New or Nearly New M5

[razor]

I'm thinking of trading the M3 for an E60 M5, either new or used. Are there any problems with the M5 which were sorted for the 2007 model? And would I be able to haggle a decent discount on a new one at this stage of the car's production? I was offered about 3.5k off a new e46 m3 in 2005 (obviously that was nearing the end of production).

[belleair302]

The cars are still exensive with running costs matching the purchase price. Talk to owners on www.m5board.com to get the full sp on whats hot and whats not.

[Zod]

it's got four or five years left in production, so don't expect a massive discount.

There are no major issues with these cars, just occasional niggles. The only negative is fuel costs which are astronomical.

[razor]

Is the fuel consumption just generally horrendous or only if you're using the full 500bhp? I would be using it for a 15 mile commute into London and back from Monday to Friday (average speed never really getting over 30 mph) with plenty of traffic lights etc etc. And, country driving for the weekend (perhaps 100 miles mostly at cruising speeds). Roughly how often do you think I'd be filling up?

At the moment I use my M3 for the commute and a 4.4l v8 X5 on weekends, so fuel aint coming cheap - I'm just trying to gauge how much worse it might be with an M5.

Also, what's the M5 like when in Auto mode - is it jerky?

I'll be looking in detail at the m5 board for some of the more detailed points about specs / problems etc, but would be grateful for your views on the above. Razor.

[Obiwonkeyblokey]

I bought one three weeks ago ( 5500 miles, £25k less than new)and yes the fuel is horrendous, Im getting about 12-13 mpg commuting and giving it the occasional bootful.

If you're concerned about that maybe look at one of the bigger engned diesels which are getting rave reviews as well.

I have to say I am totally made up with it, the only downside really is the fuel consumption, but at the end of the day its a 5.0 V10. look at that engine in any other car and they would also suffer from fuel consumtion. You wouldnt even care about the MPG if it was a lambo or Ferrari, and bearing in mind the performance is in the same league you shouldnt with this either.

Its a brilliant car, just budget for it.

O

Edited by Obiwonkeyblokey on Thursday 25th October 17:55

[Zod]

My commute is 7 miles in London and I get 11-12 mpg. On log journies, I get well into the 20s, whcih is fine for an engine like this.

I find that the 400 bhp setting does nothing whatsoever to improve fuel consumption, so I press the Power button as I turn on the ignition.

[razor]

Thanks for replies - with fuel consumption at about 11-12 mpg, it must be the size of the tank which becomes really aggravating - my guzzling X5 has a 90l tank and that will do about 450 miles on motorway only; the M5 must do at best 200miles on a full tank, motorway only - is that about right?

Checking out some of the posts on m5board last night, there seems to be some enthusiasm for the M-DCT set up and hope (at least from some of the US owners) that it will be adopted for the M5 itself. Others say that they like the "bang" of changes with SMG. What is your experience of commuting at London speeds? Is it "banging" / jerking at slow speeds?

FYI, I'm asking about your experience as owners because I know that when I test drive the beast for the statutory 30 mins or so, I will be too carried away with the gas pedal and sophistication of the M5 to remember to try a sedate drive and, even if I do, I'm unlikely to drive smoothly due to lack of adjustment to the car! So, I'd really appreciate your comments!

[TommyTT]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but just how much quicker is the M5 over the E46 M3? I recently went on a track day in the new M3 and it was definitely no quicker than my own M3, though the looks of the new M3 are starting to grow on me. I am due to change car after Christmas and wouldnt mind an M5, fuel consumption wont really come into it as it will only be a weekend car.

[AdamT]

The E60 is in a completely different ball park.

There is a really good video on youtube with an M5 racing a new M3 on the autobahn.

The m5 destroyed it

Round a track, different story though...

best,
adam

[Zod]

razor said:

Thanks for replies - with fuel consumption at about 11-12 mpg, it must be the size of the tank which becomes really aggravating - my guzzling X5 has a 90l tank and that will do about 450 miles on motorway only; the M5 must do at best 200miles on a full tank, motorway only - is that about right?

Checking out some of the posts on m5board last night, there seems to be some enthusiasm for the M-DCT set up and hope (at least from some of the US owners) that it will be adopted for the M5 itself. Others say that they like the "bang" of changes with SMG. What is your experience of commuting at London speeds? Is it "banging" / jerking at slow speeds?

FYI, I'm asking about your experience as owners because I know that when I test drive the beast for the statutory 30 mins or so, I will be too carried away with the gas pedal and sophistication of the M5 to remember to try a sedate drive and, even if I do, I'm unlikely to drive smoothly due to lack of adjustment to the car! So, I'd really appreciate your comments!

I get nearly 300 miles out of a tank on cross-Europe trips. Around town it is a real pain. I use a tank a week, just for driving in London!

[E36GUY]

Why do people interested in buying a £50k car with a 500bhp V10 worry about fuel consumption? It uses what it uses and you can either afford it or not!

[Zod]

E36GUY said:

Why do people interested in buying a £50k car with a 500bhp V10 worry about fuel consumption? It uses what it uses and you can either afford it or not!

it's not the expense. It's the inconvenience of the frequent refueling stops (ask Lewis what a pain those are!).

[razor]

E36GUY said:

Why do people interested in buying a £50k car with a 500bhp V10 worry about fuel consumption? It uses what it uses and you can either afford it or not!

Speaking only for myself, the cost is relevant, if the fuel consumption is going to be ridiculous, because I will be using the car as a commuter in London 5 days a week, and there is only so much that I am willing to pay for commuting at less than 30 mph average (even though I can afford to, and routinely do, squander tons of cash on Optimax and BP ultimate, especially for my weekend drives). Also, the aggravation factor of having to fill up once a week just to do the commute is also relevant for me. My e46 M3 does quite a good job on these fronts - I only need to fill up once every couple of weeks and it does about 20 or more mpg.

I agree tho' with the observation that a car uses what it uses. I have often found that to be the case.

[Deep]

I've had one for about 6 months and the only problem is fuel consumption/tank size. As my journies are short say less than 10 miles per day its not so much the cost but the hassle of having to top up. It costs me tank a week to do this commute so approx £55.
As Zod says it seems to make little difference whether on 400 or 500 BHP setting, once you're in traffic you're lucky to see 10mpg. I avge 13-15mpg.

I've had a BMW 650 as a loan car for the last few days and it seems like a light drinker compared to the M5!

I accept the fuel cons because as said its a 500 BHP V12, near two tonne monster that can keep up with lambos and fezzas, whilst also carrying my family and luggage in relative comfort

All the best with your decision

[razor]

Cheers guys

[espresso]

I do 800 to 900 miles a week in mine (mostly on motorways) and average 18.9mpg (it seems to always be the same strangely).
in the 20,000 miles I've done so far, I've had no problems other than dreadful reception on FM (rather ridiculously this is, according to the dealer, a software fault which requires a day long download at the dealer!)

My old E46 M3 used to average 23mpg over 40,000 of ownership, so the M5's not too bad.

Performance wise, it is significantly faster than an E46 M3 in every circumstance, even though it is less wieldy.
I'd definitely recommend one. The only slight improvement I'd wish for is for the engine to sound a little meatier at start up, and for it to have a little more torque.

Edited by espresso on Sunday 28th October 22:31

[sjn2004]

Zod said:

it's got four or five years left in production, so don't expect a massive discount.

There are no major issues with these cars, just occasional niggles. The only negative is fuel costs which are astronomical.

What was the "red cog of death" that is mentioned? Did some cars go through a few gearboxes?

[Zod]

Ashok's car in the UK (although his car is a Belgian import) and the cars of some Americans. I've never heard of another in the UK.

[shunt]

Zod said:

so I press the Power button as I turn on the ignition.

And then crawl into London at 15 - 20mph, but at least I look good in the windows as I roll on by!

[W8PMC]

My SMG failed in spectacular fashion, bringing Bracknell to a Rush Hour stand still. Many many E60 M5's have had box issues, but usually only the once as BMW quietly re-developed the Hydraulic System which naturally gets replaced on warranty cars once the box fails (no recall though).

It's not so much the actual MPG that's the problem, it's the pi$$ poor tank size which IIRC is the same size as a 520i, so on average you'll be getting between 150 & 250miles to a tank.

Cracking car & i adored mine, even more so when DMS fettled it, however i found all that power, just too much on UK roads in UK weather, so swapped into a B7 RS4, which is almost as quick, but alot more usable everyday.