Buying Advice on 3yo F10 M5

[Marty Funkhouser]

Am looking to buy one in the next month or two.

Anything in particular I should look out for - I know the running in service is crucial and I intend to get one under warranty that I'd extend but if there's anything I should be wary of...


TIA

[S800VXR]

Not really anything to be wary of as they seem to be bomb proof so far. Buy on condition and what options you want.

[ds666]

There is an orange light on the dash that seems to flash all the time , not sure what it is for , must get it checked out

[S800VXR]

ds666 said:

There is an orange light on the dash that seems to flash all the time , not sure what it is for , must get it checked out

Don't worry, they all do that! LOL.

[stain]

Most seem to have 20's though some people say the car works better on 19's. I've not tried the standard wheels so can't speak from experience but with fashion being what it is, I think you would struggle to move it on with the smaller wheel option. There are all sorts of other options so that comes down to personal preference. The rear camera is useful as it is a big car, and mine has folding rear seats which work very well. The service pack is essential I'd say as they do drink oil and it covers your top ups. Huge amount of car for 40k and you can't really go far wrong.

[W8PMC]

stain said:

Most seem to have 20's though some people say the car works better on 19's. I've not tried the standard wheels so can't speak from experience but with fashion being what it is, I think you would struggle to move it on with the smaller wheel option. There are all sorts of other options so that comes down to personal preference. The rear camera is useful as it is a big car, and mine has folding rear seats which work very well. The service pack is essential I'd say as they do drink oil and it covers your top ups. Huge amount of car for 40k and you can't really go far wrong.

The 19's are definitely the better wheel for traction & ride quality & personally I think look much better than the 20's but that's personal taste.

Surround view is excellent & the upgraded HK sound worth the extra, but other than that the car's are very well equipped. LCi cars were introduced during early 2014 & they've some nice touches.

Mine's not used any oil between services but gets driven hard so perhaps that's dependant on several factors.

Edited by W8PMC on Saturday 5th March 16:57

[cerb4.5lee]

There's a decent little buying guide in BMWcar magazine this month too if you fancy a look.

[steakandchips]

W8PMC said:

LCi cars were introduced during early 2014 & they've some nice touches.

Edited by W8PMC on Saturday 5th March 16:57

Mine is an LCI car and I bought it in mid-August 2013. I think mine was one of the first LCI cars.

[steakandchips]

steakandchips said:

Mine is an LCI car and I bought it in mid-August 2013. I think mine was one of the first LCI cars.

Although I'm trying to think of what changes were made from the pre-LCI cars... can anyone remember?

[MWM3]

LED rear lights (as BMW always do on LCI), The steering wheel (much better), updated I-Drive and controller, changes to the kidney grilles and I think that is about it.

[Marty Funkhouser]

W8PMC said:

LCi cars were introduced during early 2014 & they've some nice touches.

So would I be right in thinking all M5's made after this period are LCI spec?

[Marty Funkhouser]

Also, one other question - can I run this car on standard unleaded?

[HoHoHo]

Marty Funkhouser said:

Also, one other question - can I run this car on standard unleaded?

Yes.

I try to put super in but have run on normal unleaded on many occasions and to be honest haven't noticed any difference.

[MWM3]

Marty Funkhouser said:

Also, one other question - can I run this car on standard unleaded?

Yes you can but Super (98 Ron and above) is recomended.

The questions is why would you want to only use normal unleaded having spent a large wedge on a performance car?

[Marty Funkhouser]

MWM3 said:

Marty Funkhouser said:

Also, one other question - can I run this car on standard unleaded?

Yes you can but Super (98 Ron and above) is recomended.

The questions is why would you want to only use normal unleaded having spent a large wedge on a performance car?

An extra £8 every time you fill up for no reason - unless someone can enlighten me?

[HoHoHo]

Marty Funkhouser said:

MWM3 said:

Marty Funkhouser said:

Also, one other question - can I run this car on standard unleaded?

Yes you can but Super (98 Ron and above) is recomended.

The questions is why would you want to only use normal unleaded having spent a large wedge on a performance car?

An extra £8 every time you fill up for no reason - unless someone can enlighten me?

Only that on occasion some stations don't have super (rare but does happen), in Europe more so than the UK that's for sure

I'm sure that the difference in power may only be a few BHP and I can't feel any difference if I'm honest.

[W8PMC]

steakandchips said:

Mine is an LCI car and I bought it in mid-August 2013. I think mine was one of the first LCI cars.

Ordered or built? I could have sworn it was early 2014 when they started being built. Mine was built in March 14.

[HoHoHo]

W8PMC said:

steakandchips said:

Mine is an LCI car and I bought it in mid-August 2013. I think mine was one of the first LCI cars.

Ordered or built? I could have sworn it was early 2014 when they started being built. Mine was built in March 14.

My November 2013 is an LCI car so I guess they were being built around September '13?

[cerb4.5lee]

HoHoHo said:

Marty Funkhouser said:

Also, one other question - can I run this car on standard unleaded?

Yes.

I try to put super in but have run on normal unleaded on many occasions and to be honest haven't noticed any difference.

I always ran my M3 on super but I don't believe for one minute that it really made any difference, I just think we get sucked in and we think it makes a difference.

It's just another way for the fuel companies to squeeze a little bit more money out of us car fans I think.

[MWM3]

It's not just the extra power you supposedly get from it but the cleaning agents that are added which help lubricate and maintain the engine and injectors.

If you are really worried about £8 extra per fill up, then you really shouldn't be buying an M5.