e39 m5 really worth the possible bills???
Discussion
I now this has probably been covered in this forum before but does anyone have any first hand knowledge of buying a 100k M5?
Due to the current climate and fuel costs they keep gettin cheaper an cheaper to buy it would seem but with vanos failures ( I think anyway from a bit if research ) are they just a money pit?
Due to the current climate and fuel costs they keep gettin cheaper an cheaper to buy it would seem but with vanos failures ( I think anyway from a bit if research ) are they just a money pit?
dave0010 said:
I now this has probably been covered in this forum before but does anyone have any first hand knowledge of buying a 100k M5?
Due to the current climate and fuel costs they keep gettin cheaper an cheaper to buy it would seem but with vanos failures ( I think anyway from a bit if research ) are they just a money pit?
Mine's on 93k. I've had it almost a year now. So far, its cost me 1L of oil, an MOT certifcate & petrol.Due to the current climate and fuel costs they keep gettin cheaper an cheaper to buy it would seem but with vanos failures ( I think anyway from a bit if research ) are they just a money pit?
If you find a good one, you'll be laughing.
ukwill said:
dave0010 said:
I now this has probably been covered in this forum before but does anyone have any first hand knowledge of buying a 100k M5?
Due to the current climate and fuel costs they keep gettin cheaper an cheaper to buy it would seem but with vanos failures ( I think anyway from a bit if research ) are they just a money pit?
Mine's on 93k. I've had it almost a year now. So far, its cost me 1L of oil, an MOT certifcate & petrol.Due to the current climate and fuel costs they keep gettin cheaper an cheaper to buy it would seem but with vanos failures ( I think anyway from a bit if research ) are they just a money pit?
If you find a good one, you'll be laughing.
I think it best that the OP doesn't look at my profile...
ukwill said:
dave0010 said:
I now this has probably been covered in this forum before but does anyone have any first hand knowledge of buying a 100k M5?
Due to the current climate and fuel costs they keep gettin cheaper an cheaper to buy it would seem but with vanos failures ( I think anyway from a bit if research ) are they just a money pit?
Mine's on 93k. I've had it almost a year now. So far, its cost me 1L of oil, an MOT certifcate & petrol.Due to the current climate and fuel costs they keep gettin cheaper an cheaper to buy it would seem but with vanos failures ( I think anyway from a bit if research ) are they just a money pit?
If you find a good one, you'll be laughing.
Mine is on 192.000 km and has been extremely reliable. I bought mine with 108.000 km but if I were to buy another, 100K miles one, I would be very careful in getting a one or two owner car with full service history, with bills to back up what has been done to it. Full BMW SH is good but specialists are not to be discounted either. Whatever you buy should not be just about to have new tyres, Inspection II, brakes, etc done to it - don't go for the cheapest you can find but one that has been owned by someone who could afford to service it properly and who had the mechanical sympathy that M cars require - not that they are fragile, but if you rev it before letting the oil be up to temperature or always play the stoplight grand prix, it will take its toll.
Great Pretender said:
ukwill said:
dave0010 said:
I now this has probably been covered in this forum before but does anyone have any first hand knowledge of buying a 100k M5?
Due to the current climate and fuel costs they keep gettin cheaper an cheaper to buy it would seem but with vanos failures ( I think anyway from a bit if research ) are they just a money pit?
Mine's on 93k. I've had it almost a year now. So far, its cost me 1L of oil, an MOT certifcate & petrol.Due to the current climate and fuel costs they keep gettin cheaper an cheaper to buy it would seem but with vanos failures ( I think anyway from a bit if research ) are they just a money pit?
If you find a good one, you'll be laughing.
I think it best that the OP doesn't look at my profile...
quality profile btw
I bought mine at 83 and it now has 129 on the clock.
Yes it has cost (last service £700 and thats with a mate) but its worth it.
At the end of the day you're buying something which can show a 911 or ferrari 355 the way home. 400BHP NEVER COMES CHEAP.
Any half decent rubber will be £200 a pop for fronts and more for backs.
Mine does 23.9 mpg and thats with a nice 80 mile commute (no stop start).
You will be on first name terms with the parts dept. of your local BMW dealer. With me its just one sensor after another.
GO IN WITH YOUR EYES OPEN.
Yes it has cost (last service £700 and thats with a mate) but its worth it.
At the end of the day you're buying something which can show a 911 or ferrari 355 the way home. 400BHP NEVER COMES CHEAP.
Any half decent rubber will be £200 a pop for fronts and more for backs.
Mine does 23.9 mpg and thats with a nice 80 mile commute (no stop start).
You will be on first name terms with the parts dept. of your local BMW dealer. With me its just one sensor after another.
GO IN WITH YOUR EYES OPEN.
I bought mine @ 108k with FBMWSH. In the first 12 months it cost me:
£140 brake fluid and coolant change
£250 two front tyres
£450 new thermostat, brake light switch & ignition switch
£1500 strip and rebuild of both Vanos units
£150 Oil change
I part ex'd it in October (for a 1 series for the Mrs) @ 114k needing new rear pads and disks (£400) and an Inspection 2 @ £500+. Did it hurt getting shot of it?... yes, but I was getting increasingly frustrated at constantly having to budget for maintenance, overpriced parts, lack of a trusted local mechanic who knew M5's, inflated insurance premiums and, probably above all, I was in real danger of loosing my license. The speed of the thing between 70 and 150+ is truly addictive.
Would I buy another.... absolutely - but only if it didn't have to be a daily driver and if I had a garage big enough to store it. With both petrol prices and insurance premiums escalating, their prices are only going to go one way in the near future.
What am I driving at the moment?.... A series 2 Disco TD5 Auto. Completely the other end of the spectrum but, in it's own way, still a fantastic 'car' (especially in the current weather).
£140 brake fluid and coolant change
£250 two front tyres
£450 new thermostat, brake light switch & ignition switch
£1500 strip and rebuild of both Vanos units
£150 Oil change
I part ex'd it in October (for a 1 series for the Mrs) @ 114k needing new rear pads and disks (£400) and an Inspection 2 @ £500+. Did it hurt getting shot of it?... yes, but I was getting increasingly frustrated at constantly having to budget for maintenance, overpriced parts, lack of a trusted local mechanic who knew M5's, inflated insurance premiums and, probably above all, I was in real danger of loosing my license. The speed of the thing between 70 and 150+ is truly addictive.
Would I buy another.... absolutely - but only if it didn't have to be a daily driver and if I had a garage big enough to store it. With both petrol prices and insurance premiums escalating, their prices are only going to go one way in the near future.
What am I driving at the moment?.... A series 2 Disco TD5 Auto. Completely the other end of the spectrum but, in it's own way, still a fantastic 'car' (especially in the current weather).
I had this problem when I was looking in March/April.
I had a budget of around £9K and looked at a few cars. In the end I went for a fully loaded 2 owner car with 165K on the clock. It was in a better condition than cars I viewed with 90K on the clock and the last owner had owened the car since it was 2yrs old.
It just felt right and although I have spent a lot on an InspII, clutch and brakes its how I want it and Im happy. At 173K it looks like it has done half the miles and pulls like a train. Remember, even if you buy a car with low miles you will probably have to spend some money on it.
The only problem with mine would be selling it on but I dont plan to do that so hopefully wont be an issue.
I had a budget of around £9K and looked at a few cars. In the end I went for a fully loaded 2 owner car with 165K on the clock. It was in a better condition than cars I viewed with 90K on the clock and the last owner had owened the car since it was 2yrs old.
It just felt right and although I have spent a lot on an InspII, clutch and brakes its how I want it and Im happy. At 173K it looks like it has done half the miles and pulls like a train. Remember, even if you buy a car with low miles you will probably have to spend some money on it.
The only problem with mine would be selling it on but I dont plan to do that so hopefully wont be an issue.
CarbonBlackM5 said:
I had this problem when I was looking in March/April.
I had a budget of around £9K and looked at a few cars. In the end I went for a fully loaded 2 owner car with 165K on the clock. It was in a better condition than cars I viewed with 90K on the clock and the last owner had owened the car since it was 2yrs old.
It just felt right and although I have spent a lot on an InspII, clutch and brakes its how I want it and Im happy. At 173K it looks like it has done half the miles and pulls like a train. Remember, even if you buy a car with low miles you will probably have to spend some money on it.
The only problem with mine would be selling it on but I dont plan to do that so hopefully wont be an issue.
'Tis very true.I had a budget of around £9K and looked at a few cars. In the end I went for a fully loaded 2 owner car with 165K on the clock. It was in a better condition than cars I viewed with 90K on the clock and the last owner had owened the car since it was 2yrs old.
It just felt right and although I have spent a lot on an InspII, clutch and brakes its how I want it and Im happy. At 173K it looks like it has done half the miles and pulls like a train. Remember, even if you buy a car with low miles you will probably have to spend some money on it.
The only problem with mine would be selling it on but I dont plan to do that so hopefully wont be an issue.
I did my usual and rushed to buy the first low mileage car I could find. At 64k it drove nice and tight, but in three months, I have spent an average of £800 a month repairing it...
It'll probably need another £1000 spent to make it right still!
rb5230 said:
ukwill said:
dave0010 said:
I now this has probably been covered in this forum before but does anyone have any first hand knowledge of buying a 100k M5?
Due to the current climate and fuel costs they keep gettin cheaper an cheaper to buy it would seem but with vanos failures ( I think anyway from a bit if research ) are they just a money pit?
Mine's on 93k. I've had it almost a year now. So far, its cost me 1L of oil, an MOT certifcate & petrol.Due to the current climate and fuel costs they keep gettin cheaper an cheaper to buy it would seem but with vanos failures ( I think anyway from a bit if research ) are they just a money pit?
If you find a good one, you'll be laughing.
Kong said:
Quinten said:
I've also kept my profile up to date with costs of running an E39 M5 for the past 8 months. A lot more managable than GP's 
Nice writeup, enjoyed reading. But does that mean you have burnt 3.5 litres of oil in 4000 miles?!
Edited by Kong on Monday 20th December 14:59
I've had mine 18 months ,was on 102k when i bought it, now on 110k miles. It was up for 10k but i paid 9k in the end as it needed x4 tyres & 2 mafs, it had full bmw history from new & original bill of sale plus all invoices.
Oil service at BMW dealer after a month of ownership £45 plus i supplied the correct Castrol oil at £80.
Spent £400 at eurocarparts last year for 2 new mafs,wiper blades,air filters & spark plugs which i fitted, at the same time i bought x4 Goodyear tyres at £668.
Sat nav unit packed in, £150 from e-bay for secondhand Mk3 drive.
January 2010 i bought a new thermostat & bmw antifreeze which was about £100,fitted myself.
November 2010 bought a new plastic wheel arch liner for the front as the bit under the front bumper was broken when i bought it £69. Also bought x4 wheel centres can't remember how much.
2 MOT's which it passed ok as well.
Insurance was only £384 with LV this year.
Brakes are fine but will need front discs at next pad change & getting wheels refurbished soon.
Its been quite a cheap car really considering the performance,it did help that i negotiated £1000 of the price for tyres & mafs though. it lives in the garage most of the time & not been used since the 28th November M5 board meet, don't plan on selling it at the moment and really pleased with it. I spent far more on my Cosworth's & spent a few thousand on my M3 Evo mostly on mods though.
Oil service at BMW dealer after a month of ownership £45 plus i supplied the correct Castrol oil at £80.
Spent £400 at eurocarparts last year for 2 new mafs,wiper blades,air filters & spark plugs which i fitted, at the same time i bought x4 Goodyear tyres at £668.
Sat nav unit packed in, £150 from e-bay for secondhand Mk3 drive.
January 2010 i bought a new thermostat & bmw antifreeze which was about £100,fitted myself.
November 2010 bought a new plastic wheel arch liner for the front as the bit under the front bumper was broken when i bought it £69. Also bought x4 wheel centres can't remember how much.
2 MOT's which it passed ok as well.
Insurance was only £384 with LV this year.
Brakes are fine but will need front discs at next pad change & getting wheels refurbished soon.
Its been quite a cheap car really considering the performance,it did help that i negotiated £1000 of the price for tyres & mafs though. it lives in the garage most of the time & not been used since the 28th November M5 board meet, don't plan on selling it at the moment and really pleased with it. I spent far more on my Cosworth's & spent a few thousand on my M3 Evo mostly on mods though.
121k and almost certainly disintegrating.
Do I care?
Do I balls.
Had it 8 years and she'll keep on trucking till Skynet call time and precipitate the M.A.D.
Nothing comes close because as I've said before - but nobody seems to listen - an (e39) M5 firing on just 7 cylinders is better than any amount of mountain bikiery of jognorissing.
If you feel the old girl is close to expiry, just fire up to the Buttertubs Pass and flail away until it hurts no more.
It really is the best car ever manufactured.
Hail ünt Schnell.
Do I care?
Do I balls.
Had it 8 years and she'll keep on trucking till Skynet call time and precipitate the M.A.D.
Nothing comes close because as I've said before - but nobody seems to listen - an (e39) M5 firing on just 7 cylinders is better than any amount of mountain bikiery of jognorissing.
If you feel the old girl is close to expiry, just fire up to the Buttertubs Pass and flail away until it hurts no more.
It really is the best car ever manufactured.
Hail ünt Schnell.
Quinten said:
Kong said:
Quinten said:
I've also kept my profile up to date with costs of running an E39 M5 for the past 8 months. A lot more managable than GP's
Nice writeup, enjoyed reading. But does that mean you have burnt 3.5 litres of oil in 4000 miles?!
Edited by Kong on Monday 20th December 14:59
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