E39 M5, any reasons not to?

[OllieB]

My old man is looking at maybe running one of the above for a year or so when his Civic Type R goes back (Its leased) and I was all for steering him in this direction. That was until I heard Pacerpete or someone slagging them saying they were woefully unreliable, which I must admit I've not heard from anywhere else. I figure that they have suffered most of their depreciation by now and would good fun to blast about in for a bit, plus I will get to drive it and I'm only 22, tee hee. Don't suggest any alternatives that are older than this please, eg E34 M5's as he doesn't want to buy anything that dated. Was also possibly considering an RS6 or something, any thoughts....?

[M5pilot]

E39 M5 - great machine. Is very costly to run though. Brakes are horrendously expensive, MAF's going wrong quite alot, clutch isnt upto the job.

E39 munches through suspension bushes.

Other than that- great car.

There is one alternative though which is similar - that is the Alpina B10 v8 or V8S. Basically Auto M5's and very very rare. Same shape, same years, same in many ways other than the engine being slightly smaller and less powerful (not really felt on the road). It is a very relaxing affair. The swtichtronic is excellent.

Hope this helps.

The E34 is dated in comparison but definately better built and more of a drivers car.

E39 M5 and Alpina are devastatingly quick!

Sal

[Dan318-is]

You can pick fault's in almost any car but imo an e39 M5 is about as good as it gets unless u have silly money to spend or feel an e30 m3 is to dated too!

i agree

sal i no you no your shit when it comes to these, and i no the e34 is a better drivers car, but the e39 m5 is a great car. described by the press as "the best car in the world". it handles like a go kart, iv driven a late one after a service at vines of guildford an my god!

also, you only have to look at the e39 forums to see the problems they are discussing. "restoring my leather" and "sat nav wont show directions to inverness" compared to "i can see the floor in the rear of my e30" and "my boat anchor wont turn over" on here

go for it i say!

[Jon_Bmw]

Just to point out, RS6 brakes are stupid money too. Something like 2.5 bags for a job in our local audi dealer according to someone I know there. But that may have been more than just discs and pads, but it may not have been either

[maxfield]

Dont listen to pacerpete he thinks every cars a turd

[pacerpete]

Yes it's true the only good turd is a sold turd ! . But it wasn't me who slated the E39 M5, it is a very serious car that can now be bought very cheaply but like all 60 bag hero chariots you need big balls and deep pockets to keep it up to scratch. I am not a huge fan in that i find them a bit bland and ordinary , probably because they do everything so well. If i was in the market for a Ԛ£20000 hero chariot i would probably seek out a monaro, comparatively simple, great fun, suprisingly competent, and lots of cred even if it is a bit uncouth !, jeez that sounds like me !!

[Davenotouring]

You would ya flaming Aussie!

Even the VXR Monaros aren't that quick. And I'm a Vauxhall man.

E39 M5 is a different kettle of fish. Still got the high running costs of the Ԛ£60k car it was, well actually more, because it's now that things start to go wrong more comprehensively. If you can afford to repair any unforeseen mechanical problems, GO FOR IT.

Awesome.

[M5pilot]

If I could justify the high running costs I would buy one.

I spend alot of time on the M5board and it is clear that people spend an absolute fortune running them.

There are quite alot of people who own both the E34 and the E39 and say a few things which are common - E34 handles better and is better built. E39 has super performance and the E34 3.8 6 speed really struggles to keep up.

The best part of the E39 M5 is the wet weather handling, it is simply awesome. The interior design is sublime and makes the E34 feel very very dated.

I just wish they'd built it aswell as they built the E34.

Screw it - buy it! Just buy a good one from 2000 onwards.

Sal

[Pal318is]

There is one alternative though which is similar - that is the Alpina B10 v8 or V8S. Basically Auto M5's and very very rare. Same shape, same years, same in many ways other than the engine being slightly smaller and less powerful (not really felt on the road). It is a very relaxing affair. The swtichtronic is excellent.


Sal

See a Alpina yesterday...looks superb...totally.

Both nice cars, but would probably go for the Alpina tbh...Is there much diference in the running costs of the two cars?

Pal

[E30BeemerLad]

Sal, are the E39's no longer hand built like the 34's?
Maybe that's one of the reasons, apart from BMW's generally feeling cheaper in the build dept since the demise of the E34 & E32 which I personally consider to be the last of the properly built BMW's After that, it's Tamiya & the plastic population

[M5pilot]

E39's are not hand built like the E34 M5's.

E39's are not poorly built by any standards though. Still superb but the E34 M5 build is simply phenominal.

Alpina B10 V8 and V8S are superb machines.

The v8s has the 4.8 litre engine with 375bhp.