Is a 2008 M6 a risky purchase?
Discussion
Friend of mine is selling one, less than 70k with FSH. I hear horror stories about the engine with dropped valves and exploding bottom ends. Would this be a wise purchase or would it likely end in tears? I don’t believe he has had any issues with it to date. Keen to hear any PH experiences. Many thanks.
Never heard of valve issues myself, but gearbox issues are common and it’s not a cheap fix. You may get lucky and have a cheap (for an M6 v10) ownership but it has the potential to be a money pit. If you can afford it if it goes wrong or you feel it’s worth the risk then go for it, great cars from what I hear.
Any ten year old M car is going to be very expensive to run and has a massive potential for big bills.
Unless you can put £5k+ in a pot somewhere for emergencies then perhaps it's not for you
Full history with BMW actually means very little, other than oil and filter changes (not sure if these are on variable servicing) and maybe spark plugs and air filters probably not a lot has been done.
My experience with BMWs is that by ten years old the suspension will be tired and likely need work. Also I think things like brakes are extrememly expensive too for these.
But if you can afford it then why not ?
Unless you can put £5k+ in a pot somewhere for emergencies then perhaps it's not for you
Full history with BMW actually means very little, other than oil and filter changes (not sure if these are on variable servicing) and maybe spark plugs and air filters probably not a lot has been done.
My experience with BMWs is that by ten years old the suspension will be tired and likely need work. Also I think things like brakes are extrememly expensive too for these.
But if you can afford it then why not ?
Gearbox and the bearing wear I would say...
All the issues that apply to the M5 E60/61 apply here.
I must admit there is an M5 E60 local to me and it does sound wonderful in comparison with even the new F90 M5. But at the same time it just all sounds expensive should that engine have an issue!
All the issues that apply to the M5 E60/61 apply here.
I must admit there is an M5 E60 local to me and it does sound wonderful in comparison with even the new F90 M5. But at the same time it just all sounds expensive should that engine have an issue!
It's definitely not a wise purchase; it's a 10 year old, highly-strung, £80k car and you should approach it as such.
If you can afford a few grand a year on routine maintenance, and can either cope with the potential for £10k bills or are willing to take the risk that it'll go pop and you'll have to punt it on for significantly less than you paid for it, then yeah why not.
If on the other had you're going to have to eat beans for the rest of your life to afford the loan repayments, then I'd probably give it a miss.
If you can afford a few grand a year on routine maintenance, and can either cope with the potential for £10k bills or are willing to take the risk that it'll go pop and you'll have to punt it on for significantly less than you paid for it, then yeah why not.
If on the other had you're going to have to eat beans for the rest of your life to afford the loan repayments, then I'd probably give it a miss.
A 650 although not perfect would almost certainly cheaper to run then the V10 M6. They can throw bills but not on the scale of the M6. Valve stem seals can be done for about £700 these days, same with the coolant transfer pipe so not a deal breaker and will have been done already on many cars.
Guy at works got one and it's cost an absolute fortune.
I've heard that a warranty can be 500 a month off BMW if they will give you one (needs to have full BMW sh!?) and if he'd taken that out he'd have spent less on it.
That's a scary prospect.
Bottom end/shells went twice which was the biggest cost.
I've heard that a warranty can be 500 a month off BMW if they will give you one (needs to have full BMW sh!?) and if he'd taken that out he'd have spent less on it.
That's a scary prospect.
Bottom end/shells went twice which was the biggest cost.
I feel like the V10 powered M5/6 get a bit of a harsh rap on the forums with regard to reliability and repair costs, I know there's no smoke without fire, but is the bork factor really that high?
Make no mistake, things like brakes, clutches etc are expensive, so you do need to go in to it with your eyes open.
I ran a 2005 M5 for 10 months and had no issues at all, fantastic motor and glad to have ticked it off my list, I would have kept it a long time but alas a house purchase was the more sensible choice. My old boss also ran an M6 for 5 or 6 years with no problems, just the usual running costs.
There are a lot of horror stories out there with regard to repair bills but as to what percentage of owner actually experience these its hard to tell. The ideal situation is find one with below 60k miles and run it with a warranty on a monthly payment to protect yourself from the price increase over 60k miles that you'll experience if paying annually. If you cant do this, and I appreciate they are getting on a bit not so low mileage ones are rare, then keep a few grand aside just in case. There are not cars you want to try and run on a shoestring at the end of the day!
Make no mistake, things like brakes, clutches etc are expensive, so you do need to go in to it with your eyes open.
I ran a 2005 M5 for 10 months and had no issues at all, fantastic motor and glad to have ticked it off my list, I would have kept it a long time but alas a house purchase was the more sensible choice. My old boss also ran an M6 for 5 or 6 years with no problems, just the usual running costs.
There are a lot of horror stories out there with regard to repair bills but as to what percentage of owner actually experience these its hard to tell. The ideal situation is find one with below 60k miles and run it with a warranty on a monthly payment to protect yourself from the price increase over 60k miles that you'll experience if paying annually. If you cant do this, and I appreciate they are getting on a bit not so low mileage ones are rare, then keep a few grand aside just in case. There are not cars you want to try and run on a shoestring at the end of the day!
I think apart from the big failures some of these cars have its understanding that on a vehicle over 10 years old you can make a pretty good case for changing almost everything, as there is a good chance most things will be getting tired, I'm currently getting a regular e46 back up to a good mechanical condition which has cost me over 3k so far and that's with doing the vast majority of work myself.
It depends what your looking for I guess, 6 months of fun hoping you have no major problems and then punting it on, of more of a long term prospect, either way you need to be comfortable with the possibility of some significant bills and go into any older car like this with careful consideration.
It depends what your looking for I guess, 6 months of fun hoping you have no major problems and then punting it on, of more of a long term prospect, either way you need to be comfortable with the possibility of some significant bills and go into any older car like this with careful consideration.
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