E61 M5 Touring.......Deal done!!

[kieran325]

Anyone know anything about these M5's ??

I'm close to pulling the trigger on one -







It's got 47k on clock, full dealer history and it's true genuine example.

Working on the figures but its up for 29,990 and I ain't paying that, closer to 25k is my budget.

[Simon13]

a bmw warranty isn't the worst idea

[kieran325]

It's a AUC car so all that's covered for 12months.

[bss325i]

If it's not had a clutch and flywheel yet, it will need one soon at that mileage.

Front brakes are a £1000 for the parts on their own.

Make sure the panoramic sunroof drains a regularly cleared as when they block, the boot well fills up with water and a kills a load of electrical parts.

Make sure the sunroof sliding parts are cleaner and lubed once a year as the can get dry, stiff and break as they are plastic and it's a mission to fix!

Throttle actuators fail and their is a pair of them at about £700 odd each.

The oil supply pipe to the vanos can split and drop pressure. Big job to fix as sump off which means front subframe off.

Extend the BMW warranty when it expires after 12 months!!!!

[bss325i]

And don't expect much better than 12mpg if you use its performance, and the fuel tank is small.

[manse73]

It's a AUC car so all that's covered for 12months.

What is an auc car please

[bss325i]

It's a AUC car so all that's covered for 12months.

What is an auc car please

It's a scar being sold by a BMW main dealer that's out of the manufacturer 3 year warranty which means after and AUC check (Approved Used Car) it gets 12 months warranty.

[Gert_8]

Apart from that, it's a stunner!

Report back if you decide to buy it please.

[kieran325]

Thanks for the info Barry. I know if these things shit themselves then it's going to be costly but I'd be running it under the warranty for a few years to come.

I only do 200 miles a month commuting if I decide to use a car so the mpg doesn't bother me nor does the £500 car tax.

It's up for 29990 and my offer was 25k firm,no messing. I want the car but I don't need the car if that makes sense ? They came back at 27k as their last offer so it's left there until one of us buckles.

[kieran325]

Slight update.....

Just had the salesman on the phone with a revised offer - £25,500.

I've asked for 3 years BMW warranty, clutch and flywheel replaced for 26k.

Is that a fair deal or am I chancing my arm wanting the extra warranty ?

[Andyboy]

The BMW warranty is now very expensive (someone mentioned £300 a month), and main dealers near enough refuse to sell them because they are a warranty disaster and the cost of getting them up to a retail standard is crippling. Front discs and pads are over a grand. A clutch and flywheel (no warranty on the clutch without a new flywheel) is around £2500-3000. Major engine problems include crank bearings (they can't be reground) and the porous supply pipe to the vanos units mentioned earlier.

The SMG box is bloody awful (have you driven one yet?) and these cars are going to fall out of bed spectacularly before long because they just aren't economically fixable when the big bang comes (there's no 'if' about it). They're pretty much a car without a future and will never be classic or appreciating in value like the E39.

To each their own but they just cost too much to run.

[kieran325]

I've also asked for known problems to be examined and replaced before it leaves under my ownership, but I suppose it having warranty it shouldn't be a problem but might as well rip it apart now.

[kieran325]

I drove it yesterday and I wasn't impressed with the SMG, not smooth enough but I thought it was me.

Hence me asking now for the clutch and flywheel to be replaced now under my offer.

[kieran325]

BMW warranty, comp cover is £1285 with £100 excess, Named cover £1065 and Driveline cover is £811.

Now that's the 1st price band for anything up to 60k.

Car with 60k and above is £3143 a year

[rh306]

BMW warranty, comp cover is £1285 with £100 excess, Named cover £1065 and Driveline cover is £811.

Now that's the 1st price band for anything up to 60k.

Car with 60k and above is £3143 a year

Better off spending the dough keeping one of these in fuel

[Andyboy]

BMW warranty, comp cover is £1285 with £100 excess, Named cover £1065 and Driveline cover is £811.

Now that's the 1st price band for anything up to 60k.

Car with 60k and above is £3143 a year

AKA p*ss*ng money away on a depreciating item. The SMG can also be a gearbox issue - pump, control unit.

Don't forget the £500 a year road tax either.

[DanThe]

BMW warranty, comp cover is £1285 with £100 excess, Named cover £1065 and Driveline cover is £811.

Now that's the 1st price band for anything up to 60k.

Car with 60k and above is £3143 a year

I take it that was the end of the M5 touring thoughts then

Looking at what goes wrong and the repairs cost these should be for sale for more like £500, not 30k

[pacerpete]

On a positive note, it's a shooting brake, but It's grey, the end.

[rh306]

When did BMW's quality control department get taken over by British Leyland?

[kieran325]

Not completely written off just yet.

Still thinking about it a˜›

The road tax doesn't bother me as the wife will have the 320d and the trusty E30 touring will be going so it frees up 2 cars.

The fuel doesn't pose an issue either as I don't commute much by car and only use a decent car to go somewhere so I'll be lucky if I do 4K a year.

The warranty after the 60k does pose an issue and I'd like to think it's not going to shit itself later on when it's 12 years old but I'm no fortune teller.

The insurance will go up an extra £120 a year so that's a bonus

The offer I'm up for is 25k with 2 years warranty but I'm sensing financial suicide in the long run

[daboy3000]

I had an E61 325 for about 4 months, I hated the steering, it would go from light to heavy all the time. The air suspension started playing up and I had issues with the idrive. swapped it for a E46 330 coupe and am happy again.

The M5 on the other hand is a serious tool but its going to be worth half that in a couple years and cost you a good 2k a year to run. If it needs new brakes or tyres then I hate to think of the cost.

If money is not a problem then you would be buying a new one so think carefully.

[kieran325]

Warranty work carried out -

44k Rear tailgate release
38k Horn
29k Grated noise from final drive - no fault found
11k Rear window washers, leaking pipe
10k Horn

That's from BMW.

[jonb]

What about a e63 estate(the last one)? Probably find one for around the same price, and they are much prettier than the e60.

The even older w211 e55/e63 can be found for much cheaper and they still both have around 500bhp.

[capri_rob]

Kieran is it really worth blowing £25k on something that is pretty much definitely going to break with huge running costs and depreciation like a piano falling out of a window if youre only going to sit in it for 4k a year ?

Any problems that were bound to appear anyway will surely be made worse by a life of short journeys with the engine cold.

Or are you just hoping that if you dont have to drive it it wont break ?

My 2p's worth spend £5k on something - anything - else to do your 4k a year in and invest the other £20k somewhere - anywhere - else. You can have a lot of fun in a £1500 car let alone a £5k one and then in a couple of years you'll still have all your £20k plus interest, and most of the £5k in whatever you bought.

Seriously £3k a year for a funking warranty that just screams they know the car is sh1t.

These turds are all well and good when they are brand new and someone else is paying for them but buying and running one with your own after-tax income is bonkers

If youre rich enough not to worry about it and you go into it expecting it to cost you thousands then go for it

[kieran325]

Fair comment Rob and something that's been playing over and over for the last few days.

When I say I'll do about 4K a year is because I run around in the 325 and M3 when the weather is good so the M5 would be used for weekends away and general long haul trips. I generally bum lifts to work or cycle as it is now so it would be used sparingly for short journeys.

I've longed for a juicy estate car for a while and this one crops up within a few miles from me that I'm liking, but I'm unsure now which way to go.

[Gert_8]

Audi R6 of course!

[B7]

Warranty work carried out -

44k Rear tailgate release
38k Horn
29k Grated noise from final drive - no fault found
11k Rear window washers, leaking pipe
10k Horn

That's from BMW.

If that's all it's had then it's doing well for an E61!

I wouldn't have another. Been the biggest disappointment since I bought a Saab 900 Turbo in 1988! Barry told me not to buy an e60/1. Did I listen? Did I fuck!

[ElReyes]

I've always liked the E39 540i - older now but rare and special.

What's that V8 about...?

[daboy3000]

Audi R6 of course!

I was going to suggest an RS4

[Gert_8]

Audi R6 of course!

I was going to suggest an RS4

RS4 is = to three series and the RS6 is more your fiver.

[daboy3000]

True, but I was thinking of the original one from around 20 years ago. RS6's are much newer.

[Gert_8]

True, but I was thinking of the original one from around 20 years ago. RS6's are much newer.

Kieran can afford it!! Who doesn't want a Lambo engine?

[capri_rob]

Fair comment Rob and something that's been playing over and over for the last few days.

When I say I'll do about 4K a year is because I run around in the 325 and M3 when the weather is good so the M5 would be used for weekends away and general long haul trips. I generally bum lifts to work or cycle as it is now so it would be used sparingly for short journeys.

I've longed for a juicy estate car for a while and this one crops up within a few miles from me that I'm liking, but I'm unsure now which way to go.

Think youve summed it up perfectly mate - youve got to be comfortable that youre putting £25k into something that you will hardly use, and which will depreciate hard and either you have to pay a fortune in running and warranty costs for something youre hardly going to use, or take a punt that the 4k a year you do wont cause a significant failure of some sort.

I get why anyone on here would want an M5 i really do but it just sounds like it will make you a very expensive driveway ornament which unlike your 325 and M3 is only going to plummet in value during the time you own it.

Havent E34 M5 prices bottomed out now ? Or an RS6 Avant ? Both properly quick and less likely to lose your hard earned dollar ?

[bss325i]

E34 M5 prices are on the up as there are hardly any nice ones left out of the low production numbers to begin with.

Even E39 M5 prices have bottomed and nice low mileage facelift cars are prices firm and again, not easy to find.

My guessing is Kieran doesn't want another classic, more an intersting usable toy.

And don't think those lumpy Audi's are any cheaper to run, a good mate of mine is a Audi tech and they are just a prone to expensive issues.

Fact of the matter is if you want something relatively new, it's going to depreciate unless it's something oddball and rare like an E82 1M which habe not depreciated at all.

[Andyboy]

If you want a fast E61, then a 535d is about the only sane way of doing it. Not M5 fast but still very quick, 30 mpg, £100 brake discs and loads of parts from ECP. A mate has had one for the last 6 years. It's been remapped to over 300 bhp, and about 60'000nm of torque and had over 200k on the clock. He did manage to blow it up last year but he was towing a very heavy trailer up a hill and giving it full beans. Another engine from FAB was £1800 but he rebuilt his - bores honed, one new piston, new rings and away it goes again.

Audis have plenty of problems.