Am I crazy? running a e39 M5 as a daily driver (25k p/y)

[smokey145]

i am looking at getting a well maintained 90k miles + e39 M5 as a daily drive. this daily drive will be doing circa 25k miles per year (mostly motorway).

how are general running costs? any examples please? not afraid of M car running costs having owned a E63 M6 and an E46 M3 in the past.

mostly, are they up to the job?


apologies, this is in the ///M forum as well but there is limited traffic in there. also noticed alot of people mentioning the e39 M5 as being "borkicide" so wanted a more general opinion.

thanks

[big_boz]

Many moons ago a friend ran one from new as a daily driver, don't think he had any issues, although he was/is stinking rich.....

All i remember was i was 19 and by god was it fast!

[300bhp/ton]

smokey145 said:

i am looking at getting a well maintained 90k miles + e39 M5 as a daily drive. this daily drive will be doing circa 25k miles per year (mostly motorway).

how are general running costs? any examples please? not afraid of M car running costs having owned a E63 M6 and an E46 M3 in the past.

mostly, are they up to the job?


apologies, this is in the ///M forum as well but there is limited traffic in there. also noticed alot of people mentioning the e39 M5 as being "borkicide" so wanted a more general opinion.

thanks

Surely your "not afraid" having run other M cars should be all the answer you need?

I suppose logic would say that if you keep it for 3 years you'll be knocking on the door of 175,000 on the clock.

And I assume you've budgeted fuel?

Parkers list it at 19mpg, which over 25,000 miles is going to cost in the region of:

£8,134.95 (yesr) £677.91 (month)


Or if you can eek out an average of 25mpg:

£6,182.56 (year) £515.21 (month)

[big_boz]

300bhp/ton said:

Or if you can eek out an average of 25mpg:

£6,182.56 (year) £515.21 (month)

What would be the point......

[smokey145]

300bhp/ton said:

smokey145 said:

i am looking at getting a well maintained 90k miles + e39 M5 as a daily drive. this daily drive will be doing circa 25k miles per year (mostly motorway).

how are general running costs? any examples please? not afraid of M car running costs having owned a E63 M6 and an E46 M3 in the past.

mostly, are they up to the job?


apologies, this is in the ///M forum as well but there is limited traffic in there. also noticed alot of people mentioning the e39 M5 as being "borkicide" so wanted a more general opinion.

thanks

Surely your "not afraid" having run other M cars should be all the answer you need?

I suppose logic would say that if you keep it for 3 years you'll be knocking on the door of 175,000 on the clock.

And I assume you've budgeted fuel?

Parkers list it at 19mpg, which over 25,000 miles is going to cost in the region of:

£8,134.95 (yesr) £677.91 (month)


Or if you can eek out an average of 25mpg:

£6,182.56 (year) £515.21 (month)

company fuel card, fully expensed. no issue there.

[big_boz]

What the hell are you waiting for then!

[smokey145]

something, i dont know what yet . maybe just a little more insight into everyday ownership.

[Sifly]

I ran one for a couple of months last year, awsome car, comfortable, hugely fast and always put a smile on my face.

BUT, I got fed up having to stop every 3 days to fill it up at £80 a go.
Soon takes the fun out of it!

If someone else is picking up the fuel bill, go for it, but I'd still get peed off having to stop every couple of days to waste 10 mins at the petrol station!

These are getting quite old now, and tend to get used fairly hard (thats what they are for after all)!
But I always had that small niggle at the back of my mind, what if the engine or gear box lets go??! £££

Pretty much the same reason I have resisted trying an older Audi RS6!

Edited by Sifly on Friday 9th November 09:28

[300bhp/ton]

Sifly said:

I always had that small niggle at the back of my mind, what if the engine or gear box lets go??! £££

Edited by Sifly on Friday 9th November 09:28

If you ran a 330d or a Mondeo ST220 how would this risk be any different?

[Devil2575]

smokey145 said:

company fuel card, fully expensed. no issue there.

So the company is prepared to pay your fuel costs for 25k a year in a car that will get 20 mpg?

Either you own the company or they're mad.

[obob]

300bhp/ton said:

Sifly said:

I always had that small niggle at the back of my mind, what if the engine or gear box lets go??! £££

Edited by Sifly on Friday 9th November 09:28

If you ran a 330d or a Mondeo ST220 how would this risk be any different?

Cheaper and easier to find a replacement engine, or you could just bin it and not cry. you might cry if you have to scrap an M5.

[balls-out]

smokey145 said:

company fuel card, fully expensed. no issue there.

Deeply jealous.... have you considered a Bentley Turbo R - seem like to obvious choice under the circumstances why worry about achieving double figures mpg when there is no need?

[smokey145]

Devil2575 said:

smokey145 said:

company fuel card, fully expensed. no issue there.

So the company is prepared to pay your fuel costs for 25k a year in a car that will get 20 mpg?

Either you own the company or they're mad.

current car does 22mpg, consider them mad.

[GreatGranny]

The only issue I would have is the prospect of putting that many miles on such a "nice" car. Good ones are getting scarce. Just seems a pity.

(Now dreaming what I would buy if in possesion of a fuel card for my 400 mile per week commute)

[greggy50]

If they are willing to pay fully expensed fuel on a car that does 20mpg at 25k miles pa I would personally put the money to one side for when the company goes bankrupt as you need to find a new job soon...

[Sir_Dave]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

On the flipside, im sure its considerably cheaper for them to pay the fuel on his M5, than give him a fully expensed £30k A4 that will be worth a third of that in 3 years time ... Old cars depreciate far far less, this allows you to spend more on maintenance/upkeep/fuel.

[Matt UK]

Can't remember exactly who it is, but pretty sure there is a Phers with a 200k+ e39.

Maybe it's that chap from Surry Rolling Road? Not sure. Maybe worth your while tracking him down to see if he'd mind a chin wag.

[jimbobsimmonds]

300bhp/ton said:

Sifly said:

I always had that small niggle at the back of my mind, what if the engine or gear box lets go??! £££

Edited by Sifly on Friday 9th November 09:28

If you ran a 330d or a Mondeo ST220 how would this risk be any different?

I would imagine there are more used versions of these lying in scrapyards around the country (the ST220 actually come to think of it, maybe not).

When my T5 lump let go it was piece of p1ss finding another one with 53k on it...

[greggy50]

Matt UK said:

Can't remember exactly who it is, but pretty sure there is a Phers with a 200k+ e39.

Maybe it's that chap from Surry Rolling Road? Not sure. Maybe worth your while tracking him down to see if he'd mind a chin wag.

I think it was a 3.8 E34 he had don't hold me to that though...

[R8Steve]

I ran an 2001 E39 M5 for two years at approx 23k pa and the only thing I had to change was front disks/pads x 1, tyres – 3 pairs of rears, 2 pairs of fronts. All in complete comfort with every toy I could ask for – I absolutely loved that car and still wish I hadn’t sold it!

The car did not need anything apart from consumables/services during the time I owned it and never let me down once – I averaged about 28-30mpg as my commute was pretty much motorway from door to door, town driving would see it down to about 17-19mpg

Amazing cars, I say go for it!!