E46 M3 vs E60 M5 owners advice

[AreseV6]

Hello , this is a post on behalf of my brother in law who currently owns a one previous owner BMW approved second hand E46 M3 soft top in immaculate condition who now has a hankering for and E60 M5 . He has once selling the E46 and saved money about 25 k to play with maybe a little more if stretched he has about 350 to 400 a month expendable income to play with after all bills and responsibilities are covered can he afford to run such a car ?

[AreseV6]

I am all for the e60 but I dont want to convince him to break the bank

[MattOz]

The running costs of the E60 will effectively be double those of the E46. If he's OK with that kind of outlay, then the E60 is a great car.

[ecain63]

Depends entirely on what the cars role will be. If its a weekend only car then he may be able to stretch to the E60 M5 and not have any trouble financially so long as he gets the all important BMW warranty. If the car is a daily drive he needs to work out his annual mileage.

Examples of fuel costings are 33p or 44p per mile for regular driving and commuting (based on 20mpg or 15mpg and VPower at £1.47/ltr). If he has a rather heavy right foot then it'll obviously be more costly. £45 or 1/2 a tank of VPower gets me 120 miles on average, thats what mine does at roughly 17mpg. Somebody did a rough total costing on these cars per mile and i think it was somewhere in the region of 65p to 70p per mile inclusive of fuel, tax, insurance, tyres, interim servicing etc.

Work it out from there and you shouldnt go too far off the mark.

[CSLchappie]

I've been running an e60 M5 for a couple of years now and previous to that I had an e46 M3 and a CSL for the best part of five years, my mileage has been consistent throughout that period (c5k pa) and I've found the M5 cheaper to run in regards to servicing, insurance, warranty and tyres are about the same price, fuel costs are about 20-25% worse in the M5 though.

[AreseV6]

Not a daily runner so it looks like he can safely afford it he will be a happy chap to know ....... I know I am

[AreseV6]

Any advice of what to be wary of or a good buyers guide i can point him to ?

[KTMboy]

I don't really see the E60 M5 as a "weekend" car.

For me a weekend car is a car that you keep in the garage and wheel out when the sun is shining for a fun blat. It's probably a 2 seater and convertible, or small, light and fast ..................and it feels really special when you take it out

An M5 is an everyday car, albeit a very good one, but not special enough to be regarded as just a weekend car................

[ecain63]

KTMboy said:

I don't really see the E60 M5 as a "weekend" car.

For me a weekend car is a car that you keep in the garage and wheel out when the sun is shining for a fun blat. It's probably a 2 seater and convertible, or small, light and fast ..................and it feels really special when you take it out

An M5 is an everyday car, albeit a very good one, but not special enough to be regarded as just a weekend car................

Why not? Maybe, like me, he'll want to punt around in a diesel snotter monday to friday and take the family out on weekends in the M5? I don't recall anything that states your weekend car must only have 2 seats and no roof, at least not on this island.

[benny 61]

KTMboy said:

I don't really see the E60 M5 as a "weekend" car.

For me a weekend car is a car that you keep in the garage and wheel out when the sun is shining for a fun blat. It's probably a 2 seater and convertible, or small, light and fast ..................and it feels really special when you take it out

An M5 is an everyday car, albeit a very good one, but not special enough to be regarded as just a weekend car................

A weekend car is exactly what you want it to be.

[cosworth330]

I have a E39 M5 in the garage and use it now & then as a second car/weekend car. A car with 2 seats would be useless to me. E60 M5 is perfect for a weekend car.

Simon.

[nottyash]

cosworth330 said:

I have a E39 M5 in the garage and use it now & then as a second car/weekend car. A car with 2 seats would be useless to me. E60 M5 is perfect for a weekend car.

Simon.

I have an E46 M3 in the garage for the same reason, however we do run an MR2 as an everyday car.

[AreseV6]

ecain63 said:

Why not? Maybe, like me, he'll want to punt around in a diesel snotter monday to friday and take the family out on weekends in the M5? I don't recall anything that states your weekend car must only have 2 seats and no roof, at least not on this island.

Pretty much this for the BIL , I mean that V10 seriously people cannot run that as the daily snotter not realistically ?

[sdc77]

AreseV6 said:

Any advice of what to be wary of or a good buyers guide i can point him to ?

Just buy it from BMW for the AUC .. you cant really go wrong then.. if he intends to keep it then make sure it hasnt done over 60,000 miles after the AUC runs out and he will get a great deal on the extended warrannty.

[sdc77]

lol diesel snotter.. stangely enough I have one of those too..

[KTMboy]

My theory is that the E60 M5 by default becomes a weekend car because of the high cost to run it, which mostly prohibits using it as an everyday car. I know that I only ever use mine at the weekend, and most of the time it sits under its cover, connected to a battery tender.

I'm not denyting it is a weekend car, I'm questioning whether it is a good weekend car......

I'm certain the M Division didn't think they were building a "weekend car" when they designed it. For sure, BMW couldn't have envisaged in 2004 that the high running costs would effectively castrate the everyday usability of the E60 M5.

An E60 M5 was intended to be a practical, fast, exhilarating, luxurious and sweet handling big car - to be used every day of the week.

A weekend car should be fun, by defintion a car to go out in just because....like a motorbike.

I have never gone out in the M5 just because.....whereas, I quite often jump in the wifes S4 cab for a quick rip round the lanes....and we all know they aren't anywhere near as good as an E60 M5

An E39 M5 is more of a weekend car. More fun to drive and fast becoming a cult classic....

I know that I would rather have a 1M under that cover in the garage ready for a quick Sunday morning blast, rather than any M5, and I'd buy a 730d to ferry the family around in the week.....

[okgo]

Hard to argue with the above tbh.

[geordieexpat]

Used to have a M3 cabrio on 53plate - then had 2 x X5's 4.8iS - traded to M5 touring in Feb this year, and though Ive been overseas most of the year the M5 is a absolute dream to drive

i dont look at fuel consumption as if I did I would go for something else, but why in car that big and powerful have a 75litre tank!!

[ecain63]

geordieexpat said:

Used to have a M3 cabrio on 53plate - then had 2 x X5's 4.8iS - traded to M5 touring in Feb this year, and though Ive been overseas most of the year the M5 is a absolute dream to drive

i dont look at fuel consumption as if I did I would go for something else, but why in car that big and powerful have a 75litre tank!!

Its 65 litres im sure.

[skeeterm5]

KTMboy said:

My theory is that the E60 M5 by default becomes a weekend car because of the high cost to run it, which mostly prohibits using it as an everyday car. I know that I only ever use mine at the weekend, and most of the time it sits under its cover, connected to a battery tender.

I'm not denyting it is a weekend car, I'm questioning whether it is a good weekend car......

I'm certain the M Division didn't think they were building a "weekend car" when they designed it. For sure, BMW couldn't have envisaged in 2004 that the high running costs would effectively castrate the everyday usability of the E60 M5.

An E60 M5 was intended to be a practical, fast, exhilarating, luxurious and sweet handling big car - to be used every day of the week.

A weekend car should be fun, by defintion a car to go out in just because....like a motorbike.

I have never gone out in the M5 just because.....whereas, I quite often jump in the wifes S4 cab for a quick rip round the lanes....and we all know they aren't anywhere near as good as an E60 M5

An E39 M5 is more of a weekend car. More fun to drive and fast becoming a cult classic....

I know that I would rather have a 1M under that cover in the garage ready for a quick Sunday morning blast, rather than any M5, and I'd buy a 730d to ferry the family around in the week.....

I couldnt disagree more. I am now on my 3rd E60 M5, run it every day and do 25,000 miles a year. A weekend car by definition (to me) is a complete waste - buy the car you want and drive it all the time.

S