2005 BMW M6 V10
Discussion
Hi all,
A few months ago I got the itch for a replacement daily. The incumbent was a 2015 Mercedes C63 AMG saloon which was chosen to replace my 911 (997.1) 2S when my wife was expecting our son. 2 years on and I’ve covered a paltry 10k miles in total and experienced a fair whack of depreciation (I’m a buyer not a renter, maybe that’s where I’ve been going awry?) so as a wee project/experiment I thought I would see if there was a car out there that I could still use as my daily, although I don’t need to drive every day, but still enjoy as a car to own and still have performance to excite me. The only stipulation was that it needed to be safe enough to carry my son in his car seat for the two mornings a week that I drop him off at nursery and that my wife can drive it without too much issue as I use her car as my tow beast for race weekends. Budget-wise I wanted to keep under £50k and I wanted to try to get something that would see minimal depreciation and if possible some appreciation. Running costs would be taken into account in terms of repairs but fuel costs won’t be of much concern given the low mileage.
The list had 993 and 964’s on it, Maserati GranTurismo, Mercedes E63, CLS63 and the BMW M6. All of the above are cars I can get excited about and I did have a spreadsheet running to compare them all spec, performance and size-wise but early on it became clear there was an early leader when the purchase cost was considered; the M6.
This realisation coincided with a few articles being written about the M6 and then the good people of PH wrote a buying guide which really pushed me to action before everyone snapped up the good ones! Remember the effect of the manual V12 Ferrari article?! I needed to be quick!
As mentioned the M6 was very pleasantly well within budget so I was able to be very choosy and pay the asking price at the upper end of the market. I wasn’t after a garage queen either as an ultra low mileage would likely suffer a multitude of issues when pressed back into service. There was also no need to pay a big premium when I’m not specifically buying for investment purposes so it made sense that I bought a good low miler that had been used and serviced well. The car I wanted popped up at a Cheshire based trader and I promptly made the call. It was a late 2005 car with verified 20k miles. Black paint and black interior wouldn’t be my very first choice but it looked so good. Also, pleasingly, the previous owners had serviced it well at the maindealers, fitted a new clutch in Jan of this year and also fitted the upgraded LCI infotainment system and rear lights.
A deal was agreed and I collected the car on Dec 28th. The weather was rather lively in central Scotland that day but the car got me home perfectly. It even returned an mpg in the mid 20’s! Goodness me, it’s even economical! Haha!
You’ll all be after pics so here goes;
A few months ago I got the itch for a replacement daily. The incumbent was a 2015 Mercedes C63 AMG saloon which was chosen to replace my 911 (997.1) 2S when my wife was expecting our son. 2 years on and I’ve covered a paltry 10k miles in total and experienced a fair whack of depreciation (I’m a buyer not a renter, maybe that’s where I’ve been going awry?) so as a wee project/experiment I thought I would see if there was a car out there that I could still use as my daily, although I don’t need to drive every day, but still enjoy as a car to own and still have performance to excite me. The only stipulation was that it needed to be safe enough to carry my son in his car seat for the two mornings a week that I drop him off at nursery and that my wife can drive it without too much issue as I use her car as my tow beast for race weekends. Budget-wise I wanted to keep under £50k and I wanted to try to get something that would see minimal depreciation and if possible some appreciation. Running costs would be taken into account in terms of repairs but fuel costs won’t be of much concern given the low mileage.
The list had 993 and 964’s on it, Maserati GranTurismo, Mercedes E63, CLS63 and the BMW M6. All of the above are cars I can get excited about and I did have a spreadsheet running to compare them all spec, performance and size-wise but early on it became clear there was an early leader when the purchase cost was considered; the M6.
This realisation coincided with a few articles being written about the M6 and then the good people of PH wrote a buying guide which really pushed me to action before everyone snapped up the good ones! Remember the effect of the manual V12 Ferrari article?! I needed to be quick!
As mentioned the M6 was very pleasantly well within budget so I was able to be very choosy and pay the asking price at the upper end of the market. I wasn’t after a garage queen either as an ultra low mileage would likely suffer a multitude of issues when pressed back into service. There was also no need to pay a big premium when I’m not specifically buying for investment purposes so it made sense that I bought a good low miler that had been used and serviced well. The car I wanted popped up at a Cheshire based trader and I promptly made the call. It was a late 2005 car with verified 20k miles. Black paint and black interior wouldn’t be my very first choice but it looked so good. Also, pleasingly, the previous owners had serviced it well at the maindealers, fitted a new clutch in Jan of this year and also fitted the upgraded LCI infotainment system and rear lights.
A deal was agreed and I collected the car on Dec 28th. The weather was rather lively in central Scotland that day but the car got me home perfectly. It even returned an mpg in the mid 20’s! Goodness me, it’s even economical! Haha!
You’ll all be after pics so here goes;
All of those pics are from the seller and are what I based my purchase on.
I did manage to wash it after getting back to Aberdeen. It was a chilly 2 degrees but I did it and am glad I did as it helps the bonding process!
I have a few nice pics of the car from that wash but I’m struggling to post them correctly oriented for some reason so need to look at that. It may be tomorrow before I manage.
Despite the cars brilliant condition and spec there is still a wee to-do list;
Obtain BMW extended warranty
Full paint detail and ceramic coating
Minor dent on rear arch to be dent devilled
A/C regas
Replace wipers
Change a few light bulbs for improved led versions both interior and exterior
Buy and fit OEM luggage net for boot floor
Replace tyres for Michelin Pilot Sport 4S
and if I find a reasonably priced pair of front LED indicators then I would swap the originals for those just to update the look of the front end slightly.
I did manage to wash it after getting back to Aberdeen. It was a chilly 2 degrees but I did it and am glad I did as it helps the bonding process!
I have a few nice pics of the car from that wash but I’m struggling to post them correctly oriented for some reason so need to look at that. It may be tomorrow before I manage.
Despite the cars brilliant condition and spec there is still a wee to-do list;
Obtain BMW extended warranty
Full paint detail and ceramic coating
Minor dent on rear arch to be dent devilled
A/C regas
Replace wipers
Change a few light bulbs for improved led versions both interior and exterior
Buy and fit OEM luggage net for boot floor
Replace tyres for Michelin Pilot Sport 4S
and if I find a reasonably priced pair of front LED indicators then I would swap the originals for those just to update the look of the front end slightly.
Edited by James B on Wednesday 3rd January 12:03
Cheers for the comments guys.
It's not all that bad up here and the M6 is a lot more docile than many would believe. The C63 it replaces would spin the wheels daily and that's without provocation. It was just the way the power was delivered. The V10 is torquey but so controllable being normally aspirated so I haven't any issues yet with traction.
I also got my pics from the clean.
It's not all that bad up here and the M6 is a lot more docile than many would believe. The C63 it replaces would spin the wheels daily and that's without provocation. It was just the way the power was delivered. The V10 is torquey but so controllable being normally aspirated so I haven't any issues yet with traction.
I also got my pics from the clean.
So things are progressing nicely.
A/C regas is booked for Sat morning.
Dent Devils are awaiting a pic of the dent to confirm they can help.
The tyres are proving an issue however as Michelin have chosen not to make the standard front tyre size for the M6 in their new Pilot Sport 4S so I am left with only the Pilot Super Sport for the front. I'm a bit fussy so would want matching rubber front and rear though so may need to settle for MPSS all round. In fairness it's a bit of a first world problem as the MPSS is still a great tyre and I have run them on the Vanquish and C63 for years.
A/C regas is booked for Sat morning.
Dent Devils are awaiting a pic of the dent to confirm they can help.
The tyres are proving an issue however as Michelin have chosen not to make the standard front tyre size for the M6 in their new Pilot Sport 4S so I am left with only the Pilot Super Sport for the front. I'm a bit fussy so would want matching rubber front and rear though so may need to settle for MPSS all round. In fairness it's a bit of a first world problem as the MPSS is still a great tyre and I have run them on the Vanquish and C63 for years.
my snip...
Either way, I too have been thinking along the same lines in terms of tyres for mine, probably going to go ‘up’ 10mm on the width & go for 265 at front, 295 at back, as MP4S’s are made in those widths. I’ve done the 10mm up-size on all my BMW’s so far without issue...
I have Pilot Alpin 4 on in standard sizes at present and they’re fine, should you decide to get some winter rubber.
Only issue is finding a second set of wheels! Style 167’s are forged, and they aren’t cheap...
Best of luck with the dents, etc, and if you do make a move on tyres, please let me know how you get on? (I run the mps4s’s on the 7-series, so do have (+ve) experience of them already). I’ve a rr thread in here somewhere...
Rob.
James B said:
The tyres are proving an issue however as Michelin have chosen not to make the standard front tyre size for the M6 in their new Pilot Sport 4S so I am left with only the Pilot Super Sport for the front. I'm a bit fussy so would want matching rubber front and rear though so may need to settle for MPSS all round. In fairness it's a bit of a first world problem as the MPSS is still a great tyre and I have run them on the Vanquish and C63 for years.
Nice... I have sneaky suspicion that when I bought mine back in October/November, you were also potentially an interested party? (2006 in Interlagos blue, 50k miles - Dealer still in Cheshire - called James too!)Either way, I too have been thinking along the same lines in terms of tyres for mine, probably going to go ‘up’ 10mm on the width & go for 265 at front, 295 at back, as MP4S’s are made in those widths. I’ve done the 10mm up-size on all my BMW’s so far without issue...
I have Pilot Alpin 4 on in standard sizes at present and they’re fine, should you decide to get some winter rubber.
Only issue is finding a second set of wheels! Style 167’s are forged, and they aren’t cheap...
Best of luck with the dents, etc, and if you do make a move on tyres, please let me know how you get on? (I run the mps4s’s on the 7-series, so do have (+ve) experience of them already). I’ve a rr thread in here somewhere...
Rob.
Nice!
Exceptional value these are but repair costs can be huge.
How did you feel going from a 2015 to a 2005?
Im looking at 07/08 997s but concerned about going back agewise by quite a few years. Currently in an F12 640d which I’ve had for over a year now and to be fair its been brilliant but i always itch for a new car after a year or so.....
Exceptional value these are but repair costs can be huge.
How did you feel going from a 2015 to a 2005?
Im looking at 07/08 997s but concerned about going back agewise by quite a few years. Currently in an F12 640d which I’ve had for over a year now and to be fair its been brilliant but i always itch for a new car after a year or so.....
I'm also based near Aberdeen, if you're looking for a good garage to look after the M6 Scott Feaks at Premier motors on the hardgate is very good. He's been looking after my 2005 645 for the last few years and I won't take it anywhere else now.
(just noticed that you're going to be extending the warranty, main dealers only then!)
Car looks great, how do you find the SMG gearbox?
(just noticed that you're going to be extending the warranty, main dealers only then!)
Car looks great, how do you find the SMG gearbox?
Edited by Speed addicted on Wednesday 3rd January 23:26
Edited by Speed addicted on Wednesday 3rd January 23:30
Prinny said:
my snip...
Either way, I too have been thinking along the same lines in terms of tyres for mine, probably going to go ‘up’ 10mm on the width & go for 265 at front, 295 at back, as MP4S’s are made in those widths. I’ve done the 10mm up-size on all my BMW’s so far without issue...
I have Pilot Alpin 4 on in standard sizes at present and they’re fine, should you decide to get some winter rubber.
Only issue is finding a second set of wheels! Style 167’s are forged, and they aren’t cheap...
Best of luck with the dents, etc, and if you do make a move on tyres, please let me know how you get on? (I run the mps4s’s on the 7-series, so do have (+ve) experience of them already). I’ve a rr thread in here somewhere...
Rob.
Prinny,James B said:
The tyres are proving an issue however as Michelin have chosen not to make the standard front tyre size for the M6 in their new Pilot Sport 4S so I am left with only the Pilot Super Sport for the front. I'm a bit fussy so would want matching rubber front and rear though so may need to settle for MPSS all round. In fairness it's a bit of a first world problem as the MPSS is still a great tyre and I have run them on the Vanquish and C63 for years.
Nice... I have sneaky suspicion that when I bought mine back in October/November, you were also potentially an interested party? (2006 in Interlagos blue, 50k miles - Dealer still in Cheshire - called James too!)Either way, I too have been thinking along the same lines in terms of tyres for mine, probably going to go ‘up’ 10mm on the width & go for 265 at front, 295 at back, as MP4S’s are made in those widths. I’ve done the 10mm up-size on all my BMW’s so far without issue...
I have Pilot Alpin 4 on in standard sizes at present and they’re fine, should you decide to get some winter rubber.
Only issue is finding a second set of wheels! Style 167’s are forged, and they aren’t cheap...
Best of luck with the dents, etc, and if you do make a move on tyres, please let me know how you get on? (I run the mps4s’s on the 7-series, so do have (+ve) experience of them already). I’ve a rr thread in here somewhere...
Rob.
Yes I was also looking at that car but at the time I wasn't entirely happy with the money I was getting for my C63. I would have preferred your colour scheme for sure but I can live with what I have!
I'll have a think on the tyres. I put larger rears on my C63 as it came with MPSS in 265 flavour on the rear which I felt was too narrow for something pushing nigh on 500bhp. I changed to MPS4S in 285 width and they really filled out the back!
I have real a few comments that the MPSS/MPS4S tyres have a wider tread than other tyres (i.e. more square a cross section) so an MPSS/MPS4S will look wider than a Pirelli or Continental of same size. No idea if actually true as it was just written on the net but could be worth bearing in mind.
I'll do a little research.
I also haven't had any higher speed dry running yet so can't say for sure but the M6 was known to push on/understeer a little in corners which I am not a fan of. I like a planted front end and feedback from the rear as to when it'll break traction. The throttle on this V10 is so linear that it really does lend itself to very easy throttle control so the back end shouldn't be going anywhere unless you have urged it to do so with the throttle. To solve the understeer it may well be worth getting a little more rubber on the road so i'll have a serious look at the MPS4S sizes.
As for winter rubber, I was just going to find the 18" option wheels and stick some winters on them. I do actually have the winters off my Mercedes which will fit the M6 rims but are the wrong profile for the car so it would look a little odd!
alec.e said:
Looks great, maybe I should try one. That V10 engine must be a beast and they have aged quite well, just wish they came up with a proper cupholder 
I must admit that I'm quite surprised as to how good it feels. I thoroughly enjoy driving it and my son has a great time in his car seat in the back as he's got a much better view out of the front than in any of our other cars.I agree on the cup holder though! It's a bit of an afterthought. My wife took the M6 to the gym last night to see what it was all about and was not happy that her perfectly regularly sized water bottle was too large to fit it! I do see that there is another holder in the centre console behind the drivers seat back. Hardly handy for use while driving but a holder all the same and appears to be larger.
ReaperCushions said:
Such great value these cars. Not my first choice of color combo (As I'm sure it wasn't yours) but you can't be that choosy when looking second hand in a specialist market.
Any plans to release a bit more noise?
Yes I felt that the value was the driver for me on this one. I could have stuck £50k into a 993 C4 and been perfectly happy but i've had a few 911's and the possibility of getting into something with an engine as fabulous as the M6 was too great a chance to pass on. If I really hanker after another modernish 911 then I can throw caution to the wind and get the man maths calculator out and just use the rest of the 'budget' for a leggy 964 and get playing with it! Any plans to release a bit more noise?
The aural experience of my cars is important to me and having had the AMG Performance exhaust on the C63 the M6 had a lot to live up to. It doesn't start with quite the same bark as the C63 (or the Vanquish for that matter) but it's fairly loud. On the road the exhaust note in the cabin isn't really that noticeable at all but I'm not sure I want it to be in that car. I'm heading on a run this weekend so will get a chance to really try out the car and see what its like.
I have to bear in mind that my intention with this car is to keep it standard and perfect and not for it to be some modified mess that is then seen by the market as imperfect.
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