E39 M5 search/Buying tips
Discussion
Hi Everyone,
First post, so be kind please!
I'm in the market for an E39 M5. Looking for a pretty nice one, facelift, individual, no mods, lowish miles. Prepared to pay for the right one......
I know that I should be looking purely for the condition of the car, however I'm not going to buy one that i don't like the colour combination of just because it's in good nick.
So, does anyone know of one? Preferably a dark exterior with light interior (would take all black inside). Not fussed with Heritage Leather, if it has it great, but not a deal breaker. No 2 tone leather, no comfort seats.
It must have Sat Nav (not interested in retro fitting), glass sun roof would be nice.
To start the process, I'm going to just go a look at a few even if i don't like them. (only at dealers, don't want to waste any private sellers time)
When looking at them, apart from the obvious (full service history, any vanos work, clutch, rust, pixels), is there anything that i should watch out for? Any way they are meant to "feel".
Am based in London, so am going to pop up to Hexagon in High Gate to look at their MASSIVELY over priced ones just to see if A. They let me have a go in one, B. what one feels like with so little miles. (i seem to remember one of them was for sale when the going rate was about £25k, i guess they are waiting for them to be classics when the going rate is £25k again!!! Can't see anyone buying one at the moment!!)
I've read about Hexagon's general attitude, so am assuming that i wont get close to either of them!!!
Any tips for looking/buying, and also any leads to some good ones please let me know!!
On another note, insurance. Got a quote with Classicline Insurance for £700 less than anyone else. It is still £1,100, but I'm pretty please with it (can't believe I'm happy paying 10% of the value of the car on insurance!!), as i have no No Claims bonus, and live in central London(W8), and I'm 26 years old. I do have a garage, and will be doing a small mileage, but pretty impressed. They were really nice, and helpful on the phone as well, so would highly recommend them.
Thank in advance for any help.
Josh
First post, so be kind please!
I'm in the market for an E39 M5. Looking for a pretty nice one, facelift, individual, no mods, lowish miles. Prepared to pay for the right one......
I know that I should be looking purely for the condition of the car, however I'm not going to buy one that i don't like the colour combination of just because it's in good nick.
So, does anyone know of one? Preferably a dark exterior with light interior (would take all black inside). Not fussed with Heritage Leather, if it has it great, but not a deal breaker. No 2 tone leather, no comfort seats.
It must have Sat Nav (not interested in retro fitting), glass sun roof would be nice.
To start the process, I'm going to just go a look at a few even if i don't like them. (only at dealers, don't want to waste any private sellers time)
When looking at them, apart from the obvious (full service history, any vanos work, clutch, rust, pixels), is there anything that i should watch out for? Any way they are meant to "feel".
Am based in London, so am going to pop up to Hexagon in High Gate to look at their MASSIVELY over priced ones just to see if A. They let me have a go in one, B. what one feels like with so little miles. (i seem to remember one of them was for sale when the going rate was about £25k, i guess they are waiting for them to be classics when the going rate is £25k again!!! Can't see anyone buying one at the moment!!)
I've read about Hexagon's general attitude, so am assuming that i wont get close to either of them!!!
Any tips for looking/buying, and also any leads to some good ones please let me know!!
On another note, insurance. Got a quote with Classicline Insurance for £700 less than anyone else. It is still £1,100, but I'm pretty please with it (can't believe I'm happy paying 10% of the value of the car on insurance!!), as i have no No Claims bonus, and live in central London(W8), and I'm 26 years old. I do have a garage, and will be doing a small mileage, but pretty impressed. They were really nice, and helpful on the phone as well, so would highly recommend them.
Thank in advance for any help.
Josh
I viewed an awful lot of them. It's hard to find a decent one, with only 2500 ever made RHD/euro spec it's a small market over ten years later. Just look at as many as you can and I'd drive as many as you can, read up about control arms/braking wobble.
Don't worry about pixels, £100 fix from a chap in Southamton while you wait:
Before
After
Good luck, love mine.
Don't worry about pixels, £100 fix from a chap in Southamton while you wait:
Before
After
Good luck, love mine.
Mine is a facelift and i have upgraded to the Mk4 DVD sat nav drive which is much better than the CD based drive on the Mk3 unit, i think the very last 2003 E39 M5's had DVD sat nav drive.
TV, if its still got the analogue tuner it won't work, some people have upgraded to the OEM hybrid tuner which is a straight plug in and away you go but they are £1200 new and go for about £500 s/hand if you can find one.
The black shadow trims that go around the windows always seem to bubble up, they are not cheap to renew and can make the car look tatty, i replaced the ones that go along the top of the rear side windows they were about £100 each.
You probably already know but look inside the petrol flap for rust.
Front discs from dealer are about £360 so factor that in if they are due soon.
Most will need shocks by now plus the associated bits, people tend to not replace the shocks for some reason. I replaced mine with OEM ones from the dealer.
If its not running Alfa N check the MAFS, you should be able to feel when you hit the sport button, when i renewed the MAFS on mine it was like bolting 50bhp on ! They run very lean when the mafs are knackered.
These are just a few things that popped into my head i'm sure others will have a lot of other things.
I've had mine nearly 4 yrs and its been no trouble at all. Just wished i had split rear seats !
Simon.
TV, if its still got the analogue tuner it won't work, some people have upgraded to the OEM hybrid tuner which is a straight plug in and away you go but they are £1200 new and go for about £500 s/hand if you can find one.
The black shadow trims that go around the windows always seem to bubble up, they are not cheap to renew and can make the car look tatty, i replaced the ones that go along the top of the rear side windows they were about £100 each.
You probably already know but look inside the petrol flap for rust.
Front discs from dealer are about £360 so factor that in if they are due soon.
Most will need shocks by now plus the associated bits, people tend to not replace the shocks for some reason. I replaced mine with OEM ones from the dealer.
If its not running Alfa N check the MAFS, you should be able to feel when you hit the sport button, when i renewed the MAFS on mine it was like bolting 50bhp on ! They run very lean when the mafs are knackered.
These are just a few things that popped into my head i'm sure others will have a lot of other things.
I've had mine nearly 4 yrs and its been no trouble at all. Just wished i had split rear seats !
Simon.
I know of a BMW E39 M5 2001 Y Registration (So facelift) in Estoril Blue Metallic Paint. This I believe was only available through BMW Individual (but I am not sure) .... In an upmarket area of West London .... If u fancy it u can always pop the owner a note if he is interested in selling :-) ?
The BMW Hexagon of Highgate ones should be a good starting point of what a really really good one should be like ....
The BMW Hexagon of Highgate ones should be a good starting point of what a really really good one should be like ....
Most peculiar.
You seem to be set on an E39, not at Hexagon prices, but you want a very well specced and pampered low mileage car.
Have you driven one ? Many?
At a guess you'll be in the £12-£15k bracket.
I've owned 2 E39 M5's , one a 78000 miler and the other I bought with 48000 on it. I had to rebuild the entire front suspension on the low mileage one.
At the money you'll be spending you could move into E60's
You seem to be set on an E39, not at Hexagon prices, but you want a very well specced and pampered low mileage car.
Have you driven one ? Many?
At a guess you'll be in the £12-£15k bracket.
I've owned 2 E39 M5's , one a 78000 miler and the other I bought with 48000 on it. I had to rebuild the entire front suspension on the low mileage one.
At the money you'll be spending you could move into E60's
ArmaghMan said:
Most peculiar.
You seem to be set on an E39, not at Hexagon prices, but you want a very well specced and pampered low mileage car.
Have you driven one ? Many?
At a guess you'll be in the £12-£15k bracket.
I've owned 2 E39 M5's , one a 78000 miler and the other I bought with 48000 on it. I had to rebuild the entire front suspension on the low mileage one.
At the money you'll be spending you could move into E60's
Why did the low mileage one need rebuilding ?You seem to be set on an E39, not at Hexagon prices, but you want a very well specced and pampered low mileage car.
Have you driven one ? Many?
At a guess you'll be in the £12-£15k bracket.
I've owned 2 E39 M5's , one a 78000 miler and the other I bought with 48000 on it. I had to rebuild the entire front suspension on the low mileage one.
At the money you'll be spending you could move into E60's
ArmaghMan said:
Most peculiar.
You seem to be set on an E39, not at Hexagon prices, but you want a very well specced and pampered low mileage car.
Have you driven one ? Many?
At a guess you'll be in the £12-£15k bracket.
I've owned 2 E39 M5's , one a 78000 miler and the other I bought with 48000 on it. I had to rebuild the entire front suspension on the low mileage one.
At the money you'll be spending you could move into E60's
This is a fair point, and one that's been mentioned to me before, but not something that I'd call peculiar!You seem to be set on an E39, not at Hexagon prices, but you want a very well specced and pampered low mileage car.
Have you driven one ? Many?
At a guess you'll be in the £12-£15k bracket.
I've owned 2 E39 M5's , one a 78000 miler and the other I bought with 48000 on it. I had to rebuild the entire front suspension on the low mileage one.
At the money you'll be spending you could move into E60's
I don't really see an e39 and e60 m5 have the same appeal. Yes, the e60 in p500 max attack mode is something very special, I borrowed a friends m6 for a couple of weeks and it was addictive. But when not in that max mode it wasn't really that great at just doing normal things.
The e39 however, seems to be able to be good at everything that I need from a car at all times. Fast enough to be able dispense of most other cars on the road, but also be happy just cruising around.
On top of that, why would I want to buy high mileage, possibly abused e60, when I can get a cherished e39 for the same money??
So yes, I'm set on an e39, on purely subjective attributes.
Why did you have to rebuild the front suspension?
thepony said:
I know of a BMW E39 M5 2001 Y Registration (So facelift) in Estoril Blue Metallic Paint. This I believe was only available through BMW Individual (but I am not sure) .... In an upmarket area of West London .... If u fancy it u can always pop the owner a note if he is interested in selling :-) ?
The BMW Hexagon of Highgate ones should be a good starting point of what a really really good one should be like ....
Thanks for this lead. Which part of London? Estoril is one of my favourites!The BMW Hexagon of Highgate ones should be a good starting point of what a really really good one should be like ....
cosworth330 said:
Mine is a facelift and i have upgraded to the Mk4 DVD sat nav drive which is much better than the CD based drive on the Mk3 unit, i think the very last 2003 E39 M5's had DVD sat nav drive.
TV, if its still got the analogue tuner it won't work, some people have upgraded to the OEM hybrid tuner which is a straight plug in and away you go but they are £1200 new and go for about £500 s/hand if you can find one.
The black shadow trims that go around the windows always seem to bubble up, they are not cheap to renew and can make the car look tatty, i replaced the ones that go along the top of the rear side windows they were about £100 each.
You probably already know but look inside the petrol flap for rust.
Front discs from dealer are about £360 so factor that in if they are due soon.
Most will need shocks by now plus the associated bits, people tend to not replace the shocks for some reason. I replaced mine with OEM ones from the dealer.
If its not running Alfa N check the MAFS, you should be able to feel when you hit the sport button, when i renewed the MAFS on mine it was like bolting 50bhp on ! They run very lean when the mafs are knackered.
These are just a few things that popped into my head i'm sure others will have a lot of other things.
I've had mine nearly 4 yrs and its been no trouble at all. Just wished i had split rear seats !
Simon.
Simon, great knowledge. Thanks for this!TV, if its still got the analogue tuner it won't work, some people have upgraded to the OEM hybrid tuner which is a straight plug in and away you go but they are £1200 new and go for about £500 s/hand if you can find one.
The black shadow trims that go around the windows always seem to bubble up, they are not cheap to renew and can make the car look tatty, i replaced the ones that go along the top of the rear side windows they were about £100 each.
You probably already know but look inside the petrol flap for rust.
Front discs from dealer are about £360 so factor that in if they are due soon.
Most will need shocks by now plus the associated bits, people tend to not replace the shocks for some reason. I replaced mine with OEM ones from the dealer.
If its not running Alfa N check the MAFS, you should be able to feel when you hit the sport button, when i renewed the MAFS on mine it was like bolting 50bhp on ! They run very lean when the mafs are knackered.
These are just a few things that popped into my head i'm sure others will have a lot of other things.
I've had mine nearly 4 yrs and its been no trouble at all. Just wished i had split rear seats !
Simon.
Yes, I've read about the MAFs being a weak point!
I know BMW are pretty tight, but no split seats is a joke!
EddieFelson said:
I viewed an awful lot of them. It's hard to find a decent one, with only 2500 ever made RHD/euro spec it's a small market over ten years later. Just look at as many as you can and I'd drive as many as you can, read up about control arms/braking wobble.
Don't worry about pixels, £100 fix from a chap in Southamton while you wait:
Before
After
Good luck, love mine.
Thanks for this. Also great knowledge!Don't worry about pixels, £100 fix from a chap in Southamton while you wait:
Before
After
Good luck, love mine.
Imain killer of the e39 IMO is rust! Mine is a low mileage 2001, looks very clean etc, but I'm going to have to spend some money on welding it up this year for the MOT, main areas to check:
Jacking points
Wheel arches
Fuel cap
The trim panel under the boot and able the rear bumper
The boot handle and lock
These are all really prone to rust.
Other than that, brakes are costly and a bit crap, I upgraded to stop tech 6/4 pots around and bushes tend to get overlooked and can cause dodgy handling and premature tyre wear.
Air flow meters arnt to big a deal, takes a few minutes to change and they are available at any motor factors.
Most are noisy on start up from the vanos but it should settle after a few seconds.
Plenty of info on m5board about them.
Jacking points
Wheel arches
Fuel cap
The trim panel under the boot and able the rear bumper
The boot handle and lock
These are all really prone to rust.
Other than that, brakes are costly and a bit crap, I upgraded to stop tech 6/4 pots around and bushes tend to get overlooked and can cause dodgy handling and premature tyre wear.
Air flow meters arnt to big a deal, takes a few minutes to change and they are available at any motor factors.
Most are noisy on start up from the vanos but it should settle after a few seconds.
Plenty of info on m5board about them.
thepony said:
ArmaghMan said:
Most peculiar.
You seem to be set on an E39, not at Hexagon prices, but you want a very well specced and pampered low mileage car.
Have you driven one ? Many?
At a guess you'll be in the £12-£15k bracket.
I've owned 2 E39 M5's , one a 78000 miler and the other I bought with 48000 on it. I had to rebuild the entire front suspension on the low mileage one.
At the money you'll be spending you could move into E60's
Why did the low mileage one need rebuilding ?You seem to be set on an E39, not at Hexagon prices, but you want a very well specced and pampered low mileage car.
Have you driven one ? Many?
At a guess you'll be in the £12-£15k bracket.
I've owned 2 E39 M5's , one a 78000 miler and the other I bought with 48000 on it. I had to rebuild the entire front suspension on the low mileage one.
At the money you'll be spending you could move into E60's
Hi, i recently bought the one the was discussed on here recently (50k miles, bought as a BMW AUC car).
It is Carbon Black with Caramel leather, and comes with a 2-year BMW warranty as well. Has a load of options including sunroof, rear sun blinds, etc. 2002 facelift car.
Drop me a PM if you're interested in it, as I've just decided to swap it for something else.
It is Carbon Black with Caramel leather, and comes with a 2-year BMW warranty as well. Has a load of options including sunroof, rear sun blinds, etc. 2002 facelift car.
Drop me a PM if you're interested in it, as I've just decided to swap it for something else.
Have you seen the one that 4 star have got in? It's not exactly what you are looking for as it's a pre-facelift with >100k, but it does look lovely. Facelift lights and Nav I think.
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/4219286.htm
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/4219286.htm
Gassing Station | M Power | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff