair and refurb the VANOS. As with all cars that were expensive when new they are still expensive to look after. If an unexpected £1-2k bill would give you sleepless nights then it may not be the car for you.