Discussion
Triumph Man said:
Great Pretender said:
Triumph Man said:
I have to admit I chuckled at the humble folding rear seat being described as a 'through load system' in that advert. Lovely cars, although OP I have to admit when I saw old M5s in the thread title I thought of E28s and E34s!
Folding seats are a very rare option on the M5 though.
E30M3SE said:
forzaminardi said:
Oh, he also has this for sale:- http://www.oscmotorsport.co.uk/sales/car013/sales_...
And oddly enough, this:- http://www.oscmotorsport.co.uk/sales/car003/sales_...
Guess that makes him a 'Trader'....... bonus.And oddly enough, this:- http://www.oscmotorsport.co.uk/sales/car003/sales_...
s m said:
..Or did all E39 M5s get the extra panel when you specify folding rears?
IIRC, for the E39 M5, both options were bundled together. Not possible to retrofit folding seats to a non-folding seat car, due to different bodyshell.Very desirable option for used buyers looking for a practial m-car.
MattOz said:
OP,
I know the guy who owns that bluewater M5 and he's had some lovely BMWs over the years. It's certainly worth a look if you're in the market. The only thing I'd do would be to re-colour the drivers seat as it looks a little worn and feed the rest of the leather. Apart from that, it's a well spec'd car.
Matt
Best I retract my statement then I know the guy who owns that bluewater M5 and he's had some lovely BMWs over the years. It's certainly worth a look if you're in the market. The only thing I'd do would be to re-colour the drivers seat as it looks a little worn and feed the rest of the leather. Apart from that, it's a well spec'd car.
Matt
BOR said:
s m said:
..Or did all E39 M5s get the extra panel when you specify folding rears?
IIRC, for the E39 M5, both options were bundled together. Not possible to retrofit folding seats to a non-folding seat car, due to different bodyshell.Very desirable option for used buyers looking for a practial m-car.
s m said:
BOR said:
s m said:
..Or did all E39 M5s get the extra panel when you specify folding rears?
IIRC, for the E39 M5, both options were bundled together. Not possible to retrofit folding seats to a non-folding seat car, due to different bodyshell.Very desirable option for used buyers looking for a practial m-car.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
That about sums up my E39 M5 ownership.
Undoubtedly a great car (probably the best I've owned), but expensive to run. I had thought about track days, but tyres and pads (and discs) would have cost too much. Commuting, I may have been driving any 5 series, except for the fuel consumption; 5 miles at 10 mph, 18 mpg. It had a certain amount of valve noise, which scared the bejesus out of me (vanos costs), a slight vibration in the drive train (clutch? coupling? prop shaft?), but apart from that the car was mint. (bought with 78k on clock). The other problem was, although it was Millenium Falcon fast, it didn't seem it. Windy B-road at 70, no issue; wet roundabout on dual carriageway, didn't notice, apart from a flicker of the vdc light. A3 derestriction, 4th gear, 40 to 120 in a few heartbeats, with the beginnings of V8 noise. Nice. The only time I knew it was fast was when I looked at the speedo, otherwise I might have well been doing 50 mph.
Build quality was very good and I would have happily driven the length of the country in it, such was the comfort and ease of rapid mileage. I relished its engineering and spec - uprated water pump, massive tyres and brakes, 3 oil pumps, force-lubricated gudgeon pins, latent heat energy store, rose-jointed links (I think), 4 individual silencers etc etc! I read all of the user manual, and then the manual on the S62 engine.
However, the constant filling up with Super, ache from the continual buttock clench over Vanos et al, being stuck in traffic and Mrs C reminding me that I didn't tell her I was buying it, lead me to sell after 8 months, about 10k miles (most glorious hoonage) more and 8kGBP lighter.
At the moment I'm happy driving the Fiesta at 50 down a windy road - noise, tyres at limit, lots of involvement and a totally reliable engine.
Having said that, I'm glad I once owned the fastest production saloon ever.
Hope this helps!
Dr C
That about sums up my E39 M5 ownership.
Undoubtedly a great car (probably the best I've owned), but expensive to run. I had thought about track days, but tyres and pads (and discs) would have cost too much. Commuting, I may have been driving any 5 series, except for the fuel consumption; 5 miles at 10 mph, 18 mpg. It had a certain amount of valve noise, which scared the bejesus out of me (vanos costs), a slight vibration in the drive train (clutch? coupling? prop shaft?), but apart from that the car was mint. (bought with 78k on clock). The other problem was, although it was Millenium Falcon fast, it didn't seem it. Windy B-road at 70, no issue; wet roundabout on dual carriageway, didn't notice, apart from a flicker of the vdc light. A3 derestriction, 4th gear, 40 to 120 in a few heartbeats, with the beginnings of V8 noise. Nice. The only time I knew it was fast was when I looked at the speedo, otherwise I might have well been doing 50 mph.
Build quality was very good and I would have happily driven the length of the country in it, such was the comfort and ease of rapid mileage. I relished its engineering and spec - uprated water pump, massive tyres and brakes, 3 oil pumps, force-lubricated gudgeon pins, latent heat energy store, rose-jointed links (I think), 4 individual silencers etc etc! I read all of the user manual, and then the manual on the S62 engine.
However, the constant filling up with Super, ache from the continual buttock clench over Vanos et al, being stuck in traffic and Mrs C reminding me that I didn't tell her I was buying it, lead me to sell after 8 months, about 10k miles (most glorious hoonage) more and 8kGBP lighter.
At the moment I'm happy driving the Fiesta at 50 down a windy road - noise, tyres at limit, lots of involvement and a totally reliable engine.
Having said that, I'm glad I once owned the fastest production saloon ever.
Hope this helps!
Dr C
Great Pretender said:
If you've got a few days, then have a look here:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
And be sure to check out the previous six volumes. We talk about the E39 M5 (and its forebears) rather a lot...
If you don't have a few days or even a few hours however, then here's a quick summary:
Run!
OK, don't run, but do bare this one facet in mind: these cars are usually only ever sold when something either breaks or is about to break. Nobody (well, except me perhaps) spends a fortune making them right and then gets rid.
Buying an M5 at the sort of mileage you are considering above is frankly a recepie for trouble. I can guarantee that to make it right, you will spend the purchase price again within the first year; whereupon you'd be better buying a lower mileage car in the first place (albeit with the provisio that it too will still require work).
These are not cheap cars to run. A 911 is probably kinder on the wallet in fact.
A sorted one however... well, there's nothing finer for the money.
I'm sorry but I think this is a load of bhttp://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
And be sure to check out the previous six volumes. We talk about the E39 M5 (and its forebears) rather a lot...
If you don't have a few days or even a few hours however, then here's a quick summary:
Run!
OK, don't run, but do bare this one facet in mind: these cars are usually only ever sold when something either breaks or is about to break. Nobody (well, except me perhaps) spends a fortune making them right and then gets rid.
Buying an M5 at the sort of mileage you are considering above is frankly a recepie for trouble. I can guarantee that to make it right, you will spend the purchase price again within the first year; whereupon you'd be better buying a lower mileage car in the first place (albeit with the provisio that it too will still require work).
These are not cheap cars to run. A 911 is probably kinder on the wallet in fact.
A sorted one however... well, there's nothing finer for the money.
ks.Apart from early vanos, the engine is pretty bulletproof, most of the car is pretty bog standard E39 parts which makes them easy to repair.
As for the comment about them only ever being sold if somethings going wrong. What a crock.
Mine currently has 140K on the clock and has never put a foot wrong.
The only people who shouldn't buy these are people who are mechanical numpties, because despite the age, your average BMW dealer still expects you to have top of the range wallets.
So if you are mechanically inept you might want something newer with a warrenty, if not its a pretty unbeatable car.
Other than that you are buying a 6K car which has the power to embarrass a lot of supercars.
Great Pretender said:
MattOz said:
OP,
I know the guy who owns that bluewater M5 and he's had some lovely BMWs over the years. It's certainly worth a look if you're in the market. The only thing I'd do would be to re-colour the drivers seat as it looks a little worn and feed the rest of the leather. Apart from that, it's a well spec'd car.
Matt
Best I retract my statement then I know the guy who owns that bluewater M5 and he's had some lovely BMWs over the years. It's certainly worth a look if you're in the market. The only thing I'd do would be to re-colour the drivers seat as it looks a little worn and feed the rest of the leather. Apart from that, it's a well spec'd car.
Matt
Zwolf said:
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