Right, I've decided to stop pissing about and buy myself a decent car to drive around in as I'm fed up of driving old shite about!

I've been trying to make up my mind as to what I want and the list of things were as follows:

Civic Type R,
Focus ST 2.5,
Mondeo ST220,
Scooby WRX STi (blob eye),

But then I looked at E39 M5's and though sod it, I'll go for one of those!

I know my list above is a bit varied!

I've always wanted an M5 and I know a few people on here have either got them or have had them.

All I've got to do now is save up some money!!

My questions are what are they actually like to live with, common issues etc?

I don't care about fuel consumption as I drive a van for work so won't get used daily.

Cheers folks!

 

You selling the saff then.

 

Hopefully not as he's buying my exhaust

Gaz. Its a BMW. If well maintained they are a very good and reliable car indeed.

 

He won't be selling the Saff

Just wants a decent run about

 

Gaz we have had this discussed this before.

It can only be out of E39 M5 or Scooby WRX STi (blob eye) ideally a import.

 

I've got one and had one for two years, it is definately (IMO) the best car for the money that you could own hands down, it pains me that the miles are getting high and it's getting on a bit becuase I will have to buy something not nearly as well put together and fast, anyway enough of the sob story, what is it like....

-Well for starters their cheap to buy, so don't opt for a pre-facelift car becuse you'll pick up the later one for the same or similar money.
-Mine averages 17.8 mpg but thats mostly town diving.
-Brakes are not the best, get uprated pads as minimum and the discs are prone to warping becuase its a heavy car.
-Vanos issues are a load of old wifes tales, it sounds like a bag of spanners when you start it up, that should last for 3 seconds at most then it'll be smooth, this is perfectly normal, i've even had non BMW mechanics freak out at the noise it makes when you start it.
-Cheaper to service than an E46 M3
-Don't just buy on mileage, i.e and 85k mile car might need tyres/brakes etc done to it, whilst a 100k car has had all that done already.
-Problems.... err I've had none, cars at 120k miles now and clutch is slipping but i do drive it hard, other than that it's had tyres all round, front brakes and two sets of pads and a track control arm so nothing to shout about really.
-Top tip, bits arent that cheap but DON'T buy pattern parts, I have only done this once with a set of rear drop links and they lasted 2 months and broke, thesrs alot of cheap shite out there and it's a big heavy car, so only use BMW OEM bits.
-They use oil, it is VERY rare to find one that doesn't, the also ONLY run on castrol TWS 10/60 FOR M SERIES ENGINES (it MUST say that on the bottle), its about 45 quid for 4 litres you can get it off ebay/opie oils etc, or BMW if youre feeling flush.
-Check the rear diff for play, if you can't jack the car up, just lift the clutch slightly when you pull away and see if there is a noticeable delay in it taking up drive, oh and the rear diff seals are very shit and are prone to leaks.
-If you drive it from cold the gearchange can feel notchy, this is a characteristic of the box and it will be smoother once warmer, again nothing too bad but some people moan about it on forums, even old dudes that have had them from new complained about it.
-Headlights (in facelift cars) break on the inside, the adjusters are made of plastic and become brittle and snap, easy and cheap fix if you have a heat gun. if you open the bonnet and wiggle the connector that goes into the light and it moves excessively you know the inside of the light is no longer connected to the adjuster.

Other than that it's an ace car!

 

What sort of money do these go for?
And what power do they run standard?

 

I've seen really tired ones go for 4500 (rare), but for a decent one you'd be looking about 7 grand, you won't find one with low miles unless you pay double that or it's nicked. 400bhp 5L V8.

 

Blimey, that's a lot of car for the money!
Can't you pick up the 750 for similar money?

 

Just an example, there are loads, and kind of like cossies the prices very wildly.

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3587099.htm

 

could i get one to do 500 motorway/b road miles to around 50 of petrol if yes then im sold

 

A tenner per 100 miles? No fucking way

 

never owned one but was in a 2001 with 150,000 on the clock but the way it handles and puts speed on is impressive,I had a 540i wich was only 286bhp but did 49mph 1st and a 115 in 3rd the guy with the m5 claims to have had it at 150mph on a mile bypass but would of being doing around 60mph just as he got on it also it has a big ass phone in the arm rest lol

 

One of these is on my wish list...
Rog - thanks for the input, makes for interesting reading! If you werent so far away (ie in a diff country) i'd pop up to have a chat to you about M5s.
I think they are awesome cars, big v8 upfront, rwd and sublime handling with alot of straight line grunt thrown in. The only thing putting me off would be running costs, ie replacement parts etc.

 

I have owned a variety of cars over the years as most of you know, and perhaps more importantly I have driven pretty much everything out there due to my business. If you want a fast and comfortable sub Ł10K car that is uber reliable, then nothing even comes close to an M5. Its my favourite car and I just cant bear to get rid of her.

Everything Rog says above is correct, its all great advice. I am lucky, I got one of the ones that doesnt use oil.

The following is just cut and pasted from my own website...

Totally amazing cars. Absolutely love everything about mine. They do everything pretty well or better. Speed, handling, comfort, quality, reliability, build quality, everything about them is better than 90% of cars out there. The power is excellent and so usable you don't have top bother with the gearbox if your feeling lazy, with over 200ftlb of torque from idle rising to around 370ftlb from 2000pm to the limiter, she will pull from 10mph to 186mph in 5th gear.

As for daily driving, again, it excels, the big V8 heats up fast and you can potter to the shops with no drama and she will sit outside looking subdued to all but those who know what she is. They don't feel anything like as big as they are once you get the hang of them, and you can easily push the limits more each week. It may be a few weeks before you disable the incredibly competent DSC though, shes a heavy girl at the back so needs your wits about you to push hard in the rain with DSC off. With it on, your grandma couldn't lose it, honestly, the computer would almost forbid it.

The quality you are buying and driving is what swings it for me. They drive better at 200,000 miles than any Ford, Subaru or Mitsubishi Lancer does when NEW. And so they should, don't forget, fully loaded, these cars were Ł67'000 only 6-7 years ago!

Toy lovers will be at home as the list of toys is massive on an M5. lets see, here is my spec. (In the order i can think of them...):Do any other features actually exist?

 

 

400HP

Great cars, wouldn't mind one, only thing is running costs, that is why there are reasonably cheap to buy, as being an enthusiasts car there isn't a lot of demand for them and those that have them can afford to run them.

Martin

 

Hmm........ The more I read, the more I want one!!

Glenn: the saph is going nowhere mate as James has said!

Rog and Stu: cheers boys! Just what I wanted to hear!

They just seem such good value for money! The only thing I'm a little worried about is if anything does go wrong with it and the ŁŁŁ it would cost.

Stu, do you do a remap for them and if you do, what sort of gains can you get from it?

 

i shall deffo be getting one my self asap

quality car

 

The ONLY thing stopping me buying one is fuel costs

 

Heres my old one, i miss it alot!















Carbon Black, with almost all the extras aswell!

 

If you're worried about running costs but want a nice similar car then look for a "Champagne" edition E39, or a sport, as long as its manual and doesn't have horrible wooden trim they look ace inside.

 

No.

HTH.


Cheers,
Grant

 

ive got a "normal" E39 and even that i find is a brilliant car. i'd absolutely LOVE and M5 but i dont know if i could lose the practicality of an estate, plus i cant go spending big money on cars anymore.

even the "budget" E39s are great cars!

 

What option is that full screen? all the ones I've seen are half the size?

 

That's a facelift spec sat nav, all post 2000 cars should have them that size and the different wheel inside. Which confuses me is that's on a V plate unless the lights and the sat nave and wheel have been put in afterwards?
The tv won't work anymore unless you install a digital tuner as they're all equipped with analogue. The wheel is the same as an e46 M3 and the later ones also have the grey dials.

 

Ah I just checked again it's a Y plate so that explains it, I looked at it on my phone and it looked like a V. If you're lucky u can pick up X plate face lifts which mean you get cheaper road tax

 

I think someone at BMW swapped the V plate for a later Y plate Rog.


Cheers,
Grant

 

If your after a slightly different alternative.
My old mans got a alpine b10

It's a 4.6 v8, 5 speed tip tronic. It's a stunning car. Was 90k new lmao. Slightly lazyer than a m5.

I'll get pics up tommorow.

 

It was a facelift model, I fitted a digital tv to it do it had free view.

Had an alcantara head lining too which was an option of around Ł2.5k !

 

get one bought mate cracking cars

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u8OWS4g8XM&feature=fvwp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msOIg3nGu9w

 

They are great cars as said, I have great memories of a lap in the E39 M5 'Ring Taxi with Sabine Schmitz back in 2002. Awesome!



Clarkson had a go too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4U6XZjEZKRA

 

They sound the bollocks!!

I think that's my mind made up now!!

How much do kidneys go for these days?!!

 

They have come down massively in price recently and i think they are starting to bottom out in price.

I work in the motor trade so I bought mine at trade prices so its a cheap play thing to take on the odd track day, nurburgring and something comfy to drive on long trips.

Get them up to 70, stick the cruise control on and they are pretty good on fuel, on a 270mile trip i averaged over 30mpg

Mines a 2000 so i dont pay the silly road tax and mine had a new engine and facelift vanos kit under warranty from BMW back in 2003 so the engine has only done 70k

Put it on the rollers a few weeks ago to check its healthy and pulled these numbers



399.7bhp and 385ft lbs of torque, completely stock
a remap will normally gain you 20hp and about the same in torque, changing manifolds normally gives you the greatest gain, 30bhp+


excuse the passanger headlight, got some water in it but cleaned it out later that day


just making a few changes currently, done a 'square' setup where you put a set of rear wheels on the front to help with handling, with means im running 285 slicks all around.
Fitting a set of coilovers to cover all the extra grip of the slicks

Probably put a decent set of pads in the front for my first track day.


Overall i think they are great cars, they arnt very fast due to them being heavy, i would say under 130mph your about as quick as a stage 1 saff but after that you will have the legs.

Just know that they are pretty decent at whatever you want to do, not amazing but they dont really have anything bad going for them.

I find the exhaust a bit quiet for a V8 but doing a 'muffler delete' makes a difference, sounds alot nicer then, yet leaving the middle resonators in means its silent on cruising with no drone

Here is a clip of mine, its very loud when its cold as it has an airpump that throws extra air through to help with emissions but then stops after about 1minute, if you listen to the last 3 seconds of the clip you can hear the exhaust quieten down as the pump turns off

If you can get a decent one for around Ł5k i think your laughing

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3yGKow6uIY[/youtube]

If you can get a decent one for around Ł5k i think your laughing

 

I have been looking at these thinking of getting one next year after moving Have heard that the E39 M5 was one of the best BMW built.. Had a e34 535i se and that was agreat car and really well put together

 

http://m.youtube.com/?reload=7&rdm=m...?v=Izo0gMDxHxw

 

Superb cars!

If you love the M5 BUT don't want the insurance/fuel/servicing expense then a 540i Sport with the 6 speed manual box is the way to go - if you want it to be even cheaper to run then there are plenty out there with LPG conversions too (although finding a manual one is rare - I'm lucky, I have one )

 

A couple of mine from Ze Ring...

 

Since we're banding pictures about then:

A few of my 540i Sport from the 'Ring

 

Thats a hell of a lot of car of 8 grand

Amazing how cheap they are are nowadays