E39 M5 buying tips
Discussion
Hi All,
Long time lurker, first time poster.
I am about to by an M5, after looking around for a few months and seeing some that met the criteria that I set (post facelift / late model, under 100k, hasn't been crashed / repaired, and owned by people who have cared for the car). I have now found one I like, and have a sale agreed as long as it passes a more thourough going over.
The car is 2001, one owner, getting sold as owner is o/s. It has low 40k miles, garaged, FSH with BMW dealers, every receipt, doesn't have every option like comms pack, but then I don't really use my mobile all that much anyhow. One MAFS was just replaced, which cleared the engine fault light. No rattles from the engine suggesting any vanos issues. 4 green inspection lights. No rust or bubbles found (others I have looked at had bubbles in the fuel filler well - not this one).
On the road it was fine (had 2 E39 540i's in the family during the 90's early 2000's, which I regularly drove), allignment was straight, no vibrations, stopped fine, engine pulled strong but felt like it needed to be taken on a good run to blow out the cobwebs as such. Of all the M5's I have driven, the stearing feels quicker and more darty than our old 540i's (both had std 16" rims/tyres), or memory my memory is hazy these days! Wheels have light curbing (car tracked fine on the road), probably due to the wife driving it, clutch was replaced at 29k (due to wife too??), but the car looks like it has spent most of it's life in the city doing start stop traffic, as their is very little in the way of stone chips on the front. This was told to me also - you can take someone's word with a grain of salt, but the signs on the car suggest it was true (discs don't have signs of been driven hard for example)
I am usually good at spotting problems with cars, and I couldn't find much wrong with it. What are the key things I should look at with M5's? I am going to double check that there is no leaks I can find, usual oil/coolant is ok, TV doesn't have dead pixels, check all electrics work again, etc.
I'm getting it as a 2nd car, so commuting/usual running around and winter driving I will continue to do in my other car.
Any words of wisdom would be appriciated.
Cheers,
Stuart
Long time lurker, first time poster.
I am about to by an M5, after looking around for a few months and seeing some that met the criteria that I set (post facelift / late model, under 100k, hasn't been crashed / repaired, and owned by people who have cared for the car). I have now found one I like, and have a sale agreed as long as it passes a more thourough going over.
The car is 2001, one owner, getting sold as owner is o/s. It has low 40k miles, garaged, FSH with BMW dealers, every receipt, doesn't have every option like comms pack, but then I don't really use my mobile all that much anyhow. One MAFS was just replaced, which cleared the engine fault light. No rattles from the engine suggesting any vanos issues. 4 green inspection lights. No rust or bubbles found (others I have looked at had bubbles in the fuel filler well - not this one).
On the road it was fine (had 2 E39 540i's in the family during the 90's early 2000's, which I regularly drove), allignment was straight, no vibrations, stopped fine, engine pulled strong but felt like it needed to be taken on a good run to blow out the cobwebs as such. Of all the M5's I have driven, the stearing feels quicker and more darty than our old 540i's (both had std 16" rims/tyres), or memory my memory is hazy these days! Wheels have light curbing (car tracked fine on the road), probably due to the wife driving it, clutch was replaced at 29k (due to wife too??), but the car looks like it has spent most of it's life in the city doing start stop traffic, as their is very little in the way of stone chips on the front. This was told to me also - you can take someone's word with a grain of salt, but the signs on the car suggest it was true (discs don't have signs of been driven hard for example)
I am usually good at spotting problems with cars, and I couldn't find much wrong with it. What are the key things I should look at with M5's? I am going to double check that there is no leaks I can find, usual oil/coolant is ok, TV doesn't have dead pixels, check all electrics work again, etc.
I'm getting it as a 2nd car, so commuting/usual running around and winter driving I will continue to do in my other car.
Any words of wisdom would be appriciated.
Cheers,
Stuart
Check for rust around and below the boot. Also check none of the pixels are missing from he dash/radio.
Have a good read here:: http://forum.bmw5.co.uk/
Cheers.
Have a good read here:: http://forum.bmw5.co.uk/
Cheers.
Cheers Volte / Asbo,
bmw6.co.uk is one board I hadn't found, but m5board is one I have spent alot of time reading. I know the running costs of 5 series in general - they have never been cheap - Dad bought the first of his in 1978, and replaced it with a new one every 3-4 years, so has owned 7 I guess (all large straight 6's, then large V8s when they arrived). But in all that time, all I can remember of major problems was with a 540i, E34 I think, possibily a first model E39, the auto gearbox developed savage downshifts, that would shoot a briefcase off the back seat! That got replaced under waranty - about AU$30-40k for it to get airfrieghted out from Germany. But they always have been maintained, and probably helps to be friends with his dealer / service manager. He even gets them to aggree when he buys them that the dealer will clean his car when ever he drops by for a coffee or whatever, so he has not washed one of his cars for at least 10 years - cheeky b*stard!
My main priority is to find a clean well looked after example, as I know paying 2-3k more for a better example will be alot cheaper (and alot better for my sanity) than buying a suspect car that goes wrong. Though it is almost a 7 year old car, so their are no guarantees...
bmw6.co.uk is one board I hadn't found, but m5board is one I have spent alot of time reading. I know the running costs of 5 series in general - they have never been cheap - Dad bought the first of his in 1978, and replaced it with a new one every 3-4 years, so has owned 7 I guess (all large straight 6's, then large V8s when they arrived). But in all that time, all I can remember of major problems was with a 540i, E34 I think, possibily a first model E39, the auto gearbox developed savage downshifts, that would shoot a briefcase off the back seat! That got replaced under waranty - about AU$30-40k for it to get airfrieghted out from Germany. But they always have been maintained, and probably helps to be friends with his dealer / service manager. He even gets them to aggree when he buys them that the dealer will clean his car when ever he drops by for a coffee or whatever, so he has not washed one of his cars for at least 10 years - cheeky b*stard!
My main priority is to find a clean well looked after example, as I know paying 2-3k more for a better example will be alot cheaper (and alot better for my sanity) than buying a suspect car that goes wrong. Though it is almost a 7 year old car, so their are no guarantees...
ASBO said:
Spend an evening or two on here and you'll know all you need to about running these things.
40k is very low. Always a good idea to buy one with as low a milage as possible IMO. Good luck.
I'm not sure a low mileage is always the best bet - if it's been kept in the garage during the week and only used as a weekend toy that could be good, unless every weekend's it's been hooning around a track.40k is very low. Always a good idea to buy one with as low a milage as possible IMO. Good luck.
A higher mileage car could have spent its days cruising along the motorways leading a nice stress-free life. A lower mileage car could have done all its travelling (as suggested with this one) through town hammering the drive train etc.
Volte said:
I'm not sure a low mileage is always the best bet - if it's been kept in the garage during the week and only used as a weekend toy that could be good, unless every weekend's it's been hooning around a track.
Looking at the receipts and MOTs, it is low mileage because it didn't do any big miles each year, and the last 3 years it has only been doing 1-2k each year as the owner has moved o/s, and only back a few times a year.I am sure it hasn't been taken on track days, else they have replaced the discs and left invoice out of the folder. But all my cars have seen the track, so the occasional visit is not a worry to me.
Volte said:
A higher mileage car could have spent its days cruising along the motorways leading a nice stress-free life. A lower mileage car could have done all its travelling (as suggested with this one) through town hammering the drive train etc.
Yeah, I agree with that, and it had crossed my mind. One of my mates Lancia Integrale broke it's lower control arm by living it's life with London's speed humps. Every thing in the rear end M5 feels tight, and the suspension handles bumps well. A hell of alot better than my 850R daily driver - it is just easier going around pot holes, road iron, bumps, pebbles, twigs etc....Gassing Station | M Power | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff