e39 m5, rs6 or e46 m3 as a daily driver - 10 to 20k per year

[leemarkadams]

Hello all, just thinking of changing my 'everyday' car (E46 33D Sport)for something a bit more interesting and have thought of the following options:

E39 M5
C5 RS6
E46 M3

Now I know none are great on fuel and I would be doing between 10 and 20K per year, so what are peoples thoughts on these cars? Do not realy want to spend any more than about £16K.

Thanks

Lee

[Stu R]

M5, spend the change on fuel and hookers.

[Plotloss]

First two will cost you roughly, just roughly £6000 on fuel a year.

M3 wont be a lot better.

If you're ambivalent to the running costs totally, I'd go RS6 personally.

[LukeBird]

Plotloss said:

If you're ambivalent to the running costs totally, I'd go RS6 personally.

Me too.

Personally I think you're mad if you're going to do 20k pa in one. As Plotters said, you're fuel bills (let alone maintenance!) are going to be astronomical.

[Steameh]

The chance of huge bills in the RS6 would scare me slightly. Suspension and gearbox issues aren't cheap to fix.

[Plotloss]

It's the £2500 for brakes (mandela, obviously), annually that would kill the proposition for me.

[drivin_me_nuts]

for over 4 years I did 30-40k a year in an M5. It's a great place to be for long journeys and actually the maintenance costs are not that great really - not if you get it looked after at anywhere other than a BMW garage who charge comically for not very much. Mine ran SP9000's that easily did 40k per year in the rears and a lot more on the front (mainly motorway miles).

Fuel ... that's another story. When I was paying 90p odd a litre, my annual fuel bill was not far short of 9k. It's a big commit and more than an older M5 is worth at the moment... You will also get very bored of filling the thing up at least twice or three times per week and you'll become very aware of the costs very soon into ownership.

I don't know enough about the RS6 to comment, but given a choice between the M5 and the M3, the M5 wins hands down every single time. The M5 is just a more comfortable place to be, it's got a better ride, more space, a way better sound track and it feels (on a good day when everything is nice and warmed up) just the better place to be and the yanks have it right when they say 'there's no replacement for displacement'. Also, and IMHO of course, the M5 doesn't seem to attract the same neurally challenged type so fond of abusing the M3.

[doctordr]

E39 M5.

It's just so ....so perfect. Trust me on this, it's just amazing so perfect all round.