Some E60 M5 Buying Questions

[Hedgeman]

M-Power Chaps...

I recently had a test drive in an 07 M5 Touring. I currently have a boxster 3.4 S, but with family (3 kids) I don't get a lot of opportunity to drive it, so I'm considering chopping it in for something more practical which is still a blast to drive.

Overall the M5 was deeply impressive and build quality wise felt a league ahead of the porsche. Naturally it's not going to handle like the boxster, but it felt planted and agile, and hid its bulk quite well - a world apart from the RS6 I owned a few years ago. Acceleration-wise - well in P500 mode, brutal is clearly the word!

So I can go into any possible buying process as well armed as possible, I'm hoping to pick the brains of some of the more knowledgeable members on this part of the board, and have a few questions:

• I'm erring towards a touring because of the added practicality and the glass roof which really transforms the interior. I understand it has different self-levelling rear-suspension - does the affect the handling in any noticeable way?

• What are the extended warranty prices? (I asked the BMW sales guy for extended warranty costs for after the factory warranty expires, but he said that because it's all FSA regulated now he couldn't personally quote me.)

• Is there any way of telling how hard the car has been driven? When I bought my boxster I had the OPC give me an ECU printout which contains information about over-revving, number of engine hours, average speed. Is anything similar available with BMW? Is it possible to get a list of all work/warranty-repairs which have been done on car before buying? It would be good to rule out those cars which have spent their entire lives doing launch-control starts!

• Do BMW dealers routinely re-spray the front-end of their cars because of stone-chips?

• The car I drove seemed to be quite badly misted up inside, and the rear windows never really cleared. Is this a common problem, or could this be an effect of the "climate comfort laminated glass"?

• The cars seem nicely equipped as standard, but are there any particular "must-have" options?

• Anything I need to pay particular attention to during test drives which is particular to the M5?

Cheers in advance for any help.

Gary.

[Gareth135R]

Considered a C63?

[skeeterm5]

Hedgeman said:

M-Power Chaps...

• I'm erring towards a touring because of the added practicality and the glass roof which really transforms the interior. I understand it has different self-levelling rear-suspension - does the affect the handling in any noticeable way?

• What are the extended warranty prices? (I asked the BMW sales guy for extended warranty costs for after the factory warranty expires, but he said that because it's all FSA regulated now he couldn't personally quote me.)

• Is there any way of telling how hard the car has been driven? When I bought my boxster I had the OPC give me an ECU printout which contains information about over-revving, number of engine hours, average speed. Is anything similar available with BMW? Is it possible to get a list of all work/warranty-repairs which have been done on car before buying? It would be good to rule out those cars which have spent their entire lives doing launch-control starts!

• Do BMW dealers routinely re-spray the front-end of their cars because of stone-chips?

• The car I drove seemed to be quite badly misted up inside, and the rear windows never really cleared. Is this a common problem, or could this be an effect of the "climate comfort laminated glass"?

• The cars seem nicely equipped as standard, but are there any particular "must-have" options?

• Anything I need to pay particular attention to during test drives which is particular to the M5?

Cheers in advance for any help.

Gary.

I have the saloon so bear that in mind:

- mine has a glass roof, I think they all do as standard. TBH I never even pull back the shield

- recently renewed by warrenty, went for the comprehensive etc and it cost c£900

- I think BMW can tell how many times the car has used launch control, and I believe that they will refuse to AUC it if it has done an excessive number. Ask the dealer he should be able to provide all of that info

- Mine doesnt mist up and I think that if this is a problem it may point to a window seal leaking

- in terms of other things to check:
- tyres, they can wear quickly
- is the software the latest version
- has the car been used for towing
etc

S

[jm doc]

I also have the saloon. The extended warranty can be paid monthly at £77 for the comprehensive package. Poor drainage in the air con sometimes causes misting on start up which clears in less than a minute. If the misting in the car continues and if the air con is definitely on, it suggests either a leak into the car, perhaps at the rear if this is where the misting is, or that the air con is not working properly as there should be no misting when it is on as it dehumidifies as well as cools.

I am not expert on what to look for and there will be others on this site much more qualified than me, but I would look for a reasonably smooth gear change though often you can get some drivetrain clonking or judder at low speed. Tyre wear is very heavy and watch out for wear on the inner shoulder at the front particularly, it can get down to canvas right on the edge whilst the rest of the tyre is still good, and is not visible easily, even on full lock.

Overall a great car with an an engine that is absolutely glorious when it's revved to it's limit.

Edited by jm doc on Monday 2nd November 23:32

[belleair302]

PM me with your email address for a buying guide.

[gilford]

There is only a few things you need to know when buying an M5 -

Steer clear of 05 models as they tend to be troublesome (do a search on here and you will see, sorry 05 owners)
Warranty is a must to sleep easy at night
Get as many toys as you can for your money
Have deep pockets for the petrol consumption in the first few weeks of ownership when you have a heavy foot, this thing shifts like no other car under £80k ;););)

Finally, ENJOY! This has to be one of the best cars I have ever driven and still puts a smile on my face after nearly a year of ownership

[Zod]

Warranty is about £900 per annum.

I've never had the misting problem.

Do get a printout. You want to know that there are no gearbox or clutch issues (although they are nowhere near as common as one member loves to claim).

Make sure they update the iDrive and gearbox software as pat of the pre-delivery work.

Mine has not really shown any stone chips.

Check the rear tyres.

They come well equipped as standard. The more important options are the ipod connection, active seats and adaptive headlights. Nice-to-have options include blinds if you have young kids, heated rear seats if you have older kids. The extended leather is very nice and definitely something to look out for in a second-hand car, but too expensive to spec on a new car.

[gilford]

Another thing to to consider..........

Post March 06 cars are subject to the £400 per annum road tax, so for a car that could only be months newer, you could be paying twice the tax!

[Slurms]

When did the USB / ipod connection become available on these cars?

Was it an option from launch?

[Zod]

gilford said:

Another thing to to consider..........

Post March 06 cars are subject to the £400 per annum road tax, so for a car that could only be months newer, you could be paying twice the tax!

My car is March 2006.

[Zod]

Slurms said:

When did the USB / ipod connection become available on these cars?

Was it an option from launch?

No. I had my iPod connection retrofitted at ridiculous expense about a year after purchase. When I bought mine in March 2006, all you could get was the AUX socket.

[gilford]

I would rather the AUX personally, as all I need do is flick the songs on the nano I have in the glove! I played with a USB version at the dealers as I was thinking of getting it done but found the iDrive very sluggish keeping up with the playlists etc

[groucho]

gilford said:

There is only a few things you need to know when buying an M5 -

Steer clear of 05 models as they tend to be troublesome (do a search on here and you will see, sorry 05 owners)
Warranty is a must to sleep easy at night
Get as many toys as you can for your money
Have deep pockets for the petrol consumption in the first few weeks of ownership when you have a heavy foot, this thing shifts like no other car under £80k ;););)

Finally, ENJOY! This has to be one of the best cars I have ever driven and still puts a smile on my face after nearly a year of ownership

What about 55 models?

[gilford]

groucho said:

What about 55 models?

MY05 models mate

If it has an AUX IN its ok

[Hedgeman]

Thanks a lot for the helpful responses. It looks like an 07-ish model is the way to go - something relatively recently, niggles of 05 sorted out and with warranty, but with a large amount of depreciation done.

Re the C63 Merc - when doing some preliminary research, I did read some road tests and understand they're fantastic cars. But they just don't do it for me somehow - the looks, auto-box etc are all turn-offs. And we already have another sensible-ish family car, so the boxster replacement has to excite emotionally or it just wouldn't get driven.

Petrol consumption - not too worried about. I use the train/tube for work, so it's weekend/pleasure use only and around 5-6k miles pa.

Interesting comments on the misting up. It sounds like there could have been a problem with the car I drove.

I know colour is subjective, but out of the pictures I've been silverstone II looks the best. Any comments?

[gilford]

Hedgeman said:

Thanks a lot for the helpful responses. It looks like an 07-ish model is the way to go

To be honest, the only real change on the facelift was the rear lights and a few buttons for the radio under the CD player, I personally would rather get half price tax and depending on what MY you are considering, around £8K on the purchase price

Hedgeman said:

I know colour is subjective, but out of the pictures I've been silverstone II looks the best. Any comments?

I originally wanted SII, but went for black on black in the end, it looks so mean especially with the privacy glass After speaking to LOTS of dealers black on black fetches most money and sells easiest also

Another thing I found when looking is to steer clear of the wood interiors! Also, light colored leather seemed to be a bit cheaper, probably because a lot of people buy these cars with a family and it would get dirty quickly?

At the end of the day you know what you like, the above is just what I found out when I was looking

[skeeterm5]

I originally wanted black but then saw silverstone II car and thought it looked better so that was the one I purchased. My only real gripe is that the sunroof contrasts a little too much for my liking.

Having had it for some time I still hanker for a black one, and I think the estate in black with the privacy glass would look awsome! Just the sort of car for Darth Vader.

S

[gilford]

Black is definitely the way to go, I think it is by far the best colour

[S800VXR]

I've been considering one of these but keep hearing horror stories about the gearboxes etc... are they that bad or is it the usual grapevine getting carried away?

[groucho]

S800VXR said:

I've been considering one of these but keep hearing horror stories about the gearboxes etc... are they that bad or is it the usual grapevine getting carried away?

Get one with an extended warranty. It's a must anyway. I don't know about the horror stories, well, everybody on the M5 boards seem to blow up their gearbox.

It would be nice, though impossible, to run a survey on all M5's SMGs to see how small a pecentage have given trouble. Nobody reports a non-issue.