Which M5 to Buy ? E34. E39, or the E60
Discussion
I'm aware of the relative pitfalls of ownership of the above models thanks to the various forums, so I'm guessing that I'm looking for advice from people who have owned M5s throughout the various model releases. I currently drive an E38 740 sport so do enjoy the grunt from the V8. If I opt for the E34 it would be as a weekend car as it would be foolhardy to buy one and use it as a daily driver. There are 2 or 3 really good ones out there for sale at the moment and the prices are starting to creep up. The same goes for the E39, I think there are currently around 5 really good examples with decent mileage and history but the prices people have them up for are in the same bracket as 55/56 plate E60 M5s with low mileage. I driven an E60 so I'm very aware of the grunt from the V10 but I've never driven an E34 M5 or an E39. It's a nice problem to have I know but I've been looking at M5s for around the last 5 years and I'm finally in a position to pull the trigger so I want to make the right choice. Any advice greatly received.
I ran an E39 2007-2011 sold it to move on to younger models including E92 M3. I had the pleasure of using an E60 for a period of time and it was a little too refined and digital. It was incredibly good at everything but that was its problem.
I recently returned to E39 territory as its the only car that I have greatly missed. Find a good one and you will love the torque, driftability and pure driving pleasure.
I recently returned to E39 territory as its the only car that I have greatly missed. Find a good one and you will love the torque, driftability and pure driving pleasure.
Edited by Hedgetrimmer on Tuesday 4th November 14:30
I had a very nice facelift E39 M5 for 5 years without any trouble at all. Used as a second car so only did about 18k miles in that time,fantastic car. Sold the E39 last year and bought a 51k mile 06 plate E60 M5 which under Mondial warranty. Covered about 4k in a year,no problems so far. As good as the E39 was I much prefer the E60 M5. Even prefer the SMG as I don't have the hassle of a clutch pedal in traffic. The only downside for me is that I have the extra expenditure of the warranty every month and of course the tax £510 plus a year for a car I hardly use.
E60 M5's under 60k miles with warranty,clutch,fly replacement, nice spec, nice colour combo and in mint condition ( I'm very very fussy on condition of my cars ) aren't really dropping in value. I'm confident I could get what I paid for mine a year ago. Very few good ones come up for sale. Saying that the guy I sold my E39 to has already been offered more than I sold it to him for !
The main problem with the E60 M5 is that it's so fast and revs so high you don't get much chance to stretch it's legs on the road as it's so easy to do silly speeds. I find Everytime I drive the E60 it's an event and love it, I wasn't feeling that anymore with the E39.
Simon.
E60 M5's under 60k miles with warranty,clutch,fly replacement, nice spec, nice colour combo and in mint condition ( I'm very very fussy on condition of my cars ) aren't really dropping in value. I'm confident I could get what I paid for mine a year ago. Very few good ones come up for sale. Saying that the guy I sold my E39 to has already been offered more than I sold it to him for !
The main problem with the E60 M5 is that it's so fast and revs so high you don't get much chance to stretch it's legs on the road as it's so easy to do silly speeds. I find Everytime I drive the E60 it's an event and love it, I wasn't feeling that anymore with the E39.
Simon.
It is an impossible question to answer without understanding what you are looking for.
In my view based on ownership experience;
The E60 is the best car of the bunch simply because the next car the e39 is at least 10 years old (and the design and tech is even older). It is the fastest in any conditions by quite some margin and despite the internet rubbish is not too expensive to run and if you buy the right car is reliable.
The E39 is the best looking of the bunch and is a great grand tourer. Comfortable and refined and not that costly to run. Rust is now a real issue with them.
I have never been in an E34, but in my view it is the coolest of the three.
So what is important to you?
S
In my view based on ownership experience;
The E60 is the best car of the bunch simply because the next car the e39 is at least 10 years old (and the design and tech is even older). It is the fastest in any conditions by quite some margin and despite the internet rubbish is not too expensive to run and if you buy the right car is reliable.
The E39 is the best looking of the bunch and is a great grand tourer. Comfortable and refined and not that costly to run. Rust is now a real issue with them.
I have never been in an E34, but in my view it is the coolest of the three.
So what is important to you?
S
M5 or M6/ e60 /e61
Ive now owned my M6 V10 for a year now , within a month it needed a new gearbox ( warranty thank god ) and since then ive covered 4000 miles . trips to le mans and London and Birmingham and it hasn't missed a beat . Yes the warranty each month is a bind and the mpg are just horrific , but when you come home and you had a bad day , and there she is in the drive sayin " go on take us out " and you go for a blast you cant help smiling . You put MOST CARS and the like to the sword, And like J C said when testing a E60 M5 What ever you've got Don't bother as this will out run it and the bad day you've had just disappears . So my recommendation is a M car with a V10 . You will know what I mean the moment you own and Drive One
Happy Hunting M6 Bruce
Ive now owned my M6 V10 for a year now , within a month it needed a new gearbox ( warranty thank god ) and since then ive covered 4000 miles . trips to le mans and London and Birmingham and it hasn't missed a beat . Yes the warranty each month is a bind and the mpg are just horrific , but when you come home and you had a bad day , and there she is in the drive sayin " go on take us out " and you go for a blast you cant help smiling . You put MOST CARS and the like to the sword, And like J C said when testing a E60 M5 What ever you've got Don't bother as this will out run it and the bad day you've had just disappears . So my recommendation is a M car with a V10 . You will know what I mean the moment you own and Drive One
Happy Hunting M6 Bruce
In order I've owned and run an e34 3.8 , then an e39 , then an e60 , then after a gap with some other cars ( inc 535d (mapped lol)) another e60 which I sold to buy an e39 ( which I still have ) . To me the e39 offers the performance , a decent gearbox , torque and an ok mpg . E34 was already starting to feel old, reliability through age was an issue ( and I sold it in 2003 )
The smg box on the e60 isn't very good , range is poor but boy does it go .
e39 for me is the best compromise of the 3 - makes a great tow car !
The smg box on the e60 isn't very good , range is poor but boy does it go .
e39 for me is the best compromise of the 3 - makes a great tow car !
Wow, you lucky git 
That's the advice I was looking for. I've now got it in my head that I'll go and view this E34 cos I have to, I've always loved them, but I think I've settled on an E39 if I can get the right one. I just know I'll kick myself if I never own an E39, at least that way I can also keep the E38 740 as the daily driver. I know that with the added road tax and warranty cost of the E60, I would end up getting shot of the E38 which I've only had since January and is mint with 80K miles.
That's the advice I was looking for. I've now got it in my head that I'll go and view this E34 cos I have to, I've always loved them, but I think I've settled on an E39 if I can get the right one. I just know I'll kick myself if I never own an E39, at least that way I can also keep the E38 740 as the daily driver. I know that with the added road tax and warranty cost of the E60, I would end up getting shot of the E38 which I've only had since January and is mint with 80K miles.ds666 said:
In order I've owned and run an e34 3.8 , then an e39 , then an e60 , then after a gap with some other cars ( inc 535d (mapped lol)) another e60 which I sold to buy an e39 ( which I still have ) . To me the e39 offers the performance , a decent gearbox , torque and an ok mpg . E34 was already starting to feel old, reliability through age was an issue ( and I sold it in 2003 )
The smg box on the e60 isn't very good , range is poor but boy does it go .
e39 for me is the best compromise of the 3 - makes a great tow car !
I actually liked the SMG gearbox and thought it suited the car. Best advice is an extended test drive.The smg box on the e60 isn't very good , range is poor but boy does it go .
e39 for me is the best compromise of the 3 - makes a great tow car !
S
ds666 said:
In order I've owned and run an e34 3.8 , then an e39 , then an e60 , then after a gap with some other cars ( inc 535d (mapped lol)) another e60 which I sold to buy an e39 ( which I still have ) . To me the e39 offers the performance , a decent gearbox , torque and an ok mpg . E34 was already starting to feel old, reliability through age was an issue ( and I sold it in 2003 )
The smg box on the e60 isn't very good , range is poor but boy does it go .
e39 for me is the best compromise of the 3 - makes a great tow car !
If you don't mind me saying, that kind of sounds like the viewpoint from someone looking for a daily driver though. If you had access to all three, and wanted to jump in one early on a Sunday morning to just go for a blast, which would you pick?The smg box on the e60 isn't very good , range is poor but boy does it go .
e39 for me is the best compromise of the 3 - makes a great tow car !
I have three BMWs mainly for just this sort of thing, and never feel short-changed when I take the E34. It just feels alive and raring to go! Only thing I will say though is that it's better suited to 'A'-roads rather than 'B', but then I would think the same is probably true of the E39 & E60
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