BMW M5 buying advice (older car)
Discussion
Hi folks, I'm asking for some advice on an older M5. My mate has had a few 3-series and he's recommending that I look in this area but I've got zero experience with BMW and he keeps quoting E-numbers at me. Aside from knowing that some E-numbers are bad for you I know nothing else 
So, I'm looking for something well under £8k. What do I get for this money and what are the things to look out for?
Thanks in advance.
So, I'm looking for something well under £8k. What do I get for this money and what are the things to look out for?
Thanks in advance.
Thanks for that. I heard E39 from my mate but does that just mean "a 5-series built between 1995-2004"?
Wikipedia says a S62 engine is in the M5 (see, more E-numbers!!!). So the M5 is a 5-litre V8?
I assume they come in auto and manual versions, and I'm also assuming that the manual is the one to go for.
Any more info on what to look out for, what goes wrong, tuning options, an average buying price ... etc please?
Wikipedia says a S62 engine is in the M5 (see, more E-numbers!!!). So the M5 is a 5-litre V8?
I assume they come in auto and manual versions, and I'm also assuming that the manual is the one to go for.
Any more info on what to look out for, what goes wrong, tuning options, an average buying price ... etc please?
Edited by horrgakx on Tuesday 23 February 11:54
Hi: M5 wise, there are four versions;
e28 is the first, all built in the 80s, the square rigged shark-nose - £8K might get you one, but there weren't many to start with, & not really an every day car, anymore.
Next was the e34, bigger, four headlight version, 88 - 94. You might get a ratty one for buttons, & for £8k a superb example, but you could easily pay a bit more. A few estates out there, LHD only.
The e39 is the last but one version, a 5.0 V8, all manual, all four door saloons. Great car, £8k would get you into one, but I'd get some expert advice, they're a bit in the twilight zone at that price, you might get a bargain or a money-pit. That's the one you're being aimed towards.
The e60 was the last, saloon & estate, V10 engine, semi-auto box - if you find one for £8K, it's probably very moody...
Hope that helps, & good luck!
e28 is the first, all built in the 80s, the square rigged shark-nose - £8K might get you one, but there weren't many to start with, & not really an every day car, anymore.
Next was the e34, bigger, four headlight version, 88 - 94. You might get a ratty one for buttons, & for £8k a superb example, but you could easily pay a bit more. A few estates out there, LHD only.
The e39 is the last but one version, a 5.0 V8, all manual, all four door saloons. Great car, £8k would get you into one, but I'd get some expert advice, they're a bit in the twilight zone at that price, you might get a bargain or a money-pit. That's the one you're being aimed towards.
The e60 was the last, saloon & estate, V10 engine, semi-auto box - if you find one for £8K, it's probably very moody...
Hope that helps, & good luck!
www.m5board.com is where you want to spend the next few days reading all relevant topics, and then you want to drive as many cars as possible to get a feel for what a good one is.
8K is really rather low, 10K would get you a good one.
8K is really rather low, 10K would get you a good one.
Hi Horggakx
You need to do some serious research and evaluations in order to bring your knowledge up to par for considering an M5. These are not 'normal' cars, they're Super Cars wrapped into a 4 door saloon shell. As mentioned, the M5board.com will be a very good place for you to start, and also ask questions etc.
We all had to learn and start somewhere - however, with you asking basic questions as the 'E39 M5 is a 5 litre V8' leads me to beleive you are not so clued up about cars in general. The answer is in fact correct, but a quick look at all the usual places and website forums would give you that confirmation without having to ask it as such. I'm not having a pop, just merely saying what I said initially, that you need to do some serious research.
£8K can get you into an M5 that's a good one, I know a few who've done this, don't expect it to be 100% but so long as the maechanicals are good or may require a small amount of work, not bank breaking items however. £10K upwards tends to find you the more well kept examples and better spec examples. The upper £12-15+ range should be excellent well kept examples with the lowest miles on them.
Look into getting membership of the BMW Car club - they offer a warranty for members and for the M5, it does cover big ticket items such as the Vanos etc and a member/guy I know, mentioned he got it and it's given him some peace of mind with his M5. It worked out to around the £65/month mark to have this warranty in place.
Good luck! and find out as much as you can !
Dennis! West London & Slough UK!
You need to do some serious research and evaluations in order to bring your knowledge up to par for considering an M5. These are not 'normal' cars, they're Super Cars wrapped into a 4 door saloon shell. As mentioned, the M5board.com will be a very good place for you to start, and also ask questions etc.
We all had to learn and start somewhere - however, with you asking basic questions as the 'E39 M5 is a 5 litre V8' leads me to beleive you are not so clued up about cars in general. The answer is in fact correct, but a quick look at all the usual places and website forums would give you that confirmation without having to ask it as such. I'm not having a pop, just merely saying what I said initially, that you need to do some serious research.
£8K can get you into an M5 that's a good one, I know a few who've done this, don't expect it to be 100% but so long as the maechanicals are good or may require a small amount of work, not bank breaking items however. £10K upwards tends to find you the more well kept examples and better spec examples. The upper £12-15+ range should be excellent well kept examples with the lowest miles on them.
Look into getting membership of the BMW Car club - they offer a warranty for members and for the M5, it does cover big ticket items such as the Vanos etc and a member/guy I know, mentioned he got it and it's given him some peace of mind with his M5. It worked out to around the £65/month mark to have this warranty in place.
Good luck! and find out as much as you can !
Dennis! West London & Slough UK!
Thanks for that.
As for my background, I've never been interested in BMW's whatsoever which is why I know nothing about them (I've never thought they offered value for money and the local dealer is completely up their own ar$e - another story) but I do have a wealth of motoring experience. Probably the most cherished car I've had was an EVO 6 TME and I've had a good sprinkling of other good cars. I've also got a racing licence and have taken part in a number of on-track races (non-road legal stuff) and have an abundance of driving experience including advanced driving and high-speed work.
I'm rapidly approaching my 40th birthday but with potential of starting a family somewhere on the horizon I can't think '100% car' any more :/
As for my background, I've never been interested in BMW's whatsoever which is why I know nothing about them (I've never thought they offered value for money and the local dealer is completely up their own ar$e - another story) but I do have a wealth of motoring experience. Probably the most cherished car I've had was an EVO 6 TME and I've had a good sprinkling of other good cars. I've also got a racing licence and have taken part in a number of on-track races (non-road legal stuff) and have an abundance of driving experience including advanced driving and high-speed work.
I'm rapidly approaching my 40th birthday but with potential of starting a family somewhere on the horizon I can't think '100% car' any more :/
Edited by horrgakx on Tuesday 23 February 13:52
Hi Horgakx
Thanks for the update! as said, I wasn't having a pop at you, just is difficult to know stuff from a forum posting. You do have a good if not envious background, racing license etc! very nice!
I can understand not knowing about BMW's but I know there's many like you who've not yet seen the light!
The E39 is sublime, one of the very best BMW's ever and is still highly sought after and revered, it really is right up there in terms of one of the best all rounder performance cars you can buy. The Value for money Vs smiles per mile with this car will be off the scale!
And I don't even own one! .. yet!
I think you'd be up to speed in knowing about the M5 very quickly, it's then a question of searching for one. Over the last couple months or so, various owners have got M5's on another forum I visit - forum5.co.uk and theres a good section there for everything else E39 related with a small section for the M owners. For the M knowledge its M5board.com, theres even feedback about certain cars for sale and the resulting impressions of them - so you know more about certain cars on your shortlist without even having to go see them! - some have turned out to be less than best described, even though the advert makes them look fantastic.
I saw an 03 E39 M5 in Estoril Blue a couple weekends back in Central London, and I was like wow! looked fantastic !
I'll shutup now, and wish you good luck in finding one that you like and buy! and be pre-emptive to say.. welcome to BMW!
Cheers, Dennis! West London & Slough UK!
Thanks for the update! as said, I wasn't having a pop at you, just is difficult to know stuff from a forum posting. You do have a good if not envious background, racing license etc! very nice!
I can understand not knowing about BMW's but I know there's many like you who've not yet seen the light!
The E39 is sublime, one of the very best BMW's ever and is still highly sought after and revered, it really is right up there in terms of one of the best all rounder performance cars you can buy. The Value for money Vs smiles per mile with this car will be off the scale!
And I don't even own one! .. yet!
I think you'd be up to speed in knowing about the M5 very quickly, it's then a question of searching for one. Over the last couple months or so, various owners have got M5's on another forum I visit - forum5.co.uk and theres a good section there for everything else E39 related with a small section for the M owners. For the M knowledge its M5board.com, theres even feedback about certain cars for sale and the resulting impressions of them - so you know more about certain cars on your shortlist without even having to go see them! - some have turned out to be less than best described, even though the advert makes them look fantastic.
I saw an 03 E39 M5 in Estoril Blue a couple weekends back in Central London, and I was like wow! looked fantastic !
I'll shutup now, and wish you good luck in finding one that you like and buy! and be pre-emptive to say.. welcome to BMW!
Cheers, Dennis! West London & Slough UK!
horrgakx said:
I've never thought they offered value for money
and the local dealer is completely up their own ar$e - another story.
I'm rapidly approaching my 40th birthday but with potential of starting a family somewhere on the horizon I can't think '100% car' any more :/
- brand new, I'd probably agree; once the first owners taken the depreciation hit, different story - there's very little out there will give you that much bang for the buck.and the local dealer is completely up their own ar$e - another story.
I'm rapidly approaching my 40th birthday but with potential of starting a family somewhere on the horizon I can't think '100% car' any more :/
- I'd stay away from dealers with an e39 M5, tbh - most of them in my experience are like that, sadly: if they're selling, it'll probably be over priced, & if it's service, they're unlikely to be as good as a good independant, anyway.
The good news is, an M5 is pretty much a "100%" car with doors & seats for 4 - so not quite the compromise you might imagine
FWIW E39 M5 was a manual box only and production was very late 1998-2003, approx 2,500 units in RHD were made.
Don't be put off by high miles, just check the history and that all work has been done in accordance with the miles. A high miler with a proper service history will probably give better peace of mind to a low miler that's only come out of the garage on high days and holidays.
As Dennis says check out the forum.bmw.co.uk in the M section. The US M5 board is brilliant for knowledge but naturally has a US bias.
Don't be put off by high miles, just check the history and that all work has been done in accordance with the miles. A high miler with a proper service history will probably give better peace of mind to a low miler that's only come out of the garage on high days and holidays.
As Dennis says check out the forum.bmw.co.uk in the M section. The US M5 board is brilliant for knowledge but naturally has a US bias.
Having joined the M5 fold last year I can whole-heartedly agree with those who say it's probably one the best all-round cars ever built.
It's a pussy cat when you're pootling about and an absolute animal when you want some fun. The power and noise are so intoxicating. They're also an excellent family car. Only a couple of weekends ago mine was fully laden with kids, Mrs and luggage and provided an exceptionally comfortable 200 mile trip and returned a very respectable 27MPG and didn't I see another e39 M5 for the whole trip!
But be warned, they can be a money pit - nothing is cheap and because it's very computer/sensor orientated you begin to dread any warning lights appearing on the dash.... it could be a £1 bulb or it could be a £300+ sensor or worse and you could easily end up replacing an expensive part only to find it doesn't cure the problem. But, if you're that way inclined, apparently there's lots of work you can do yourself and the M5board is an absolute mine of information and maintenance guides. The engines are not fragile though and, especially on M5board, there are numerous members with 200k car's on original engines and gearboxes.
Mine's a facelift 2001 and now has just over 111k. It cost me a shade over 8k and has full BMW service history. I got a respected Indy to do a pre-purchase inspection and I would recommend that course of action to anyone thinking of buying one. Most are very well spec'd but I'd recommend ensuring you get one with NAV.
When you test drive one, be warned, first to second can be very notchy when cold. The Sport button doesn't give you extra power but makes the throttle more responsive and the steering heavier. Test all the electrics including seats and headrests. Oh, and when you first hear one start up and tick over, don't be surprised if it sounds like a diesel, seriously.... they nearly all do! Do some reading on VANOS for an explanation.
It's the only car I've ever owned where I will purposefully set the alarm early on a Sunday so I can get out on the quiet roads for a bit of old fashioned hooning
It's a pussy cat when you're pootling about and an absolute animal when you want some fun. The power and noise are so intoxicating. They're also an excellent family car. Only a couple of weekends ago mine was fully laden with kids, Mrs and luggage and provided an exceptionally comfortable 200 mile trip and returned a very respectable 27MPG and didn't I see another e39 M5 for the whole trip!
But be warned, they can be a money pit - nothing is cheap and because it's very computer/sensor orientated you begin to dread any warning lights appearing on the dash.... it could be a £1 bulb or it could be a £300+ sensor or worse and you could easily end up replacing an expensive part only to find it doesn't cure the problem. But, if you're that way inclined, apparently there's lots of work you can do yourself and the M5board is an absolute mine of information and maintenance guides. The engines are not fragile though and, especially on M5board, there are numerous members with 200k car's on original engines and gearboxes.
Mine's a facelift 2001 and now has just over 111k. It cost me a shade over 8k and has full BMW service history. I got a respected Indy to do a pre-purchase inspection and I would recommend that course of action to anyone thinking of buying one. Most are very well spec'd but I'd recommend ensuring you get one with NAV.
When you test drive one, be warned, first to second can be very notchy when cold. The Sport button doesn't give you extra power but makes the throttle more responsive and the steering heavier. Test all the electrics including seats and headrests. Oh, and when you first hear one start up and tick over, don't be surprised if it sounds like a diesel, seriously.... they nearly all do! Do some reading on VANOS for an explanation.
It's the only car I've ever owned where I will purposefully set the alarm early on a Sunday so I can get out on the quiet roads for a bit of old fashioned hooning
mikey-r said:
Most are very well spec'd but I'd recommend ensuring you get one with NAV.
:
I personally find that any sat nav over 3 years old is not desirable. They are also one more thing to go wrong. Certainly a 2004 nav system is no match for a modern portable Garmin, and a 2001 system....well......! My 550 M Sport has no nav and I didn't want one even though its a 2006 car. Just my opinion though, as I am sure there are some around that would really value a 10 year old nav system....if not for the actual navigation but for the confirmation that they did actually exist back in those days....:
christer said:
mikey-r said:
Most are very well spec'd but I'd recommend ensuring you get one with NAV.
:
I personally find that any sat nav over 3 years old is not desirable. They are also one more thing to go wrong. Certainly a 2004 nav system is no match for a modern portable Garmin, and a 2001 system....well......! My 550 M Sport has no nav and I didn't want one even though its a 2006 car. Just my opinion though, as I am sure there are some around that would really value a 10 year old nav system....if not for the actual navigation but for the confirmation that they did actually exist back in those days....:
Gassing Station | BMW General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff