e39 m5 purchase what to look out for?
Discussion
- all the electrics work, inc seat lumber support and memories
- ac blows cold (day needs to be >7c otherwise the compressor will not come on)
- same with heater. Make sure both sides get to 31 and the fan reacts accordingly
- steering pump - whine when knackered and when fluid is low. And it only has to be on minimum to start moaning
- tyres have a decent amout of tread . Lots of hundreds required for a full set
- drive it over a bumpy road. Any crashing and the bushes need doing
- rear diff leaks (they all do that)
- check engine for ANY rattles
- look very carefully for any leaks aroung block. 3 cars I know have had cracked blocks at high mileage.
- drive it hardish. Make sure it's not in limp mode and the ABS, DSC work
- check for rust inside fuel flap
- and rear wings
- BMW paint is rubbish. How badly sandblasted is the front?
- and make sure the rear diffuser / plastic cover tray is over the diff. If it isn't it tends to be a good indicator that someone has slid it off into a verge
- how shagged are the wheels. Budget for chromeline respray. Again, not cheap
- Check the tracking and the alignment of the steering wheel. Any pulling needs explaining and more so under braking
- d/s door/side bolster wears poorly. Is it acceptable? It can be liquid leathered, but not when it's too far gone
- and misfirings or irregular sounds from the engine could be a host of sensors including the mass air metres ir the O2 sensors
-check the cluth for slippage. A decent M5 will start from 5th.
- make sure the mirrors all react. The side mirror glass leaks and is £150+ to replace. You don't want to know how much it costs to replace the interior mirror one
- check the body for dents and splats and the service history and what does your gut feeling say about the owner....
- And make sure you have a war chest of at least £3k. These cars are NOT cheap to run or look after well. Find a decent independent garage.
I ran mine to slightly under 200k. It went through a period of me spending a LOT of money on it and don't be under any illusion that it's a paragon of Germanic reliability. Many people will tell you it isn't. It is an incredible driving experience and when it's good it's very good. But when it's flakey it will cause you to pull your hair out.
- ac blows cold (day needs to be >7c otherwise the compressor will not come on)
- same with heater. Make sure both sides get to 31 and the fan reacts accordingly
- steering pump - whine when knackered and when fluid is low. And it only has to be on minimum to start moaning
- tyres have a decent amout of tread . Lots of hundreds required for a full set
- drive it over a bumpy road. Any crashing and the bushes need doing
- rear diff leaks (they all do that)
- check engine for ANY rattles
- look very carefully for any leaks aroung block. 3 cars I know have had cracked blocks at high mileage.
- drive it hardish. Make sure it's not in limp mode and the ABS, DSC work
- check for rust inside fuel flap
- and rear wings
- BMW paint is rubbish. How badly sandblasted is the front?
- and make sure the rear diffuser / plastic cover tray is over the diff. If it isn't it tends to be a good indicator that someone has slid it off into a verge
- how shagged are the wheels. Budget for chromeline respray. Again, not cheap
- Check the tracking and the alignment of the steering wheel. Any pulling needs explaining and more so under braking
- d/s door/side bolster wears poorly. Is it acceptable? It can be liquid leathered, but not when it's too far gone
- and misfirings or irregular sounds from the engine could be a host of sensors including the mass air metres ir the O2 sensors
-check the cluth for slippage. A decent M5 will start from 5th.
- make sure the mirrors all react. The side mirror glass leaks and is £150+ to replace. You don't want to know how much it costs to replace the interior mirror one
- check the body for dents and splats and the service history and what does your gut feeling say about the owner....
- And make sure you have a war chest of at least £3k. These cars are NOT cheap to run or look after well. Find a decent independent garage.
I ran mine to slightly under 200k. It went through a period of me spending a LOT of money on it and don't be under any illusion that it's a paragon of Germanic reliability. Many people will tell you it isn't. It is an incredible driving experience and when it's good it's very good. But when it's flakey it will cause you to pull your hair out.
and...
Keep at 40 in 3rd or 4th, then press the SPORT button, you should feel a jolt and the steering will become heavier and the throttle more sensitive.
Keep at 40 in 6th and mash the throttle. If the revs fly up and the car doesn't fly away then the clutch is on the way out.
Make sure all the lights on the ignition come on and extinguish when you start the car (you wouldn't want someone taking the SES bulb out!)
Open bonnet and listen for loud tapping noise - research VANOS.
Take for a good run, if the temp gauge only sits at one third then chances are you'll need a new thermostat (£150 - £200).
Research unlocking the OBD - amongst other things this will tell you the actual temp the car's running at and also you'll be able to test the MAFS.
Just remember, because it's an 'M' everything is more expensive so make sure there's no cracked light covers etc.
Make sure front windows go down. Why? because you'll really want to hear that 5L V8
Keep at 40 in 3rd or 4th, then press the SPORT button, you should feel a jolt and the steering will become heavier and the throttle more sensitive.
Keep at 40 in 6th and mash the throttle. If the revs fly up and the car doesn't fly away then the clutch is on the way out.
Make sure all the lights on the ignition come on and extinguish when you start the car (you wouldn't want someone taking the SES bulb out!)
Open bonnet and listen for loud tapping noise - research VANOS.
Take for a good run, if the temp gauge only sits at one third then chances are you'll need a new thermostat (£150 - £200).
Research unlocking the OBD - amongst other things this will tell you the actual temp the car's running at and also you'll be able to test the MAFS.
Just remember, because it's an 'M' everything is more expensive so make sure there's no cracked light covers etc.
Make sure front windows go down. Why? because you'll really want to hear that 5L V8
went to see it this morning a silver 2000/x plate advertised on auto trader good history with reciepts showing loads of sensors and maf both changed recently,no rear badge or parking sensors, few rust spots(which i wasn't too worried about)door frames round the windows bubbling up, interior looked quite tired with scuff marks up the back of the seats, then looking at the dash noticed a piece of tape stuck on the lower l/h side of the binnicle covering the engine managment light when seller noticed i spotted it he revealed that the light was on(alarm bells now ringing)he told me it can't be anything serious as it's had loads of sensors changed and the previous owner must have got to a point of giving up changing sensors(this car had an inspection 2 service at vines less than 2500mls ago)and put the tape on, he assured me it wasn't affecting the performance of the car(i didn't drive it)at this point i said it had put me off and his reply was "if that light is putting you off maybe you shouldn't be looking for an m5 and said i could go and buy one and a week later the light could come on" my reply was "yes thats possible but i not buying one that already indicates a problem" he did offer to take it and have the light put out but by then i was put off. sorry for the long post but it is more of a warning to any other potential buyers
as an aside anyone on here thinking of selling in the £7k to £8k bracket please p/mail me
as an aside anyone on here thinking of selling in the £7k to £8k bracket please p/mail me
Glad you spotted it, glad you walked. I hate it when people do such blatantly devious things.
You may have to look a while for the right car. There are many out there well loved, but you also have to accept these cars are getting old and they are in the hands of people who want the badge but don't have the cash to look after them.
You may have to look a while for the right car. There are many out there well loved, but you also have to accept these cars are getting old and they are in the hands of people who want the badge but don't have the cash to look after them.
Anything around that price bracket is likely to need work.
I paid £6300 for mine last year and I have spent a lot of money in that year (Insp II, discs and pads all round, clutch, oil service, control arms, bushes, tyres, fuel pump, O2 sensor).
However, the car was by far the best I looked at condition wise and was fully loaded so I still happy that I got a good car that is now as I want it (apart from the bloody brakes but thats a different story).
Even if you are spending nearer £10K its always worth keeping some aside because something will need doing sooner or later.
I paid £6300 for mine last year and I have spent a lot of money in that year (Insp II, discs and pads all round, clutch, oil service, control arms, bushes, tyres, fuel pump, O2 sensor).
However, the car was by far the best I looked at condition wise and was fully loaded so I still happy that I got a good car that is now as I want it (apart from the bloody brakes but thats a different story).
Even if you are spending nearer £10K its always worth keeping some aside because something will need doing sooner or later.
APMAUTO said:
forgot to mention this was a dealer which to my mind makes it worse never mind i'll carry on looking
That's outrageous! It's a shame this site has a 'no name and shame' policy otherwise you'd be doing everyone a favour by posting his details in the General Gassing section.You did the right thing by walking away.
When I bought mine I got an independant specialist to do a pre-purchase check over the car before I handed over any money... maybe you should budget for one aswel?
mikey-r said:
That's outrageous! It's a shame this site has a 'no name and shame' policy otherwise you'd be doing everyone a favour by posting his details in the General Gassing section.
You did the right thing by walking away.
When I bought mine I got an independant specialist to do a pre-purchase check over the car before I handed over any money... maybe you should budget for one aswel?
if i find one i think is ok i will prob get it inspected for peace of mind, just to add when i say dealer did not mean a main agent but a traderYou did the right thing by walking away.
When I bought mine I got an independant specialist to do a pre-purchase check over the car before I handed over any money... maybe you should budget for one aswel?
You did the right thing by walking away (quite frankly, I would have run!). I see this: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2454343.htm one every morning, so I know it drives 
I have no tie to the seller though...
I have no tie to the seller though...
mikey-r said:
IIRC rear PDC was standard from the off but front PDC came in with the facelift in 2001.
definitely not had a 2000 m5 no pdcbought another one it has pdc must have been an option
As an aside i traded mine in to RF vehicles.He has it on at £5995. She has a hefty 135000 miles but i really loked after it. I was really really sad to let her go, but the chance of a genuine 47000 mile E39 M5 was too good to pass up. If you want a decent one and are not scared by high mileage take alook at her.
Edited by ArmaghMan on Friday 4th March 23:12
ArmaghMan said:
definitely not had a 2000 m5 no pdc
bought another one it has pdc must have been an option
As an aside i traded mine in to RF vehicles.He has it on at £5995. She has a hefty 135000 miles but i really loked after it. I was really really sad to let her go, but the chance of a genuine 47000 mile E39 M5 was too good to pass up. If you want a decent one and are not scared by high mileage take alook at her.
135K.....thats just run in. Mines on 174k now bought another one it has pdc must have been an option
As an aside i traded mine in to RF vehicles.He has it on at £5995. She has a hefty 135000 miles but i really loked after it. I was really really sad to let her go, but the chance of a genuine 47000 mile E39 M5 was too good to pass up. If you want a decent one and are not scared by high mileage take alook at her.
Edited by ArmaghMan on Friday 4th March 23:12
Gassing Station | M Power | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff