150k mile E39 M5... daily
Discussion
Picked up up last night, drove it home in the pissing rain and drove it into the office this morning. That's the only pic I've been able to take so far! 
It's very tidy, but not perfect. I'm compiling a list in my head of bits that need attention (small bits so far, at least!). It's really bloody quick. It's a proper bucket-list car for me, but I'm still terrified it's going to ruin me
It's very tidy, but not perfect. I'm compiling a list in my head of bits that need attention (small bits so far, at least!). It's really bloody quick. It's a proper bucket-list car for me, but I'm still terrified it's going to ruin me
An absolute beauty! If it's any consolation to you, the engines are pretty much bullet-proof, as far as i'm aware. So it's just the rest of the car that you need to worry about, with the usual added M tax for parts 
Seriously though, hats off to you. A proper car that has and will be used as it should. I hope it serves you well and i look forward to further updates.
Seriously though, hats off to you. A proper car that has and will be used as it should. I hope it serves you well and i look forward to further updates.
Honestly? I don't know. There's stacks of paperwork going back to the first registration, and while I've had a good rifle through I've not gone through in painstaking detail yet. I'm going to have a sit down this evening and familiarise myself with everything. Aside from anything else, it's got loads of options my old cooking E39 could only ever dream of!
Thanks for the encouragement though. I'll keep this thread updated with progress.
Thanks for the encouragement though. I'll keep this thread updated with progress.
Silverstone is such a pretty colour, suits the e39 really well, and it looks very very well kept too.
Fabulous cars but they are expensive to run. Engine is maybe bulletproof but the bits bolted to it that make it run are far from it, the Vanos can be a weak spot, but concidering the milage on yours it's most likely sorted. They can sound a little like a big V8 diesel at idle, but that is not a source for concern, they do that, the later ones (01-03) less so than the earlier ones. What year is yours? And the rodbearings can go aswell, not super common however, the S62 does not like lugging in high gear on low revs however, especially not when cold.
It seems to have the flush pre-facelift non m5 kidneys on aswell, looks great that.
Great buy never the less and they work great as a daily driver, i semi-daily mine despite a rather short commute just because it's such a nice car to drive.
Fabulous cars but they are expensive to run. Engine is maybe bulletproof but the bits bolted to it that make it run are far from it, the Vanos can be a weak spot, but concidering the milage on yours it's most likely sorted. They can sound a little like a big V8 diesel at idle, but that is not a source for concern, they do that, the later ones (01-03) less so than the earlier ones. What year is yours? And the rodbearings can go aswell, not super common however, the S62 does not like lugging in high gear on low revs however, especially not when cold.
It seems to have the flush pre-facelift non m5 kidneys on aswell, looks great that.
Great buy never the less and they work great as a daily driver, i semi-daily mine despite a rather short commute just because it's such a nice car to drive.
Edited by PowerslideSWE on Wednesday 13th September 16:54
.You say that you're compiling a list of bits that need attention. If you haven't already added it to the list you'll probably want to remove the T bar from the centre of the front bumper as it appears to be wearing a normal (but otherwise identical looking) E39 Sport bumper rather than the M5 item.
Another tip while you're getting used to your particular car is to watch oil consumption like a hawk for the first few K miles while you work out whether yours is one of the cars that likes a drink or whether it's one where the level doesn't move. Both are considered normal, but only you will know which yours is and you don't want to find out that it's a drinker the wrong way.
Above all, enjoy it. They deserve to be driven and aren't anywhere near as fragile as the Internet would have you believe, so long as you treat the car with respect and some mechanical sympathy.
Another tip while you're getting used to your particular car is to watch oil consumption like a hawk for the first few K miles while you work out whether yours is one of the cars that likes a drink or whether it's one where the level doesn't move. Both are considered normal, but only you will know which yours is and you don't want to find out that it's a drinker the wrong way.
Above all, enjoy it. They deserve to be driven and aren't anywhere near as fragile as the Internet would have you believe, so long as you treat the car with respect and some mechanical sympathy.
Thanks for the kind words and encouragement, everyone. Managed to get some more pics last night:
2017-09-13_07-37-49 by Ben Edwards, on Flickr
2017-09-13_07-37-58 by Ben Edwards, on Flickr
2017-09-13_07-38-05 by Ben Edwards, on Flickr
2017-09-13_07-38-14 by Ben Edwards, on Flickr
2017-09-13_07-38-26 by Ben Edwards, on Flickr
So, what do I know? I'm the 7th owner, which isn't too bad in my mind for a 17 year old car. VANOS is lovely and quiet compared to some I've seen,and there are receipts in the history suggesting it has had some attention in the past. It drives beautifully - burbling along in traffic it feels like my old E39 SE, until you prod the loud pedal. It seems to have every toy imaginable, almost all of which still work. That rear blind was a shock when I went "ooh, what does this button do?"
As mentioned, there is a bit of a list compiling:
2017-09-13_07-37-49 by Ben Edwards, on Flickr2017-09-13_07-37-58 by Ben Edwards, on Flickr2017-09-13_07-38-05 by Ben Edwards, on Flickr2017-09-13_07-38-14 by Ben Edwards, on Flickr2017-09-13_07-38-26 by Ben Edwards, on FlickrSo, what do I know? I'm the 7th owner, which isn't too bad in my mind for a 17 year old car. VANOS is lovely and quiet compared to some I've seen,and there are receipts in the history suggesting it has had some attention in the past. It drives beautifully - burbling along in traffic it feels like my old E39 SE, until you prod the loud pedal. It seems to have every toy imaginable, almost all of which still work. That rear blind was a shock when I went "ooh, what does this button do?"
As mentioned, there is a bit of a list compiling:
- The dimmable rear view mirror has shat itself and is permanently dimmed across the bottom half
- The reverse sensors work. Sometimes.
- Sport front bumper (thanks - hadn't spotted than if I'm honest, although as a purely aesthetic change it'll be quite far down on the list)
- The black wheels look horrible to my eye, so will be refurbished back to the original colour
- Accelera tyres have no place on an M5 (what are people thinking?!)
- Headlight aim is a bit low for my liking - I suspect broken adjusters.
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